The end of Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Live may seem bleak, but the future of specialty entertainment still looks bright. Carnival’s concert series brought to its stages musical artists and comedians ranging from Journey to Jay Leno. However, the likes of Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) will carry on the tradition.
This leaves the door open to popular theme cruises. NCL, for one, brings entire music festivals to its ships as part of its integrated partnership with Sixthman, which creates themed cruise experiences. These include The Rock Boat and The Outlaw Country Cruise. On these often full-charter sailings, fans get to see their favorite artists as well as mingle with them. The cost of admission to multiple events is bundled into the overall fare.
Disney also hosts Marvel Day at Sea.
Credit: 2018 Jason Leppert
There are also plenty of other theme cruises available to whet travelers’ appetites for all things entertainment. Disney hosts its own Marvel Day at Sea and Star Wars Day at Sea, and other themed sailings — ranging from the Groove Cruise to Star Trek: The Cruise — are hosted independently on various lines and ships.
Meanwhile, some cruise lines are blending specialty dining and entertainment with new programming. MSC Cruises, for example, is bringing Cirque du Soleil at Sea to the recently launched MSC Meraviglia, which will depart from the U.S. beginning next October. Clients will be able to marvel at dramatic and whimsical acrobatics. “Sonor” and “Viaggio” are two separate shows that can be booked for an extra fee to enjoy following dinner or cocktails.
Additionally, Celebrity’s highly anticipated Celebrity Edge will highlight its Eden venue come this December. I enjoyed a preview of the Eve at Eden experience (available for an additional fee), which shed light on the hybrid venue. The theatric performance brings to life a story of good versus evil amid the service of thematically matched food. For example, Descending Frost is an epic appetizer of sea urchin, fluke fish, shiso leaf and spicy melon transparently plated above a live goldfish bowl and finished with dry ice shavings.
Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., makes a point of saying Eden goes beyond dinner theater to become “performance dining.” So-called “Edenists” populate the venue, delighting passengers with performances and interactive invitations to join in. The evening has an ethereal quality that is both relaxing and stimulating.
And it’s all just the start of amazing specialty entertainment that is still yet to come.
10 Fascinating Ship Attractions
AquaDuck Aqua Coaster
Onboard: Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy
Stats: Some 765 feet long; loop cantilevers 12 feet over the ship and about 150 feet above the ocean; 335-foot-long river rapids; approximately 10,000 gallons of water per minute propels riders
AquaDunk Free-Fall Waterslide
Onboard: Disney’s Disney Magic
Stats: Starts on Deck 13; bottom-drops-out launch; 37-foot-tall descent; 20-foot cantilevered loop; Deck 10 finale
IMAX Theatre
Onboard: Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon
Stats: Three-deck-high screen; 182-seat auditorium; screen made up of three panels weighing 7,300 pounds in total
North Star Crane Pod
Onboard: Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and soon-to-be Spectrum of the Seas
Stats: 15-minute ride; more than 300 feet above sea level; 360-degree views
Ocean Loops Free-Fall Waterslide
Onboard: Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)’s Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy
Stats: 276 feet long; 35 feet tall; suspended 159 feet above the waterline and cantilevered 11 feet off the ship; speeds up to 35.8 mph for an average ride time of 10 seconds
Race Track
Onboard: NCL’s Bliss and Joy
Stats: 984-foot-long track with nine hairpin turns and 10 karts per race; speeds up to 30 mph; eight-minute duration for eight laps
RipCord by iFly Skydiving Simulator
Onboard: Royal Caribbean’s Quantum, Anthem, Ovation and Spectrum
Stats: 23-foot-tall glass flight chamber; wind tunnel speeds can top more than 100 mph
SkyRide Suspended Cycling Course
Onboard: Carnival’s Vista, Horizon and soon-to-be Carnival Panorama
Stats: Speeds up to 18 mph; two racing lanes; 800-foot-long track; 14 decks above the ocean
The Ultimate Abyss Slide
Onboard: Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas
Stats: 10-story descent; 150 feet above sea level; 27-degree incline; 13.14-second average ride time
Zipline
Onboard: MSC Cruises’ MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview
Stats: 345 feet long; 50 feet high at the tallest point; speeds of 12 to 18 mph depending on rider weight and pulley settings
