Cruise Innovations

Cruises now are much more than simply getting us from port to port, they now offer much more whilst on board with amenities and facilities that we wouldn’t find in hotels for passengers of all ages to enjoy.
Have a look at a few here ……..

Walk on water

Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess grabbed the headlines when she was christened by none other than the Duchess of Cambridge . 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.

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. Saturday morning in our house is time to tune into James Martins Saturday Kitchen TV show and he now 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.

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.
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.

Pimms on the lawn?

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.