All aboard with Barbie

Almost every young girl has, at one time or another, dreamt of being Barbie (some of us still probably do!!!). I loved her. She defined everything I wanted to be, pink, sparkly and girlie. I had a Barbie house, complete with four poster bed that glowed at night, millions of tiny bits of furniture and a kitchen with plates and bowls. My mammy still to this day launches into a cold sweat when thinking of the Christmas Eve her and my daddy spent making the furniture and sticking the pattern on the plates – I think they had just gotten to bed when the three of us woke up and wanted to see if Santa had been – oh the joys of having children!!!

Well, this Barbie obsessed age still seems to be alive and kicking and Royal Caribbean have decided to try crack this lucrative market. They now offer the Barbie Premium Experience on board their ships on sailings of 5 days or longer. It’s aimed at children aged between 4 and 11 years and they ‘take to the waves in true Barbie style’. However, at $349 per child, it leaves me asking the question – Is it the ultimate experience it claims to be or is it just simply robbery on the high seas?

Before I looked into the experience in detail I thought “What mad, money burning, set of parents are going to fall for this gimmick?” It is surely madness after spending your hard earned money on the cruise itself that you would be expected to fork out $349 on a package for your daughter. So, I consulted the best, independent expert that I could think of – my mammy. I explained the package and all it entailed, the cost and the target audience. The final decision of ‘the mammy’ was that YES, if we were that age and the spare spondules were there for this, then yes, the package would be booked in a second. The peace and quiet it would have given her, as we were occupied with all things pink and sparkly, would have been worth its weight in gold.

So, it seems is actually is a good product, and it is quite a detail programme. Below are the things included with the package:

•  Barbie Stateroom Package – your stateroom is adorned in signature pink with take-home Barbie doll, accessories and more
• Tiaras and Teacups party – Enjoy treats while having fun learning tips on table etiquette.
• Mermaid Dance Class – Learn surf inspired moved from the hit movie Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2.
• Fashion Designer Workshop – Sketch and create your own unique designs for your Barbie doll
• Fashion Show – Walk the runway and unveil your original Barbie fashion creation

However, if the package is a bit out of your price bracket then don’t despair. Royal Caribbean have included some Barbie themed activities into their kids club program ‘Adventure Ocean Youth Program’. Young girls can enjoy complimentary Barbie features such as Barbie Movie Night, Barbie Story Time and other themed activities, plus Barbie movies on their stateroom TVs so your little princesses won’t miss out by you not booking the whole experience.