Carnival Conquest is Now a "Funner" Fun Ship!

The Carnival Conquest has resumed service out of Galveston, Texas, now that she has undergone an extensive, multi-million-dollar renovation.

So what has been renovated? She got a new Circle "C" club for 12 to 14 year olds to hang out in, a massive LED screen on the Lido Deck, and eighteen balconies were added to existing oceanview staterooms.

I really like the Circle "C" club for tweens. The facilites are excellent, including a high-tech sound and lighting system, plasma screen TVs displaying movies and music videos, a touch-screen jukebox, and gaming pods with the latest video games and consoles. This gives these kids who aren't quite teenagers a perfect place to hang out and have fun in a setting all their own. They won't have to worry about their younger siblings interrupting their fun, because the younger set is safely installed in another area of the ship: the 4,200 square foot Camp Carnival play area. This area was also remodeled with updated gaming stations and various cosmetic enhancements.

The teens onboard will enjoy some enhancements to their 1,800-square-foot Club O2 teen center, which now features new plasma TVs. Carnival's programs for its younger guests are fleetwide and give them a real chance to play with others their own age while their parents get a break as well.

The addition of the Seaside Theater now puts the Conquest within a special "club" of ships within the line. The massive 270-square-foot LED screen on Lido Deck displays movies, concerts, sporting events, and other programming, including a “Morning Show” hosted by the ship’s cruise director. Utilizing the same technology featured in large stadiums and New York’s Times Square, the state-of-the-art entertainment system includes a 70,000-watt sound system, providing concert quality sound, even outdoors. The concept is similar to a program called "Movies Under the Stars" on some Princess ships and is quite enjoyable.

Eighteen staterooms on the Carnival Conquest that previously featured floor-to-ceiling windows have been retrofitted with private balconies, creating expansive 230-square-foot verandah staterooms. Including these accommodations, Carnival Conquest now has 573 total balcony staterooms – ideal for scenic Caribbean cruising.

Other improvements to the ship include replacing dozens of individual pieces of exercise equipment in the ship’s 14,500-square-foot Spa Carnival facility. Even more impressive, the Carnival Conquest is also the latest “Fun Ship” to offer bow-to-stern Wi-Fi access, enabling guests to use their laptop computers from any location on the ship, including their staterooms. This is a boon to those of us who need to stay connected even while we're at sea!

The 110,000-ton Carnival Conquest operates year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises departing Galveston every Sunday. In addition to seven-day western Caribbean cruises to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, the ship begins a new weeklong eastern Caribbean option Feb. 15, with calls at Key West, Freeport and Nassau. The Feb. 15 departure will be the first of 11 eastern Caribbean cruises this year.

For more information on the Carnival Conquest or any ship in the Carnival fleet, contact me, your Personal Cruise Specialist, at (630) 868-6719.

Another Oasis of the Seas Neighborhood Unveiled!

Royal Caribbean has raised the curtain on yet another of its neighborhoods aboard the Oasis of the Seas. The new neighborhood, Entertainment Place, is a complex of diverse entertainment venues.
A contemporary nightclub district, Entertainment Place will introduce new signature after-dark spaces in more intimate venues. The collection of venues will include Blaze, a nightclub at sea; Jazz on 4, an intimate lounge with live jazz and blues; and Comedy Live, a comedy club.
Dance enthusiasts will be able to enjoy an elegant evening in Dazzles, a dance lounge featuring musically themed evenings, dance lessons and competitions.
The late-night Entertainment Place will center around Casino Royale, what Royal Caribbean calls the largest and most sophisticated casino at sea. Guests will enter through two themed walkway entrances -- the first showcasing the 40-year legacy of Royal Caribbean International and the second, the Museum of Gaming, which immerses guests in the history of gaming. The casino, inspired by the classic casinos of the French Riviera, features dramatic sculptured architecture, crystal chandeliers and décor in jewel-toned hues of amethyst, aquamarine and ruby.
Details of Entertainment Place, as well as other entertainment offerings onboard Oasis of the Seas, were unveiled at the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. national conference held on a cruise to Alaska this week. A video preview of Entertainment Place can be viewed at www.OasisoftheSeas.com.
"We are extremely proud that our partners were the very first to get a glimpse of the exciting new entertainment complex on Oasis of the Seas," said Brad Tolkin, co-CEO of World Travel Holdings.
Previously announced neighborhoods include Central Park, the Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone and the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center. The seven neighborhoods (one is still to be announced) provide cruisers with the opportunity to seek out relevant experiences based on their personal style, preference or mood.

-- I am getting really excited about this ship and I think it is absolutely amazing and could potentially change the cruise industry as we know it. If you haven't yet booked your cruise on this ship, you need to do so today! Visit my website at http://www.serenitycruising/ for more details!

Holland America to revamp bars on five ships

Centrally located bars and lounges aboard five Holland America Line ships are being upgraded and reconfigured to bring a new concept to the shipboard bar scene, the company says. The highlight is a large, new space located in the heart of the ship, called Mix, that incorporates three specialty theme bars - Martinis, Champagne, and Spirits & Ales. These enhancements are part of a new $200-million Signature of Excellence upgrade to ms Statendam, ms Maasdam, ms Ryndam, ms Veendam and ms Rotterdam."A focus of this latest Signature of Excellence series of enhancements is our entertainment venues, where we've created the ultimate place to both socialize and be entertained," said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. "Our guests are looking for an upscale, trendy spot where they can gather together and be part of this exciting new ambiance."A new entertainment space called Mix is set to become the destination lounge where guests can meet and mingle throughout the day and night. Mix is an open and inviting space anchored by a pianist providing entertainment for three distinctly themed areas. The bubbly will flow at Champagne, which offers a variety of 20 different champagnes and sparkling wines from around the world. The centerpiece of this bar is a cool, ice-filled counter top chilling champagne bottles that invites guests to indulge by the glass or by the bottle served in traditional silver buckets. This venue will offer events such as late champagne breakfast, pre-lunch Mimosa and Bellini hour, champagne tea time and pre-dinner champagne hour with caviar canapés. Champagne will be the ship's premier celebration venue.
Martinis serves up 25 Grey Goose martinis elegantly offered in individual shakers as well as a full range of cocktails. Guests can also enjoy a martini flight made up of several mini martini concoctions. The martini flight includes Holland America Line's signature martini, the Yellow Tulip, a mixture of Grey Goose vodka, lychee juice, pineapple juice, guava juice, coconut cream and fresh lime juice. Other martinis included in the flight are the Peartini, Cosmopolitan, Sunshine Martini, Rum Sundae and High Tide Martini. A house specialty will be a signature Martini for Two with aged Cognac served with a dish of caviar and traditional garnishes.
Spirits & Ales will feature an international selection of beers and premium whiskeys and brandies sure to entice even the most selective connoisseur. Here guests can drop by to enjoy a wide selection of beers on tap while watching sporting events or relax after some shopping in the nearby boutiques.The Ocean Bar will be enhanced to refresh its look. Guests wanting to learn new moves or brush up on their ballroom dancing skills can sign up for lessons given by the Line's experienced staff. Providing tunes from the Great American Songbook, The Neptunes - Holland America Line's resident three-piece music combo - will keep things lively as guests dance the night away and enjoy a cocktail in the luxuriously appointed lounge.
This $200 million phase in the Signature of Excellence commitment brings the latest innovations at sea to Holland America Line's Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam, Veendam and Rotterdam. The first of the extensive dry dock periods begins with the Veendam in spring 2009 and the last will be completed on the Maasdam in late 2010. While in dry dock, ships will expand the aft deck to create a new resort pool concept, The Retreat. Enhancements will be made to all existing staterooms and additional staterooms will be added to the ships. The ships also will introduce 46 innovative lanai staterooms with direct access to the Lower Promenade Deck. New spa staterooms near the Greenhouse Spa and Salon will offer special in-room spa amenities. Overall, Holland America Line has committed $525 million to its Signature of Excellence program that redefines premium cruising, the company said.

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.