When the guests of the Majestic Princess’ comeback voyage board the Princess Cruises ship, they will be welcomed by the ship’s captain, senior officers and crew, the cruise line said in a press release.
The employees are highly anticipating hosting guests for the first time in 16 months, Princess noted. The cruise line is slated to return to service in the United States with a partial season of Alaska sailings roundtrip from Seattle, with seven-day cruises scheduled to depart July 25 through Sept. 26, 2021, onboard the Majestic Princess.
According to the press release, Captain Dino Sagani and Captain Tony Draper will trade off at the helm of the Majestic Princess, leading a senior officer team with more than 100 years of seagoing experience among them.
Captain Dino Sagani has served Princess Cruises for 26 years and was named the master of the Majestic Princess when the ship first debuted in 2017.
Captain Sagani has commanded a number of Princess vessels, including the Sea Princess, Dawn Princess, Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess, Caribbean Princess, Golden Princess and served as a relief captain for Royal Princess and Regal Princess.
He was born in Trieste on the Northeast Adriatic coast of Italy. Following the family tradition, he studied at the Nautical College in Trieste, which is one of the oldest nautical schools in Europe. On completion of his studies, he joined the Italian Navy, serving on a minehunter during the first Gulf War.
Captain Sagani joined Princess Cruises in 1995, where he quickly climbed the ranks and was promoted to captain in 2007, at the age of 37 which made him become the youngest captain ever to be promoted in the history of the company.
Captain Tony Draper has been in command of a number of the cruise line’s vessels since 2006, including the inaugural of the Royal Princess in 2013, where he had the honor of hosting the ship’s godmother – The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.
He has also been fleet captain and has captained the Ruby Princess, Emerald Princess, Crown Princess, Caribbean Princess, Dawn Princess, Sun Princess and Coral Princess, as well as ships for sister company P&O Australia.
He began his seagoing career with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the civilian-manned supply and logistics division of the UK’s Royal Navy. In 1994, he not only gained his Master’s Certificate but also achieved a UK commercial pilot’s license, reflecting his lifelong interest in aviation. In 1995, he joined Princess as navigator of the original Island Princess.
Chief Engineer Massimiliano Imperiale, Hotel General Manager Charles Verwaal and Staff Captain Petar Lešić complete the leadership team.
“On behalf of the entire Majestic Princess team, we couldn’t be more excited to be the first to welcome our guests back onboard to reconnect and help them create lasting memories and connections,” said Captain Sagani. “We’ve been anticipating this moment for 16 months and we’re ready to deliver our world-class service and highly personalized MedallionClass experience.”
