CRUISE NEWS: Carnival opening vault, splurging on ship upgrades

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UNDATED -- Comedian George Lopez (left) and Chef Guy Fieri in New York. (Photo courtesy Carnival Cruise Lines) (POSTMEDIA)

FOR the past couple of years, cruise lines have been modernizing their fleets, in some cases based on the success of their newest ships. Now Carnival is opening the vault and splurging on its most ambitious fleet modernization ever.

There's $500 million to be spent by Carnival between now and 2015. Most of the ships will receive the planned full treatment, while some -- including Carnival's Glory, Conquest, Freedom and Valor -- will receive some new features.

Keeping with today's technical jargon, the whole upgrade is called Fun Ship 2.0.

Guy Fieri, the blond, spike-haired wild man of Food Network fame, is part of the upgrade, as is funnyman George Lopez. While there are lots of changes, the major improvements are going to be in the area of food, entertainment and bars.

New on the casual food side is Fieri's creation, Guy's Burger Joint, with hand-cut fries and oversized burgers highlighting the menu. Burritos and tacos will contribute Mexican flavours at the BlueIguana Cantina, which is located poolside. Both are included in your cruise ticket.

Lopez has been given the title of Curator of Comedy for Carnival. Not sure the word "curator" cuts it when it comes to the politically incorrect -- and funny -- Lopez. George's job is to punch up the Punchliner Comedy Club, and introduce a comedy brunch in the main dinning room.

DJ Irie, who is apparently the king of his craft in Miami and Las Vegas, has been put in charge of upgrading the skills of the Carnival's DJs.

Gerry Cahill, the laid-back CEO of Carnival, said the mix fits with the theme of Carnival: "We're fun and we're social".

Anyone who plays video sports games knows the name EA when it comes to sports gaming entertainment. The sports bar will be branded EA SPORTS and will feature video games, live sports on a video wall, ticker tape with real-time sports scores around the clock, as well as video tournaments and trivia contests. If you're a sports junkie, just call this your own little playpen.

The RedFrog Pub, which turned out to be a hit on the Carnival Magic, gets a new name and a new location. The RedFrog Rum Bar will now be located poolside.

Other places to imbibe will be the Library Bar, with a self-serve wine system, and the Alchemy Bar, where you can mix your own drinks on an electronic tablet.

The main showroom entertainment steps it up a notch with the playlist re-tooling all their revue shows. The promise is that leading producers, choreographers and directors from Broadway and London's West End will have a hand in developing those shows.

The first ship with all the new looks and promises will be the Carnival Liberty. It rolls out of drydock later this month.

Last week, I told you about cruise lines Azamara and Royal Caribbean and their plans to allow you to stay on the ship longer on disembarkation day -- for a fee. Celebrity has announced it's also going to offer the service while sailing in Europe. The price, which includes goodies like lunch and the service, will cost you $59.

And finally, NCL's newest ship, Breakaway -- launching in 2013 -- will start taking bookings on Monday, Oct. 17, at ncl.com.

Visit portsandbows.com for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Phil can be contacted directly at portsandbows@gmail.com.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 12, 2011 D6