Robe for groundbreaking Sun Princess ship
Princess Cruises has chosen Robe Lighting for its brand-new Sun Princess, the latest addition to the Princess fleet. With a capacity of 5,900, the Sun Princess boasts brand-new entertainment venues and innovative concepts.
The ship has recently been equipped with a comprehensive Robe Lighting package, including 4 x FORTE FSs, 4 x RoboSpot systems, 27 x ESPRITES, 76 x PAINTES, 22 x Spiider LED wash beams, 24 x LEDBeam 350s, 43 x LEDBeam 150s, 57 x Spikie+s and 14 x T11 Profiles with gobo modules, plus 21 x ParFect 150s, 42 x Tetra1s, 30 x iPAINTES, 13 x iSpiiders, 17 x iBeam 350s, 5x iTetra2s and 19 x iBar 15s.
The lighting design for the Sun Princess was selected and coordinated by Princess Cruises’ Fleet Supervisor for Lighting/Video & SFX, Matt DeJong, who explained that Robe was the clear solution for this new build project.
In coordinating the lighting systems, including lighting positions and fixture selection, Matt DeJong noted that multiple rounds of reviews were necessary to finalize the system design for the venues. As the Sun Princess is a concept ship, creating the venues from scratch required careful planning with venue architects, LES Integrators, and the shipyard. On a cruise ship, overhead availability is always a concern, and since trim heights are often lower than in traditional venues, selecting fixtures with the right size, zoom range, and features was key.
Robe’s TE (TRANSFERABLE ENGINE) family of fixtures emerged as the perfect solution for the Sun Princess. Additionally, the ship is entirely LED, with both entertainment and public area lighting. This decision aligns with Princess’s commitment to eco-friendly cruising. Robe’s TE series provided various light engine options, allowing for a balanced lighting rig that still delivers powerful performance. “We could select the most recent fixtures, and ones that best served the needs of our productions and designers. Not being locked into the shipyard supply, which is often defined years and years in advance, allowed us to stay relevant and up to date with the latest and greatest lighting technologies that matched exactly what we needed,” said Matt when explaining the process and benefits of the option to “owner- supply” the main moving light package for this new build project.
The lighting rigs on a new ship are expected to last about 8-10 years from delivery. The onboard production staff manage the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the lighting systems. The TE family was an ideal choice for Matt because the easy swapability of the light engine extends the lifespan of the fixture beyond the rated hours of the light engine. The future-proof TE series, along with fantastic support from Robe, made it the ideal choice for Sun Princess. The TE family includes a range of fixtures with varying sizes, light engines, and feature sets, enabling Matt to select fixtures with reliable feature sets based on the available overhead space and venue requirements. The Dome also required IP-rated fixtures as it serves both indoor and outdoor functions since humidity plays a factor with the venue containing a pool and open-air opening. Having the option to use the same type of fixtures, such as the PAINTE, Spiider, and LEDBeam 350 in both IP20 and IP65 with iSeries fixtures was a significant advantage for streamlining onboard storage of spare parts and maintenance items.
Matt and the Princess Production Resource team, led by Denise Saviss and Mark Simons, have had great success with Robe in the past for main lounge refits. A combination of an impressive feature set, light output, size, weight, and strong support presence made the selection of Robe fixtures an easy decision. Tony Perez, Robe’s global maritime sales director, played a key role in supporting Matt and the Princess team by coordinating shootouts prior to the specification phase.
Tony’s support and ability to coordinate special requests, such as custom factory gobo loads, made the entire process very smooth and ensured that Princess received exactly what they needed and wanted. Tony’s assistance was also crucial in ensuring the on-time delivery of lighting fixtures to the shipyard for installation onboard, meeting the deadlines of both the shipyard and the creative teams.
The Robe Lighting fixturesare the primary workhorses for the production shows and entertainment on board this next-generation ship.
The Arena Theatre features a large LED wall at the back that runs for all shows. The impressive engine output from the TE fixtures like FORTE, ESPRITE, and PAINTE, along with the Osram engine from the Spiider and LEDBeam fixtures, was crucial to allow the lighting to cut through the video content.
The Dome and the Piazza lighting were installed in just two days by Videlio HMS. The lighting rigs in the Arena, Princess Live, and all other venues were installed by Matt DeJong, Karen Hii, and the supernumerary install and setup team, including Sandee Roque, Dusan Milosavljevic, Octavio Ahumada, and Sabiniano (Buboy) Martinez.
Show Photos © MattDeJong
Ship Photo © Sun Cruises
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