Month: February 2022

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE NEW CARNIVAL CELEBRATION

As part of our kickoff for Carnival’s 50th birthday festivities, here is a  first look and revealing details on four of her six zones including a new area, Celebration Central.

As you know, on a Carnival cruise, vacation starts in the atrium, and on Carnival Celebration, that is in Celebration Central. Spanning Decks 6, 7 and 8 and designed as the heart of the ship’s celebratory spirit, Celebration Central will feature the most popular venues from Mardi Gras’ Grand Central, but with a whole new look and the feeling of a festive party woven throughout.

Carnival Central is designed to make an impression, setting the mood for your client’s whole cruise with some wow-worthy features:

~ An awe-inspiring three-deck-high atrium with a ceiling that appears as a burst of a confetti canon made of approximately 1,400 color-changing lighting fixtures that will transform from day to night.

~ 3,000-square-foot floor-to-ceiling windows on the side of the ship that will change into 16 individually controlled six- by 14-foot LED screens to work hand in hand with the ever-changing entertainment options, including live music, special effects, aerial acrobatic performances, and high-energy shows.

~Special pieces from former Carnival ships will be repurposed to blend with Carnival Celebration’s modern decor throughout Celebration Central and beyond.

~A variety of food and beverage options, such as JavaBlue Café, Bonsai Sushi and Bonsai Teppanyaki, and feel-good entertainment such as Piano Bar 88 and The Punchliner Comedy Club.

The AGUARIA BAR features great drinks and ocean-themed glass murals from Carnival Victory by Italian artist Luciano Vistosi incorporated into a striking two-deck high decorative wall behind the bar to create an aquarium-like effect, inspiring the name.

THE TROPICALE BAR is a tribute to a fan-favorite from the early days: MS Tropicale—actually the first ship to sport our iconic red, white and blue funnel!

CARNIVAL CELEBRATION FAN FAVORITE ZONES….While similar to Mardi Gras with a plethora of options for dining, entertainment and relaxation, Celebration will have her own personality, one that celebrates all things Carnival, intertwining where we have been with where we are going.

THE ULTIMATE PLAYGROUND

After such an incredible response from guests on Mardi Gras, the centerpiece of Carnival Celebration’s Ultimate Playground (Decks 18-20 Aft) will be BOLT, The Ultimate Sea Coaster, soon to be the second roller coaster at sea, WaterWorks aqua park and SportSquare featuring a mini-golf course, full-court basketball and an exhilarating ropes course.

SUMMER LANDING ZONE

(Deck 8 Aft) will continue to serve as the greatest chill spot at sea with Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse, Carnival’s ParchedPig craft beers brewed on site, pools and whirlpools, The Watering Hole poolside bar, and the Heroes Tribute Lounge honoring military personnel.

LIDO

This poolside zone, (Decks 16-17 Aft), will feature all of the delicious and fun experiences from Mardi Gras including the two-level RedFrog Tiki Bar, Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken restaurant, guest-favorite Guy’s Burger Joint, Seafood Shack, and BlueIguana Cantina, with offerings perfect for any tastebud any time.

Carnival will be revealing additional details and zones on Carnival Celebration in the coming months leading up to her inaugural sailing from Miami on Nov. 21.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN UPDATES PROTOCOLS…

We are committed to bringing you the latest news and updates as soon they arise. Royal Caribbean Group will participate in the U.S. CDC’s voluntary COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships sailing in U.S. waters. Specifically, Royal Caribbean International will operate under the program’s Highly Vaccinated category beginning with sailings departing from the U.S. as of Friday, February 25, 2022.

Requirements include sailing with 95% of crew members fully vaccinated, which Royal Caribbean already exceeds with 100% of its crew fully vaccinated and boosted when eligible. Ninety-five percent of guests must be fully vaccinated as well — this excludes children under five years who are not eligible for the vaccine. The updated protocols will include face masks being optional for all fully vaccinated guests and expected for unvaccinated children. All kids will be required to wear face masks during Adventure Ocean youth program activities.

We are thoughtfully working through the details regarding other changes to our health and safety protocols which we will share with each of you before February 25, 2022.

As a reminder, our health and safety protocols are subject to change.

Please save the Healthy Cruising link for additional details, FAQs, and future reference.

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE UPDATES PROTOCOLS

Carnival Cruise Line will participate in CDC Cruise updates; Provides updates to Guests

MIAMI, Feb. 18, 2022 – Carnival Cruise Line confirmed that it will participate in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated program for cruise ships operating in U.S. waters, and is advising guests of the following changes:

Effective with cruises departing Mar. 1, masks on board will be recommended but not required.  There may, however, be certain venues and events where masks will be required. 

Carnival will continue to meet the standard of vaccinated cruises, but children under five years old will not be included in any vaccinated guest calculation, and thus will not be required to receive an exemption to sail. 

Effective with cruises departing Mar. 1, some additional flexibility in pre-cruise testing requirements will become available. Please visit the Carnival Have Fun. Be Safe. web page for more information.

“We have had a very successful restart of guest operations thanks to the support of our guests, the commitment of our shipboard team, and the effective protocols we have put in place,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  “The public health situation has continued to improve, providing confidence about these changes.  Our protocols will evolve as we continue to remain dedicated to protecting the public health of our guests, crew and the communities we visit.”

Duffy said that Carnival’s highest responsibility and top priority is always compliance, environmental protection, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we touch and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside personnel. “We appreciate the ongoing collaboration among multiple government agencies, as well as the support of Alaska officials and other delegations,” she added.

ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE

Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is proud to be known as America’s Cruise Line with a total of 24 ships, sailing from 14 U.S. homeports and employing more than 40,000 team members from 120 nationalities. Carnival’s newest ship, Mardi Gras, featuring the first roller coaster at sea and the first in the Americas powered by eco-friendly Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), sailed from Port Canaveral, Fla., July 31, 2021. As part of its 50th Birthday festivities, Carnival Celebration, sister ship to Mardi Gras, is scheduled to debut in late 2022 from PortMiami, as well as Carnival Jubilee from Galveston in 2023.

DISNEY WISH INAUGURAL POSTPONED UNTIL MID-JULY

While Disney cruise Line is eagerly awaiting their newest ship’s debut, today they shared that the anticipation will unfortunately have to extend a bit longer than initially planned. The shipyard has notified Disney Cruise Line that despite their very best efforts, they will need more time to finish the ship due, in part, to the pandemic and particularly the arrival of the Omicron variant in Germany at a critical point in the process. As a result, Disney Cruise Line has no other choice than to delay the maiden voyage by a few weeks, which will regrettably affect sailings through mid-July.