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Sun loungers beware, the cruise police might be coming after you.
Carnival Cruise Lines has announced a new program by which it will get rid of those pesky people who save lounge chairs all day but don’t actually use them. Staff members, called “team monitors,” will be patrolling the decks to make sure those towel-marked chairs actually have bums in them.
Industry giant Carnival today announced major changes to its loyalty program for repeat cruisers.
Effective later this month, the newly named Very Important Fun Person Club will be divided into five levels, up from two, and entry into the tiers will be based on the total number of days a customer has sailed with the line instead of the total number of cruises taken.
Carnival’s current loyalty program, called the Concierge Club, offers Gold and Platinum level status starting with a customer’s second and 10th cruise, respectively. The revamped program’s five tier levels:
– Blue (for pre-cruise and first-time cruisers): In a change, customers now can join Carnival’s loyalty program before their first cruise to access members-only promotions.
– Red (2nd sailing to 24 cruise days): Benefits include a complimentary alcoholic or specialty beverage at breakfast, lunch or the Punchliner Comedy Brunch Presented by George Lopez; a new e-newsletter; and members-only cruise specials and other offers.
– Gold (25 to 74 cruise days): In addition to Red level benefits, members receive a Gold member pin; and access to a Gold, Platinum and Diamond members-only shipboard cocktail party with complimentary drinks and appetizers.
– Platinum (75 to 199 cruise days): In addition to Gold level benefits, members receive priority embarkation, debarkation, tender service and dining times (including in main dining room and specialty restaurants, if applicable); an enhanced logo gift item, along with a ship- and year-specific pin each voyage that will be redesigned annually; a dedicated phone number and concierge desk on board; complimentary wash-and-fold laundry service; casino buy-one-get-one tournament entry; and complimentary arcade $5 play for guests under 18.
– Diamond (200-plus cruise days): In addition to Plantinum level benefits, members receive guaranteed dining times and specialty restaurant reservations; acknowledgement from the captain at the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Party; unlimited wash-and-fold service; complimentary dinner for two in the specialty restaurant of their choice, if applicable; complimentary luggage tag and passport holder; a one-time complimentary upgrade or a third or fourth guest sail free offer; and a $100 per member contribution to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
In addition, members sailings on their 25th, 50th and 75th cruises with Carnival will receive a shipboard credit equal to 25%, 50% or 75% of their cruise fare, respectively, for that voyage. Members sailing on their 100th cruise earn a complimentary Caribbean, Mexican Riviera or Alaska voyage of up to eight days in length.
Members can review their cruise history and program status by activating their profile at Carnival’s new online loyalty program portal, carnival.com/VIFP.
The new program will roll out on all Carnival ships departing on or after June 25, with the exception of the new Carnival Breeze, where the program will begin on July 9.
Carnival Breeze during recent sea trials in the Adriatic
MIAMI (May 31, 2012) – At a traditional maritime handover ceremony held earlier today at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, Carnival Cruise Lines took delivery of the new 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze, the 24th vessel in the line’s fleet.
Carnival Breeze will depart on its inaugural cruise from Venice this Sunday, June 3, operating a special 12-day Mediterranean cruise that ends in Barcelona June 15. Following a summer schedule of 12-day Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona that runs through October 25, Carnival Breeze will reposition to Miami for year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning November 24, becoming Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest South Florida-based ship.
“Carnival Breeze represents the continued evolution of our product, offering a huge array of branded experiences for our guests and inviting public spaces each with its own personality and character, all enhanced by the spirited fun that makes a Carnival cruise so memorable,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.
Carnival Breeze is the line’s first ship to feature the Thrill Theater, an immersive multi-dimensional special effects experience that makes viewers feel as if they’re part of the movie. Other highlights sure to provide fun for the whole family include WaterWorks offering splash-tastic water slides and a 300-gallon drenching bucket, and SportSquare, an expansive recreation area with a suspended ropes course, a miniature golf course, an outdoor fitness area and more.
New dining options on Carnival Breeze include Bonsai Sushi, the line’s first full-service sushi restaurant, a free open-air barbecue venue called Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ, and The Comfort Kitchen, a casual poolside spot for American-style comfort food. Other choices range from Guy’s Burger Joint, developed in tandem with Food Network personality Guy Fieri, to the Mexican-themed BlueIguana Cantina and Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian restaurant that brings the heritage of Carnival’s captains to the table.
Carnival Breeze is also the first ship in the fleet to feature all of the entertainment elements of the line’s groundbreaking “Fun Ship 2.0” enhancement initiative, including Hasbro, The Game Show, with larger than life adaptations of the brand’s iconic games, and Playlist Productions, which combine captivating live performances with high-tech LED staging and special effects to set a new standard in seagoing entertainment.
With a nod to its upcoming Caribbean itineraries, the tropics-inspired Carnival Breeze also features vibrant interiors and inviting public spaces, from the poolside RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar to the sun-splashed Lido Marketplace restaurant and a palm tree-lined indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza. Even the staterooms incorporate a palette of pastel hues and a striking new design inspired by the Caribbean’s cool island breezes and warm sunsets.
Carnival Breeze joins Carnival Cruise Lines’ 23 other ships which operate three- to 18-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Europe, Bermuda, South America, Tahiti, the Fiji Islands, New Zealand, Norway, the Baltic and the British Isles.
We claim no copyright to this article. You can read the article, at its source: http://www.newmanpr.com/2012/05/31/carnival-cruise-lines-takes-delivery-of-new-130000-ton-carnival-breeze-in-italy/
Carnival Destiny | Photo: CCL
Carnival Cruise Lines announced on Tuesday morning that Carnival Destiny will undergo a 49-day $155-million dollar refit in April 2013, a refit so dramatic that it’ll change the ships name from Carnival Destiny to Carnival Sunshine.
Along with adding the lines current Fun Ship 2.0 enhancements, the line will also add even more food, entertainment, staterooms, and shopping venues.
“This is our most ambitious ship conversion project to date and it will radically transform the Carnival Destiny into essentially an entirely new ship offering a variety of exciting dining and beverage choices, spectacular outdoor spaces and entertainment options, and on-board innovations not available anywhere else,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.
So what’s being added?
Dining
Outside and Entertainment
Carnival will also add the popular Ocean Plaza on Carnival Sunshine along with adding 182 new staterooms.
Carnival Sunshine will launch its year-round seven-day cruise schedule from New Orleans on Nov. 24, 2013, offering three-different week-long Caribbean itineraries. Carnival Sunshine will replace Carnival Conquest in New Orleans, whose new home hasn’t been announced yet.
Source: CCL
Is it time to brush up on your tango?
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Splendor will offer three South America voyages in February and March 2013. A 17-day “South America Explorer” cruise will depart Long Beach Feb. 3 and arrive Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile, Feb. 20, 2013, visiting Cabo San Lucas and Huatulco, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Quito (Manta), Ecuador, where guests can embark on an excursion to the Galapagos; Lima (Callao), Peru, offering an opportunity to visit Machu Picchu; and Arica, Chile.
A 13-day “Fjords, Glaciers & Patagonia” voyage will operate from Santiago (Valparaiso) to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Feb. 20 to March 5, 2013, calling at Puerto Montt, Chile, before cruising the Chilean Fjords and Darwin Channel. This breathtaking itinerary is followed by calls at Punta Arenas, Chile; Ushuaia and Puerto Madryn, Argentina; and Montevideo, Uruguay.
An 18-day “Brazilian & Caribbean Splendor” voyage sailing from Buenos Aires to New York March 5-23, 2013, will feature ports that include Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, and Fortaleza, Brazil; Bridgetown, Barbados; and Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands.
DISNEY FANTASY
Disney Cruise Line is estimating to launch the Disney Fantasy on April 7, 2012. A sister ship to the Disney Dream, it will weigh in at approximately 128,000 Gross Registered Tons (GRT) and carry 4,000 passengers. The Disney Fantasy will homeport from Port Canaveral and offer seven-night Caribbean itineraries.
The 4,000-passenger Fantasy will sail week-long Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral. Its maiden voyage is scheduled for March 31, 2012.
CARNIVAL BREEZE
Carnival Cruise Lines will be launching its third Dream-class cruise ship in Spring 2012 . The Breeze is another Dream-class ship which is Carnival’s largest class of ship at 130,000 GRT and carrying 3,690 passengers. Similar to the Carnival Magic, the Carnival Breeze will feature the signature Waterworks and Cloud 9 Spa. Once the Breeze is launched, Carnival will have 24 ships on the sea.
Once launched, she will have a series of 12-day Mediterranean cruises before repositioning in November to the Port of Miami for year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises.
Photo by: Andy Newman, Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines will be cruising from the Big Apple on a year-round basis beginning in April 2012, a first for the line.
The 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle will be homeported in New York doing eight-day cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas, officials said.
From April to October, 2012, the Spirit-class ship will cruise from New York to San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk; alternating with a Bahamas itinerary that calls at the private Bahamas island of Half Moon Cay (operated by sister line Holland America), Grand Turk and Nassau.
Click here to read the entire article.
Carnival Cruise Lines said Thursday it is pulling the last of its ships out of San Diego, and other cruise operators are departing Southern California because of economic woes and tourists’ fears over traveling to Mexico.
Six tugboats pulled a stricken Carnival cruise ship into San Diego Bay early Thursday, bringing the nearly 4,500 passengers and crew closer to freedom after three days of limited food, smelly toilets and dark cabins…
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