Princess Offers The Bee At Sea

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When I was in school, I didn't look forward to the annual spelling bees. Now that I'm older, I'm still not sure I can get excited about participating in a spelling bee while I'm on vacation... Princess Cruises however feels that their passengers might be interested in putting their spelling skills to the test while on vacation. When Princess Cruises' newest ship, Crown Princess, sets sail on June 14, she'll offer passengers the opportunity to compete in one of the nation's hottest "new" reality competitions: the spelling bee.This scholarly sport has seen a dramatic rise in fame in recent months, thanks to such popular movies as Akeelah and the Bee (which opened this month at theaters nationwide) and Bee Season (based on the best selling novel by Myla Goldberg), as well as the Tony-award-winning Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. And, America's fascination with reality television will give this time-honored competition its moment in the spotlight on June 1 when, for the first time in its 79-year history, the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship Rounds will be broadcasted live on ABC-TV during primetime. Passengers aboard the new Crown Princess can try their hand at this increasingly popular pursuit with "The Bee at Sea." This two-day challenge from Princess Cruises will test passengers' skills and nerve with intense drama, escalating word difficulty, and suspense-filled elimination rounds. Featured in the Princess Theater on each sailing, The Bee at Sea will feature both an adult and kids version, and the winners will receive a special dictionary signed by the ship's captain. Finalists will enjoy a larger audience for their 15 minutes of fame when the final rounds of competition are shown in the ship's dramatic Movies Under the Stars outdoor film venue, which features a 300-square-foot LED screen, set amidst comfortable chaise lounges, a swimming pool, hot tub, and poolside bar. Cruise vacations have long been known for offering passengers the opportunity to try out new activities that may have piqued their interest on land, but had neither the time nor the facilities to pursue. "While on our ships, our passengers love to try their hand at everything from pottery and scrapbooking to cooking, ballroom dancing, web design, photography, golf and more," says Jan Swartz, Princess' senior vice president of customer service and sales. "And the best part about our new 'Bee at Sea' competition is...if not aboard Princess, then where will they try it? Spelling bees for entertainment and enjoyment are not offered in many places." Princess tested the competitions last month aboard sister ship Caribbean Princess, and the feedback was extremely positive. Says Swartz, "Our passengers loved the drama of the competition, and it provided a more scholarly complement to our popular 'Princess Pop Star' talent competition." The Bee at Sea competitions will be rolled out among the Princess fleet starting in July. Crown Princess will be the first ship to offer this program when it sets sail on its inaugural voyage on June 14. The 113,000-ton Crown Princess will introduce a number of new design innovations to the Princess fleet, including a dramatic new piazza-style atrium, new casual dining venues, and The Sanctuary, an adults-only retreat that features private cabana massages, MP3 players for rent, and a host of relaxing amenities and services. Within the new street café environment of the atrium, passengers will find an International Café serving up fresh pastries and baked goods in the morning and assorted other offerings throughout the day, as well as a wine and seafood bar. Several signature Princess venues have been further enhanced, including an expanded Sabatini's Italian trattoria with a new piano lounge, and the Crown Grill, a new steak and seafood restaurant with an open, theater-style kitchen where chefs will custom-prepare steamed shellfish and cooked-to-order steaks and chops. The ship will also feature the many hallmark features that define the Princess experience, including the dramatic Movies Under the Stars poolside movie screen, multiple dining and entertainment options, a Lotus Spa fitness center, an extensive children and teen's center, a wedding chapel and nearly 900 staterooms with private balconies. The inaugural 2006 summer season for Crown Princess will feature nine-day roundtrip voyages to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean, and will mark the return of Princess visits to Bermuda, as well as the line's first-ever regular calls to Grand Turk. In the fall the ship will reposition to San Juan for winter Caribbean sailings.