Thomson Cruises has launched its newest ship, TUI Discovery, at a glittering ceremony in Palma, Majorca.
The evening launch commenced with keynote speeches from managing director of Cruise, Helen Caron, TUI UK & Ireland managing director Nick Longman and TUI Discovery captain John Westgarth-Pratt.
On board deck 9 there was an action-packed production of performers from the destinations visited by the Thomson fleet, including a gigantic Spanish bull puppet, Caribbean carnival dancers in full costume, Middle Eastern whirling dervishes and belly dancers.
The ship’s godmothers Mimi Kasomwoshi Ragui and Hazel Ceguera, both Thomson Cruises employees, were welcomed on stage during the show to formally christen the ship.
Grammy Award winning artist Jess Glynne then sang a medley of songs from her album, ‘I Cry When I Laugh’.
Fireworks lit up the city to close the show before the ship set sail for Barcelona.
The move to name the newest addition to the Thomson Cruises fleet TUI Discovery is part of the re-brand which will see the whole of Thomson transition to TUI over the next 18 months. Thomson Cruises recently announced the expansion of its fleet with the acquisition of “Legend of the Seas” from Royal Caribbean International (RCI). Thomson Cruises will operate the vessel, to be renamed “TUI Discovery 2”, from May 2017.
Helen Caron, said: “The launch of TUI Discovery marks an exciting time for Thomson Cruises, so it was an honour to have Jess Glynne join us to celebrate what has been a fantastic night for everyone involved. TUI Discovery is a real game-changer for us.”
TUI Discovery and its 758 crew members will set sail on its maiden customer voyage tomorrow, visiting a variety of ports in the Mediterranean for destinations such as Rome, Barcelona, Corsica and Florence.
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