Chill and Thrill with Royal Caribbean!

Looks like Disney will no longer be the only cruise line that combines theme park packages on land with its cruises. It has recently been announced that Royal Caribbean International and Universal Orlando are teaming up to offer vacation packages that combine a theme park visit with a cruise out of Port Canaveral. Now you get to chill out on the ship and then get your thrills at Universal all in one convenient package!

The “Way More Than a Cruise” packages will pair three- or four-night stays at Universal with a three- or four-night Bahamian cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas or a seven-night Caribbean sailing aboard the Freedom of the Seas. The packages include hotel and shipboard accommodations, multi-day passes to both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, admission to some CityWalk venues and ground transfers between airport, hotel, theme parks and Port Canaveral. I think this is a great idea for those cruise passengers who would like to extend their vacations in Florida and have all the components planned out for them; no worries about transportation or tickets or anything. Just book and go!

These packages will be available for travel beginning March 31, 2009. “Universal Orlando Resort is thrilled to enter this partnership, bringing together two incredible experiences to create one memorable vacation,” Bill Davis, president and chief operating officer for Universal Orlando Resort, said in a written statement. “Our guests will not only enjoy some of the most entertaining theme-park attractions ever created, but also the world-class experiences and service Royal Caribbean is known for delivering.”

As always, to take advantage of this offer, contact Sheila McPherson, Your Independent Cruise Specialist with CruiseOne, at (630) 868-6719 or (877) 823-8597.

Disney Cruise Ship to Get Fantasia-Themed Splash Pool and LCD TVs!

The Disney Magic cruise ship will get a splash pool themed around the movie "Fantasia," new 22-inch, LCD television sets in cabins and a series of other upgrades during a nearly three-week stay in dry dock later this month. Disney says the 385-square-foot "Mickey's Splash Zone" will be added onto the Mickey Pool on the ship's deck nine. Themed around the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment in Fantasia, it will feature star- and moon-shaped fountains and splash areas (including, Disney says, an area for "children not yet toilet trained and in swim diapers"). The new televisions, meanwhile, will be mounted on swivel arms so they can be watched from different spots in a stateroom.Other upgrades to the 2,700-passenger Magic, according to a release Disney issued earlier this week, will include new waterfalls from a pair of hot tubs in the pool at the adult-oriented "Quiet Cove;" plush new chairs at the nearby "Cove Cafe;" and new registration areas to allow "radio frequency identification" at the kid-focused "Oceaneer Club" and "Oceaneer Lab" that will ultimately allow children to check in and out by tapping a sensor with with tag-embedded wristbands. Disney also plans to apply a new hull coating during the dry dock in Norfolk, Va., that is designed to reduce surface resistance in the water and improve fuel efficiency.