seatec - Finnish marine technology review 1/2009 | Page 42

READY TO ENTERTAIN M/S Baltic Princess is one big party girl M/S Baltic Princess is the newest, well thought out in advance, from the lay- SIX IN SIX proudest arrival in the Tallink fleet. out to the service. The design and the fit- M/S Baltic Princess is the sixth new deliv- tings of the facilities enable a diverse mix ery for AS Tallink Grupp in as many years of activities, enabling people to stay on- – and there is more to come. The Group The cruise ferry started operations between Tallinn and Helsinki on Ju- board for extended periods of time. In ad- has ordered another cruise ferry – in fact, ly 15, 2008, replacing Tallink’s pre- dition, when customers come back to the a sister ship for Baltic Princess – from Aker vious newest cruise ferry M/S Ga- Princess, there is no real fear of getting Yards. laxy which was re-routed to Turku- bored easily – there are so many things With regards to Baltic Princess, the Stockholm service. to do, no matter how often you travel on initial contract with Aker Yards was signed the ship. in December 2005. he 212 metres long party boat has a Part of the marine mystique of the The Princess Project has a price tag speed of up to 24 knots and capacity vessel is that while the Baltic Princess is of around EUR 165 million. The christen- for 2,800 passengers. On board the new a cruise ferry, she really feels more like a ing and launching ceremony of the cruise cruise ferry there are 927 cabins, 12 res- cruise ship. ferry took place at Aker Yards shipyard in T taurants and bars, three shops and a conference centre for more than 450 people. There is also a special children’s area complete with a playroom. Furthermore, the Baltic Princess features 1,130 lane metres’ car-deck for the vehicles. ANCHOR UP – AND THUMBS UP! Tooted as an “amusement park for adults”, Baltic Princess promises to add something extra into the cruise ferry experience. So far, “Her Royal Highness” has drawn rave reviews: the customers have been extremely satisfied with the facilities onboard, and quite taken by the wide range of entertainment available. Especially those customers new to the Baltic cruise scene are still constantly and positively surprised by the cruise ship quality offered by the Baltic Princess. DRESS TO IMPRESS What is it that makes Baltic Princess unique, then? Well, it starts with the whole concept. Everything has been very 40 seatec 1/2009 Helsinki in March 2008. ■ SAMI J. ANTEROINEN