Carnival Cruise Lines said it will roll out Punchliner Comedy Clubs to all 22 ships by the end of the year. The move follows the debut of the fleet’s first dedicated comedy club on Carnival Dream last fall.

All of Carnival’s aft show lounges will be converted to comedy clubs with a special stage and branded glassware, menus, employee uniforms and other items featuring the Punchliner Comedy Club logo.

The club will offer five 35-minute shows on multiple nights per cruise, with at least two comedians performing each night. The two early-evening shows provide family comedy while the later shows are for adults.

Both established comedians and rising stars are scheduled, with approximately 10 shows per voyage on short cruises and approximately 20 shows per cruise on longer sailings.

While comedy performances have always been part of Carnival’s entertainment lineup, the concept was taken to another level aboard Carnival Dream Comedy clubs are currently also available on Carnival Glory, Carnival Pride and Carnival Sensation, with the concept being incorporated into the remainder of the fleet over the next several months.

Your iCruise.com Personal Cruise Counselor can find just the right Carnival Cruise that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.  Call (800) iCRUISE   – (800) 427-8473.

Sure cruise ships are big.  But how about a way to put an entire fleet of ships right into your pocket?  No problem with the new Cruise Finder iPhone app just launched on July 14^th.  Wow, this is one feature-packed app.  And, you don’t even need to be a techo-geek to operate it.  Just download the app onto your iPhone and you’re ready to go.

Cruise Finder puts more than 200 ships and 12,000 itineraries right at your fingertips.  You can search in a variety of different ways at the touch of a button.  But wait, there’s more!  Hot Deals, deck plans, stateroom layouts, port driving directions and weather forecasts make researching and planning your cruise vacation a snap.  You can even request a no-obligation quote for your favorite ship.

Don’t wait another minute.  Go to www.icruise.com/cruisefinder for this FREE download.  And while you are on the home page be sure to scroll down to and sign up for our newsletter.  By doing so, you will be automatically entered to win one of 4 Apple iPads that will be awarded during the month of August.  No purchase necessary.

The iCruise Cruise Finder is one more way that we keep you in touch with the wonderful world of cruise vacations.  Click, Call or Connect.  We are ready to help you explore the Seven Seas!

Having been blessed with the privilege of taking more than 300 cruises for both business and pleasure over the past 30 years, I must candidly state that it is a little hard to get me excited about another new ship.  But, the Norwegian Epic became a game changer for me last week.  I had the opportunity to spend two nights on the ship on short preview cruise.  Two things were immediately apparent:  First this is not just a bigger NCL Freestyle ship and second, there was no way I was going to experience everything in 2 days.

The Epic will be one of those ships that is sure to attract a legion of loyal followers.  And yes, some people may not find the ship to their liking.  I am not sure why this is such an issue on the various “cruise enthusiasts” boards.  Come on folks, there are enough ships and diversity in the marketplace to suit almost everyone.  So, in my humble opinion, just who should cruise on the Epic?  Anyone who desires an  entertainment centered experience combined with exceptional freedom of choice and non-traditional onboard programming options.  Families will also find the Epic a good choice due to the range of family-friendly staterooms and extensive children’s program options.  Solo travelers also have new option on Epic with more than 100 Studio staterooms that accommodate one person without a single occupancy surcharge (Finally! How cool!)

Entertainment on the Epic is the game changer for NCL.  They have done away with the traditional “Las Vegas Style” floorshows and in fact they did away with the huge main show lounge.  Instead, there are a multitude of venues featuring an incredible variety of shows.  Instead of creating new shows, NCL invested heavily in bringing aboard popular and well known acts from shore including Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Howl at the Moon and Cirque Dreams.  Close your eyes while relaxing at the Fat Cats  Jazz club and you might think you are on Bourbon Street.  During dinner at the Manhattan Club (one of the included restaurants onboard) there is live entertainment including vignettes from the longer Legends in Concert show.

Staterooms on the Epic are chic and curved (see image below) and have a brand new bathroom concept that takes a little getting used to.  Every ocean view staterooms has a balcony.  Thinking of super sizing your cruise?  Then consider one of the 60 suites in the private Courtyard Complex which is really a ship with a ship.  This private area (key card access) boasts a separate pool and sun area, dining room, spa and fitness center, and bar and lounge.

Dining on the ship is also of Epic proportions.  There is a choice of 20 restaurant venues.  Some are included in your fare and some require a cover charge of up to $25 per person.  My favorite was Moderno, a Brazilian style Churrascaria serving a delicious variety of meats delivered tableside.  The very popular Cagney’s Steakhouse and Le Bistro have been brought over from the other NCL ships and the always sold out Teppanaki has been tripled in size to accommodate demand.   There are 19 actual dining locations plus room service and 24/7 Pizza delivery  ($5 charge).  I found O’Sheehans,  a pub style bar and grill,  became the central focal point of the ship and good place to meet.  The pub serves complimentary comfort food 24/7.

Some posters on the various cruise forum boards tend to whine a little about “charging for food on a cruise”.   Here is my take on NCL Freestyle.  There are still several “free” restaurants (like other cruise companies) and there are also optional, extra cost alternative dining choices (like other cruise companies).  NCL just has a lot more choices when it comes to alternatives.  So, they have not taken anything away but instead have added more dining options.

In my next posting, I will discuss the children’s programs and more details about some other trendy features on the Epic.  If you are ready to experience this ship for yourself, there is good news.  iCruise has many Epic departures on sale now including upgrades to deluxe balconies.  We are also featuring the Epic in one of our Cruise Combo packages that includes the choice of a free hotel and parking in Miami or free bus transportation from major Florida cities.  Call 800-iCruise (800) 427-8473 now before word gets out about this revolutionary ship and it becomes fully booked.

New Wave Staterooms are Groovy!!!

From Seatrader Insider June 24, 2010:

So many things are happening on Norwegian Epic that passengers might have to book a second week to relax after all the action.

Some experiences are unique at sea. Patrons in the Epic Theater’s front-row seats slip on plastic rain ponchos for protection from the Blue Man Group’s antics, while people clamor to get into the SVEDKA Ice Bar where the temperature is a frigid 17 degrees F.

In a big top tent, diners slice into filet mignon as a pirate sword-fights on a tightrope during Cirque Dreams & Dinner. Elvis, Madonna and Tina Turner impersonators serenade passengers as part of the Legends in Concert show. Passadors slice meats from tall skewers in the Brazilian-style Moderno Churrascaria. Whole pizzas are delivered shipwide for $5.

In Norwegian Cruise Line’s first Aqua Park, passengers swirl around on floating inner tubes in an orange and yellow bowl resembling a giant juicer on a ride that’s called the Epic Plunge. They can also test the first rappeling rock wall on a ship. There are six bowling lanes on board, half in the Bliss Ultra Lounge and half in O’Sheehan’s, the 24-hour pub.

‘As you walk around the ship, people are saying this is completely new. It’s different,’ said NCL’s Andy Stuart, evp global sales and passenger services. Epic is going to bring new customers to cruising and new travel agents to selling NCL, he predicted.

Sales efforts target families with expanded Kids Crew facilities, a teen lounge, Nickelodeon at Sea programming and three-, four- and six-berth accommodations and inter-connecting rooms across categories from Courtyard Villa to economy.

The lavish Courtyard complex stretching across two top decks is expected to draw a new market of upscale travelers with a private restaurant and a bar/nightclub added to the mix. ‘It’s on the edge of being hedonistic,’ Tillberg Design’s Fredrik Johansson told Seatrade Insider.

And solo travelers are courted with the 128 Studios that sport ‘a very, very cool design, unexpected on a ship,’ as Stuart put it.

They’re compact—the bed takes up most of the space—but visually interesting with one padded upholstery wall, mood lighting that can be adjusted from rosy to a cheery yellow and a large round window facing the corridor that belies the fact these are all inside rooms. The bathroom and storage facilities are cleverly designed.

Studio passengers have keycard access to a two-story lounge with wood floors and trendy seating. Imagine a chic youth hostel for singles 30 and up, but with an espresso machine, bar service and big-screen televisions.

All of Epic’s outside staterooms come with a balcony. These ‘New Wave’ rooms with their curving walls have a radically different look than the standard boxy, cruise-ship cabin. They’re sleek and stylish, like a sophisticated boutique hotel. Elemis toiletries, tea/coffee makers and interactive, flat-screen televisions are among the appointments.

The New Wave rooms’ controversial separate toilet and shower stalls, enclosed in fogged glass, ‘take some getting used to,’ NCL ceo Kevin Sheehan acknowledged. There’s a curtain for privacy—though it doesn’t enclose the small sink, positioned in the room.

The accommodations are a calming refuge on a very busy ship. One other sanctuary is the ample Mandara Spa. Here are 24 treatment rooms, some with balconies for relaxation before and after treatments or, on Caribbean itineraries, for outdoor massages. A hydrotherapy courtyard, thermal suite and new offerings like a personalized body scrub selection created by a spa mixologist are other features.

And Epic sports NCL’s first dedicated spa staterooms that include free access to the thermal suite. There are 39 of these, with an attractive Asian design motif, and particularly gorgeous are the eight suites that come with an in-room whirlpool.

Seatrade Insider heard high praise for Moderno Churrascaria, the noodle bar Shanghai’s and the authentic Memphis blues band that plays Fat Cats, the dedicated jazz and blues club.

‘One of the main things I like about the ship is that despite its size, there are a lot of intimate areas,’ said Ramón Santos of corporate meetings and incentives specialists Landry & Kling Inc. in Miami.

Among his top picks are the sophisticated dinner-dance venue, the Manhattan Room; the Cirque dinner show, which he called ‘a highlight’; the expanded Teppanyaki restaurant, where he praised the food quality; the Courtyard complex (‘exciting’); the Aqua Park with ‘so many things going on,’ including bungee jumping and an attraction called Gravity Blast; and the SVEDKA Ice Bar.

That popular spot has limited hours because the room needs to freeze for 16 hours each day. Up to 25 patrons at a time can don fur-lined parkas to slip inside and sip vodka drinks.

‘I wish I had four times the space. We’re doing waiting lists with four and six pages a night,’ said Corey Shannon, corporate beverage operations manager for NCL.

Very few people stay the full 45 minutes, he added. It’s c-o-l-d.

Note from the Cruise Professor:  The books are open and cabins are selling fast.  Book yours now at www.iCruise.com or call 800-iCruise (800) 427-8473.  Be sure to ask your Personal Cruise Expert about our exclusive Epic Cruise Combo package that includes a free hotel.

Always a balmy 17 degrees at the ICE BAR!!!

The new Norwegian Epic arrived today in Southhampton to begin a 2 night press cruise. The arrival was not without a few challenges as it was delayed several hours due to a faulty bearing in one of the propeller shafts. While it does not affect the safety of the ship, it did result in slower than normal cruising speeds resulting in about a 6 hour arrival delay. According to NCL officials the bearing will be replaced while in Southhampton and the ship is expected to depart on schedule for its transatlantic sailing to New York on June 24th. The ship will arrive in New York for naming by singer (and huge NCL fan) Reba McEntire on July 2 followed by a 2 night industry cruise. You can catch the ship on NBC national TV broadcast on July 4th as it plays official host to the Macy’s National Fireworks display. The Epic will then deadhead to Miami and following a few days of pre-inaugural sailings will begin regular one week Caribbean cruises on July 10th.
Stay tuned because the Cruise Professor and my www.iCruise.com colleagues will be on board the ship in New York and we will be posting some live updates once we have a chance to explore this exciting new ship in person. But if you just can’t wait to book, the personal cruise consultants at www.iCruise.com are ready to put you aboard the Epic. There is a special Cruise Combo package just for the Epic that includes a free pre-cruise hotel and other bonus options. Just call them at 1-800-i Cruise (800) 427-8473 or visit online at www.iCruise.com

It’s summertime and most families are gearing up to take a vacation.  There is simply no better choice for family vacations than a cruise.  A cruise is the one place where there is literally something for everyone.  Most contemporary cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean offer extensive programs that group children together by age and customize activities to suit their needs. There are also abundant numbers of trained and certified children counselors on hand to run the program.  Most ships offer attended babysitting and evening programs.  Family and connecting staterooms make it easy to accommodate multi-generational groups.

There are many single parent homes with small children.  Here’s a great idea.  Team up with a friend or relative who might also be solo parenting and take a cruise with all the kids.  Moms or Dads can enjoy the adult features of the ship while the kids participate in the children’s program on board.

Probably the most difficult age group to accommodate are teens aged 15 to 17 because is it not “cool” to be in a kids program.  While there are still programs for these tweens, it is my experience that they usually meet in the program and then hang out together around the ship.   And it all works out!

We think family cruising is such a great opportunity we have even “hired” our own Director of Kids Cruising.  Click on the video below to meet iCruise Sally as she gives her perspective on the Oasis of the Seas.  Sally will be visiting other ships in the future and providing her feedback to you.

Your iCruise.com personal cruise expert can explain all the options available for family cruising and help match your and your kids with the right cruise (at the right price).   Call us today at 1-800-i Cruise (1-800-427-8473) and get ready to sail off on the family vacation of a lifetime!

Royal Caribbean today announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with Animation SKG, Inc., the world-class animated film studio powerhouse, to bring the next generation of family programming and quality entertainment to the high seas. Vacationers of all ages will soon delight in interacting with some of Animation’s most beloved characters when a variety of new shows, activities and offerings are introduced on ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet. The alliance will first come to life for guests to enjoy onboard Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s newest ship that will debut in December 2010 and will share the title of world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ship with its sister ship, Oasis of the Seas.

After launching on Allure of the Seas, the Animation-themed activities and amenities will be incorporated into Royal Caribbean’s renowned entertainment programs on Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, with some of the studio’s most popular feature films – “Shrek,” “Madagascar,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “How to Train Your Dragon” – anchoring the integrations.

Year round, “celebrity” characters including Shrek, Fiona and Puss In Boots of “Shrek;” Alex, Marty and the Penguins of “Madagascar;” Po of “Kung Fu Panda” and Hiccup of “How to Train Your Dragon” will engage guests of all ages, day and night, with unique experiences, including exclusive special events and energetic parades, as well as through interactive character meals in the main dining room, and of course plenty of photo opportunities. Royal Caribbean’s younger guests who choose to participate in the complimentary award-winning Adventure Ocean children’s program will relish in an exhilarating new lineup of activities, games and adventures rooted in the popular Animation movies.

What’s more, the phenomenon of 3D movies will be introduced to the open ocean when Royal Caribbean installs the 3D screens in the ships’ theaters. The new addition will give guests the opportunity to experience both new and longtime favorite Animation movies on the big screen.

Taking the strategic alliance even further, Royal Caribbean will celebrate the addition of Allure of the Seas to the cruise line’s 21-ship fleet by inviting the Animation cast of characters to take the stage in the AquaTheater, the impressive outdoor venue located at the stern of the ship, to perform a one-of-a-kind aquatic based show full of acrobatics and high-diving stunts. In addition, Royal Caribbean’s popular ice-skating venue on Allure will feature the characters from the recent hit film, “How to Train Your Dragon” in a spectacular ice show for guests. The experience on the Royal Caribbean ships is included in the world-class entertainment programming at no additional costs to guests.

The cruise experts at www.iCruise.com  can arrange your next Royal Caribbean cruise on the new Allure of the Seas or any of the 20 other ships in the fleet. Call them at (800) i CRUISE   (800-427-8473)

The new Norwegian Epic is going to challenge Royal Caribbean’s Oasis and Allure of the Seas ships not on size but in a number of different ways.  At slightly over 150,000 tons and carrying 4100 guests, the Epic is no slouch in the size category.  In fact, it is almost 60% larger than the other ships in the NCL fleet and larger than the ships operated by Carnival and Princess.   But size is not really the differentiator here.  At NCL it’s all about taking the Freestyle Cruise concept up a notch.  20 different dining options are just the start.

For example, there is no “main theatre” on board.  Instead, guests will be able to visit a multitude of entertainment venues including the Blue Man group, Legends in Concert, Howl at the Moon and a one-of-a-kind circus and dinner show called Cirque Dreams.  A recently announced partnership with Nickelodeon means the kiddies and Sponge Bob lovers of all ages won’t be left out.

The ship will sail on June 24^th on a sold out transatlantic crossing to New York and arrive on July 1.  There will be a two day cruise for the travel trade and media with christening by Reba McEntire.   On July 4^th the ship will act as official host for the Macy’s Annual Independence Day fireworks celebration.  The Cruise Professor will be on board for that event and I look forward to sending you a live update and a complete report on the entire ship – including the world’s only floating Ice Bar.  In the meantime, the cruise experts at www.iCruise.com are ready to start you on your way to your own “Epic’ cruise experience.

To whet your appetite you can view a sneak peak of the ship below.  Call www.iCruise.com at (800) 427-8473 for more details.

Enjoy the magnificent new Celebrity Equinox with a special Cruise Combo™ package from www.iCruise.com this November and December.  The package features an 11 night deep Western Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale visiting Cozumel, Roatán, Puerto Limon (Costa Rica), Colon, Cartagena, and Grand Cayman.  In addition, you can select from either FREE parking at the pier or a FREE hotel night before the cruise in Ft. Lauderdale.  Either way, with rates starting at just $999 per person, this is one of the season’s hottest deals on the hottest new ship.

If you haven’t sampled the impeccable service,  world class cuisine and country club casual atmosphere on Celebrity’s fleet of award -winning ships, then this new package from www.iCruise.com is just the ticket for you.  Call a personal cruise expert at (800) i-Cruise (800-427-8473) or click here to see more details.  www.EquinoxCruiseCombo

Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise operator, will dramatically expand its Bermuda cruise schedule in 2011, offering 16 departures to the island from four popular eastern U.S. homeports — Baltimore, Norfolk, Va.; New York and, for the first time, Charleston, S.C.  Carnival will be the only cruise line offering Bermuda cruises from Charleston.

The 16 Bermuda voyages — the most the line has ever offered — will encompass a variety of six-, seven- and eight-day cruises from April through November.

“Bermuda is one of the world’s most desirable cruise destinations, and offering three different cruise lengths from four East Coast homeports provides our guests an unprecedented variety of choices for visiting this beautiful island paradise,” said a Carnival spokesperson.

Carnival’s 2011 Bermuda departures include:

•     Baltimore (seven-day cruises on Carnival Pride) – April 10 and 17, Sept. 18, Oct. 2 and Nov. 6

•     New York (seven- and eight-day departures on Carnival Miracle) – April 14 and 21, and Sept. 11 and 27

•     Norfolk (six-day sailing on Carnival Glory) – Oct. 16

•     Charleston, S.C. (six-day voyages on Carnival Fantasy) – April 23, May 19, June 16, Aug. 25, Sept. 15 and Oct. 6

All 16 voyages will dock at King’s Wharf, and while in Bermuda guests can sample the island’s many fine restaurants, shops and boutiques, and visit a number of interesting sites and landmarks. Six-day voyages will offer two-day calls at King’s Wharf while seven- and eight-day cruises will feature three-day visits.

Contact the cruise experts at www.iCruise.com (800) 427-8473 for more information.