Princess Cruises blog amounts to a not-so-veiled press release

Princess Cruises launched a new blog, "Linked by the Sea," and although there are no hyper-links in the maiden post, the tenor of the blog shows it is intimately linked to the cruise line's marketing message.

The first post, Clicking Over a Kilt, describes a heart-warming friendship struck by a veteran cruiser and his wife with a Princess Cruises Maitre d’. It's a nice story of how the friendships have evolved over the last few years, culminating in a semi-surprise renewal of wedding vows on board the Emerald Princess.

As we approached the chapel, she was handed a bouquet of flowers. The pianist started to play the wedding march, the doors were flung open and we were beckoned, holding hands, toward the Commodore to renew our vows.

The Princess photographer snapped away to record the event and our friend Generoso, stood to the side, beaming. Halfway through the event, he was handed a box of tissues as a tear or two glimmered in his eye.

A Princess press release reveals the game plan: "Featuring touching stories from both passengers and crew members, the blog will recount personal tales of friendship, romance and meaningful connections forged at sea."

All in the service of Princess Cruises and its unruffled brand message.