With the elegant Seawitch graphic on its hull, Princess Cruises’ new 3,560-guest Majestic Princess, designated year-round for Shanghai, will first cruise the Mediterranean next spring, allowing Western passengers to experience a vessel designed for the Chinese market. Launching April 4, Majestic Princess will sail a series of seven-, 14-, 21- and 28-day cruises departing from Rome; Barcelona, Spain; or Athens, Greece. On May 14, it will reposition from Barcelona to call in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Singapore on its way to its homeport in Shanghai in July.
Guests can enjoy expansive shopping onboard, where nearly 12,000 square feet houses luxury designer boutiques that include brands such as Cartier, Bulgari, Chopard, Burberry, Gucci, Montblanc and Tissot.
The vessel has more connecting rooms and larger Owner’s Suites than its sister ships, Regal Princess and Royal Princess, and more than 80 percent of staterooms include a private balcony. All accommodations feature the new Princess luxury bed with a custom-made mattress developed by Dr. Michael Breus, known as the “The Sleep Doctor.” The luxury bed linens were designed by Candice Olson, the Canadian design star of HGTV shows “Candice Tells All” and “Divine Design.”
The ship’s interior design makes use of wood inlay, glass and metal, along with European marble, mosaic tile floors and custom-designed carpets in the corridors. The carpets feature Asian-inspired floral motifs, as do hand-tufted area rugs at the entrances to the main dining rooms.
Majestic Princess will introduce two new specialty restaurants in addition to a full culinary program. Harmony, created in partnership with chef Richard Chen — formerly of Wynn Las Vegas’ restaurant Wing Lei (the first Chinese restaurant in North America awarded a Michelin star) — will feature haute Chinese cuisine using chef Chen’s take on classic Cantonese dishes. Le Bistrot, placed right in the atrium, will offer casual French dining, with dishes such as escargots casserole, braised ox tongue and mushroom ragout, along with treats such as tartines, tortes and French pastries.
Onboard signage and communications are in both English and Mandarin, and the first two shows offered will be “Fiera” and “Fantastic Journey” — both highly visual musicals well-received by international audiences across the Princess fleet. Movies Under the Stars will be shown on the largest outdoor screen at sea, and Water Color Fantasy, with illuminated dancing fountains that shoot water up to 33 feet, will entertain guests in the evening.
“Over the past 50 years, we have developed a mastery of global travel, delivering a truly international cruise vacation experience to our guests,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess. “With the debut of Majestic Princess — first in Europe and then in China — we invite guests to indulge in a world-class experience that allows them to completely relax, unwind and ultimately ‘come back new.’”
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