Carnival's New Royal Princess Cruise Liner, United States of America

New Royal Princess is a cruise liner being constructed by Fincantieri for the British-American cruise line Princess Cruises. Princess Cruises is a brand owned and operated by the Carnival Corporation. She is the third in the cruise liner fleet to be named Royal Princess by the company. She will accommodate 3,600 passengers.

The ship will conduct a seven-day maiden voyage from Southampton to Barcelona in June 2013. The inaugural season itineraries will include the Grand Mediterranean voyage from Barcelona to Venice and then Venetian Passage from Venice to Fort Lauderdale by October 2013.

The Royal Princess will have 1,346 crew members. She can cruise at a speed of 22kt.

Construction of Carnival Corporation's ship

Carnival awarded a contract to Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani for building two new cruise ships for Princess Cruises, in May 2010.

Construction of the ship was started in March 2011. Her keel, weighing about 500t, was laid in October 2011.

She is scheduled to enter into service in June 2013. Fincantieri is building the ship in its Monfalcone shipyard, Italy. The second ship is scheduled to be launched in 2014.

Both will become the largest of the fleet operated by Princess Cruises. Each ship is estimated to cost €558m ($768m).

Design by Giacomo Mortola and Teresa Anderson

Giacomo Mortola is the architect of the ship. Her interiors are designed by the in-house director of Princess Cruises, Teresa Anderson. The new Royal Princess will have a gross tonnage of about 141,000t. The ship will be 1,083ft long and 217ft high.

The cruise ship will be spacious with 260,000 square feet of public space and will feature many new and expanded elements, besides maintaining the classical profile associated with Princess Cruises' ships.

Details related to specific designs, special features and amenities will be unveiled as the construction progresses.

Accommodation on the new Royal Princess

The Royal Princess will have 17 decks. She will have 1,780 passenger cabins with 732 balcony cabins, 306 mini suites, 342 inside cabins, 40 private balcony suites and 360 deluxe balcony cabins. The ship will also have 780 additional upper berths.

More than 29 balconies and seven inside cabins will be accessible for wheelchairs. About 81% (1,438 cabins) of the exterior cabins of the staterooms will include a private balcony.

Entertainment on Princess Cruises' vessel

The ship will feature an over-water walkway, called SeaWalk. The cantilevered walkway will be an extension to the edge of the vessel by 20ft, with a glass bottom and enclosures.

The passengers will be able to get views of the sea below and off the side of the vessel. The other end of the ship will feature an over-water sea bar. It will offer cocktails.

The top decks will be built with an adults-only pool. It will be surrounded by seven private cabanas which will float on water.

An outdoor dance club and two swimming pools with seating are also included. The signature bar, Sanctuary, will be expanded to include more space and amenities.

The ship will have pool-side theatre called Movies Under the Stars. The central atrium, the signature Piazza of the new Royal Princess, will be 50% larger and have entertainment, dining and retail facilities. It will feature two marble spiral staircases lit with glass domes.

Restaurants on the Royal Princess cruise liner

The new features also include several restaurants and lounges such as the Forward Dining Room, the Chef's Table Lumiere, Vines wine bar, Crown Grill, International Café, Sabatini's Italian restaurant, Crooners martini bar, Horizon Court buffet, Wheelhouse Bar and Wine Cellar-inspired dining facilities. She will also have the Horizon Court for Kids, Horizon Bistro and Horizon Bistro Pastry Shop.

Other new features include a gelateria, the Ocean Terrace seafood bar, Bellini's Italian cocktail bar and the Celebrations gift shop.

Deck seven will feature Princess Live!, a 280-seat entertainment area with studio and café space for musical performances, television broadcasts and other events.