The Grand Princess just went through a major upgrade that kept 1,400 workers busy for 24 days. The 3,100 passenger cruise liner is now heading back to Southampton for a new cruising season – minus its trademark shopping trolley “handle.”

UK Cruise Director Martyn Moss kept a video diary of the whole process, including the huge job of removing the SkyWalker nightclub. This took ten hours. The Princess’s atrium was also remodelled to accommodate the new Piazza. Seven new suites were added and the Horizon court restaurant, the wedding chapel, the shops and the casino were completely refurbished.

Princess Cruises UK’s man in charge of brand marketing, Pieter van der Schee, said: “This drydock has been a monumental effort, and we're very proud to be welcoming the ship into Southampton.”

He added that the Grand Princess has always been a favourite with the company’s UK passengers and that he was sure they would appreciate the fact that they will get the first opportunity to cruise on the new-look Princess.

The ship will arrive back in Southampton harbour on Saturday the 21st May. Before that, cruise lovers can get a sneak peak of the refurbished ship in Greenock on Clyde, where it will dock on the 17th May. It will also dock at Holyhead on the 18th May and at Falmouth on the 19th May.

During the upcoming summer season, the Princess will depart on a series of 14-night cruises to the Mediterranean plus a number of 7-night short breaks. There will also be two 17-night cruises to the Central Mediterranean, a 14-night trip to Norway and Spitsbergen and an 11-night cruise to Madeira and the Canary Islands.