SANTA CLARITA, Calif., July
21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In fewer than 200 days, the
newest Princess Cruises ship – Discovery Princess – will
debut at the Port of Los Angeles
in spring 2022, for an inaugural season of Mexican Riviera and
California Coast cruises.
Discovery Princess is being built by Italian shipbuilder
Fincantieri and will carry 3,660 guests. Captain Arma will
officially bring the ship into service from the shipyard in
Monfalcone, Italy, joined at the
launch by an experienced team of executive officers, including
Chief Engineer Vincenzo Alfi, Staff
Captain Alessandro Genzo and Hotel
General Manager Richard Harry.
When Captain Arma is on leave, Captain John Smith will take over the navigation and
leadership of Discovery Princess and serve together with Chief
Engineer Tomislav Ljoka, Staff
Captain Petar Lesic and Hotel
General Manager Jasper Wolthuis.
"The entire Princess team, both ashore and at sea, would like to
congratulate and recognize Captain Arma and Captain Smith on their
notable and hard-earned appointments to lead our newest ship,
Discovery Princess," said Jan
Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "Their meticulous focus
to always look out for our guests is a testament to the level of
service Princess is proud to deliver. The first Discovery Princess
guests will have the pleasure of sailing with an esteemed inaugural
leadership team, discovering and connecting to new destinations and
cultures."
Discovery Princess offers the innovative technology, spectacular
style and design features of its sister ships – Royal Princess,
Regal Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess and Enchanted
Princess. Guests will discover the Princess MedallionClass
experience, world-class dining, an overwater SeaWalk, expansive
Piazza, Sanctuary, Lotus Spa, Grand Casino, Princess Theater and
Sky Suites, featuring the cruise line's largest balconies at
sea.
Discovery Princess Leadership Team
Captain Gennaro Arma has
always been passionate about the sea. He began his career with
Princess Cruises in 1998 as a Cadet and moved up the ranks
achieving his first command as Captain of Sea Princess in 2015,
where he navigated the ship on two world cruises. He took the helm
of Diamond Princess in 2018 and in 2020, led his team of
"gladiators" through unchartered territory managing the COVID-19
virus onboard at the start of the global pandemic. As a result
of his efforts, he was honored with the recognition of Commander of
the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the highest of the
orders of the Italian Republic, and selected among the 20 most
influential Italian characters of the year by Vanity Fair in
December 2020, Arma has
also received the title of Magister of Amalfi Civilization for the
Byzantine New Year, the Emanuela Loi award for courage, and the
Assarmatori prize from the Italian maritime association awarded by
the Minister of Transportation. He was born in Sorrento,
Italy, where he lives with his
wife Mariana and his son Diego.
Captain John Smith joined
the Princess family in 2007 as a First Officer and quickly rose
through the ranks into his current role as Captain, taking command
of the Grand Princess in May of 2018 where he spent two years on
board. He joined the Merchant Navy in 1983 as a deck boy, and
gained his first certificate in 1988, rising to the rank of Captain
on board tankers and ferries before joining Princess Cruises. As he
made the transition from rating to officer, he received the 'Watch
Ashore' award by the Marine Society and with this got his name on
the famous plaque in London.
Captain Smith is from Cheltenham
in the UK and now spends his leisure time on the Costa del Sol,
Spain.
Chief Engineer Vincenzo Alfi started as a
2nd Engineer Officer onboard Fair Princess in 1999. He
was named Chief Engineer in 2011 on Ruby Princess and has since
served on various ships including Crown Princess and Royal
Princess. Born in Crotone, Italy,
he graduated from the Italian Nautical Institute and had his
first contract as an Engine Cadet in 1991, onboard a container
ship.
Chief Engineer Tomislav Ljoka joined Princess in
2003 as 3rd Engineer Officer and reached his first
contract as Chief Engineer in 2019, onboard Sea Princess. He's
served on various Princess vessels, including Crown Princess and
Coral Princess. Born in Zadar, Croatia, he graduated from the Marine
Engineering high school and sailed as Engine Cadet on bulk
carriers. He then attended the University of Piran/Portorose
University and graduated as Marine Engineer and completed a
Cadetship on oil tankers.
Staff Captain Alessandro
Genzo began his career at Princess in 2004, where he
climbed the ranks to Staff Captain. Over his 17-year career with
Princess, he's served on a variety of vessels, including Royal
Princess, Regal Princess and Enchanted Princess. At the age of 10,
he watched "The Love Boat" with his grandmother and decided that
one day he wanted to be a cruise ship Captain. Born in Trieste,
Italy, he studied at the Nautical
College, one of the oldest Nautical Schools in Europe. Then, he joined the Italian Navy,
serving on a destroyer. Towards the end of his service, he was
transferred to the Morosini Navy School in Venice as an instructor, before joining
Princess.
Staff Captain Petar Lesic joined Princess in 2006
and achieved his current position as Staff Captain in 2018. He's
served on Diamond Princess in Japan, one of his favorite destinations. Born
in Split, Croatia, he followed the
seafaring tradition of his family and graduated from the Maritime
University, before starting his career in the Merchant Navy in
2000.
Hotel General Manager Richard
Harry joined Princess in 1988 as a front desk
receptionist. Since then, he's been on the newbuild teams for seven
ships, including Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess. He was born
in Farnborough, England and now
resides in Bristol with his
wife—whom he met on Golden Princess—and two children.
Hotel General Manager Jasper
Wolthuishas served Princess Cruises since 2002, after
seeing a Princess ship sailing by in Curacao and decided to pursue a career at sea.
He joined as a Junior Assistant Purser and has enjoyed serving
guests ever since. Wolthuis was born in Leiden, the Netherlands, and after receiving his
degree in Hotel Management & Economics he moved to Curacao to work in the hospitality industry
before joining Princess.
Discovery Princess cruises can be booked through a
professional travel advisor, by calling
1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company's
website at www.princess.com.
About Princess Cruises:
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is the
world's leading international premium cruise line and tour
company operating a fleet of 14 modern cruise ships, carrying two
million guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe,
including the Caribbean,
Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican
Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New
Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia,
Canada/New England, Antarctica, and World Cruises. A team of
professional destination experts have curated 170 itineraries,
ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is
continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for
Itineraries." In 2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company
Carnival Corporation, introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled
by the OceanMedallion device, the vacation industry's most advanced
wearable device, provided free to each guest sailing on a
MedallionClass ship. The award-winning innovation offers the
fastest way to an effortless personalized vacation giving guests
more time to do the things they love most. The company is part of
Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK).
In line with the latest advice from health officials about
COVID-19, Princess Cruises is currently enhancing health and safety
protocols with input from medical experts and government
bodies and assessing how they may impact
future itineraries. Actual offerings may vary from what is
displayed in marketing materials. Click on the
following links to stay updated on current Cruise
Updates and Health & Safety
protocols.
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SOURCE Princess Cruises