This week in the cruise industry saw a flurry of new ship updates from Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Viking Ocean Cruises.
The upcoming Carnival Vista, which is set to sail this May, will have a craft brewery through a partnership with Concrete Beach Brewery. Billed as the first brewery at sea in North America, The RedFrog Pub & Brewery will offer guests three craft beers brewed onboard.
The beers, which will be developed by Concrete Beach in conjunction with Carnival, are ThirstyFrog Port Hoppin’ IPA, ThirstyFrog Caribbean Wheat and FriskyFrog Java Stout. Concrete Beach is the company behind Angel City Brewery in Los Angeles and Coney Island Brewing Co. in Brooklyn, NY, among others.
Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas, the line's first new ship built for the China cruise market, also took a step forward with a preview of its onboard entertainment options.
The ship will sail with Two70, a multi-level greatroom that takes advantage of Vistarama -- expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that can be set into any scene, real or imagined, by combining 18 projectors to create an ambient surface over 100 feet wide and over 20 feet tall -- six agile Roboscreens and live performers to host technologically advanced performances. Spectra’s Cabaret, an original production by Royal Caribbean International and Moment Factory exclusively for Two70 (also on Anthem of the Seas), features the Maestro and his Agents of Rhythm as they invite the audience to an electric, multi-dimensional cabaret.
The main Royal Theater, which seats 1,300 guests, will host two shows. The Dream is the story of a man who is visited by his departed soulmate, who helps him rediscover his passion for life and gives him the will to pursue his wildest dreams and to find love again. Live. Love. Legs., from the team behind Sequins & Feathers on Quantum of the Seas, combines aerial acrobatics, choreography and vocal performances into an all-new production.
In addition to the main stages, the ship will also host late-night events and parties, as well as the opportunity for younger guests to interact with popular characters from DreamWorks Animation.
Also this week, Viking Ocean Cruises took delivery of Viking Sea, the line's second ship. The delivery ceremony took place when the ship was presented at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy.
On April 3, Viking Sea will set sail from Istanbul and will make its way through the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic on its way to be officially christened on May 5 on London’s Thames River in Greenwich. Following the christening, Viking Sea will spend its maiden season sailing itineraries in Scandinavia and the Baltic, as well as the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for the latest cruise industry news, trends and updates.