Porthole....

BEFORE THE BOTTLE BREAKS
What It Takes to Launch a Ship

To passengers witnessing a ship's inaugural events, it all seems so seamless. But behind the scenes, to those intimately involved, the seams most definitely show. For the hundreds of people who have roles in the inauguration of a ship, thousands of details must come together to introduce a new cruise ship to passengers, the media and the travel industry. Last April’s Caribbean Princess launch provides a perfect example of how the behind-the-scenes work Princess Cruises' inaugural experts can get a ship off to the best possible start.

The people at Princess know how to do inaugurals. “With the Caribbean Princess launch, we had completed nine inaugurals in less than five years,” says Julie Benson, director of public relations for both Princess and Cunard Line.

Over the years, Princess has developed a reputation for developing interesting themes for inaugural events, which have included those fore Dawn Princess (Twins--the ship was identical to the earlier Sun Princess); Sea Princess (Terrific Trios--the third identical ship); Ocean Princess (Love Story reunion); and Grand Princess (record-breaker attendees for a record-breaking ship). “We like to keep the themes unique for the media, travel agents, and passengers,” says Benson.

Of course, memorable inaugural days are preceded by years of planning, from the initial drawing board stage to final delivery years later. In fact, planning for the inauguration of a ship starts almost as soon as work begins in the shipyard.

Much of the planning for Princess' inaugurals falls to Benson and her team, along with the line’s long-time New York-based public relations firm, Porter Novelli, which develops the theme for the launch and then works to pull off a memorable event.

For most of the inaugurals, Benson worked closely with then-manager of media relations, Tori Benson (no relation). Behind the scenes, they became known as the “Killer B’s,” because of their ability to plan and execute complicated and creative inaugural events.

For the 3,100-passenger Caribbean Princess, they learned that The Love Boat actress Jill Whelan was planning a spring wedding. Wouldn’t it be romantic if Whelan, who played Captain Stubing’s daughter, Vicki, could actually get married on the new ship and perhaps even christen her?

Princess officials approached Whelan and her fiance, Michael Chaykowsky, who both loved the idea. With the theme of the inaugural confirmed, the work began in earnest for a christening--and a wedding!

“It was fitting that Jill Whelan christen the Caribbean Princess, an introduction that marked our expanding presence in the Caribbean,” said Alan Buckelew, Princess’s president. “What better way to reflect the romance of the Caribbean then to have Jill not only officially name the ship, but also marry and honeymoon aboard--an increasingly popular way for couples to begin their lives together.”

After the couple agreed to Princess’s proposal, months of planning followed, as Benson’s team plotted a cruise industry first. By the time the team flew into Fort Lauderdale in late-April, other cruise industry firsts were in the works.

Caribbean Princess arrived in Port Everglades on--no fooling--April 1st. Benson and her staff, plus a team from Porter Novelli, were among the first to board the ship, with a beaming Whelan and her wedding party not far behind.

After touring the ship and the various inaugural event locations (including an outdoor wedding site), the inaugural team headed into an afternoon meeting attended by dozens of nervous Princess planners. Everyone involved in the ship’s launch--from the captain to the wedding planner to top Princess executives--reviewed a seven-page schedule that outlined minute-by-minute the events of the next 48 hours. The meeting would last more than two hours, with minor adjustments made to the timing and staging for both the christening and the wedding.

Late-afternoon brought a naming ceremony rehearsal, at which Whelan and Princess executives ran through the motions they would repeat for real the following night. This practice session was followed by an outdoor wedding rehearsal at the stern of the ship, as well as a traditional rehearsal dinner for Whelan and Chaykowsky’s many wedding guests.

Benson’s team worked well past midnight ironing out details for a variety of media events scheduled the next day to publicize the christening and the wedding. With cell phones and radios seemingly glued to everyone’s ears, they barely had time for showers and a little sleep back in their staterooms.

They were up and at it again well before sunrise. Taking advantage of the early morning South Florida sunlight, Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing) and Jill Whelan provided a satellite media tour of Caribbean Princess.

MacLeod, Whelan, and Ernie Koppell (Doc) also gave live and taped interviews to an array of television stations coordinated by Benson’s team to publicize the inaugural. This lasted until almost noon, with the publicity team taking advantage of every opportunity to spread the word about the new ship (publicity means passengers!). They also helped coordinate ship tours for media (the new in-house Lotus Spa was particularly popular), interviews with Princess executives, and promotional programs on the giant outdoor movie screen.

At noon, the ship’s first official passengers began boarding Caribbean Princess for a one-night cruise to nowhere that would be preceded by the wedding and christening. As the ship came to life with people, Benson and her crew kicked it into high gear to make sure their creative plans came to fruition.

The early-evening wedding and christening created a venue for another industry first--a live broadcast from the ship’s Web cam, made available on the line’s website. Thousands of landlocked family, friends, and wannabe Caribbean Princess passengers could enjoy ceremonies from the comfort of their computers.

The wedding went off without a hitch, with Benson and her team shedding a few tears of joy. The Web-cam wedding was also a success, and, incidentally, this service is now available to anyone getting married on a Princess ship.

After a few pictures, the wedding party, their guests, and the rest of the ship’s passengers headed to the sprawling pool area for the christening. Still in her wedding dress, the new Mrs. Chaykowsky went from being a bride to a godmother in a matter of minutes.

The “Killer B’s” and the rest of the publicity team could be seen just out of view of the Web cam, crossing their fingers for another hitch-free christening. That accomplished, the video crew and their equipment had less than a half-hour to abandon ship before it sailed. Along with the live feed, they’d also arranged for a photographer to send pictures of the wedding and christening to wire services, where they’d be picked up just minutes after the ship set sail.

Part of the behind-the-scenes work of an inaugural also means keeping celebrity guests happy. From guaranteeing there were flowers in the newlyweds' balcony suite (one of 900 aboard the ship) to ensuring that Gavin MacLeod wore his captain’s hat during interviews at sea, the work didn’t end when the ship left Port Everglades. During the cruise, Benson's team even started making plans for inaugurals to come (Sapphire Princess and Crown Princess, sister ship to the Caribbean Princess).

“They were crazy times, but quite special, says Tori Benson. "There’s nothing better than that moment when the ship is officially christened with a champagne bottle.”