By
Rebecca Gibson |
Crown Princess will be the first Princess Cruises ship to host a ‘Last night of the proms’ celebration this summer as part of her new onboard entertainment programme.
Based in Southampton between April and September 2017, Crown Princess will offer a variety of new activities and entertainment options on her 7- and 14-night cruises to the Mediterranean and northern Europe.
Guests will be able to participate in themed activities to mark Shark Week throughout July in partnership with the Discovery Channel, and watch live performance from Peter Howarth, lead singer of The Hollies; Leanne Mitchell, former winner of TV show ‘The Voice’; and Ria Jones, who has held lead roles in multiple West End musicals.
Major sports events – such as Premier League and Champions League football, the Ryder Cup and Wimbledon – will be shown on TVs in guest staterooms and the top-deck ‘Movies Under the Stars’ cinema screen. Pop concerts featuring artists including Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Sting and Lady Gaga will also be shown on these screens. In addition, the ship will be the first to offer several UK TV channels, including BBC, ITV HD, Sky News and Sky Sports News.
Complementary themed food and drinks will be served at all screenings and special events, such as Pimm’s and strawberries during the Wimbledon fortnight.
In addition, Crown Princess will be the first of Princess’ UK-based ships to offer a series of voyages featuring celebrities as part of the line’s Encounters with Discovery series. Each speaker will host a 45-minute Q&A and a meet-and-greet session with photo and book signing opportunities. Some of the speakers will also act as judges on ‘The Voice of the Ocean’, an onboard singing competition for guests, which is based on ITV’s ‘The Voice’.
Speakers will include actor James Cosmo; actress Beverley Callard; Sherrie Hewson, actor, presenter, broadcaster and novelist; Paul Burrell RVM, butler to the late Diana, Princess of Wales; Edwina Currie, former MP and now novelist and broadcaster; and Pete Best, the original drummer for The Beatles. Meanwhile, sports enthusiasts will be able to hear from former footballer and manager Harry Redknapp; former England cricket captains Graham Gooch OBE and Mike Gatting OBE; former England captain and football manager Terry Butcher; and snooker commentator and former player John Virgo.
“I’m really looking forward to being with everyone on Crown Princess,” said Best. “The guests are a remarkable fun-loving crowd – I’ve enjoyed their company immensely and I hope they will enjoy mine.”
Crown Princess will also continue to offer Princess’ exclusive theatre shows, top-deck movies and other entertainment.