Coverage of the hottest trends in cruising, descriptions of major cruise ships, and tips on how to get the most out of your trip from Frommers.com's resident cruise expert.
Posts from June
NCL Specs Broadway Rock & Celebrity Seafood for “Breakaway”
We’re now about ten months out from the debut of NCL’s new, 144,000-ton, 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway, and the line is beginning to flesh out not just the look of the ship but the experience people will have on board.
Latest reveals: The ship’s entertainment program will be highlighted by a full-scale production of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Rock of Ages, while her dining choices will feature a seafood restaurant created by celebrity chef and Food Network star Geoffrey Zakarian.
Rock of Ages is the story of an aspiring rocker and the girl he pines for, and a landmark rock club slated for demolition, and standing up for your beliefs, and arrogant rock stars, and a bunch of other stuff, but mostly it’s about singing '80s rock hits from bands like Journey, Styx, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, and Twisted Sister. Aboard Breakaway, the show will be one of several large-scale entertainments that generally mirror those currently running aboard Breakaway’s most recent fleetmate, Norwegian Epic. There’ll be a ballroom dance show called Burn the Floor, featuring “a melting pot of styles, energy, and excitement for today’s generation of dancers”; the Cirque Dreams & Dinner Jungle Fantasy, a circus-style theatrical performance served up alongside dinner; comedy shows from the famed Second City troupe; hot sounds from resident bluesman Slam Allen and visiting musicians at the Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club; and the Howl at the Moon dueling-rock-pianos show.
On the culinary side, Breakaway will feature Ocean Blue, a concept restaurant created by celebrity chef, restaurateur, and Food Network star Geoffrey Zakarian. Designed to be a “luxury seafood dining experience, utilizing all of the ingredients and techniques that Zakarian would employ in a land-based establishment,” the restaurant will include not just a main dining room but also a Raw Bar highlighting crustaceans and wines by the glass, and “Ocean Blue on The Waterfront,” a more casual dining option in the open air on Promenade Deck. Zakarian will be responsible or every aspect of the restaurant, from the menus to the staff uniforms to the glassware, and he’ll be aboard as well for select sailings, hosting in-person cooking demonstrations, intimate cooking experiences for smaller groups, and meet-and-greets with Norwegian Breakaway guests.
“It is an unbelievably exciting prospect to create a concept for such a groundbreaking ship. I am nostalgic at heart, so the thought of making a modern experience that harkens to the age of steamship travel is just terrific,” said Zakarian in a media statement. “I am planning, preparing, and recruiting for this restaurant the same as if I were opening on land, and truly, I have been humbled and inspired by Norwegian's vision to elevate hospitality on the seas.”
Norwegian Breakaway will debut in April 2013 and homeport year-round in New York, sailing 7-night Bermuda cruises in summer the spending the winter doing cruises south to Florida, the Bahamas, and the southern Caribbean.
It’s family-friendly time again at Norwegian Cruise Line, as it launches another round of its “kids sail free” promotion. From now through July 7, 2012, kids can sail more or less fare-free on dozens of cruises in Alaska, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada / New England, the Caribbean, Europe, and Hawaii, booked into third/fourth berths in cabins otherwise occupied by two adult parents or guardians. Kids still have to pay government fees and taxes (which vary depending on the cruise region and length of itinerary), but it’s still a damn good deal.
For a listing of cruises to which this deal applies, click here.
Cruise ship makes good: Yesterday morning, June 26, NCL's Norwegian Star was en route from New York to Bermuda when it responded to a call from the US Coast Guard to assist the passengers of the Avenir, a sailing yacht that had lost its rudder and was sitting dead in the water. At the time, Avenir was about 54 nautical miles from Norwegian Star.
About four hours later, Star reached the distressed vessel and began transferring her six passengers from yacht to cruiser, a process that took approximately one hour.
According to an NCL press release, the captain of Avenir stated that his group had left Bermuda on June 24, and was delivering the vessel to Bristol, Rhode Island.
About six months back, soon after January’s Costa Concordia disaster, various cruise trade associations around the world began promulgating new safety practices designed to exceed what’s required under global maritime law. This week, these industry groups agreed to two more enhancements, which tweak current mustering and passenger-information practices. Announced by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council (ECC) “on behalf of the global cruise industry,” the new self-imposed rules go something like this:
The “Common Elements of Musters and Emergency Instructions” policy specifies 12 common elements that will be communicated to passengers during musters and when discussing emergency instructions. Among these common elements are a description of key onboard safety systems and features and an explanation of emergency routing systems and recognizing emergency exits.
The “Nationality of Passengers” policy was developed in response to the request of governments at the May meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee meeting. This policy prescribes that the nationality of each passenger on board is to be recorded and made readily available to search-and-rescue personnel, as appropriate.
"Establishing common elements of a muster policy will provide our guests with the confidence that they are receiving the same key safety messages no matter which ship they cruise,” said Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Chairman of the ECC, in a media statement. “Providing additional information on passengers' nationality is a direct and immediate response to a good idea and, as with our other voluntary commitment, is applicable with immediate effect."
The Common Elements of Musters and Emergency Instructions policy is available here and the Nationality of Passengers policy can be accessed here.
My week is almost over aboard Carnival's new, 130,000-ton, 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze, currently sailing toward a helluva mess in Venice owing to a 24-hour general strike that will paralyze Italy tomorrow. (They're protesting the government's austerity measures, FYI.)
But it's my last day on board, and I'd made plans to overnight in Venice anyway, so I'm not scrambling to rebook my outbound flights. And that gives me time to sit and reflect a bit.
You all probably know Carnival pretty well, either from personal experience or by reputation. In the old days, it was the party line, full of frat-boy types and much, much drinking. Then in the mid- to late 1990s, it started making moves toward toning down that image to attract families and slightly more mature young (and not so young) couples instead—moves that largely worked. Still, the line hung on to the look it had had almost since day one: a super-busy, over-the-top smorgasbord of colors, lights, textures, and historical/entertainment themes that made you think the designer must have dropped acid before taking pen to paper. ("I'll do this room in . . . seashells . . . and cover all the chairs in . . . white fur . . . then put an Egyptian sarcophagus and a painting of Marilyn Monroe in too . . . Yeah, coooool: Look at all the colors . . .)
But now we have Carnival Breeze, and Breeze is something different entirely: still designed for fun, but restrained in palate and easy on the eyes. If you like, you could see it as Carnival finally, after all these years, getting comfortable in its own skin, ditching the 1970s Elton John electric suits, and just going for shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops. No more whamming guests over the head with (face it) some pretty outlandish design mishmashes; from here on in (eventually; see below), Carnival is about inviting you in and putting you at ease, with no architectural dress code.
Check out how restrained the atrium lobby is—and it's probably the most flamboyant space on board:
Cabins too, and the corridors that lead to them, are done in cool, Caribbean-inspired colors and visuals, with no extraneous distractions:
According to Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill, who conducted a press conference on board earlier this week, this is Carnival's direction going forward. They're not going to immediately rush out and re-design their entire 24-ship fleet (a task that would take forever and cost billions in expenses and lost revenue), but they are planning to work toward the new look, and the new Fun Ship 2.0 features, on all future newbuilds and all substantial planned ship renovations.
When Fun Ship 2.0 (a whole raft of innovations to Carnival's entertainment, dining, shopping, and general atmosphere) was announced last year, I speculated that it amounted to a rebranding of Carnival for the future, and it looks like I was right. Meanwhile, though, the party still goes on, and with all that Fun happening, I'm not sure folks are paying much attention to the Ship. It's a venue, and it's a pretty nice venue, and it's a venue that says tomorrow rather than yesterday. Huzzah to that.
It's our first at-sea day aboard the new, 130,000-ton, 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze, currently on her second full cruise and floating somewhere in the Ionian or Adriatic Sea, bound for Dubrovnik, Croatia. I spent a good part of the day walking the decks with my camera, trying to capture the ship's vibe in pixels. That's when I really started to see the signs — literally. Here's one, sitting on a bartop:
Despite the fact that Carnival is now basically a family cruise line rather than the wild-and-crazy party line of its early years, there's still a definite focus on the good life, with an emphasis on drink, comedy, and participatory party games, all wrapped up in a just-folks attitude. Breeze really works to get people involved in the fun, whether through tried-and-gross favorites like the men's hairy-back contest (today's winner was an absolute werewolf) or through new tactics based on some of the line's "Fun Ship 2.0" features — like the RedFrog Rum Bar and the BlueIguana Tequila Bar, which sit to port and starboard on the forward end of the Beach Pool area.
Set up to exploit friendly regional competition ("We're the Caribbean over 'ere," said one Jamaican bartender at the RedFrog. "Over there are the Spanish"), the bars act as a way to get pool deck partiers divided into teams for games like mixology challenges, with passengers from the RedFrog "red" team mixing with Caribbean rum and guests from the BlueIguana "blue" team using Mexican tequila to create their own specialties. The winner gets their concoction featured on the bar menu. Even the bar staffs' uniforms are designed to emphasize the red/blue divide. Check 'em out.
Meanwhile, across the deck at Guy's Burger Joint, a pool grill created in collaboration with TV chef Guy Fieri, flippers sport these here shirts:
Downstairs, in the restaurant, waiters serving during the Punchliner Comedy Brunch wore these mysterious little buttons:
So I asked. And the answer, delivered with shy humor by our Indonesian waiter, was, "When I see food, I eat it!" Ah yeah, comedy brunch. More polished yuck-yuck is provided on the hour at brunch time by featured entertainers from the Punchliner Comedy Club, though their 5-minute teaser sets were a bit short for my taste. Gimme 15 minutes, and I promise not to choke on my cereal-encrusted French toast.
OK, that's it for now 'cause I need to get ready for dinner. Time's getting short here on Breeze: Tomorrow's call in Dubrovnik is my last before I debark in Venice. I've got lots more to tell about Breeze, though, so stay tuned.
9:30am: Carnival Breeze at dock in Salerno, Italy, gateway to Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mt. Vesuvius, Sorrento, Capri, Positano, and the Amalfi Coast.
10:30am: The walls of Pompeii, buried by lava and ash in A.D. 79, home today to thousands upon thousands of daily tourists, searing heat and humidity, cheesy souvenirs, pushy tour guides, and . . .
. . . a pretty amazing window on ancient life. Here, the court just below the site's famous amphitheater.
11:30am: More heat, though the shade of the baths' frigidarium provided some relief.
3pm: Wandering the streets of Salerno, looking first for the Duomo church (hidden amidst a warren of streets), then for an open pizzeria at nap time, with no luck (and also no pictures).
4pm: Back aboard Carnival Breeze, where we knew pizza and birra would be available. Pictured: a 101-ounce beer tube of Presidente, the special of the day at the RedFrog Rum Bar on pool deck.
5pm: Pictured: a 101-ounce beer tube drained of Presidente by three thirsty travel writers.
Next up: Dinner at Cucina del Capitano, a restaurant designed with Carnival's captains in mind, serving recipes from their family cookbooks and decorated like a cozy Italian home, complete with family pictures. I'll try to post observations post-meal, if I don't keel over first.
So here I am, aboard the brand new, 130,000-ton, 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze, currently in port at Civitavecchia, Italy, after a hard, hot day walking around Rome (me, not the ship). In a few minutes I'll be meeting some old and new friends for drinks at the indoor/outdoor Ocean Plaza on Promenade Deck before heading up to Deck 10 to graze among the buffet options: a little bit of pizza here (excellent thin-crust style), some daal and veggies from the Tandoor Indian selection, and maybe a create-your-own noodle dish from the Mongolian Wok. And a beer or two, 'cause like I said, it was hot today, and I need to replenish my electrolytes. Or something.
But first, a photo that summarizes the Breeze experience pretty well:
Yep, it's a Carnival.
That was the scene at the Beach Pool Saturday afternoon: adults sunning in deck chairs, families splashing in the pool, and kids (of which there are lots) going wild at WaterWorks, an amazing splash-and-slide zone with water sprays, a 300-gallon dumping bucket, and a pair of 300-foot-long waterslides that twist and turn you down about three decks. Here's a closer view . . .
And here's a detail from below, as a passenger sluices past . . .
Despite the fact that Breeze, with her cool Caribbean decor and complete lack of over-the-top Vegas-rococo visual LSD, looks different from any of her 23 fleetmates (about which more in my next post), she's still 99.9% Carnival, from the good-time passengers to the earthy comedians to the super-casual, completely unpretentious onboard vibe. At a press conference Saturday, line president and CEO Gerry Cahill addressed the fact of Breeze's decor evolution — and the fact that she'sis apparently the model on which they'll be basing any new Carnival ships going forward, and any major renovations of the existing ships: "We're not forcing our guests to change," said Cahill. "We're going where they want to go." Judging by the reactions I've been seeing so far, they hit that nail on the head.
Goodbye, oyster-shell wallpaper, Egyptian sarcophagi, and faux-fur bar stools. Hello simple patterns, palm trees, and Caribbean pub decor. All in all, it's a switch I can live with.
I'm on board until Friday, and will be posting as I go along. Stay tuned . . .
Not exactly a newsy blog post here; more like a preview: At this writing, I'm about to fly to Barcelona to board Carnival Breeze, the new 130,000-ton, 3,690-passenger vessel that seems likely to set the template for Carnival's new "Fun Ship 2.0" look and feel. She doesn't look too much different than her recent fleetmates from the outside . . .
Carnival Breeze in Venice, just after her debut last week (photo: Carnival)
. . . but inside, she promises to be a much different Carnival than any Carnival we've seen before.
The itinerary this week is Barcelona, Marseille, Livorno/Florence/Pisa, Civitavecchia/Rome, Salerno/Naples, a day at sea, Dubrovnik, and then Venice, where I get off. I'll be blogging from the ship, posting observations and photos as we go. Stay tuned.
With its first-ever Alaska season about to begin, small-ship line American Cruise Lines is already setting its sights on the northwest again for 2013. Today, the line announced that beginning next year, it will be offering a series of fifteen 7-night cruises on Washington's Puget Sound, sailing round-trip from Seattle and visiting four ports on the Washington coast and the beautiful San Juan Islands.
Designed to bracket the summer Alaska season, Puget Sound cruises aboard the 100-passenger American Spirit will visit the port town of Anacortes, on Fidalgo Island; Friday Harbor on San Juan Island; Poulsbo, a small city known as "Little Norway" for its Scandinavian heritage; and Port Townsend, an historic seaport located at the extreme northeastern end of the Olympic Peninsula, full of Victorian homes a charming downtown. (Personal trivia: I spent part of my honeymoon there, a few years back, and loved it.)
The first cruises begin on April 6, 2013, and run through a May 25 departure before American Spirit heads north to Alaska. Puget Sound cruises resume on September 14, 2013, and continue through a scheduled October 26 departure.
"Following the terrific response to our Alaska and Columbia & Snake River itineraries, Puget Sound was a natural next step," said ACL VP Timothy Beebe in a media statement. "Our further expansion into the Pacific Northwest adds even more variety to the unique, yet close-to-home cruises we offer. We look forward to welcoming new and past guests aboard to discover this beautiful region of the West Coast."
Fares for the Puget Island cruises start at $3,695 per person, double occupancy.
