Five years after revolutionizing movie-going at sea with its innovative Movies Under the Stars screens, Princess Cruises has teamed with celebrated film critic and historian Leonard Maltin to bring passengers yet another new way to experience movies onboard — an exclusive Leonard Maltin Movie Club. Debuting fleetwide, the new club gives passengers the opportunity to join fellow film buffs to discuss specially selected motion pictures during their cruise.
With this program, Princess will showcase a new film chosen by Mr. Maltin each month. Passengers will not only be able to enjoy the open-air poolside Movies Under the Stars viewing experience, but will also be able to gather for a thought-provoking discussion to gain greater perspective on the film.
In addition, passengers can catch up on many popular and classic films with a new Leonard Maltin Movie Channel available in staterooms.
The new partnership celebrates the fifth anniversary of Movies Under the Stars, which first debuted on Caribbean Princess. The giant Times Square-style movie screens are now available on eight ships, and will be added to most other ships in the Princess fleet by 2011.
The Leonard Maltin Movie Club invites passengers to view a specially selected film on Movies Under the Stars or in the Princess Theater. Each month, a new movie will be featured, with a special video introduction from Mr. Maltin. Soon, films will be announced on www.princess.com prior to the sailing, so passengers will know what Movie Club selection will be presented on their cruise. Upcoming films include titles such as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Wrestler.”
Later, the cruise staff will host a gathering for passengers featuring a group discussion of the film, guided by questions and trivia from Mr. Maltin. The one-hour club meeting is open to all passengers.
For passengers who want to further enjoy films in their stateroom, the Leonard Maltin Movie Channel on the ship’s television system will feature a selection of contemporary, classic and animated movies specially selected by Mr. Maltin.
As part of this new relationship with Princess, Leonard Maltin himself will be traveling aboard a Princess ship to share his movie insights with passengers in a series of onboard presentations, and to host the Movie Club. Mr. Maltin’s sailing will be announced at a later date.
The massive scale of Carnival’s newest and largest “Fun Ship,” the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, combined with recent technological advancements and the incredible imagination of the line’s entertainment team, have created the most spectacular shows at sea that raise the bar on shipboard entertainment.
In addition to three spell-binding production revues that will feature elaborate sets and costumes, state-of-the-art video technology and sophisticated special effects, Carnival Dream will offer a multitude of entertainment choices, everything from solo singers, comedians, and live bands to “Fun Force,” the line’s high-energy acrobatic team, which will perform in different areas throughout the ship.
Carnival Dream is slated to debut Sept. 21, 2009, with the first of three 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises operating round-trip from Rome, followed by a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Rome (Civitavecchia) to New York Oct. 27 – Nov. 12, 2009.
From New York, Carnival Dream will operate two eight-day Bahamas/Florida cruises departing Nov. 15 and 23, 2009, then reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., for a special one-time nine-day Caribbean cruise departing Dec. 3, 2009. Carnival Dream will then launch year-round seven-day service from Port Canaveral, Dec. 12, 2009, offering weeklong voyages to the eastern and western Caribbean.
The first production show, titled “Dancin’ in the Street,” is a dramatic departure for the line, combining a gritty, urban feel with the latest in special effects, including groundbreaking neon lighting and video projection technology, to create a truly spectacular and memorable show.
“Dancin’ in the Street” makes maximum use of the Carnival Dream’s talented cast – particularly the “Fun Force” team which takes center stage in the show and entertains guests with break-dancing numbers, acrobatic Chinese pole routines and even a high-flying trampoline segment to leave audiences breathless.
Realistic sets with city scenes – exposed brick walls, street lights, and more – along with recognizable songs that run the gamut from pop and R&B to hip-hop and hard rock, make “Dancin’ in the Street” a truly one-of-a-kind show.
The second show, “Get Ready,” takes a musical look at various professions through a variety of styles and genres, from classic tunes of the Motown era to recognizable R&B hits and songs from some of the greatest vocal artists of all time, with elaborate production numbers themed to different occupations. Showcasing the Carnival Dream’s highly talented singers and dancers, the 50-minute show is sure to have audiences singing and dancing in the aisles.
In “Get Ready,” legendary hits such as “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “Mustang Sally” are playfully employed to highlight transportation workers, while crowd-pleasing songs like “Please Mr. Postman” and “Signed Sealed and Delivered” offer a unique homage to mail carriers. Popular contemporary tunes including “Sledgehammer” and “Work to Do” are featured in the construction segment while “Rescue Me” and “Hold On, I’m Coming” round out a high-energy number focusing on rescue workers.
Like the name implies, the third show, “Xtreme Country,” is a toe-tapping salute to country and western music with a unique Carnival twist. The show opens, appropriately enough, with a visit to a rodeo with singers and dancers donning 10-gallon hats for a clap-along line-dancing number, followed by a stop at a ranch and a raucous saloon, with authentic western-themed sets and costumes. The show culminates in a memorable finale showcasing the U.S.’s familiar red, white and blue, ending with a magnificent fireworks flash.
In addition to these three lavish revues, Carnival Dream will offer a diversity of entertainment venues to suit every mood or taste.
These include the new Ocean Plaza which will not only offer a unique venue place for guests to relax and unwind but will also feature a wide variety of different entertainment options that will vary throughout the day and night.
Also offered on the Carnival Dream will be the line’s legendary comedy revues with hilarious comedians who have appeared on network talk shows and comedy clubs across the country. Carnival Dream will also feature Carnival’s Seaside Theatre, a massive LED screen on Lido Deck that will display movies, concerts, sporting events and other programming.
Other options include solo singers along the Dream Street promenade, a dedicated karaoke lounge, rollicking sing-a-longs in Sam’s piano bar, steel drum and Calypso bands on Lido Deck and live bands playing everything from rock to country to disco.
The Coast Guard is searching for an 18-year-old cruise ship passenger who reportedly went overboard at about 9:45 p.m., Sunday, about 150 miles southwest of Tampa.
The man was reported missing to the Coast Guard by the cruise ship Carnival Fantasy at about 10 p.m. Sunday.
Search-and-rescue coordinators at the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami immediately launched an HC-130 Hercules search plane crew and an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., and the Coast Guard Cutter Nantucket, a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in St. Petersburg, Fla., was diverted to the area to search for man.
The man’s name is being witheld due to next-of-kin notifications.
The cruise ship departed New Orleans and was en-route to a port-of-call in Key West.
We’re a little conflicted by the news from the cruise lines this week. We’ve been pretty excited by most of the new things that Royal Caribbean has been announcing – but this week we’re positively underwhelmed by something coming to the fleet. By the same token we’ve been unimpressed by most of NCL’s announcements regarding Norwegian Epic until this past week…
NCL announced that the Blue Man Group will headline the entertainment onboard Norwegian Epic, while Royal Caribbean made an announcement of their own – that they were bringing a new dancing program onboard inspired by a senior citizen hip-hop group – and we really wish we were joking about that part.
With the decision to move the G8 meetings an MSC ship will not play host to world leaders as originally planned and MSC and STX are negotiating to revise the designs for some planned ships.
A new Hip Hop dance adventure that transcends all ages, languages, and skill levels is taking Royal Caribbean ships by storm. Royal Caribbean International’s new Gotta Dance program is offering guests the opportunity to let loose, chase a dream, and ‘wow’ their cruisemates with cool new dance moves. Based on the documentary film by Dori Berinstein, awardwinning director and producer of film, theater and television, the guest-participatory Gotta Dance experience is being exclusively offered by Royal Caribbean International and will be offered fleetwide in summer 2009.
Royal Caribbean’s Gotta Dance is inspired by the award-winning documentary film of the same name, which will hit the big screen across the United States beginning in July 2009. Gotta Dance (www.GottaDanceTheMovie.com) chronicles the first-ever senior-citizen, hip-hop dance troupe for the New Jersey Nets Basketball Team. Just like the film, Royal Caribbean’s Gotta Dance program will offer guests, from the young to the young-at-heart, a chance to grab their moment in the spotlight.
Kicking off each cruise will be a special screening of the film. Guests sailing on select ships before the nationwide roll-out of the movie will be treated to an advanced viewing of Gotta Dance. Participants will then be divided into teams and, over the course of their vacation, will learn choreographed routines with a member of the Royal Caribbean dance team in rehearsals during sea days. The program will culminate with the main event – a farewell show on the last evening of the cruise, whereby each of the teams will perform their routines in the ship’s main theater.
Each of the groups will perform a different routine, all of which were choreographed by New Jersey Nets Dance Coach Kimberlee Garris, who also appears in the Gotta Dance film. For each song an easy and more complex choreography has been designed, and Royal Caribbean’s Gotta Dance instructors will have the option of tweaking these versions further based on group skill level.
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