Princess Cruises today revealed the godmothers of Enchanted Princess and announced details about the naming ceremony of the new MedallionClass ship.
Captain Lynn Danaher, Dr. Vicki Ferrini and Jenifer Austin, members of The Explorers Club, will serve as the godmothers for the 3,660-guest Enchanted Princess. Since its inception in 1904, members of The Explorers Club have traversed the earth, the seas, the skies, and even the moon, on expeditions of exploration. This multidisciplinary, professional society is dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation.
The work of the three godmothers will be showcased in an original production entitled “Our World, Enchanted” as part of Enchanted Princess’ naming ceremony, scheduled to broadcast globally at 9:00pm GMT December 13, 2021, on Princess Cruises’ YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Hosted by Princess Cruises’ celebrations ambassador Jill Whelan and Enchanted Princess’ cruise director Dan Falconer, the 45-minute show introduces viewers to the innovative features and amenities of the new MedallionClass ship and culminates in the official naming to welcome Enchanted Princess into the global fleet. It also honors the ship’s three godmothers, who have been recognised for their achievements in expeditions, oceanography and mapping the oceans. Their achievements include:
Captain Lynn Danaher
Captain Danaher has been a United States Coast Guard Licensed Master and Dive Master since 1994. She is a founding member and president of the Pacific Islands Research Institute since 2008 and co-founder of the Friday Harbor Film Festival since 2013. She joined The Explorers Club in 2005, and has served as chair of the Pacific Northwest Chapter for two years and the Board of Directors for six years. She has completed eight Explorers Club Flag Expeditions. Captain Danaher is an officer of The Explorers Club, serving as Vice President: Mission Programming and Chair of the Headquarters Renovation Committee. She is also a licensed Contractor in the State of Hawaii.
Dr. Vicki Ferrini
After completing her PhD in Coastal Oceanography, Dr. Ferrini extended her research interests from the coast to the hidden deep-sea world. The majority of the global ocean is unmapped, unexplored and uncharacterised, and her work aims to help solve that. A Senior Research Scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Dr. Ferrini leads several efforts focused on making sure data are preserved and can be accessed by scientists and the public alike. She is committed to building a vibrant international community of collaborators, and works with colleagues around the world to help build bridges between people and the ocean through data. Dr. Ferrini joined the Explorers Club in 2021 when she was selected as one of the ‘Explorers Club 50’ – fifty explorers changing the world.
Jenifer Austin
Jenifer Austin spent nearly 14 years at Google, where she co-led the team that launched the first virtual map of the ocean in the company’s consumer products Google Earth and Google Maps, and also launched Underwater Streetview in Google Maps and Global Fishing Watch. She then started Oceanagenda.com to help bring together diverse groups to support holistic ocean conservation and stewardship. Austin is a scuba diver and a fellow of the Explorers Club, where she has served on the W40 Women’s Committee, speaking as a part of the Women of the Deep and hosting a panel in its finale Pathfinders Symposium.
