New Concepts and Venues on Norwegian Newbuilds

The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place will debut on the new Norwegian Cruise Line ships.

The Waterfront, described as a “quarter mile boardwalk” on both sides of the ship, spans a majority of Deck 8 and will feature five outdoor “boardwalk-like” dining opportunities, with seating both outside and inside.

The outside venues have been designed so wind should not be a factor.

678 Ocean Place is a central complex on Decks 6, 7 and 8, which will be the hub of the ship, with 17 dining options, 12 bars and lounges, an 18,000 square foot casino, entertainment venues and retail outlets, said Maria Miller, senior vice president of marketing for Norwegian.

The line will also introduce its own seafood restaurant for the first time, Ocean Blu, on the new ships, in addition to a raw bar, sushi restaurant and Ocean Blu on the Waterfront, with dining outside on Deck 8.

The line will bring Cagney’s and Moderno back on the new ships, with indoor and outdoor seating

Additionally will be the Manhattan Room, a multi-level dining and dancing venue with huge windows.

With two new 144,000-ton ships under construction, Norwegian will add another 4,000 berths with Norwegian Breakaway in April, 2013, and another 4,000 in April 2014 with the Norwegian Getaway, which the company may take delivery of a month earlier than planned, said Kevin Sheehan, CEO.

The first of the sister ships, the Norwegian Breakaway, will sail year-round from New York starting May, 2013.

Carnival Destiny to Undergo Dramatic Transformation

Representing Carnival Cruise Lines’ most ambitious refit and transformation project ever, Carnival Destiny will undergo a $155 million makeover next year that will incorporate all of the line’s “Fun Ship 2.0” dining, bar and entertainment features, as well as a variety of exciting innovations unique to this vessel.

The refit will also include a reconfigured layout, the addition of a partial deck and the expansion of two other decks within the forward section of the ship, providing the opportunity to incorporate a number of new and exciting on-board spaces. One-hundred and eighty-two cabins will be added, as well.

The redesign will be so extensive and wide-ranging that the ship will be renamed Carnival Sunshine following the 49-day dry dock, which will take place from February to April 2013. The refit work will be completed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.

Following the dry dock, Carnival Sunshine will launch a series of Mediterranean cruises beginning with a 14-day voyage departing from Venice April 12 and arriving in Barcelona April 26, 2013. The ship will then operate a series of 18 nine- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises either round-trip from Barcelona or sailing between Barcelona and Venice. These departures will visit a wide variety of the Mediterranean’s most spectacular ports, including Marseilles, France; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Livorno (Pisa/Florence) and Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; and Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Carnival Sunshine will then sail on a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing departing Barcelona Nov. 1 and arriving New Orleans Nov. 17, 2013, positioning the vessel for its year-round deployment from the Big Easy.

Following a special six-day cruise from New Orleans Nov. 18-24, 2013, Carnival Sunshine will launch its year-round seven-day cruise schedule from that port Nov. 24, 2013. Three different week-long itineraries will be offered – an exotic western Caribbean route to Belize City, Belize; Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, and Cozumel, Mexico; a Bahamas/Florida schedule to Key West, Fla., and Freeport and Nassau, The Bahamas; and western Caribbean departures to Montego Bay, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel.

Watch Disney Fantasy Leave New York

Here's a good video as the ship pulled away from Manhattan piers, playing a selection of tunes on the ship's whistle. The Disney Fantasy will soon be doing regular cruises roundtrip out of Port Canaveral, Florida.