Most of the cruise lines are introducing new and different attractions on their ships in an attempt to appeal to a different demographic and to present something new to past guests. Besides the “bigger is better” approach that some lines are taking, other lines are presenting a different way to do what they have been doing. Following are some of the things that are being implemented this year.
Carnival has introduced a new brand of cruising, calling it “voluntourism”. They are using a ship, the Fantom, to take cruise passengers to countries and islands where the passengers get involved with the locals in everything from helping with English classes, gardening, reforestation, water purification, among other things, of course. So far they have planned to do this in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, although there have been some delays in getting the Cuba destination operative.
Celebrity Cruise Lines is promoting their celebrity chefs program. Passengers on certain sailings get to go shopping with a celebrity chef and participate in selecting the ingredients used in the meals they will be eating on board.
Not to be outdone, Princess Cruise Line enlisted the services of celebrity chef, Curtis Stone, who specializes in chocolate menus. They also are presenting magic shows and a musical revue by Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz of “Wicked” and “Godspell” fame.
Disney Cruise Line features a “Star Wars” day on each of their Disney Fantasy ship sailings in the Western Caribbean this winter and spring with “Star Wars” characters, activities, and themed celebrations.
In June Royal Caribbean launches what will be the world's largest ship, Harmony of the Seas. She will have a capacity of 5,479 passengers and will feature the “neighborhood” areas already found on other RCCL ships, including Boardwalk and Central Park. One interesting feature they are introducing is robot bartenders; I'm interested in seeing how that works. They also introduced a new ship for service in China in April named the Ovation of the Seas.
Carnival Cruise Line launches their biggest ship to date this month named the Carnival Vista which can carry 3,954 passengers. The new feature on that ship is the “SkyRide” that lets guests cycle on bikes suspended from an 800-foot long track, 20 feet above the top deck and 150 feet above the water. They will also have a 455-foot-long tube slide. Wow!!!! What fun!!!
Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, and Cunard are all introducing new ships or upgrading ones they already have, so to be sure, the person looking for a cruise will have a dizzy time trying to figure out which one to go on. Well, as I've been preaching for forty years, that's where an experienced travel agent earns their commission. We do our best to match the clients wants and needs with their pocket book and send them on a vacation that will knock their socks off!!! Call those experienced agents at The Travel Factory today at 698-1421, or better still, stop by 4150 Southwest Drive for a visit and let us help with this all-important vacation decision. Helping you with a vacation you deserve, wherever it is, is our opportunity to shine!!!