Cruise rivals unveil innovations
Cruise operators Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International plan some surprising innovations on their new ships.
Posted on Thu, Jun. 19, 2008
BY JESSICA HOPPER
Royal Caribbean International will build a Coney Island-style boardwalk with a handmade carousel on the Oasis of the Seas, which will be the world's largest cruise ship when it debuts in December 2009.
But rival Norwegian Cruise Line thinks its F3 project, due out in the spring of 2010, will have something cooler: an ice bar -- made of real ice blocks -- which serves up fur coats, gloves and hats with its chilled vodka drinks.
The Miami-based rivals unveiled the latest details of their top new-ship projects at news conferences, with NCL officials hosting an event in Las Vegas Tuesday night and Royal Caribbean making its ''reveal'' Wednesday in New York. Both are trying to drum up excitement about the new ships before they begin selling tickets later this year.
''They're all trying to outdo each other and outdo themselves,'' said Stewart Chiron, a Miami cruise expert, who attended the NCL event in Las Vegas.
For Royal Caribbean, the boardwalk will be one of seven ''neighborhoods'' on the 220,000-ton ship. Oasis of the Seas will carry 5,400 passengers. Other features include the first-ever amphitheater at sea, and two-story loft suites. The cruise line previously disclosed the vessel will have a giant ''Central Park'' with shops and restaurants.
''What we wanted to do was cluster certain activities to certain different interests,'' said Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean.
NO WORRIES
Royal Caribbean plans to start taking reservations for the Oasis of the Seas after Labor Day. Goldstein said he isn't worried about the economy affecting business.
''We build these ships to be vibrant parts of these fleets for decades,'' Goldstein said. ``We feel that we're building an incredible vacation opportunity and that will draw people at all times.''
For Norwegian, one key new concept is to do away with a main showroom on its F3 ships, which will be 150,000 tons and carry 4,200 passengers. Instead, it will have distinct entertainment venues -- the Ice Bar, a beach club and exclusive lounges and nightclubs.
''They're creating multipurpose facilities on board the ship,'' Chiron said.
24-HOUR USES
Instead of a main showroom that is used for a few hours each day, some areas will be used by passengers day and night. One area that serves as a pool during the day will turn into a nightclub after dark, with the covered pool becoming the dance floor.
ELITE AREAS
Norwegian also is creating elite areas on its new ships, sections that will be available only to passengers paying for premium accommodations. Many of its clubs and lounges will require guests to pay added cover charges. Chiron said that Norwegian is attempting to make F3 an ''ultra-hip ship'' to attract younger people.
NCL's chief executive officer, Colin Veitch, said that the ice bar garnered the most excitement. ''We have LED lights in the ceiling that make it look like the Northern Lights,'' Veitch said.
Veitch acknowledged that the cruise line has never charged guests to use their bars, but he stressed that guests aren't being shortchanged.
''We provide what we've always provided,'' he said. ``But we layer on top of that new things that we charge for and not everybody wants to do those things.''
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