Phillip Browne Named Princess Cruises Entertainer of the Year

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Oct 01, 2019, 15:03 ET

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Oct. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Enthusiastic guests onboard Star Princess selected vocalist Phillip Browne as the newest Princess Cruises Entertainer of the Year. Four finalists were selected from the hundreds of talented performers — comedians, magicians, vocalists, tribute bands and novelty performers — which entertain guests on Princess Cruises' stages each year. These top artists performed to excited audiences during the cruise, and then guests voted by ballot to select the winner.

Vocalist Phillip Browne (center) was named Princess Cruises newest Entertainer of the Year onboard Star Princess on September 28, 2019

Guests onboard the Sept. 22 Star Princess seven-day cruise along the Northern California Coast enjoyed live performances from each finalist. The finalists were determined by the Princess Cruises entertainment casting team based on guest surveys and onboard audience response. Along with Browne, the finalists included, comedian Doug Funk, comical singing ventriloquist Kieran Powell and comic-impressionist Michael Wilson. Browne was announced as the winner on the final night of the cruise at a celebratory event with the many guests who voted for him.

"Phillip brings passion to every performance, truly connecting with the audience and we congratulate him on being named Entertainer of the Year," said Denise Saviss, Princess Cruises vice president of entertainment experience. "Our guests were thoroughly engaged and entertained by the passion and exuberance of the finalists this year and had the difficult task of voting for their favorites to ultimately determine the champion."

From London, Browne has stared 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. 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.

This is the cruise line's eighth annual Entertainer of the Year competition which was established to recognize the high caliber and diversity of guest entertainers that perform on each Princess Cruise. Previous Entertainer of the Year winners Nathan Foley, Ben Seidman, Zach Winningham, Tony Tillman, Carlos Oscar, Robbie Printz and Tom Franek continue to perform year round with Princess Cruises and remain among the top-rated entertainers throughout the fleet.

As the new holder of the line's Entertainer of the Year title, Browne also received a cash prize of $5,000.

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 their cruise vacation 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