South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
CRUISING IN
Several new cruise ships, including one of the world’s largest, soon will begin sailing from Florida.
The Sunshine State is about to welcome nearly half a million tons of new hardware, as in new cruise ships sailing from Florida’s big ports.
That includes one of the largest ships in the world, MSC Meraviglia, brand new vessels Norwegian Encore and Sky Princess and a revamped Carnival Cruise Line ship that even got a new name. Meanwhile, cruise lines will shuffle some popular ships so that Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and PortMiami all see some new visitors for the Caribbean sailing season.
And as far as destinations go, MSC Cruises is set to debut its private Bahamas island while Royal Caribbean expands visits to its revamped Perfect Day at CocoCay and continues work to bring its next round of improvements.
Here’s a rundown of what’s new:
MSC Mergaviglia will be the largest ship that cruise line has ever sailed in North America. The 171,598-gross-ton, 4,500-passenger vessel debuted in 2017 and is the 6th largest in the world behind the four Oasis-class vessels of Royal Caribbean and the German cruise ship AIDANova.
It will sail out of PortMiami joining three other MSC ships, the largest fleet the line has ever based in Florida.
Meraviglia, which means “wonder” in Italian, has among unique offerings a 450-person venue for original Cirque du Soleil shows.
The ships will call on the cruise line’s new private Bahamas destination Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, a 95-acre resort with 11,400 feet of beach and its own pier. The destination will have bars, restaurants and a new lighthouse that the line said will be a focal point of evening entertainment.
Norwegian Cruise Line is set to bring its newest ship, Norwegian Encore, also set to debut in Miami. The ship is performing sea trials this month before making its way to PortMiami for a Nov. 21 christening ceremony with godmother Kelly Clarkson and then begin seven-night Eastern Caribbean itineraries.
The 1,100-foot-long, 169,000-gross-ton ship is the fourth ship in its class, following on the heels of Norwegian Escape, Joy and Bliss, with a nearly 4,000-guest capacity based on double occupancy. It feature more than 20 dining options, several with waterfront seating including an elevated Italian dining experience, Onda by Scarpetta.
Its signature stage show will be Tony-award winning “Kinky Boots,” which features original songs by Cyndi Lauper, as well as offerings “The Choir of Man,” a show that features music, dance and footstomping percussion, “Happy Hour Prohibition: The Musical,” a cocktail and theater show and The Cavern Club, a Beatlesthemed venue.
Its most notable feature is the largest go-kart track in the fleet, with nearly 1,100 feet of track across a 10-turn course that has four sections that extend up to 13 feet beyond the side of the ship. Other features on board include an open-air laser tag course, aqua park with two water slide, and a venue called Galaxy Pavilion, a 10,000-square-foot interactive entertainment option with virtual reality, an escape room and other technology-based features.
Norwegian is also bringing the first of its Breakaway Plus-class ships to feature a go-kart track, Norwegian Joy, to Miami for the first time. The ship that originally was built for service in Asia spent the summer in Alaska for the first time, and will make a its Florida debut when it arrives Oct. 27 at the end of a Panama Canal crossing that leaves from Los Angeles. The ship will then sail one 12-night voyage with stops in Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia and Panama before heading back from Miami to L.A. on a return Panama Canal trip. The ship will return in early 2020 as well.
Up the coast, Norwegian is sending Norwegian Breakaway to Port Canaveral, taking over Norwegian Epic’s Caribbean duties in November. The ship that debuted in 2013 features 27 dining options, a five-slide water park and a ropes course that features The Plank, an exhilarating challenge for those brave enough to step along a tiny walkway eight feet out over the ship’s edge looking more than 100 feet below to the water.
The other brand new ship coming to Florida is Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess, a sister ship to Royal Princess and Regal Princess, and following on their heels by calling Port Everglades home. The ship will set sail from the Fort Lauderdale port beginning Dec. 1 with alternating, sevennight Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages through April 4, 2020.
The 3,660-guest ship boasts the new Sky Suites, which the line touts as having the largest balconies at sea. Princess also announced two new entertainment options coming on board, an escape room called Phantom Bridge that mixes digital and physical elements, and a jazz theater called Take 5, in deference to the classic Dave Brubeck tune.
Also on board are Princess mainstays like The Piazza atrium, adults-only retreat The Sanctuary, Lotus Spa and Fitness Center, Movies Under the Stars and Broadway-style productions in the Princess Theater. One new production will be “Rock Opera,” a show featuring avant-garde fashion tied to a soundtrack that includes classic rock, opera and musical theater to be sung in English, Spanish, Latin and also sign language.
Some other unique features on board include more hot tubs, two deeptank pools linked by sunken, communal seating and an infinity pool called Wakeview at the aft of the ship. The ship will also take advantage of the cruise line’s OceanMedallion brand of wearable technology that gives cruisers a quarter-size icon that acts as a replacement for cabin keys, wallets and tickets.
While technically not a new ship, Carnival Cruise Line has retired the name Carnival Triumph in favor of a new name Carnival Sunrise. Similar to what the cruise line did in 2013 with Carnival Destiny, which became Carnival Sunshine, the revamped ship will make its way to Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 28 to begin four- and five-night sailings.
The 101,509-gross-ton ship came out of a springtime $200 million dry dock, first sailing from New York and Virginia, but now brings its shiny new self to Florida. The enhancements include the cruise line’s newest dining venue: Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que, Cucina del Capitano, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Bonsai Express, JavaBlue Café and the popular — and free — hand-tossed pizza venue in the Lido Marketplace, Pizzeria del Capitano. New bar venues include RedFrog Pub, Piano Bar 88, Limelight Lounge and Liquid Lounge.
The water park added the 203-foot-long AquaTunnel slide to the already existing 212-foot-long Twister slide as well as the addition of a 75-gallon tipping bucket in the expanded WaterWorks play area while a new SportSquare features a ropes course, basketball court as well as foosball, pool, ping-pong and a ninehole mini-golf course.
The 2,984-passenger ship also now has the Serenity adults-only area of the ship, an expanded spa and more retail space. Accommodation updates include two of the ship’s Captain’s Suites redesigned with floor-to-ceiling window, extended balcony grand suites, and new color schemes across all staterooms.
Royal Caribbean doesn’t have any new ships coming to Florida, but is finishing its Oasis-class shuffle this fall with Harmony of the Seas continuing to sail from Port Canaveral, but Allure of the Seas making its return to Port Everglades and a revamped Oasis of the Seas back home in Miami joining current world’s largest ship Symphony of the Seas.
For Oasis, the $165 makeover to the 225,288-gross-ton vessel that had its maiden voyage Dec. 5, 2009 makes it now look like its younger sister ships Harmony and Symphony of the Seas. That include its own 10-deck twisting dry slide, the Ultimate Abyss, the three-slide Perfect Storm, Splashaway Bay kids aquapark, and a top-deck overhaul with a Caribbean theme. Oasis will begin a series of sevennight Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages Nov. 24.
New to the line will be the casual venue Portside BBQ, one of 23 dining options on board the ship, and entertainment option Spotlight Karaoke, which will feature a main stage as well as two private rooms. Other features rolled out on other ships coming to Oasis include quick-service El Loco Fresh, the two-deck Music Hall, robotic bartenders at Bionic Bar, Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, dessert venue Sugar Beach with a walk-up ice cream window, glow-in-the-dark laser tag and an escape room.
The cruise line is also increasing calls on its revamped private Bahamas destination Perfect Day at CocoCay, which opened most of its features this past May including the 13-slide Thrill Water Park with the tallest water slide in North America.
The island’s dock can handle two Royal ships at once, and Allure of the Seas will mark the first ship coming from Fort Lauderdale to visit when it sails there in November. In total, 11 Royal ships will have visited the island before the end of 2019. New itineraries for some ships include two stops at the island.
Other features of the 125-acre resort include the colorful helium balloon ride called Up, Up and Away that takes visitors up 450 feet and the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean, a 3⁄4- acre offering with a swim-up bar and a 1,750-person capacity, a 1,600-foot zip line and the largest wave pool in the Caribbean.
The island’s $250 million overhaul isn’t done though. An entire section called Coco Beach Club is under construction with a planned opening of Jan. 31, 2020. A highlight of that eventual opening will be a series of over-water cabanas, with hammocks, slides and personal attendants. The area will have other beachside cabanas and daybeds alongside an infinity pool, club house and a higher-end Mediterranean dining.