Princess Cruises Names Godmothers of Latest Cruise Ship

Carnival Corporation’s North American brand, Princess Cruises, has announced details on the naming ceremony for its newest cruise ship, Enchanted Princess.

The ceremony will occur during an original production called “Our World, Enchanted,” which is scheduled to broadcast globally at 1 pm Pacific time on December 13, 2021, on Princess’ YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Hosted by former Love Boat star Jill Whelan, and Enchanted Princess Cruise Director Dan Falconer, the 45-minute show will introduce viewers to the features and amenities of the ship, and culminates in the official naming to welcome the vessel into the fleet.

It also honors three members of The Explorers Club, who will serve as godmothers of Enchanted Princess.

Since its inception in 1904, members of The Explorers Club have traversed the earth, sea, skies, and even the moon on expeditions of exploration. The multidisciplinary, professional society is dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration, and resource conservation.

Three Godmothers for Princess Cruises

The three godmothers of Enchanted Princess have been recognized for their achievements in expeditions, oceanography, and mapping the oceans, and they include:

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Captain Lynn Danaher

Captain Danaher has been a United States Coast Guard Licensed Master and Dive Master since 1994. She is a founding member and president of the Pacific Islands Research Institute since 2008 and co-founder of the Friday Harbor Film Festival since 2013.

She joined The Explorers Club in 2005 and has served as chair of the Pacific Northwest Chapter for two years and the Board of Directors for six years. She has completed eight Explorers Club Flag Expeditions.

Captain Danaher is an officer of The Explorers Club, serving as Vice President: Mission Programming and Chair of the Headquarters Renovation Committee. She is also a licensed Contractor in the State of Hawaii.

Dr. Vicki Ferrini

After completing her PhD in Coastal Oceanography, Dr. Ferrini extended her research interests from the coast to the hidden deep-sea world. The majority of the global ocean is unmapped, unexplored and uncharacterized, and her work aims to help solve that.

A Senior Research Scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Dr. Ferrini leads several efforts focused on making sure data are preserved and can be accessed by scientists and the public alike. She is committed to building a vibrant international community of collaborators, and works with colleagues around the world to help build bridges between people and the ocean through data.

Dr. Ferrini joined the Explorers Club in 2021 when she was selected as one of the Explorers Club 50 – fifty explorers changing the world.

Jenifer Austin

Jenifer Austin spent nearly 14 years at Google, where she co-led the team that launched the first virtual map of the ocean in the company’s consumer products Google Earth and Google Maps and also launched Underwater Streetview in Google Maps and Global Fishing Watch.

She then started Oceanagenda.com to help bring together diverse groups to support holistic ocean conservation and stewardship. She is also a scuba diver.

A fellow of the Explorers Club (FN’14), she has served on the W40 Women’s Committee, speaking as a part of the Women of the Deep and hosting a panel in its finale Pathfinders Symposium. Austin is a mother of two children.

The 145,000-ton, 3,660-passenger Enchanted Princess represents an evolution of the design platform used for sister-ships Royal, Regal, Majestic, and Sky Princess.

The ship’s inaugural season began on November 10 with various 10-night southern Caribbean itineraries roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale.

Princess Cruises currently has ships sailing from the west coast and east coast in North America.

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