It’s a tale of two cruise lines, both with very different visions for their customers. Last week, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled the latest onboard amenities for their new ships. What can customers expect? Would you believe a zip-line, ice bar, neighborhoods, curved staterooms, carousel and outdoor amphitheaters? And that’s just for starters.
Will the world’s largest cruise ship that spans four football fields, rises 15 stories high, and carries 4,328 people play in the UK? Royal Caribbean is betting big that the brand new Independence of the Seas will woo Britons with a jolly good cruise.
It’s hot, it’s hip, and it’s Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship: Norwegian Gem. NCL’s new investor has put $1 billion into the company, so the cruise line with the tagline “You’re free to … whatever” is now free to spend “whatever” on making its cruises even better. Meet the poster ship for what’s to come fleetwide.
Each time the Royal Clipper slips mooring and raises its billowing white sails passengers are taken on a truly unique journey. Combine the drama of islands less traveled, a bagpipe playing captain, crab races as entertainment, along with a global mix of travelers and it all adds up to a truly tall tale of the Caribbean.
Christened by a duchess and now sailing on a voyage around the world, Cunard’s new Queen Victoria is a ship leading a charmed life. But make no mistake. This is no cruise ship taking folks on cruises. No, this is an ocean liner taking pampered guests on cultured voyages.
When the majestic sails unfurl on a Windstar vessel it’s easy to imagine yourself on a timeless adventure. With new owners and major renovations, Windstar’s Wind Surf now offers guests an even more luxurious sailing experience.
What’s the latest amenity on cruise ships? No, it’s not Asian spa treatments and it’s not Wi-Fi. It’s iPods. A growing number of cruise lines are now loaning out iPods, fully stocked with music, and offering tours and shipboard information as podcasts. See why the pocket-sized digital music phenomenon is a big hit with cruise travelers.
Certainly, Mark Twain’s adventures have immortalized the era of steamboat travel. Thankfully, there’s a way to go back in time and relive the nostalgia of those Tom Sawyer days – it’s called the American Queen. Cruising on the Ohio River from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh Anita Dunham-Potter discovers that reading, eating and river lore is the perfect recipe for relaxation.
Can a giant, mass-market cruise ship renowned for its “Fun Ship” atmosphere make it in the sophisticated Mediterranean cruise market? Can two American kids and their mom survive the 12-day whirlwind tour? After cruising the Mediterranean with her two young daughters aboard the Carnival Freedom, Anita Dunham-Potter says yes, on both counts.
Take an Italian cruise ship, Italian food, Italian wine, Italian luxury and over-the-top Franco-Italian pomp and circumstance in the French city of Marseille and what do you get? A “C’est wow!” moment. Such is the life when “Cruising Italian Style” aboard the brand-new Costa Serena.
She’s new, she’s bold, and she’s better than her big sister. She’s Liberty of the Seas, the second of three mega-ships from Royal Caribbean, and she’s got a lot going on: new programs, new artwork, better food and nonstop cruises to the Caribbean. But wait. There are even bigger and better ships in development. Anita Dunham-Potter reviews the Liberty and gives us the scoop on “Project Genesis.”
What happens when you put 900 Americans and 1,100 Europeans together onboard an Italian cruise ship? You get fun, drama, pasta and a wild toga party. Welcome to “Cruising Italian Style” aboard Costa Mediterranea.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has added a new gem to its fleet: the 93,500-ton Norwegian Pearl. This is NCL’s ninth new vessel in six years, giving the cruise line one of the youngest fleets in the industry. Among the onboard innovations are a rock-climbing wall, two deluxe top-of-the-ship suites, and a four-lane bowling alley. Top it off with NCL’s much-vaunted “Freestyle Cruising”
A Celebrity ship got a makeover this year, and the results are impressive. The Century emerged from its $55 million surgery with 314 new balconies, upgraded staterooms, a martini bar, a Persian Garden and other new public spaces that make the mid-size, middle-aged ship a contender in a sea of glitzy mega-cruisers.
Just back from an 11-day cruise of Egypt and Jordan aboard Silversea’s luxury ship Silver Whisper, columnist Anita Dunham-Potter reports on champagne, caviar and the pleasures of personalized service.
When I told some of my cruising friends that I was going on a four-day Carnival cruise, they thought I was crazy. “Booze cruise,” one said. “Trailer-park cruising,” sniffed another. Think the “Fun Ships” are beneath you? Think again.
Recently, cruise lines have become much better in bed, offering passengers the ultimate in pillow-top mattresses, down duvets, 350-count linens and count-no-sheep pillows. The boudoir accessories have become so successful, in fact, that three cruise lines are offering their bedding for sale.
Princess Cruises’ brand-new Crown Princess introduces a dramatic three-story atrium, some new casual dining venues, a “Serenity” area, passenger reality shows and midnight showings of “Titanic.” It’s all part of Princess’s new company motto: “Escape Completely.”
Alaska’s Inside Passage is an awe-inspiring spectacle of nature, with glaciers, snow-capped mountains, soaring eagles, humpback whales, gold rush towns, Russian intrigue and Native American legends. You see it all from the comfort of the Regent Seven Seas Mariner.
NCL America’s newest ship, the Pride of Hawaii, launches today with a seven-day cruise of the Hawaiian Islands. It is the largest U.S.-flagged cruise ship in history, and it cost more than half a billion dollars to build. Here is a ship that will fulfill all your champagne wishes and caviar dreams — Hawaiian style.
Royal Caribbean launched its Freedom of the Seas on Thursday night with a slow chug around New York Harbor for travel agents and the press. What is it like aboard the world’s biggest cruise ship? Well, with its surf park, water park, ice-skating rink, rock-climbing wall, children’s sundeck, barbershop and boxing ring, it is certainly the ship that has everything.
It used to be that cruising was a pretty passive vacation. Eat lots of food, drink lots of champagne, then sleep it all off in a deck chair. The baby boomers changed all that, and now that the industry is targeting a more active market, the trend is all health and fitness. Here’s a survey of the offerings on 16 cruise lines.
Cruising and food seem to go hand in hand. Most cruises are one long buffet meal, and if you’re not careful, you may disembark with excess baggage on your behind. If you want to stay in shape on your next cruise, consider heading to the ship’s state-of-the-art gym.
Cruise ships are romantic, that’s for sure. The combination of sea breeze and starry nights seems to send Cupid reeling — just ask Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio. These days, a luxury cruise with the one you love has endless possibilities. Here are five cruise ships that go out of their way to inspire romance.
The Zuiderdam is not your typical Holland America ship. Carrying 1,848 passengers, she is bigger and bolder (in decor) than any other ship in the Holland America fleet. While the Zuiderdam is flashy throughout, she still offers many pleasing comforts synonymous with the Holland America brand. The new look and feel of the Zuiderdam were intentional, designed to attract a younger family crowd on its Caribbean itinerary and, ultimately, to the line overall. Has Holland America succeeded in this bright, bold venture to woo younger and family cruisers? As I discovered on a recent seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise with my family, the answer is yes and no.