Christening a ship is a ritual that dates back thousands of years, and whilst ship designs, and in particular cruise ships, keep advancing and modernising, some traditional ceremonies have certainly not changed that much. As part of the naming ceremony, cruise lines will choose an iconic woman (or even in some cases a man as you will find out below) to be the ship’s godmother, a duty which primarily entails breaking a bottle of champagne on its bow and wishing the vessel, and all who sail on her, good luck and safe travels for the future.
We’ve trawled through the cruise archives to compile a list of some of our favourite cruise ship godmothers. There are some obvious, and notable, absentees on this list, for example, we’ve missed out Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II, who is godmother to two Cunard ships as well as P&O Britannia, as well as countless music, TV and film stars who have had the honour of naming ships around the world such as Helen Mirren (P&O Ventura), Mariah Carey (Disney Fantasy), and Judi Dench (Carnival Legend) to name but a few. However, as you’ll find out below, you don’t always have to be famous to become a cruise ship godmother, and in some instances, you can even be a fictional character…
So in no particular order, here are 10 of our favourite cruise ship godmothers.
Audrey Hepburn
- Cruise Line – Princess Cruises
- Ship – Star Princess
- Year – 1989
- Location – Fort Lauderdale
A very suitable choice for the Star Princess, Audrey Hepburn became the first actress to ever become a ship’s godmother when she christened the ship on the 23rd of March 1989 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Looking as glamorous as ever, Audrey Hepburn went on to board the ship and experience life at sea during Star Princess’ maiden voyage in the Caribbean.
Jennifer Hudson
- Cruise Line – Disney Cruise Line
- Ship – Disney Dream
- Year – 2011
- Location – Port Canaveral
This ceremony was literally a dream come true for superstar singer Jennifer Hudson who actually began her career back in 2003 as a singer onboard Disney Wonder before rising to fame on the 2004 series of American Idol. Captain Mickey presided over the magical naming ceremony as the award-winning actress and singer waved a magic wand as a helicopter hoisted a 16-foot bottle across the bow of the ship.
Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders
- Cruise Line – Norwegian Cruise Line
- Ship – Norwegian Getaway
- Year – 2014
- Location – Miami
Why have just one godmother when you can have a whole squad? That was clearly what was going through NCL‘s minds when they announced that the Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders would be godmothers to the Norwegian Getaway, at the time the biggest ever ship to homeport in Miami. The connection between the ship and the city could also be seen through the stunning hull artwork designed by Miami artist David “LEBO” Le Batard.
Emma Wilby
- Cruise Line – Royal Caribbean
- Ship – Anthem of the Seas
- Year – 2015
- Location – Southampton
Emma Wilby, a talented travel agent from Sunderland, overcame competition from hundreds of other industry professionals to be named godmother of Royal Caribbean‘s Anthem of the Seas. Wilby, a military wife and budding singer, also performed a specially prepared song at the exclusive ceremony in Southampton in front of more than 1,300 special guests and dignitaries. It goes to show, you don’t have to be famous to become a cruise ship godmother.
Sophia Loren
- Cruise Line – MSC Cruises
- Ship – MSC Divina
- Year – 2012
- Location – Marseille
Sophia Loren must hold the record for being the godmother to the largest amount of cruise ships. MSC Cruises first asked her to christen a ship back in 2003, for the launch of MSC Lirica, since then she has gone on to name a further 18 ships for the cruise line. She did already have some experience in the role having christened Princess Cruises‘ Crown Princess back in Septemeber 1990, however, the actress is now firmly part of the MSC family, she even helped design Suite 16007 on MSC Divina which is adorned with stunning photographs of her most memorable roles.
Malala Yousafzai
- Cruise Line – Celebrity Cruises
- Ship – Celebrity Edge
- Year – 2018
- Location – Fort Lauderdale
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, famously known for her advocacy for female education and empowerment, became the first ever Nobel laureate to christen a cruise ship. Signing her name on a tablet triggered a custom-made 18-litre bottle of Badoit French mineral water to smash across the bow of Celebrity Edge, as the cruise line decided to forgo the traditional champagne bottle which normally marks the launch of a new ship.
Kate Middleton
- Cruise Line – Princess Cruises
- Ship – Royal Princess
- Year – 2013
- Location – Southampton
Princess Cruises chose the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, herself a royal princess, to be the godmother of their first ever Royal-Class ship, the Royal Princess. The ceremony in Southampton would be her final public engagement before giving birth to her first son Prince George. She is of course not the only member of the Royal family to have the honour of being a cruise ship godmother, and we’re sure she won’t be the last.
Dora The Explorer
- Cruise Line – P&O Cruises Australia
- Ship – Pacific Explorer
- Year – 2017
- Location – Sydney
Its not just new ships which are christened. Princess Cruises’ Dawn Princess was named by the cast of iconic tv show “The Love Boat” back in 1997, however, when the ship was transfered to Carnival’s Australian subsidiary P&O Cruises Australia, the newly refurbished ship underwent the traditional naming ceremony once again. In keeping with the cruise line’s family appeal, Pacific Explorer named Nickelodeon character Dora the Explorer as the ship’s godmother, as she smashed a piñata full of green slime in place of the traditional bottle of champagne.
Oprah Winfrey
- Cruise Line – Holland America Line
- Ship – Nieuw Statendam
- Year – 2019
- Location – Fort Lauderdale
Holland America Line had recently begun a partnership with TV icon Oprah Winfrey’s very own publication O, The Oprah Magazine offering guests activities that bring the magazine to life, including meditation, cooking demonstrations, an onboard book club and more. So it was no surprise when Oprah herself was asked to be godmother to Holland America’s latest ship Nieuw Statendam in February 2019.
Pitbull
- Cruise Line – Norwegian Cruise Line
- Ship – Norwegian Escape
- Year – 2015
- Location – Miami
In 2015 Norwegian Cruise Line broke the mould in choosing international music superstar Pitbull to be the godfather of Norwegian Escape. Mr Worldwide brought the energy to the pier side in Port Miami as he performed in front of a huge crowd. He isn’t actually the only godfather within the NCL fleet as in 2017 radio presenter Elvis Duran became godfather to the Norwegian Bliss. So if you’re a young man dreaming of cracking the bottle of champagne on the hull of a brand new ship, your wish may well come true one day.
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