Natasha Bedingfield Announced as Featured Singer for Royal Princess Naming Ceremony

Award-winning British Singer-Songwriter to Perform During Next Month’s Launch

of Princess Cruises’ Newest Ship

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (May 15, 2013) – Adding yet another special touch to the naming ceremony launching Royal Princess, British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield will perform at the June 13 naming ceremony of the new ship in Southampton, Princess Cruises has announced. 

The globally acclaimed artist will make a special appearance at the celebration, where Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge will officially name the ship. 

Ever since her Brit and Grammy-nominated multi-platinum solo debut album “Unwritten” in 2004, the British-born Bedingfield has been one of the world’s most inspiring and innovative contemporary female singer-songwriters at the top of the charts. With three albums under her belt, she is known for her powerfully soulful voice and heartfelt and contagious pop anthems. 

Bedingfield’s radio hits include songs such as “Unwritten,” “Pocket Full of Sunshine,” “Love Like This” and “These Words,” and her music can also be heard in numerous movies and television shows. 

“We’re excited to have Natasha Bedingfield lend her voice to this special occasion,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “Her music will add a wonderful contemporary touch to the time-honored elements of the traditional naming ceremony.” 

In addition to Bedingfield’s performance, the Royal Princess inaugural ceremony will feature many British ship-naming traditions, including a blessing of the vessel, and a performance by The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth (Royal Band) and the pipers of the Irish Guards. The pinnacle of the ceremony will be when the ship’s godmother, The Duchess of Cambridge, breaks the champagne bottle on the bow of the ship. 

The ceremony will be the highlight of week-long inaugural celebrations to welcome the vessel into service. Royal Princess will arrive at the Ocean Terminal in Southampton on Friday, June 7 and will depart on her maiden voyage on June 16. After her maiden voyage to Barcelona, the ship will sail Grand Mediterranean cruises throughout the summer, followed by Eastern Caribbean cruises beginning in the autumn. Passengers still have the opportunity to book a cruise during the ship’s maiden season as limited space remains available. 

The 3,600-passenger Royal Princess is a new-generation ship. Among the special features found on board will be a greatly expanded atrium, the social hub of the ship; an over-water SeaWalk, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway extending 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship; plush private poolside cabanas that appear to be floating on water; the new Princess Live! television studio; the largest pastry shop at sea; a special Chef’s Table Lumiere, a private dining experience that surrounds diners in a curtain of light; and balconies on all outside staterooms. 

Airport services back on track

While strong winds and rain caused numerous delays at Wellington Airport yesterday, the weather seems to be subsiding and flights are returning to schedule.
Almost all Air New Zealand Link services in and out of Wellington were cancelled yesterday evening, TVNZ reported. The wind was making it difficult for staff to unload baggage from the planes, according to an airport spokesperson. Wellington Airport’s current flight schedule reports that services are now departing and arriving on time.

No more bikinis and Speedos at UAE beaches

Tourists are being warned to cover up on certain public beaches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or face a fine for showing too much skin.

Authorities in Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost emirate in the UAE, have posted signs on public beaches warning of possible fines for revealing swimwear such as two-piece bikinis for women and Speedo-style swimming trunks for men. Located just 60 miles northeast of Dubai, the emirate installed the signs in response to complaints from local families, according to the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National.

Ras al-Khaimah is one of the least popular emirates for tourists, with the majority of holidaymakers choosing Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, where bikinis are still allowed on beaches. But the decision highlights the cultural challenges facing the UAE as it attempts to balance its booming tourism industry with the sensibilities of its conservative citizens. Many local women choose to wear the modest abaya to the beach and few enter the water to swim.

In Dubai and Abu Dhabi tourists can wear bikinis on the beach but are advised to cover up when visiting other public areas, such as the malls. In 2010, a British woman was arrested after she stripped off to a bikini in the Dubai Mall following an altercation with a local who complained about her wearing a low-cut top. Throughout the mall, signs urge women to "wear respectful clothing".  Similar messages are flashed up on LCD screens in most shopping malls across the United Arab Emirates.

The Foreign Office (FCO) advises visitors to the UAE to dress modestly when in public areas. The FCO website recommends that "clothes should cover the tops of the arms and legs, and underwear should not be visible. Swimming attire should be worn only on beaches or at swimming pools."

Abu Dhabi Airport unveils new 'sleeping pods'

Abu Dhabi International Airport has unveiled their new ‘sleeping pods'.

The pods are essentially chairs that convert into private flat beds. There have been 10 pods installed in Terminal 1 and 3, with an extra 35 due to be installed later this year. The chairs include a sliding shade that the airport says will isolate the passenger from noise, light and crowds. They will soon be upgraded to include internet access and secure storage for luggage and valuables. Travellers will also be able to charge their electronic devices on the chair.

Sleep areas are already available at some airports around the world, including Moscow Airport which is home to the "Sleepbox" - a futuristic cabin that includes bunk beds, a TV, Wi-Fi connections and mood lighting.

L.A. approves major overhaul for LAX

Los Angeles International Airport has approved a modernization plan anticipated to total almost $5 billion. The safety-enhancement and controversial modernization plan was sanctioned on Tuesday by the City Council.

The meeting split council members and met emotional opposition from neighbourhood groups that were concerned about increased pollution and noise. Nevertheless, the vote gave the go-ahead to LAX to expand and revamp their out of date and often cramped facilities.

Long-term financing and airport revenue will foot the bill for the changes and upgrades. Still subject to potential court challenges and environmental studies, the plan is to fulfill the Federal Aviation Administration's frequent demands to reposition the northernmost runway to enhance safety. A significant goal is to make space for a taxiway between this runway and a landing strip running parallel. Running both runways' entire length, safety advocates assert that such a taxiway is necessary to stop pilots from accidently falling into the path of other planes while taking off or landing.

For several years, aviation regulators and experts have noted LAX as being a fundamental example of parallel runways posing collision hazards because they are situated too close together. Traffic congestion and poor visibility heighten these dangers.
The present version of this modernization bid was originally proposed over five years ago, in part to adapt to Airbus' A380 superjumbos and Boeing's largest 747 jumbo planes. Several business interests across the city have backed the initiative, including organizers and airport union members who are developing Los Angeles' bid for the summer Olympics in 2024.

Construction isn't anticipated for another five years, and improvement specifics could alter depending on exhaustive environmental reviews. Along with the runway relocation, other plans include an elevated "people mover", terminal additions and a facility for car rental.

UK CAA ups pax protection

Travellers to the UK can breathe a sigh of relief after the UK Civil Aviation Authority implemented proposals for the economic regulation of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

The proposals will see airlines charged less for using the airport from 2014-2019 than they were for the 2009-14 period. This will, in turn, limit the fare rises that would be imposed on passengers at these airports.

For 2014-19, the CAA has proposed that airline charges at Heathrow should be capped at the RPI rate of inflation minus 1.3%. At Gatwick, the CAA has capped prices at RPI plus 1% for the five years from April 2014.

Stansted showed the weakest evidence of market power, but the CAA believes that it is likely to grow stronger between 2014 and 2019 as capacity around London becomes even more constrained. Regulation at Stansted will take the form of the CAA monitoring price and service quality – this will ensure that users are protected while minimising the regulatory burden on airport and airlines. However, the CAA may impose more detailed regulation unless prices at Stansted reduce over time.

Cyclone Zane bearing down on Queensland

Cyclone Zane headed toward the northern Cape York Peninsula of Queensland where it is expected to make landfall by today, May 2 and cross into the Gulf of Carpentaria.  A cyclone warning is in effect for coastal areas from Mapoon to Cape York to Cape Flattery.
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At 09h00 UTC, Cyclone Zane's maximum sustained winds were near 101.9 kph. Zane is tropical storm strength. Zane was moving to the west at 12.9 kph, and was located about 351.9 km north-northeast of Cairns, Australia.

At 12h00 UTC Zane was moving to the west-northwest near 18.5 kph about 213 km east of Lockhart River and 203.7 km north of Cape Flattery. Zane's maximum sustained winds had dropped to 83.3 kph over the course of three hours.

Landfall is expected across the northern half of the Cape York Peninsula, during the day Thursday, local time. The main threats will be damaging winds at and near the coast along with flooding rains which can cut some of the small towns of the region off for several days.

At this point, it appears Zane will likely lose its tropical cyclone status before making another landfall, but enhanced rainfall could lead to some flooding potential across northern third of Northern Territory late in the week.