ORLANDO, Fla. - Princess Cruises' newest ship Sky Princess had its official naming ceremony recently, embracing the thematic by honoring two women who are pioneers for NASA alongside some of the ship's own notable female crew.
The ceremony held at Port Everglades featured former space shuttle astronaut Kay Hire and Apollo 13 mission control engineer Poppy Northcutt as the ship's godmothers who launched a ceremonial bottle of champagne to christen the 143,700-ton, 3,660-guest vessel, the first new ship from Princess to call Florida home in five years.
"As we celebrate our newest, most technologically advanced ship _ one whose spirit of adventure and discovery match the grandeur of her name, Sky Princess, we also applaud the groundbreaking women of the U.S. Space Program," said Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz. "Our godmothers, Captain Kay Hire and Poppy Northcutt, remind us all of what we can achieve when we reach for the sky."
The choice falls in step with the line touting Sky Princess as the first ship in the fleet to have its technology-based program OceanMedallion installed right from construction.
The system, which is similar to Disney's MagicBand technology, gives passengers a quarter-size fob that acts as room key, credit card and human Lojack that's part of a push by the line to streamline transactions while also adding passenger benefits.
It's been rolled out on several other Princess ships, but the version on Sky Princess features the latest bells and whistles, which when combined with some phone apps, make sailing on the line a unique experience.
That includes a system that allows cruisers to find others on board, such as parents needing to know exactly where their offspring are, or just fellow cruisers trying to meet up for some pre-dinner drinks.
It takes advantage of 7,000 hot spots installed on the ship from staterooms to public spaces, that also attempt to give passengers what the line calls the best internet at sea.
Cruisers don't have to purchase the internet to take advantage of many of its features, though. Those include using wayfinding boards throughout the ship that can map out how to get from point A to B, making purchases at bars, shops and the casino and even playing games while waiting for the elevator.
Not every passenger is in love with the system, though, such as the fact that prices for purchased items aren't readily apparent and that tips are automatically added to each transaction, but others have found the wearable technology a welcome change to what other cruise lines offer.
One of the benefits touted by John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer at Carnival Corp., the parent company of Princess Cruises, is the fact that cabin stewards now know whether or not passengers are in their cabin or not, and can better organize visits to make up the rooms.
"You're not going to get this _ 'Are you available?' 'Are you in your room?'," Padgett said while knocking three times on his cabin room door. "Because the stateroom host knows that you're in your room so you're left completely alone. And that way your room is made up more magically than ever before, so it's always taken care of, but yet there's never disruptions."
Padgett had a hand in rolling out MagicBand technology in a former career with Disney, and says while the system is similar, the Princess product has many more layers.
One of those is the person-to-person delivery system for items ordered via the app. A passenger who orders a Coke, for instance, can migrate to another point in the ship and the food runners will be able to hunt them down.
It's like if you ordered a Mickey Bar ice cream treat from your phone in Adventureland and had it delivered to you in front of Cinderella Castle.
While the system isn't new to Sky Princess, it definitely is part of its identity, which also includes an array of unique offerings that set it apart from its three sister ships, Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess.
Top of the list is its spate of new stage shows: "Rock Opera," "Jim Henson's Inspired Silliness" and "5 Skies."
The marquee show "Rock Opera" touts a combination of avant-garde fashion with musical performances that range from classic rock such as Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin to classical pieces such as Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana to operatic solos. The production features vocals sung in a variety of languages including some choreographed to sign language. It offers some stunning visuals, especially of the supporting musicians lined up in the background.
The entertainment troupe of singers and dancers hold court across all three shows, though, including a little puppetry in "Inspired Silliness." The smaller venue production on board is a re-creation of puppet performances from Jim Henson's early career, when skits appeared on shows such as "The Tonight Show" way back in the 1960s. Their humor still resounds, though, and the puppets are reminiscent of some of Henson's most famous creations seen in "The Muppets" and "Sesame Street." "Inspired Silliness," though, is its own animal, that will have people singing lines from a bit titled "Business, Business" the rest of their cruise.
A third production on board titled "5 Skies" seems at first like it might not be every passenger's cup of tea, with a theme centered around a video game player that has to make it through five levels of a game to rescue the "Sky Princess."
The visual punch of the show, though, is enough to set aside any naysayers with layers of digital projection married with amazing aerialist performances and some surprising moving original songs. The performance had many showgoers declaring it the best of three new productions.
For those looking for something new offstage, Sky Princess has developed a welcome jazz venue called Take Five, named after the famous tune from the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Live performances embrace jazz from the 1930s-1960s such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker. It's married with a bartender staff armed with a mobile cart for bespoke cocktails created tableside while passengers listen to the tunes. It takes the place of dance venue Club 6 found on other Royal Class ships, but a dance floor can still be found on Sky Princess in the Vista Lounge.
Another new feature on board takes up a very small space, but offers a fun 30-minute problem-solving distraction. A form of escape room called "Phantom Bridge," the line has carved out a room adjacent the basketball court that lets up to six passengers try to make their way through a series of time-travel-themed tasks that combine digital swipe-screen technology with some good old-fashioned brain power.
"We wanted something that was industry-first in regards to technology," said Ryan Fitzgerald, director of entertainment at Princess Cruises. "We wanted something that spoke to families _ multigenerational experiencing things together. And we really wanted to put some resources toward a 'wow' experience."
The room is similar to a ship bridge complete with helm, a touch-screen navigational chart, binoculars that peer into a virtual starscape and even a digital parrot. The designers call it not so much an escape room, and more of a live-action video game in which the players earn points. While the three themed adventures will remain the same for the $14 per person ($11 for guests 10 and under) adventure, the problem-solving aspects of it will change each time, and there are multiple endings.
It's the first in the fleet, but a second version is coming to sister ship Enchanted Princess in 2020 that will add another three adventures, or chapters, to the three that exist on Sky Princess, so when that rolls out, they would be added to Sky Princess as well.
From a stateroom perspective, the most well-to-do can book one of two Sky Suites on board. The new class of suite has what the line touts as the largest balconies at sea. The wrap-around balconies are indeed massive with direct views of the pool deck and the massive movie screen used for the nightly "Movies Under the Stars." In fact, those staying in the Sky Suites get to choose the movie.
Those saddled with a sweet tooth addiction will want to head to Gelato, the gelateria that can be found on other Princess ships, but has some unique flavors found for now only on Sky Princess. The ingredients and equipment used received official Italian certification, a first for a cruise line. Flavors include fior di latte, hazelnut, tiramisu, pistachio, sorbets and dozens more.
For those looking for more bathing suit time, Sky Princess is outfitted with more hot tubs as well as two deep-tank pools linked by sunken, communal seating and an infinity pool called Wakeview at the aft of the ship that offers one of the best views for sunsets.
Much of the ship's offerings are the same as the other Royal Class ships. Dining options include Alfredo's Pizzeria with handmade Italian-style pizzas and other Italian offerings, as well as the second version of French venue Bistro Sur La Mer from 3-star Michelin recipient Chef Emmanuel Renaut that debuted on Majestic Princess.
Also on board is Crown Grill steakhouse, Sabatini's Italian Trattoria and Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar in addition to quick service venues Slice for pizza, The Salty Dog Grill for hot dogs, as well as multiple main dining rooms and the traditional buffet.
The ship also features the adults-only area of the ship called The Retreat with its own pool, bar and hot tubs, and the adjacent members-only section The Sanctuary. Also on board is the Lotus Spa and Fitness Center with treatments such as bamboo and coconut poultice massages, the largest fitness center in the fleet, a sports deck with court for basketball and tennis, and at the top deck of the ship, a nine-hole miniature golf course with great views from the aft of the ship, although it was suspiciously missing the eighth hole as of the December sailing. Also of note is the radiation warning signs on the two satellite hubs that may make some passengers do a double take while trying to sink a birdie.
Sky Princess arrived to Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades on Dec. 1 and will sail alternating, seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages through April 4, 2020. Those include stops at the line's private destination Princess Cays on the Bahamas island of Eleuthera, where the line has rolled out its OceanMedallion technology as well.
It's the third of four existing Royal Class ships to call Port Everglades home after 2013's Royal and 2014's Regal Princess. Next year's Enchanted Princess is also planned to make its way to Florida for fall 2020, cruise line officials said.
For more information, go to Princess.com or call 1-800-774-6237.