Royal Caribbean ship Mariner of the Seas debuts in Italy

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Sea arrived for her new Mediterranean itineraries for the first time in Italy.

She arrived in the early hours of the morning at Civitavecchia port where she will be home for the entire 2011 season

Yesterday in Civitavecchia, in the presence of a large group of journalists, travel agents, port authorities and sports stars and entertainers, there was an Italian baptism of Mariner of the Seas, the new queen of the Royal Caribbean's Mediterranean Fleet, for the first time in the Mare Nostrum.

The ship's godmother of the event was Fiona May

Lina Mazzucco, general manager Royal Caribbean Italy, explains the choice: " In a lively and passionate character and style of Fiona, we recognized the spirit of Mariner of the Seas, a ship full of character, dedicated to the Italians, lovers of sport and a holiday at the same time dynamic and healthy, which makes the wishes of the family. Its elegance, femininity and perseverance in life as in sport, we did see in her the perfect spokesperson for this amazing ship . "

For the first time ever in the history of the company, the ship will depart from Genoa Royal - apart from Civitavecchia - and will offer seven-night cruises to the guests that will touch Cannes, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca.

This is a first for Royal Caribbean but we hope there are many more like it, Independence of the Seas has proven to be a favourite with British passengers so hopefully more deployments similar to this will further engage the UK market for Royal Caribbean cruising