Norwegian Prima to be christened by popstar Katy Perry

Norwegian Prima, the first of Norwegian Cruise Line‘s new Prima-class cruise ships, will be christened by popstar Katy Perry in August, 2022.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced that Katy Perry will be godmother to Norwegian Prima, in addition to performing at the christening ceremony.

The naming ceremony will take place in Reykjavík, Iceland, from where Norwegian Prima will sail her maiden voyage.

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In naming Norwegian Prima, Katy Perry will fulfill a longstanding maritime tradition of blessing a new ship prior to her launch.

Why do cruise ships have godmothers?

According to Cruise118, deities have been called upon to keep ships safe on the water since the ancient Babylonian, Greek and Roman times. Nearly every world culture has a traditional ceremony to launch a new ship.

A leading female within the community was traditionally selected to be godmother, as it was believed that she would bring a benevolent feminine spirit to the ship and protect the future sailings.

According to the Holland America Line Blog, by the 1700s, shipbuilders had begun carving the bow of the ship with a female figurehead design. Women were believed to have better eyes for navigation and also superstitiously thought to scare the sea into behaving.

Norwegian Prima is the first of a planned six Prima-class sister ships. Her christening will be the first for a large, mainstream cruise ship in the Icelandic capital.

“We are so excited to welcome Katy Perry, a one-of-a-kind artist and worldwide sensation, as godmother of Norwegian Prima,” said Harry Sommer, President & CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line.

“We are so incredibly proud that she will be part of the Norwegian Cruise Line family and look forward to launching our beautiful, innovative ship with her in August,” he added.

“My most favorite way to vacation with my family is on the water,” said Katy Perry. “Every morning that you wake up, you get to experience an incredible new view.”

“I love that I get to christen her with my good vibrations, and I’m so excited for this new, beautiful, high-end, high-tech ship to take the seas, and provide once-in-a-lifetime vacations for so many families,” she added.

Norwegian Prima is one of the cruise line’s most ambitious ship designs to date, offering guests more wide-open spaces and experiences, and more dining and entertainment options.

At 142,500 gross tons and able to accommodate 3,215 guests at double occupancy, she will be smaller than the Breakaway Plus class, the line’s most recent ships, but will offer the largest The Haven concept in the fleet.

Norwegian Prima will offer the most outdoor deck space of any new cruise ship, including more total pool deck space than any other ship in NCL’s fleet and multiple infinity pools and outdoor walkways, as well as a plethora of dining and entertainment options.