In what's billed as a first for a cruise ship, a 3-D animated movie character -- Princess Fiona from DreamWorks Animation's Shrek series - served as the godmother throughout the naming ceremony for Royal Caribbean's record size Allure of the Seas.Princess Fiona appeared in 3-D on the screen in the 5,400-passenger ship's Amber Theater to preside over the festivities, interacting with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s Chairman and CEO, Richard D. Fain.
"It's never simple choosing the right godmother, but we realized we had the perfect candidate right in front of us," Fain told several thousand invited guests in attendance. "Princess Fiona is not only a Royal (she) symbolizes the fun and entertainment that is so astonishing on Allure of the Seas."
The choice of Fiona as godmother, kept undisclosed until the ceremony took place, was no doubt intended to highlight Royal Caribbean's new partnership with DreamWorks. The partnership is bringing Shrek, Fiona and other characters to Allure, which is tied with one-year-old sister Oasis of the Seas as the world's largest cruise ship. It also gave the line a possibility to show off the new 3-D theater experience it has installed on Allure, a first for the line.The ceremony also incorporated a bagpipe-and-drums procession, the U.S. national anthem performed by Broadway star MiG Ayesa and a scene from Allure's Blue Planet aerial show. The event culminated with the customary breaking of a Champagne bottle featuring a label created by pop artist Romero Britto, who has a gallery on the ship. The bottle breaking was done by a karate chop by Princess Fiona.
The ship, at present in the midst of a series of preview cruises, sets sail on its first voyage with paying passengers on Dec. 1.
