Princess Cruises hosted more than 200 agents on its newest ship Majestic Princess as it sailed its maiden voyage from Trieste to Rome.
UK agents, travel partners and members of the Princess UK sales team travelled from Trieste, Italy on Friday March 31.
Thousands of local people gathered on the quayside to wave off the ship because its captain, Dino Sagani, grew up in the town.
Vice president for UK and Europe Tony Roberts said: “The captain has become somewhat of a celebrity in the weeks leading up to Majestic’s first sailing.
“It was so fantastic to see so many people out to see us off and this whole sailing will be a great way for our agents to really experience the brand.”
Many of the agents won a place on the ship after entering the line’s social media competition using the hashtag #MakeMeMajestic.
At 146,000 tons, Majestic Princess is the line’s largest ship in terms of tonnage and has the capacity for 3,500 passengers.
The ship is the line’s third Royal-class vessel and after a short season in the Mediterranean will sail out of China from May. It is also the second ship in the fleet to feature the new Seawitch livery design on the bow.
The ship also features redesigned restaurants, dining areas and kids clubs which will be introduced across the fleet in the next year.
Additional features specifically for the Asian market, such as the indoor Cabana style area next to the adult-only Hollywood Pool Club, a larger Casino, extended shopping area and karaoke rooms, have also been added.
Princess Cruises group president Jan Swartz attended the cruise alongside the line’s parent company Carnival Corporation’s chief executive, Arnold Donald and chairman and owner Micky Arison.
Speaking to the agents as the ship left Trieste, Swartz said: “I am so thrilled to see so many familiar faces from UK here and so many agents here able to experience our new ship, which is a beauty.”