Norwegian Cruise Line Introduce Kids Upgrade

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced it is revitalising its current youth programme and will implement a new best-in-class programme fleet wide in order "to better meet the needs of the growing family holiday market."

The re-branded programme will be introduced on Norwegian Gem in mid-February and will be rolled out to all of the line’s Freestyle Cruising ships subsequently. The current programme, NCL’s Kid’s Crew, has been in place since 1999 and will be renamed, with the age groups being redefined to better address the skills and interests of children. The new age groups will be: three to five years; six to eight years; nine to 12 years; and two teen groups, 13 to 14 and 15 to 17 years. There will also be programming for babies and toddlers from six months to two years. 

The new fully developed and enhanced curriculum tailored to each age group is being produced in conjunction with The King’s Foundation and Camps, a UK-based organisation that provides high quality sport and activity programmes designed to make a positive impact on children. More focus will be placed on sporting activities, arts and crafts, theatre and technology.

The company has engaged Cirque Du Jour, a New York-based company that specialises in teaching children real circus skills such as scarf juggling, ball juggling, plate spinning, clowning and acrobatics. Circus workshops and shows will also be offered for the entire family. 

The youth programmes will also be expanded to utilise other areas of the ships, including the sports courts, rock walls, theatres, lounges and public spaces and will feature more family events such as parades and scavenger hunts. In addition, other family activities will be offered, including Nick Jr. story time, family trivia and special arts and crafts sessions.

For all NCL booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

InnerSea Discoveries Ready For Inaugural Alaska Season

Taking delivery of their two inaugural cruise ships, Wilderness Discoverer and Wilderness Adventurer, new adventuring cruise line InnerSea Discoveries are now ready for their inaugural season in South-East Alaska.

A SeaAn underwater bow camera, high-tech kayak launchers and iPod docks are just a few of the new features installed on the two expedition ships, which begin sailing later this month (May 7).

Kayaking adventures will be a popular activity, with each ship carrying 28 assorted styles of Necky kayaks—stable, roomy and good for pros and novices. With multiple guided trips throughout each cruise, the ease of launching and return of kayaks is a priority. Both ships have been outfitted with custom made EZ Dock kayak launching systems, able to quickly and safely launch four kayaks at a time. Kayakers can also easily guide themselves back onto the ship using the system.

“Though our focus is on activities outside the ship such as hiking and kayaking, we have put a lot of thought into new features to make the experience on board even more enriching and comfortable,” said Tim Jacox, executive vice president of sales and marketing. “Guests will return to a relaxing and inviting atmosphere after a day spent outside exploring nature.”

An underwater camera mounted on the ships’ bow will stream video from the underwater world to flatscreen televisions in all guest rooms and the lounge. A close-up view of life underwater will amaze with a large variety of sea life and at times, views of dolphins playing in the bow’s wake. An underwater hydrophone pipes in the otherworldly sound of whales communicating with each other.

All guest cabins are above deck with large windows and feature upscale amenities to ensure a warm, inviting home-away-from-home for active adventurers. Eco-friendly memory foam mattresses are included in all cabins as either a twin, double or queen bed. Flatscreen televisions with DVD players, iPod docking stations and eco-friendly bath amenities take these expedition ships to a new level of creature comfort.

Hot tubs situated outside on deck provide a spectacular setting for guests to relax and take in the scenery. Each ship also has a sauna, exercise equipment, complimentary on-deck yoga classes, a large resource library, well-stocked DVD library and board games. A professional masseuse is part of the crew and massages are available for a fee.

The interior of the newly-refurbished ships feature contemporary colours that complement the wilderness outside. The main lounge, a prime gathering spot for guests to meet and share tales of adventure, has been designed to feel like a cross between a National Park lodge and a quaint neighbourhood pub, with a bar-top made from salvaged Alaskan yellow cedar. Guests can enjoy wine, spirits and a large variety of microbrews on tap.

The company’s “un-cruise” adventures sail between Juneau and Ketchikan (and reverse) from May through September on a Western Coves and Eastern Coves itinerary. When combined, it becomes the two-week Ultimate Adventure. Setting it apart from other cruise line itineraries, InnerSea Discoveries’ ships spend less time in port and instead spend time tucking into hidden bays and coves for adventure activities in Alaska’s wilderness.

Prices for the 7-night cruises start at $1,795 per person, double occupancy, and include transfers and all activities, except optional excursions. Port charges of $167 per person per week, massages, wine, spirits, beer and gratuities are extra.

Select 2011 dates are designated as Family Discoveries with a focus on activities tailored for all ages. Kids 12 years and younger receive a 25% savings on all departures and 30% on Family Discoveries voyages. To book the ‘un-cruise’ or to request additional information, contact www.innerseadiscoveries.com or call the UK's leading adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Sampling Some Dream Entertainment

OK, so we've checked out the ship, looked at the accommodations, been wowed by the Concierge level and sampled much of the cuisine and restaurant offerings. Now it's time to see what makes Disney Dream tick in terms of the onboard entertainment.

And the simple answer is - high quality shows. The not-so-simple answer is - an amazing array and variety of live productions, music and nightlife, WAY too much, in fact, for just a 3 or 4-day cruise (which will be the Dream's stick in trade).

The 1,340-seat Walt Disney Theatre is the main focal point for all the big production musical offerings, 3 Broadway-style (and quality) shows in a grand setting, with lashings of Disney style and some superb staging.

The 3 shows are The Golden Mickeys (an 'awards' type show that is basically a look at Disney's greatest hits, film and music-wise), Disney's Believe (another rollicking musical that incorporates more great well-known songs and set-pieces, including the Beauty and the Beast, and The Princess and The Frog, as well as The Genie from Aladdin and many other beloved Disney characters), and Villains Tonight (which we didn't get to see, unfortunately, but then there's only SO much you can squeeze into two days!).

The 3-level, art deco Theatre, with its orchestra and balcony seating, provides a beautiful setting for these big-production stagings, and there is usually an element of pre-show as well, utilising the big video screens either side of the huge stage.

More entertainment, this time of a cinematic and lecture-based kind, is on offer at the Buena Vista Theatre, which is basically identical to the versions on the Disney Magic and Wonder, while The D-Lounge adds a venue for family-style games and quizzes like Family Fusion and Anyone Can cook, and The District is the centre of the adults-only nightlife options.

This latter consists of five separate lounges and nighclubs offering a terrific variety of settings and moods for a grown-up evening out. The District Lounge is a piano bar casual pre or post-dinner drink; 687 is the ship's Sports Bar; Pink is a hugle stylised cocktail bar themed like being inside a bottle of pink champagne (if that isn't too bizarre); Skyline is one of the Dream's standout locations, a hugely imaginative bar/lounge that has six different famous cityscapes (that actively change every 15 minutes) as its backdrops through picture 'windows' behind the bar. It's the kind of thing that only Disney can do, and it's well worth seeing, if not staying for a cocktail or two (as even the menus are illuminated from within when you open them!); and Evolution is the high-energy dance club, a fairly large and dark disco that 'transforms' itself like a butterfly with plenty of light-induced imagery as guests are invoted to 'spread their wings' and party. This is also the venue for live comedy and cabaret acts.

The other big entertainment feature of note is the lively deck party vibe for both sailaway and final night on each cruise. Sailing Away is a fun, family-style party featuring Mickey and the gang to set the mood for the start of every cruise. For the grand final, there is a three-stage deck show that begins with the child-friendly Mickey's Pirates IN The Caribbean (with lots of character-induced fun and games; see pic above), the Buccaneer Blast (Disney's signature fireworks-at-sea show, a one-of-a-kind event that actually puts on a pyrotechnic extravaganza from the top decks of the ship) and Club Pirate, a show-cum-party finale, with Captain Jack Sparrow and a cast of villains making an entertaining appearance and giving way to on-deck dancing and general party amusements.

It all adds up to a truly mind-boggling array of rich and varied entertainment, certainly enough to keep the whole family (and especially mum and dad on their own, when it comes to The District area) amused for the full duration of any cruise. Once again, Disney Cruise Line has created something of a marvel.

The only drawback to my mind is - how are people going to fit it all in?!

Dream Dining

After the initial look at the new Disney Dream at Port Canaveral, it was time to spread out a bit further and see what else this grand 128,000-ton colossus had in store.

Our first item on the agenda was lunch, so we headed for the Cabanas restaurant up on Deck 11, an extensive indoor/outdoor buffet option that serves both breakfast and lunch. The style of this venue will come as no surprise to most regular cruise-goers, and, while it is not as cramped as the versions on original ships Disney Magic and Wonder, it is still a bit awkward to negotiate the cafeteria-style serveries. The seating areas are comfortable, though, and space never seemed to be a problem on our cruise (albeit with only around half the full passenger number).

The food choice was also quite wide, albeit a bit thin on the salad side of things. A wonderful blackened mahi-mahi was my top choice, along with an Asian stir-fry. There was also a fresh carvery station and plenty of typical fast-food options to keep the kiddies happy!

Between Cabanas and the main pools is a series of Quick Service Restaurants - Luigi's Pizza, Tow Mater's Grill, Fillmore's Favourites, Frozone Treats and Eye Scream. Nothing startling here, but all good, fresh food, and some very tempting sandwiches and paninis.

The grown-ups can also relax with a speciality coffee or tea, plus a pastry, at the Cove Cafe, which is definitely my idea of a soothing sea-going retreat (their Americano was also absolutely delicious!).

The real dining highlight of the Dream, though, is their unique rotational dining system, whereby families and couples have dinner at one of the three main restaurants each evening, with their serving team accompanying them at each one. Even though we had only two evenings aboard, we managed to sample all three by having breakfast in the Royal Palace, the fairytale-style dining room, with its plushly-upholstered 'throne' chairs and French-themed menu. To my view, this was the least eye-catching of the three, but that is only a relative term for Disney, where everything is so thoroughly themed.

Animator's Palate is the grand 'show' restaurant, a vibrant animation centre where the walls come alive with interactive features such as Turtle Talk with Crush (from the Finding Nemo film), a hilarious chance for kids (and some adults) to 'talk turtle' with the surfer dude from the East Australia Current.

The food style is supposed to be Pacific Rim, but we had a Wild Mushroom risotto, endive salad and Black Cod (me) and Sirloin Salad (Susan), none of which seemed especially 'Pacific' to us. Susan's tomato appetiser was surprisingly poor, with much of the tomato unripe and almost inedible. We may not have made great choices here, though, as most people felt the food in Animator's was among the best on the ship.

Our second night was in the superbly evocative Enchanted Garden, a grand setting 'inspired by the Gardens of Versailles,' and, to my mind, much more romantic and 'fairytale' in its style and theming. A lovely central fountain, gentle mood lighting and superb exterior decor make this a wonderfully different and relaxing dining area, and we also had an excellent dinner here.

My sea bass was beautifully succulent, and I also sampled a side order of the caramelized sea scallops which were positively melt-in-the-mouth good. Susan's marjoram-scented organic chicken was another taste extravaganza, while the lobster ravioli and beet carpaccio appetizers were equally satisfying. Portions were also relatively modest, which we like, and we didn't leave either restaurant feeling we were over-fed.

Desserts were good without being overwhelming (we had cruised most recently on the Crystal Symphony of Crystal Cruises, where desserts are an absolute stand-out feature, hence Disney was up against an impossible comparison standard here), but the little after-dinner petit fours at Enchanted Garden were another minor taste sensation (little cubes of exotic fruit and chocolate fudge).

In keeping with most cruise lines these days, Disney also offers an alternative dining experience at real speciality restaurants (for adults only). Palo is a larger version of the same Italian-themed restaurant on Magic and Wonder, with the addition of an outdoor terrace and bar area. It serves both dinner and an imaginative brunch, both at an additional $20/person surcharge, but it is usually well worth it.

Finally, the 'ultimate' dining option is that offered by Remy (above), Disney's first true gourmet experience. And, if Palo is the five-star option, Remy is six-star-plus, a creation of Michelin-starred French chef Arnaud Lallement and Disney's own uber-chef, Scott Hunnel. Sadly, we didn't get to dine here but we did get the chance to sample a couple of the restaurant's French-inspired dishes, a langoustine in Caesar sauce, and smoked bison, both of which were the kind of deep, palate-pleasing sensations that could easily be dangerously addictive.

The one drawback here is that the Remy cover charge is a whopping $75 per person, easily the most expensive of any alternative dining restaurant at sea, and their five-course wine-tasting menu would add another $99/head to your bill. However, if you look at it as the chance to dine at a 2 Michelin-star restaurant, where you would be unlikely to get change from $200 for a three-course meal, then you are certainly getting value for money here.

It seats just 70 a night (dinner can last up to 3 hours here) and there is a separate pre-bookable dining room for eight, and it also serves the best champagne cocktail in the world as your welcome-to-Remy aperitif - Tattinger champagne with a nip of pear vodka, a touch of dried apricot, half a blueberry and mint. Just sensational. However, if this appeals to you for your first Disney Dream cruise, you will need to book as early as possible, as this is likely to be a sell-out for every night of every cruise for the foreseeable future.

The other feature of Disney dining is the service, which is among the most personable and family-friendly at sea. Our four servers over the 2 evenings were from the Philippines, Jamaica, Scotland and Costa Rica, and all had a great touch that made the occasion memorable. There were a few grumbles from other media that the wait staff hadn't quite got their act together yet, but we never encountered anything less than the typical Disney enthusiastic-but-efficient style.

And, given that this was their first real test, it bodes well for the months and years to come.

OK, that's the low-down on Dream meal-times, stay tuned for more about this amazing ship in the next few days...