The new Discovery Princess cruise-ship, built for $760 million in Monfalcone Italy, just took sail to Seattle, where it will be hauling people back and forth to Alaska through September.
I’m new to cruises. Never been on one before. So when my friend Katherine from the San Pedro Convention and Visitors Bureau invited me and the Photowalks cameras to attend the naming ceremony, I had to jump.
And this I learned: a “naming” ceremony is quite the show. People get hired to sing and dance, reality show performers are on hand as “godparents” to bless the boat, and a big Nebuchadnezzar-size champagne bottle is smashed to celebrate.
The boat has room for 3,600 passengers and is billed as a luxury liner. Think a Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons on the water, heavy on the gold motif. There’s food and drink everywhere as part of the package, which I think starts at around $200 per person for a room with no view, and grows to $700 for two once you add in additional fees. (Cruising rates are hard to decipher, and it looks like there are deals to be had once you connect with the sales person.) This I do know: wi-fi will cost you an extra $20 a day. There’s even an old-fashioned Internet Cafe on the boat. Remember those kids?
Not a word was uttered at the event about all the COVID outbreaks that have befallen cruise ships, but masks were urged, and many people were wearing them, as you can see in the photo below from the cafe.
