I was rather scathing - probably too much - about the TV commercial for Carnival Cruises. Having watched it a few times now, it's beginning to grow on me. This ad for Norwegian Breakaway is an instant hit, focusing on the fact the ship will be sailing out of New York every week. The vessel will be making a quick visit to the UK in April, but that's likely to be the last we see of it for some time. And the ad is unlikely to get an airing on our TV screens.
Fancy a cruise? Then all you need to do to get away from rain-soaked Britain is flick a switch, according to the TV ad for Carnival which will debut on our screens this Sunday. If only it were as simple as that. And if only top ad agencies could come up with a convincing commercial without resorting to tired old clichés. OK, the ad is intended to raise awareness of the Carnival name in the UK, where it is hardly recognised - in comparison to its homeland in the USA where it is the brand leader. But is it really [...]
Imagine you're the boss of a major cruise line. You have three, possibly four, new ships on order and you have to find names for all of them. When Norwegian Cruise Line was planning its new Breakaway class, they had a simple solution - the first ship is to be called Norwegian Breakaway, and the second will be Norwegian Getaway. When Royal Caribbean announced the building of two Genesis-class ships they invited the readers of USA Today's Cruise Log to come up with names - and chose Oasis and Allure of the Seas. Now they have two new Sunshine class [...]
Captain Neil Broomhall was, not surprisingly, one of the busiest men on board mv Voyager during its inaugural celebrations in Portsmouth this week. About 1,200 loyal customers of the Voyages of Discovery brand visited the ship and placed bookings worth more than £90,000 before they returned home. There were travel agents to welcome on board, and then a few pesky journalists such as myself among the VIPs at the ceremony during which it was christened by TV naturalist Miranda Krestovnikoff. So a big thank you to him for finding the time to answer a selection of questions sent in by [...]
Miami will go to sea on board cruise ship Norwegian Getaway launching in January 2014. The ship's striking hull art, intended to reflect the connection with its home port, has been created by Cuban-American artist David "LEBO" LeBatard. The artwork features a whimsical tropical ocean theme complete with a mermaid holding the sun, pelicans and palm trees. Its creator also designed part of the Miami Heat basketball arena for owner Mickey Arison, boss of rival Carnival Cruise Corporation. Norwegian's CEO, Kevin Sheehan, said: "Getaway will be Miami's ship and we wanted to ensure the hull was designed by an artist [...]
Picture: Simon Brooke-Webb TV naturalist and wildlife presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff (above) is looking forward to her first cruise as a lecturer on board mv Voyager after acting as godmother at the official naming ceremony in Portsmouth today. She is particularly keen on visiting South America - where the ship will be sailing this winter, and she won't be at all surprised if crewmembers and passengers have problems pronouncing her name. In her time, she told guests gathered by the ship's open-air pool, she has been referred to as Miranda Kalashnikov and even Miranda Chesty Cough. Having been godmother to nothing [...]
More problems for Saga Ruby, as the ship limps towards its planned retirement in 12 months time. The cruise scheduled to depart from Southampton this Thursday (December 6) has been cancelled because a dry dock refit will not be completed in time. Ruby's last cruise was cut short, with passengers being flown home from Lisbon, because of a problem which arose in the engine room. Repair work - which was carried out during a pre-planned period in dock, is taking longer than anticipated. Saga spokesman Paul Green tells me: "It has emerged that more work than was originally planned is [...]
Picture: Simon Brooke-Webb The first visitors are taking a look around cruise ship mv Voyager in Portsmouth this weekend. The ship officially joins All Leisure Group's fleet on Tuesday, sailing under the Voyages of Discovery flag, and is being showcased to loyal passengers, travel trade and media over the next four days before sailing to the West Indies. The ship will return to Portsmouth in summer 2013, ready to set out on a series of discovery cruises. All Leisure bought the ship - formerly the Alexander von Humboldt - in 2009 and invested in a multi-million pound refit of the [...]
Almost ready to go . . . cruise ship Voyager sports a new blue all-weather awning outside the Veranda restaurant as its refurbishment nears completion. The vessel is due to arrive in its home port of Portsmouth at the weekend and will be christened by TV naturalist Miranda Krestovnikoff on Tuesday. Over the past few weeks in Portland, Dorset, Voyager - formerly the Alexander von Humboldt - has received a new Lookout lounge, a piano bar called Scott's Lounge in line with the ship's new explorer theme. There's new soft furnishings in the public rooms, which have also received a [...]