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Princess makes $450m 'Come Back New Promise'

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Unveiling the 'Come Back New Promise' - Stein Kruse, ceo Holland America Group (left), and Princess president Jan Swartz (right) were joined by partners (from left) chef Curtis Stone, designer Candice Olson, Sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus and chef Ernesto Uchimura
Princess Cruises became the latest line to announce a hefty brand investment, in the form of the $450m, multi-year 'Come Back New Promise.' Like others, this involves product innovations and ship renovations.

Playing on its 'Come Back New' branding, Princess said these enhancements will result in 'more transformative moments, lifetime memories and meaningful stories for guests to share from their cruise vacation.'

As Princess president Jan Swartz put it: 'Our promise is to provide guests transformative moments designed to inspire them to discover the world and themselves, ultimately allowing us to declare that a cruise isn’t good enough unless you "come back new."'

The program was announced Sunday on Ruby Princess which, together with Emerald Princess, has all the new product innovations (apart from the Princess Luxury Bed, which isn't available yet, though there was a demonstration model).

Attendees had lunch at the new SHARE restaurant with chef Curtis Stone, sampled The Salty Dog Gastropub with chef Ernesto Uchimuru, saw highlights of 'Magic to Do' by composer Stephen Schwartz and 'The Voice at Sea' and were treated to a chocolate and wine pairing. (Master chocolatier Norman Love got stuck in transit, though, due to the weekend blizzard on the US East Coast.)

The partnership with chef Stone will have 'Crafted by Curtis' menu items in the main dining room on all Princess ships, and some will have SHARE, his specialty restaurant that will include a new Chef’s Table experience designed by him.

The Salty Dog Gastropub, on select ships, was developed in collaboration with Uchimura, a founding chef of the original Umami Burger, and provides a variety of beer, whiskey and cocktail selections. 

Princess is installing 44,000 new beds, in every stateroom across the fleet, through 2018. The Princess Luxury Bed was developed in collaboration with Dr. Michael Breus, 'The Sleep Doctor,' and designer Candice Olson, star of the HGTV shows 'Candice Tells All' and 'Divine Design.'

And 'Style at Sea with TLC' has fashion expert Stacy London providing tips on what to pack, what to wear and how to look stylish on a cruise.

Earlier initiatives include 'Chocolate Journeys' with Norman Love, a Discovery Communications partnership—recently expanded—that brings activities and shore excursions to the Princess experience through shows like 'Deadliest Catch' and 'Shark Week,' and new original music productions in collaboration with award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz.

Further new offerings are 'Festivals of the World' with parties, activities, musical performances, festival-related movies and specialty shopping, a Craft Beer Series in partnerships with regional breweries and Princess@Sea Messenger, which connects passengers using mobile messenger, an instant message feature integrated into the free Princess@Sea mobile app, accessed by a smartphone or tablet browser.

Princess said more announcements about ship renovations, entertainment and accommodations in association with The Come Back New Promise are on the horizon.