disneyfan1313

Best news.... DAK AFTER DARK!!! Woo-Hoo!

Hmmm... Can they become family friendly and still have the "Baddest freak show". I'm not sure. I feel like this will end up being like Times Square after the 80s where the adult stuff got forced out and people realized that family friendly can = $$$.

Carnival Cruise Line is known for their rowdy atmosphere and being the "fun ships" but this is a bit surprising! Apparently a swingers club has chartered out one of their ships for this October. What makes this a little strange is Carnival passed on holding a "Cougar" themed cruise due to the nature of it - and a swingers cruise is any better?!?! It will be interesting to see if Carnival changes its mind once word gets out more. The article below is courtesy USAtoday.com...

^ Keep your eye on this thread - I'm going to do a pretty in-depth photo tour a bit down the road. In Oasis related news - her sister ship, the Allure of the Seas will be sailing its maiden voyage a week early - December 5th of this year. Hopefully when the second ship comes on line we will see some decent price drops on Oasis!

The first Brewery on a cruise ship? Aida lines has done it with their new AidaBlu ship that is scheduled to have its christening in a few days on the 9th of Feburary. Aida is a bit of a unique line - it is owned by Carnival but it actually caters exclusively to Germans! Anyone is welcome to travel on their ships - but they would feel a bit left out since all the communication is exclusively in German. Not much information or photos are available on this ship yet - but I found this interesting tidbit... FREE BEER?!?! So would you sail on a cruise where you didn't understand any of the communications or activities just so you could get free beer? It will be interesting to see if the Microbrewery concept for a cruise takes hold on any of the lines in the states. I can't imagine that they would give away the beer for free - but it would certainly be a fun gimmick. Not to mention they could offer brewery tours and classes as well. Hopefully there will be pictures of the brewery after its christening...but here are a few of the exterior to tide you over... thanks to cruiseship-gallery.de for the pics.. Look at those sexy lips.. what could it be.. ...and those beautiful eyes... Here is the AidaBlu sailing out for the first time!

Love how fast it is! Seems faster than even during testing. I also really like the "online" banner next to the user photo. Thanks guys!

^ and by "work to find investors" you mean "work to find an international mob/syndicate that wants to 'invest' some of their cash" right?

^ Or Roscoes House of Chicken and Waffles in LA. Awesome fried chicken breast on top of a waffle. Pour syrup on both! Artery clogging goodness!

I gotta admit I am somewhat in the middle of the argument on 3-day vs. 7-day cruises. The majority of my cruises have been 3 and 4 days and I love them because I can do MANY more of them since the cost per day is generally lower. It also has allowed me to try ships that I never would have risked being stuck on for 7 days. Downside (at least from Florida) on 3 and 4 days you generally only go to Nassau....and Nassau sucks.

Could it be traditional 2 person motorcycle seating where 1 person is holding the other person from behind and they just used abreast improperly? This line throws me off even more. I saw sit-astride and I first pictured someone riding side saddle and was all WTH?!!?

^^ Welcome to TPR! Very excited about the Disney Dream as well. I'm booked on the inaugural cruise so I will have a first hand report posted here about a year from now. DCL is my favorite as well (been on 9 of them!) but it is good to try other lines to get some perspective. I agree about the beauty of the DCL ships though, I love the classy Art Deco/Nouveau styling especially in the lobby. My favorite between the two is the Wonder - I like the slightly lighter color palate that is used and I prefer Ariel's and the Cadillac Lounge. Oh.. and I wouldn't worry too much about the AquaDuck. I'm sure the Imagineers are putting lots of time into making sure the ship looks amazing even with it. Disney Wonder Lobby is so beautiful!

I wasn't the hugest fan of the park but I am a little sad to see the runt of the SF litter go. My profile photo has always been me on the Roller Skater years ago. I do agree that the only things to be saved besides a few flats will probably be the mouse and the roller skater. Oh well!

Did you try anything to stop the motion sickness? My wife swears by the bracelets with the pressure point things in them and I know others who say medicine or ginger candies stopped any issues. Plus if you only have done a west coast cruise you might want to try one in the Atlantic during the summer - as long as there are no weather systems in the area the ocean is usually glass smooth.

Being DINKs - one of the things we love about DCL is the lack of kids running around. You see them for the main shows but if you have the late dinner that is really the only time! You do pay a premium price for DCL but if you figure in the extras (free soda...woo-hoo!) and the quality of the service to me it is worth it...but I am fully aware it is not for everyone. The Epic does have some amazing suites. The lowest suite prices are around $2300 next fall. Check out some of these pics of what their suites look like. Plus you get access to the special courtyard, pool and lounge. Lets book it before NCL goes out of business And a private concierge lounge with receptions, etc. With a suite you get access to this private courtyard area, pool and spa. OMG. This is seriously the most amazing setup EVER on a ship. I feel like this bed should rotate!

Coaster Expedition 13 pre-order in. Been excited about this for a long time... Love the CE series. Woo-Hoo!!!

While I agree that Freestyle dining on NCL has its downsides (lower level of service, they don't remember preferences, etc) having the greater selection of locations to choose from *almost* makes up for it. We have been talking about giving NCL another try - perhaps on the Epic. As long as you go in with slightly lower expectations you will be fine. The things they do well - branding, club/vegas-like atmosphere, choices of activities - they have down to a science. I am a little worried about the sustainability of their business though - there are 7 days on Epic this fall going for $599pp which is UNHEARD of for a newbuild ship. My ranking on lines we have been on... 1) DCL 2) Cunard 3) Princess 4) Azamara / Celeberty 4) RCCL 5) NCL 6) Carnival

The Norwegian Epic! I decided to post about this ship first since it has received the least amount of press of all the new builds but has some of the most innovative features. This ship will begin sailing in June 2010 out of Miami and will do 7 day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. Size wise it will be 153,000 gross tons which puts it just below the Freedom Class of Royal Caribbean Ships - still huge, but not competing for largest in the world! For those of you who have not sailed Norwegian before, what makes them unique is their freestyle concept. They ONLY offer anytime dining and have more specialty (i.e. upcharge) restaurants than any other line. They also have more 24hour a day options for night owls. This is going to be in place on the Epic with MORE dining options than ever before - 15 that have been announced so far! It will feature everything from a dining and dancing area called "The Manhattan Room" to the largest Tepanyaki area at sea. It will also have a "cirque"-like show in its Spiegel Tent where you will watch a show while you dine. It will still have dining options that are included with the fare price but more are upcharges than ever which is sure to anger some customers. The Epic is taking freestyle to the next level with Freestyle Entertainment. On a traditional ship you have a main show room and the acts rotate each night. On the Epic you will get tickets for the acts you are interested in and rotate showrooms! They also have "name" acts which is a bit of a change - Blue Man Group, Howl at the Moon Dueling Pianos, Legends in Concert and Second City Improv will all be calling the ship home. Nightlife has always shined on Norwegian - they cater to a younger crowd but not in a trashy "Carnival" way. Think more south beach than keg party. The Epic will have everything from an Ice Bar to an Ibiza style outdoor club and a white hot south beach inspired outside area. It will also have an exclusive ultra-lounge and a fancy Jazz Club. Families will have entertainment options as well with a 3 lane bowling alley and a waterpark at sea called "AquaPark" which will have a bowl slide and another that twists and turns as it goes three stories down. Staterooms will also have some new twists as you can see by the pictures below. Not sure how I feel about the shower that is almost *in* the room but I like the boutique hotel feel of the staterooms. Norwegian has already said that the Epic will be a "One-of-a-kind" ship due to the cost and their current financial condition. Rates are very cheap for some of its maiden voyages and it will be interesting to see if it will sink NCL or keep it afloat. While I am not the biggest NCL fan - they do some things very well and this ship should cater perfectly to their core audience. On to some pictures! And the Aqua Park! Love the look of this outside stateroom - feels like a high end boutique hotel. Inside stateroom - take a close look at the shower area in the back right. Weird huh? Posh - a South Beach inspired club. This is the outside SpiceH20 club at night. It will be like a hot night club in Ibiza. Ice Bar at sea... Cool! This is the Epic Theater where the Blue Man Group will perform. Dining with a cirque-style show taking place around you? Count me in! La Cucina will be tuscan style Italian in a beautiful setting. Teppanyaki dining is VERY fun at sea. The Manhattan Club is one of the main (read FREE) dining rooms. It will have ballroom dancing during dinner. Not a very attractive ship - the area up top which looks out of place is where some of their spa staterooms are. Think Concierge area.

In honor of Robb's amazing 40th birthday cruise and because we have quite a few members on here who are into cruising, I thought I would put together an official TPR "Cruise" thread! The Cruise Experience and Theme Park Experience are very complimentary and in many ways similar - heck most of the newer ships are catering to the thrill seeker in the attractions they offer. This is a great time to be into cruising with many new and innovative ships around the corner. The Carnival Dream sailed just a few months ago, the worlds largest ship - Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the seas hit the seas in December and the Norwegian Epic with its huge AquaPark will sail out of Miami in June. And of course don't forget the Disney Dream which is coming in early 2011 with the worlds first Water Coaster at sea! I will post regular updates with any interesting news in the cruise industry and I invite you all to as well. This will also be a great place to post questions about cruising that you might have or questions about individual ships. Also if you have a short "cruise only" TR that might work best here - feel free to post it as well. The Disney Dream - it will have many "never seen before" features including the first Water Coaster at sea! The Norwegian Epic - Taking freestyle cruising to a new level The Oasis of the Seas - the largest cruise ship in the WORLD. The Carnival Dream - Carnivals Largest "fun" Ship

I am a bit confused by the "two abreast" seating. I wonder if that is side by side or literally on the same dino...hmmm

Interesting - I am surprised they kept it quiet for as long as they did. I wonder what area this was... perhaps HRP?

I agree with the "most of us want it to survive" opinion... I just am not sure it is possible. IMHO - It really all come down to location and the demographics of the location. Myrtle Beach is not a *destination* location. It can support a few small parks but I don't think there is any way an actual theme park that wants to have year round operation can make it. And the person who thought of putting a "rock" park in a town where there are churches and bible billboards every 20 feet is crazy!

^ Very cool stuff. Not that much in the way of new info but the site if impressive. I like the interactive newspaper under news.

The World Chocolate Dream Park opened a few days ago and the Great Wall of China made entirely out of chocolate in this video is pretty impressive! Happy Fun Time Chocolate World Video! A chocolate BMW! Crazy chocolate dress from the opening ceremonies

I'm just sad that "I'm on a boat" didn't win!

^ They are really building up the hype. I hope the attraction/land can live up to it. I almost wonder if last years free ticket give-a-way during the Superbowl was a test to see the amount of folks watching who were interested. Has any other theme park ever done a Superbowl ad (besides the obvious "I'm going to Disney World!")?