вторник, 11 сентября 2012 г.

Carnival gets hip with 'Fun Ship 2.0' launch - Winnipeg Free Press

When you refer to your ships as 'Fun Ships,' you'd better be able to deliver. For the most part, Carnival does live up to its mission. Now it's taking a big step forward.

The world's largest cruise line is adding much that's new and, to show its technology, hipness, so the new venture is being referred to as 'Fun Ship 2.0.'

All the features of 2.0 will arrive together this year when the new ship, the Carnival Breeze, is launched. In the meantime, some Carnival ships will be getting some of the enhancements.

The full package includes the George Lopez-branded comedy club, where Lopez will be on video, offering some laughs while introducing two comedians who will perform four shows nightly. The early show will be family-oriented and then, as the night goes on, it will get more and more 'adult.' On sea days, the comedy show will include brunch.

Playlist Productions is responsible for stepping up the entertainment in the main theatre and elsewhere. There is lots of new production, both on the stage and artistically, through technology.

DJ Irie, who apparently is especially famous in the Florida area, is running discology school for Carnival's DJs, so I assume that means new and better music in the clubs. Carnival has licensed the Hasbro shows that will be part of audience-participation game shows during the day.

Don't expect this metamorphosis to happen overnight. It's a long process and Carnival's investment is $500 million, so it'll likely be 2015 before the balance of the fleet is completed.

The Carnival Liberty that I sailed on recently on a four-port Caribbean cruise is the first out to undergo the partial upgrade. There are many changes on the Liberty, and you don't have further than the Lido deck in the centre pool area of the ship to see them.

Guy's Burger Joint is the creation of Guy Fieri, the Food Network chef with the spiky blond hair and the in-your-face personality. All the patties are handmade -- no freezing here -- and are cooked on the spot, under several names. Then you're left with an 'add to your burger' station that's loaded with toppings.

To date, the best burger I've had on a ship was here, and it's part of your cruise price, as is the food from the Blue Iguana Cantina -- same deck, just 30 feet away.

The cantina is all about Mexican food, naturally, and the tortillas are made fresh right in front of you. Tacos and burritos, including breakfast burritos, are made to your liking. On top of that, a condiment bar lets you select the amount of heat you require in a taco, which can be stuffed to overflowing. Like Guy's Joint, the cantina has no extra charges.

A few feet farther, and you're at the BlueIquana Tequila Bar and then, still on the same deck and in the same area, is the RedFrog Caribbean Bar, a greatly scaled-down version of the highly successful RedFrog Pub on the new Carnival Magic.

The whole ship may not be as much fun, but this deck is, with music, eats and more.

Also new is the EA Sports Bar, which allows you to play interactive sports games and watch your favourite teams; running around the clock is a sports ticker tape with scores from major league sports. The Alchemy Bar on Deck 5, or the 'cocktail pharmacy,' as they call it, is a mix-your-own-drink place, or you can leave it to the mixologist, who can make anything you can name.

-- Postmedia News

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