Category — Cruise Ships

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

If you’re a die-hard cruiser, you are probably well aware of all the growth in the industry and all the new ships that are rolling out. If you are a casual cruiser, you are in for a shock because cruise lines are now adding many more ships to their fleets, and these ships are jam-packed with interesting and innovative features.

We’ve compiled a handy overview of all the newest ships, including their key features and an exciting itinerary.

Royal Princess
Christening Date: June 13, 2013
Godmother: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Kate Middleton)
It’s been five years since Princess  introduced a new ship. With such a long wait, they are making sure to get every detail right on the Royal Princess, which is their largest ship to date with 1,780 passenger cabins and room for 3,600 passengers. The Regal Princess, the Royal Princess’ future sister ship, will have many of the same features and will debut in June 2014.

Key Features:

• SeaWalk, a glass bottom walkway where you will hover 128 feet above the ocean
• Four water and music shows with dancing fountains, movie screens and live performers
• A tea tower and tea sommelier to help you make your own personal blend of tea

Featured Itinerary: Grand Mediterranean – Barcelona to Venice (12 days)

[Read more →]

By Erica Kritt, Social Media Coordinator, The Cruise Web, Inc.

The Norwegian Breakaway was packed with great fun features, but my colleagues and I discovered a lot of intricacies that you just may not know about until you experience the Breakaway in all her glory. Here’s a list of helpful tips to use when you are onboard.

Electricity
I stepped into my cabin and I tried to turn the light on to go to the bathroom, then I tried to turn the TV on, nothing. I called up the front desk to let them know our cabin didn’t have any electricity. They told me all I had to do was put my room key into the silver apparatus by the door (pictured to the right) and all the cabin’s electricity would work. This is a handy little trick that a lot of cruise lines are now utilizing to help save energy. Remember, if you leave any cameras or phones charging, once you take the key out there will be no electricity going through your outlets. [Read more →]

A compilation by The Cruise Web employees.

With only two days to explore an 18-deck ship with 27 dining options, a handful of different performances and a full on water park, you better believe we at The Cruise Web were a little overwhelmed while on the Norwegian Breakaway. After the initial shock of just how beautiful and new this ship is, we all  made as many reservations for specialty dining and performances as possible and set out to discover all that we could.

Now that we’ve returned and can fully process the experience, we asked everyone on our staff that was aboard the ship to fill in the blanks to this sentence:

“________________ was my most favorite part of the brand new Norwegian Breakaway because ______________________ .”

Read along to find out what our staff of expert cruise consultants and cruise support staff thought were the best aspects of the ship!

Karolina S.
I’ve been on several ships and have seen some pretty cool things on cruises, but I have to say the coolest part of the Breakaway is the free-fall water slide.  There’s just nothing quite like having the floor drop out from underneath you, sending you shooting down a water slide that actually sends you upwards at one point! This is by far my favorite part of the Breakaway. [Read more →]

A compilation by The Cruise Web employees.

We at The Cruise Web are super excited for Norwegian’s latest ship, the Breakaway, to debut next month because many of us will be onboard for a couple of days to test out the digs and report back to you on all the exciting features, delicious food and comfortable accommodations.

The Norwegian Breakaway will have a lot of interesting features, including 28 places to eat, a boardwalk, a water park and fireworks with every sailing. We asked our staff what they were most looking forward to and we got back a variety of results.

Check out the diversity of features that are getting our cruise experts excited:

Sammie K.
I am most excited to indulge in some delicious treats as well as learn some cake decorating tips from Carlo’s Bake Shop on the Norwegian Breakaway! Carlo’s Bake Shop is an addition of Buddy Valastro’s bakeshop featured on TLC’s hit show The Cake Boss. [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

As new ships prepare to take passengers all over the world underneath a sky full of stars, the cruise lines are looking to the stars of Hollywood to shine a spotlight on their brand new ships. This week, southern star Andie MacDowell will christen Uniworld’s newest ship, Queen Isabel, in Porto, Portugal.

MacDowell, who starred in hit movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Groundhog Day and Multiplicity, is just the most recent famous face to be chosen to serve as godmother to a superb ship. In February, Royal Caribbean announced via a commercial during the Oscars that Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony Award winning actress with a big voice in a tiny body (she’s only 4’ 11”), would be the godmother to their latest ship, the Quantum of the Seas, which won’t hit the water until the fall of 2014. [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

2013 marks the maiden voyages of a few highly anticipated ships with innovative features and a few river ships that are traveling to exciting and diverse ports. These ships are sure to become favorites amongst cruisers, and many of their special features will be replicated in ships that will debut for years to come. Here is a rundown of the ships that are debuting this year. If you haven’t already considered cruising on a new ship, consider one of these ships to try out that intoxicating  new ship smell.

First up in 2013, and setting sail in a matter of days, is the River Orchid, the latest ship from Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. This ship will sail the Mekong river visiting Cambodia and Vietnam in 2013 and 2014. This ship only accommodates 60 passengers, allowing for a very involved and intimate sailing, where the wonders of Southeast Asia will inspire you. These ships are decorated in French Colonial style, which reflects the buildings and styles seen in this region, with french doors and beautiful fans. [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

Norwegian Cruise Line put in the order for a third new ship, which has yet to be named. Temporarily called the Breakaway Plus, this ship will be 163,000 gross tons and accommodate 4,200 passengers. This ship is set to be completed in October 2015. [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

While you might take a vacation to clear your head and relax completely, you can also take a cruise and fill your brain with new knowledge,  learn new skills or brush up on your favorite topic. Luxury, Premium and Specialty cruise lines are continually growing the number of courses they offer and increasing the range of subjects those classes cover. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Norwegian Cruise Lines is constructing an extensive water park to be featured on the Norwegian Breakaway. This water park will include five giant slides, a designated kids play area, two pools, four hot tubs and a bar and grill. The water park is in addition to a three-story sports complex that will feature a ropes course, full basketball court and miniature golf course. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line.

Not since “The Love Boat” have cruise ships gotten so much screen time. Lifetime Network will be premiering a new dating reality series, “Love for Sail,” which takes place on three of Norwegian Cruise Line’s ships. The show will premiere on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at 10 pm ET/PT.

In each episode of “Love for Sail,” four women looking for love will board a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, either Epic, Pearl or Star and set sail to exotic locations surrounded by a group of equally-eager single men ready to embark on what they hope to be the voyage of their lives.

“We are thrilled to work with Lifetime … on a unique series that showcases the many aspects of cruising from lavish suites and incredible dining options to innovative on board activities and exciting shore excursions,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “There is such romance in being at sea; this show will do a great job of showcasing that and sharing the stories of these guests who may find the love of their life aboard.” [Read more →]