SHANGHAI, June 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Princess
Cruises, the world's largest international premium cruise line
announced today that Yao Ming and
his wife, Ye Li, will serve as Inaugural Cruise Ambassadors for
Princess Cruises in China and
officially name the new Majestic Princess during a ceremony and
gala celebration.
The inaugural festivities will take place aboard Majestic
Princess in Shanghai on
July 9, as the culmination of weeks
of celebrations, upholding maritime traditions, as well as
featuring traditional Chinese, contemporary Chinese, and
western-inspired cultural performances that took place between
Rome and Xiamen.
"It is a great honor that Yao
Ming and Ye Li have graciously accepted our invitation to
officially name Majestic Princess and serve as the Inaugural Cruise
Ambassadors at our celebration welcoming our newest ship to
China," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president.
"Yao Ming is globally
recognized for his success in China and the United
States, truly embodying the 'East meets West' spirit of our
international cruise line."
Yao Ming and his wife, Ye Li,
were both born in Shanghai and
were both team members of China's
national basketball teams. Yao Ming
is an icon, one of the world's best-known athletes, a global
ambassador of basketball, an eight-time NBA All-Star, and most
recently, an inductee into the NBA Hall of Fame.
The couple has established The Yao Foundation in response to the
devastating 8.0 earthquake in Sichuan
Province, China in
2008. The Yao Foundation funded the construction of 23
schools in the region, Yao Foundation Hope Primary Schools, and is
currently focused on helping provide sports education to the youth
generation in the countryside regions of China with the implementation of "Yao
Foundation Hope Primary School Basketball Season" projects. They
help to select volunteers to support sports education and
basketball training, organize basketball leagues for the rural
primary schools to help more students learn the team sport and
understand the importance of growing up with fitness and good
health. This year will be the 10th year for "Yao Foundation Charity
event." It has become the biggest, the longest and most influential
sports charity event in China. In
2017, Yao Foundation Charity event tournament will begin on
July 30 in Hong Kong.
"We are honored to serve as the Inaugural Cruise Ambassadors for
Princess Cruises and officially name the new Majestic Princess,"
said Yao Ming. "I'm inspired that
Princess Cruises also cares so deeply about youth development in
China and appreciate their support
of our foundation. We look forward to enjoying a future
vacation aboard Majestic Princess, China's newest cruise ship."
Majestic Princess promises the ultimate cruise vacation for
Chinese travelers, offering Princess Cruises' renowned warm,
welcoming, international service – now enhanced for Chinese
travelers' satisfaction. The new cruise ship also features two
specialty dinner menus by Michelin star-awarded chefs at Harmony
and La Mer, "Fantastic Journey," the most technologically-advanced,
immersive musical and cinematic production show at sea, and the
Princess Luxury Bed developed with board-of-medicine certified
sleep expert, Dr. Michael Breus.
Princess Cruises is also debuting "Camp Discovery" – an
interactive family enrichment program developed in part by
Discovery Communications, California Science Center, and educators
from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) and
Stanford University – that is designed
to foster creativity and initiate a love for learning that prepares
children to better navigate their education and development at
early learning ages.
Majestic Princess is currently sailing on her "Silk Road Sea
Route" – a 49-day journey from Rome to Shanghai, retracing the ancient Chinese
maritime Silk Road trade route. During the voyage, she will have
visited a total of 22 ports including Athens, Dubai, Cochin, Singapore, Port Klang, and Xiamen before her arrival at Shanghai
Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal. Majestic Princess will
begin her first homeport season in Shanghai on July
11.
In 2018, two 14-day Grand Asia voyage sailings between
Shanghai and Singapore, will be available to guests
throughout the world on Majestic Princess. These sailings will
visit Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand, including spending more time ashore
on the late night call in Hong
Kong. The first voyage departs Shanghai on February
25, 2018, with the second departing Singapore on March 11,
2018.
Princess Cruises will also call Australia home from September 2018 to March
2019. Majestic Princess will sail itineraries from
Sydney and Auckland on voyages from 6 to 13 days in
length, and will call in ports at destinations including
New Zealand, Tasmania, Fiji and other islands in the South
Pacific.
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available
through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, or
by visiting the company's website at princess.com.
About Princess Cruises:
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a
global cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 17 modern
cruise ships renowned for their innovative design and wide array of
choices in dining, entertainment and amenities, all provided with
the experience of exceptional customer service. A recognized leader
in worldwide cruising, Princess carries two million guests each
year to more than 360 destinations around the globe on more than
150 itineraries ranging in length from three to 111 days. The
company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;
NYSE:CUK).
About The Yao Foundation:
The Yao Foundation is a
specialized fund established in 2008 by Yao
Ming under the auspices of the China Youth Development
Foundation (CYDF) and aims at promoting the all-around development
of Chinese youth by providing them the opportunities to improve
their education, sports skills, health and self-esteem. The Yao
Foundation has donated and constructed 22 hope primary schools and
one special care school in rural areas in China, which have been beneficial to more than
10,000 children. "The Yao Foundation Charity Game" and "The Yao
Foundation Hope Primary School Basketball Season" are the two major
charity projects of the Yao Foundation, providing more than 510,000
children in China's rural areas
the opportunities to experience the attraction of basketball.
Newsroom:
Additional media information is available at princess.com/news.
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SOURCE Princess Cruises