NIGHTLIFE
Besides the production shows mentioned in the previous section, the nightlife is more fun than you think. Passengers can opt for an award-winning movie next to the outdoor swimming pool, dance in the lounges, enjoy the parties and karaoke, or have a drink in a range of bars. Of course, the Captain's Welcome Aboard Party is an event that everybody should not miss.
Captain's Welcome Aboard Party & Champagne Waterfall
A highlight of every ships of Princess Cruises is the traditional Champagne Waterfall, which is held together with the Captain's Welcome Aboard Party. In this cruise, the evening of Day 2 was the first formal night. Passengers dressed up and gathered around the three decks of The Piazza to join the party at 19:15, which was a time in between the two seatings of dinner. The focus of the event was the an tower of champagne glasses arranged in a pyramidal shape. Under the assistance of the Maître d'Hôtel, ladies were invited to pour champagne from the top to create a cascading "waterfall" when it trickled down.
After that, the Captain of Golden Princess, Vincenzo Lubrano, gave a speech to welcome all passengers onboard this ship. He also introduced the senior officers including the Staff Captain (Graziano Napolitano), Cruise Director (Frank Castiglione), Hotel General Manager (Michele Castiglioni), Chief Engineer (Antonio Di Biase), Executive Chef (John Convery) and some more.
In this once-in-a-cruise party, passengers could take the opportunity to dress up in formal wears, pose for formal portraits with the officers or in front of the champagne waterfall, meet new friends, as well as enjoy complimentary champagnes, mimosas and orange juices.
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| Champagne Waterfall | Captain's Welcome Aboard Party | Captain Vincenzo Lubrano |
In The Piazza
Whereas The Piazza is occupied by many fun activities during daytime, it is often filled with soft melodies with the ship's musicians. A band consisting of piano, violin, cello, guitar and accordion plays many classic songs every evening, providing a pleasant atmosphere to the guests dining or relaxing in the atrium.
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| Evening Melodies in The Piazza |
Movies Under the Stars
"Movies Under the Stars" refers to a 300-square-foot big LED screen installed on Deck 15, just above the open-air Neptune's Reef and Pool. Princess Cruises was one of the pioneers for introducing this feature to cruise ships among the industry, and until 2012 it can be found on almost all ships in the fleet except the smallest Pacific Princess and Ocean Princess. It was first installed on Caribbean Princess in 2004, and in 2009 on Golden Princess during her major refit in drydock.
Although Princess Cruises named the screen "Movies Under the Stars", it is indeed powered up all day. During daytime it can be used to display news, sporting events, concerts as well as the webcam broadcasting the bridge view. In the evening it becomes an outdoor theatre that shows blockbuster Hollywood movies when the weather permits. Complimentary popcorns, cookies, milk and blankets are provided.
Movies that had been shown in this cruise included "The Hunger Games" (2012), "Big Miracle" (2012), "The Lucky One" (2012), "Man on a Ledge" (2012), "The Three Stooges" (2012), "Mirror Mirror" (2012), "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2011) and "The Artist" (2011). There was also highlights of the concert "Live at Wembley" by the American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles.
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| Movies Under the Stars | Movies Under the Stars | Movies Under the Stars |
Other Activities at Night
An endless array of choices is offered for passengers who still do not want to rest at night. Typical nighttime activities include dance parties, game shows and singing contests in the Explorer's Lounge, the Wheelhouse Bar and the Vista Lounge. A popular event on this cruise was the "Princess Pop Stars" with both heat and finale, in which the contestants had to show off their talents to become the best performer and entertainer on stage.
On the other hand, younger passengers can also rock the night with the DJs in energetic music in the Skywalkers Nightclub. However, this disco-like venue is monitored by crew at the entrance after 23:00 to ensure the entry of passengers aged 18 or over.