The final contract for the first two Royal-class vessels was signed on 4 May 2010. On 28 August 2012, the ship’s keel was laid in Monfalcone and the name of the ship was also officially announced as Regal Princess. Her float-out ceremony was conducted on 26 March 2013 and she was floated free from the builder’s dry dock on 29 March 2013 and then moored alongside the outfitting pier, where construction continued. Regal Princess successfully completed her sea trials in the Adriatic Sea from 16 to 21 April 2014. Construction progressed faster than expected and the ship arrived 13 days ahead of schedule. She was delivered to Princess Cruises on 11 May 2014 in a ceremony at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone. She had her official naming ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 5 November 2014 and was officially christened by the original cast of The Love Boat: Gavin MacLeod, Fred Grandy, Ted Lange, Bernie Kopell, Lauren Tewes, and Jill Whelan.
The debut of Regal Princess was conducted earlier than originally scheduled, due to an earlier delivery. The maiden voyage had been scheduled for 2 June 2014, but was moved up to 20 May. The ship conducted a four-night pre-inaugural cruise from 16 to 20 May 2014 from Trieste that visited Kotor. The maiden voyage departed from Venice on 20 May 2014 for Corfu, Mykonos, and an overnight call in Istanbul. She spent her inaugural season in the Mediterranean before departing Venice on 17 October 2014 to reposition to Port Everglades for her American debut, sailing Eastern Caribbean itineraries. From 2014 to 2020, she sailed the Caribbean during the winter months from Port Everglades and the Baltic region in Northern Europe during the summer season, with five-to-seven-day voyages to the New England coast and the Maritimes from New York during the fall. In summer 2020, she was scheduled to operate her first season in the British Isles before repositioning to Australia in fall 2020 for her maiden season in Oceania. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all British Isles voyages were cancelled. In summer 2021, Regal Princess was set to debut in Seattle to cruise her first Alaska season, but fleet redeployments later scheduled her to return to Europe and homeport in Southampton during that time frame.
As a sister ship to Royal Princess, Regal Princess shares many of the same dimensions, features, and overall design. The ship measures 142,714 gross tonnage (GT), has a length of 330.0 metres (1,082 ft 8 in), a draught of 8.5 metres (27 ft 11 in), and a beam of 38.4 metres (126 ft 0 in). She is powered by a diesel-electric genset system, with four total Wärtsilä engines, producing a total output of 62.4 megawatts (83,700 hp). Main propulsion is via two propellers, each driven by a 18 megawatts (24,000 hp) electric motor. The system gives the vessel a service speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) and a maximum speed of 22.9 knots (42.4 km/h; 26.4 mph). The ship houses 1,780 passenger cabins and 751 crew cabins. Of the 1,780 passenger cabins, 81% have a balcony The ship has a maximum capacity of 5,600 passengers and crew. Describing the style that inspired much of the interior design on Regal Princess, Giacomo Mortola, head architect at ship design firm GEM, explained:
Mainly it is a combination of warm, elegant tones that convey a feeling of comfort and sophistication. One example – a favourite architect of mine, Frank Lloyd Wright, used wood, bronze, and leather-covered walls, and I used these materials to impart the look and feel of the aft dining room. These materials were also used in the entertainment areas including the Princess Theater, Vista Lounge, and TV Studio contributing to the acoustic quality in these areas.
Notable features aboard the ship include a multi-level atrium, a theater, various dining rooms and restaurants, and pools.
