Princess Cruises Announces Finalists for 8th Annual Entertainer of the Year Competition

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Aug. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Princess Cruises will soon announce the top guest entertainer during the international premium cruise line's eighth annual Entertainer of the Year competition. Four talented finalists have been chosen from the more than 2,000 onboard performers who entertain more than 2 million guests each year — from a talent pool of vocalists, comedians, magicians, tribute bands and other specialty acts.

Guests onboard the September 22, 2019 Star Princess seven-day cruise to the Northern California Coast will be invited to cast their vote for their favorite performer after viewing several live performances from each act during their cruise vacation, ultimately selecting Princess Cruises Entertainer of the Year and awarding the top talent $5,000.

The four nominees for the title of Entertainer of the Year are:

Phillip Browne - From London, Browne has starred in several West End shows and performed with Sir Elton John and Barry Manilow in some of the most prestigious venues in London, including Kensington Palace and the Royal Albert Hall. With a fantastic personality, strong stage presence and a rare velvet smooth bass voice, Browne is entertainment at its best. He started his career in the Disney production of The Lion King, playing the role of King Mufassa. He went on to perform in many West End shows including Show Boat, Anything Goes, Porgy & Bess, Piaf, Carmen Jones and Ragtime. Some of his TV & film appearances include Batman, Miss Marple, Eastenders, Casualty, My Family and Money. He is also a voice-over artist and can be heard on numerous movie trailers and commercials. Mr. Browne's show includes songs by Barry White, Paul Robeson, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., as well as hits from The Lion King, Showboat and Carmen Jones.

Doug Funk - From Cambridge, Ontario Canada, award winning and two-time nominated comedian Funk is a seasoned performer with a fresh and contagious style, whose entertainment background has molded him into one of the most funny, thought-provoking and versatile comics in the country. He has four consecutive seasons on The Comedy Network to his credit, five seasons on the Global Network, two appearances in the very successful Air Bud movies (IV& V), countless TV commercials and hundreds of live performances in every nook and cranny of North America.

Kieran Powell - from Cirencester, Gloucestershire United Kingdom, comical singing ventriloquist Powell is without a doubt one of the UK's finest variety acts and one of the world's top ventriloquists. He has been described as "the act that every puppet's talking about." Over the past few years he has entertained tens of thousands of people with his truly original and highly imaginative award-winning act. He engages audiences with a combination of fast-paced comedy, creative interpretation of music and a fearless attitude towards audience participation and witty improvisation. Powell has been seen performing all across the world, from small-town halls to grand West End theatres, as well as over the last few years performing for some of the world's top cruise lines. Ventriloquism has taken Kieran to 98 countries now, making him not only one of the world's top ventriloquists, but one of the most traveled.

Mike Wilson - from Redondo Beach, Calif., often called the world's funniest comic-impressionist, Wilson overwhelms his audience with his dead-on impressions of the world's most famous celebrities. His marquee characters include the entire cast of Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Christian Slater, Lou Costello, Garth Brooks, Louie Armstrong, Minnie Ripperton, Joe Cocker, the Bee Gees, and hundreds more. He plays corporate shows, comedy clubs, golf tournaments, rock concerts, and colleges. Mike is currently headlining the largest cruise ships in the world.

"Every year we're so impressed with the incredible finalists who entertain our guests during our annual Entertainer of the Year competition," said Denise Saviss, Princess Cruises vice president, entertainment experience. "It's always a challenge to narrow down the vast array of talent we bring onboard and we're thrilled that our guests will make the final decision."

The finalists were selected by the Princess Cruises entertainment professionals based on guest post-cruise surveys and onboard audience responses. The Princess Cruises Entertainer of the Year winner will be announced on the final evening of the cruise at a celebratory event in the Piazza onboard the ship.

Previous Princess Cruises Entertainer of the Year winners include comedians Carlos Oscar and Robbie Printz, vocalists Tony Tillman and Zach Winningham, comedic magician Ben Seidman, pianist entertainer Tom Franek and singer, dancer and musician Nathan Foley.

The eighth annual Entertainer of the Year voyage will depart on September 22, 2019 onboard Star Princess on a Northern California Coastal cruise, roundtrip from Seattle. Ports include Astoria, Ore., San Francisco, Monterey, Calif. and Victoria, Canada.

More information about the live entertainment on Princess Cruises and other onboard activities is available at princess.com/entertainment.

Interested guests are encouraged to book now by contacting their travel advisor, calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company's website at www.princess.com.

About Princess Cruises

One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is the fastest growing international premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships, carrying two million guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica and World Cruises. A team of professional destination experts have curated 170 itineraries, ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for Itineraries." 

In 2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival Corporation, introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled by the OceanMedallion, the vacation industry's most advanced wearable device, provided free to each guest sailing on a MedallionClass ship. The award-winning innovation offers the fastest way to a hassle-free, personalized vacation giving guests more time to do the things they love most. MedallionClass Vacations will be activated on five ships by the end of 2019. An activation plan will continue across the global fleet in 2020 and beyond. 

Princess Cruises continues its multi-year, "Come Back New Promise" – a $450 million-dollar product innovation and cruise ship renovation campaign that will continue to enhance the line's onboard guest experience. These enhancements result in more moments of awe, lifetime memories and meaningful stories for guests to share from their cruise vacation. The product innovations include partnerships with award-winning Chef Curtis Stone; engaging entertainment inspired shows with Broadway-legend Stephen Schwartz; immersive activities for the whole family from Discovery and Animal Planet that include exclusive shore excursions to onboard activities; the ultimate sleep at sea with the award-winning Princess Luxury Bed and more. 

Three new Royal-class ships are currently on order with the next new ship under construction, Sky Princess, scheduled for delivery in October 2019, followed by Enchanted Princess in June 2020. Princess previously announced that two new (LNG) ships which will be the largest ships in the Princess fleet, accommodating approximately 4,300 guests are planned for delivery in 2023 and 2025.  Princess now has five ships arriving over the next six years between 2019 and 2025. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc ((NYSE/LSE: CCL, NYSE:CUK). 

SOURCE Princess Cruises