Cruise Week is the perfect time to think about all things cruise, from amazing destinations to mouth-watering on-board cuisine. Of course, today’s cruise ships are about much more than simply getting you from one port to the next and offer you a host of amenities and facilities to enjoy. Among these are some pretty amazing innovations and firsts at sea that you won’t find anywhere else.
Reach for the stars
Royal Caribbean is a line which loves to keep its passengers occupied and entertained with a huge choice of attractions on all its vessels. Royal really broke the mould when they unveiled the first aerial attraction to be found at sea. The North Star will debut on Quantum of the Seas when she launches next month and is a viewing pod on the end of a huge mechanical arm which extends 300ft in the air.
...or the sky
Another cruising first for Royal Caribbean is RipCord by iFly, the first sky diving simulator at sea. Who would have thought that a cruise would end up being the holiday that offered you the opportunity to sky dive? The Ripcord experience takes place in a 23-foot glass chamber which recreates the exhilarating experience as passengers are suspended in a wind tunnel.
Master of illusion
Norwegian Cruise Line has always offered passengers some great entertainment on its vessels but it conjured up something truly different when it unveiled the Illusionarium on-board its newest vessel the Norwegian Getaway, which launched earlier this year. It offers dinner and a show in a unique way, where guests can enjoy spell-binding tricks performed by numerous magicians, audience participation, amazing effects and of course, a magical menu.
What’s cooking?
Cuisine is always an important part of cruising and it’s something which P&O Cruises take very seriously. The line now has no fewer than five food heroes on its roster, with Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar, Ollie Smith, Eric Lanlard and James Martin all on-board. It’s the latter who’s part of the line’s newest culinary innovation though. Martin brings his Saturday Kitchen on-board the line’s newest vessel Britannia for The Cookery Club, the first cooking school to open on a British ship.
Walk on water
Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess grabbed the headlines when she was christened by none other than the Duchess of Cambridge last year. Along with her sister vessel Regal Princess, she boasts a wealth of fabulous amenities but when Royal Princess launched, the talk of the ship was the SeaWalk, a transparent glass-bottomed walkway which extends out from the ship and offers some fantastic views of the ocean.
Keep on the grass
There may now be other lines which have since introduced a little greenery to the ocean but Celebrity was there first with its Lawn Club. Offering guests on-board its Solstice-class ships a half-acre of real grass on which to relax, the ships offer a distinctly English summer feel, with boules, picnics and lazy Sunday afternoons all on offer. Lawn keepers are employed to keep the areas ship-shape and there’s also the opportunity for some outdoor eating at the Lawn Club Grill.
A head for heights (and a love of water)
If you choose to cruise on the MSC Preziosa, you’ll have the opportunity to try out the longest single rider waterslide on the ocean – the aptly-named Vertigo. Thrill-seeking passengers climb 13 metres above deck and then plunge down a 120-metre slide. Hold onto your costume though, as speeds on this watery attraction average at six metres a second as you travel around and sometimes over the edge of the ship on a real ride to remember.
At Cruise118.com, we have a great choice of cruises on offer on-board all the innovative ships mentioned, so be sure to check out our deals and find the perfect voyage for you. When you’re ready to book, our dedicated Cruise Concierge team are waiting to take your booking, so call free on 0808 1234 118.
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