Princess Cruises premieres 'Magic to Do' from award-winning composer of Wicked Stephen Schwartz
- Details
- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 11 October 2015 11 October 2015
Princess Cruises raised the curtain on a new musical revue titled Magic to Do, from the Oscar, Grammy and Tony award-winning composer of Wicked, Pippin and Godspell Stephen Schwartz. The show, a cruise industry first, premiered today aboard Crown Princess to rave reviews at a special event with Schwartz and the show’s creative team at the Port of Los Angeles.
Magic to Do, Schwartz’s first production for a cruise line, celebrates his lifelong fascination with magic and combines thrilling illusions with some of his most famous songs, such as Magic to Do from Pippin and Defying Gravity from Wicked. The show also includes a brand new song written exclusively for Princess called A Little Magic. Brought to life by a vibrant cast, imaginative costumes and make-up, stunning scenic designs and baffling illusions Magic to Do is now running in the Princess Theater aboard Crown Princess and debuts aboard Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess in late fall.
This new relationship with such a major creative talent from Broadway and Hollywood includes a multi-year collaboration to oversee the creative development of a total of four new musicals to debut across the fleet over the next several years. This adds to the cruise line’s “come back new” brand promise, designed to elevate the onboard guest experience resulting in more transformative moments, lifetime memories and meaningful stories to share from a cruise vacation.
“Working with Stephen and his creative team on this brand new show for Princess Cruises has been an incredible honor and such a collaborative effort with our entertainment team,” said Adrian Fischer, vice president, entertainment experience for Princess Cruises. “Magic to Do can only be seen on a Princess cruise and we’re thrilled to offer our guests this exclusive, musical, magical experience created by an award-winning team.”
During his 40-year entertainment career, Schwartz has won four Grammys, three Academy Awards for “Best Song” and “Best Score” for Pocahontas and “Best Song” for The Prince of Egypt and last year received the Isabelle Stevenson special Tony Award. He is the only songwriter in Broadway history ever to have three shows run more than 1,900 performances.
“Watching the vision of Magic to Do develop over the last several months into a unique theatrical experience has been both great fun and enormously gratifying for me. I’ve been waiting for a long time for a first-rate revue of my work, and I think this clever combination of my songs with virtually all the great magic illusions in history could finally be it,” said Stephen Schwartz. “My collaboration with the talented and highly professional team at Princess has achieved something I think is special and I hope guests join me in falling under its spell.”
Schwartz brought together a cadre of Broadway and Hollywood talent to support the production through direction and design, including:
– Don Frantz, associate producer of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, among many other Broadway and international accomplishments.
– Gabriel Barre, internationally acclaimed director whose credits include the national tour of Pippin and the current Broadway musical, Amazing Grace.
– Jeremy Railton, four-time Emmy winner whose extensive background in theatre, film, television and multi-media design includes the 2002 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies and the Academy Awards.
– Ken Billington, Tony award-winning lighting designer with nearly 100 Broadway show credits to his name, including Sweeney Todd and the current production of Chicago. He was recently inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
– Mark Hartman, award-winning music director with numerous Broadway credits including Sondheim on Sondheim, Avenue Q and the national tour of Pippin.
– Jennifer Paulson-Lee, choreographer with credits including Enter Laughing, the Musical, A Rockin’ Midsummer Night’s Dream, 101 Dalmatians and Seussical.
– Alex M. Calle, art director on Warner Brothers Theme UAE, Galaxy Entertainment Macau and award-winning Crane Dance project in Singapore.
– Dominique Lemieux, costume designer to Cirque du Soleil including Mystère, Alegría and A New Day with Celine Dion. She also designed the costumes for Pippin on Broadway.
– Danny Fiandaca, sound design, having worked on various tours and productions, including Come Fly Away (Broadway), Catch Me If You Can (First National Tour) and Lonesome Traveler (Los Angeles). He’s also been associated with Princess Cruises for more than 10 years.
– George Johnsen, media design and Grammy and Emmy award-winning developer of technologies for entertainment industry giants like Song and IBM, he also co-produced the hit sci-fi TV series Babylon 5.
In addition, Jim Steinmeyer, the mastermind behind many of the great magic illusions over the last 25 years, created the magic experience in Magic to Do. Steinmeyer has worked with some of the greatest magicians of all time including Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy and David Copperfield.
Theater Producer Jayson Raitt will be working closely with Schwartz and consulting on the creative development of the three additional shows.
Watch Magic to Do trailer here:
First South Pacific Cruise Forum to take place in Papeete
- Details
- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 10 October 2015 10 October 2015
In seven days, on October 16th and 17th will take place the very first South Pacific Cruise Forum in Papeete, the capital for French Polynesia, on the island of Tahiti.
Final enrolments are currently being registered by the organiser: the South Pacific Cruise Alliance already gathering American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, New Caledonia, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa and the Islands of Tahiti.
The conferences and round table sessions will be held in the prestigious setting of the French Polynesian Assembly, where cruise experiences and growth opportunities in the region will be discussed and exchanged. In addition to the 8 insular states and territories already mentioned, the attendees – nearly one hundred cruise specialists and professionals, Ports and Tourism authority representatives – will come from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Singapore.
The 2-days conference programme will be rich with speakers representing nearly twenty cruise lines and brands, among Holland America Line Group, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Carnival Australia, Ponant, Paul Gauguin Cruises and Aranui.
Ollivier Amaru, Chairman of SPCA, is really pleased and says: "it is a real giant step. The region is building up. Without immoderate pretension and complex, we finally have the opportunity to progressively add cohesion to the coherency of our actions, with the support and help of other regional organisations such as Cruise New Zealand. This Forum also reveals the consistency of our process. The South Pacific Islands are at the dawn of a great new maritime adventure."
At the intersection of three large source markets, the South Pacific Islands wish to take all the opportunities to maintain the necessary programmes for the development of the cruise industry in each of our destinations.
The South Pacific Cruise Forum is organised with the support of the Government of French Polynesia, the French Pacific Funds, the Assembly of French Polynesia and Cruise New Zealand, South Pacific Tourism Organisation, Tahiti Tourisme, Air Tahiti Nui and the Port Autonome de Papeete.
Liberty of the Seas to receive extensive makeover
- Details
- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 09 October 2015 09 October 2015
Royal Caribbean International is taking vacation adventures to the next level and giving Texans more to look forward to when the 3,634-guest Liberty of the Seas emerges from an extensive month-long dry dock in February 2016. The extensive bow-to-stern makeover will introduce a slew of Royal Caribbean firsts as well as guest favorites. Liberty will offer guests new adventures visiting Mexico and the Caribbean from the Port of Galveston.
During the dry dock Liberty will receive a Texas-like makeover and bring even more adventure onboard with the addition of the a collection of waterslides called the Perfect Storm including the first ever boomerang style slide at sea, Tidal Wave. The new slide features a steep drop that propels riders up a near vertical wall for a moment of weightlessness and into free fall. The Perfect Storm also features two new racer slides called Cyclone and Typhoon which will be located at the aft of the ship alongside the Flowrider surf simulator that was initially introduced on the Freedom class of ships. In addition, kids will have an adult-free zone with the introduction of Splashaway Bay, an aqua park featuring an interactive kid’s play area with water cannons, geysers and much more.
Liberty of the Seas guests also can look forward to an expanded lineup of tantalizing food options, including modern Mexican cuisine at Sabor featuring a mouthwatering menu of authentic, modern and unexpected Mexican dishes, such as Oaxacan Ceviche of Red Snapper or Spicy Chicken Flautas – to name a few. Sabor diners also can delight in customized guacamole and salsas, made tableside right in front of their eyes, as well as an assortment of tacos, quesadillas and burritos, all made with the freshest ingredients.
Guests also can enjoy Giovanni’s Table, an Italian trattoria featuring Italian classics served family style as well as sip on classic cocktails in the R Bar, featuring a sophisticated 1960s vibe, complete with iconic decor and signature cocktails mixed by a savvy and personable mixologist.
Guests can choose from an array of new stateroom options including 26 new Panoramic Ocean View staterooms, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass walls, providing guests with breathtaking, unobstructed views as well as an additional 53 staterooms throughout the ship.
Liberty of the Seas will sail seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries every Sunday from Galveston starting from November 2015, visiting exciting warm weather getaways in the Caribbean including: Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico; and Roatan, Honduras.
Industry veteran Zarmati joins Fathom
- Details
- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 09 October 2015 09 October 2015
Fathom, the pioneer in social impact travel and Carnival Corporation’s 10th and newest brand, has engaged 44-year cruise industry veteran Maurice Zarmati to work with the burgeoning company. Fathom, which provides a different kind of cruise that combines travelers’ love of travel with their desire to make a difference, will tap Zarmati’s extensive knowledge of the cruise industry to augment its already robust tools designed to support travel professionals in marketing this one-of-a-kind travel experience.
“Maurice has been a trusted advisor to Carnival Corporation and me for more than four decades, beginning in 1972 when my father invited Maurice to be among the small group of founding members of the Carnival Cruise Lines team,” said Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Corporation. “I look forward to Maurice’s wealth of industry expertise furthering the success of this new category of cruise being pioneered by Fathom.”
An award-winning, multilingual, seasoned expert who is part of the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame, Zarmati’s impressive career spans 40-plus years and includes executive-level positions with Carnival Cruise Lines and Costa Cruises. After retiring from his role as president and CEO of North America for Costa almost four years ago, Zarmati began providing consulting services to a range of cruise line companies and cruise industry suppliers, assisting with worldwide sales, marketing and passenger-traffic initiatives.
“Maurice was on the frontlines selling Carnival Cruise Lines when the company had just three ships and carried only 160,000 passengers a year, so he has an insider’s perspective on the exciting journey from start-up to industry-leading global venture,” said Arnold Donald, chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation. “His insight and relationships are a great addition to our Fathom team.”
According to Zarmati, working with the Fathom team is an exciting opportunity for him to apply his background and skills in new and different ways and make a positive difference in the world, as he helps market the unique Fathom experiences. “The Fathom team is doing something remarkable – it’s harnessing the assets and resources of the world’s largest travel and leisure company for the greatest possible transformative impact, globally. It is gratifying to be on the ground floor of building something that will for the first time provide travelers the opportunity to build community with like-minded travelers, become immersed in another culture, and work alongside its people to create enduring social impact,” said Zarmati.
“At our first meeting, I knew Maurice could be an incredible resource for Fathom,” said Tara Russell, president of Fathom and global impact lead for Carnival Corporation. “Maurice is well-known and highly respected throughout the cruise industry. His first-hand knowledge and multicultural expertise will complement our current programs supporting travel professionals who are selling Fathom to the passionate and growing number of travelers seeking mindful, purpose-driven experiences.”
Zarmati resides in Miami. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in foreign languages and literature and general and marketing management from the University of Miami.
Two Celebrity ships to undergo bold, new refresh
- Details
- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 09 October 2015 09 October 2015
Building on the multi-million dollar investment in previously "Solsticizing" its Millennium Class ships, now Celebrity Cruises is making even more upgrades to two of these ships, with a series of exciting refreshes that will elevate the modern luxury experience onboard. As the first cruise line to offer a spacious lawn of real, growing grass on the top decks of its ships, Celebrity will expand its lineup of modern, luxurious outdoor spaces this month, when Celebrity Infinity receives a new "Rooftop Terrace" venue – the first in Celebrity's fleet – during a scheduled drydock. Featuring chic, comfortable furniture and unique artistic elements, a large, outdoor film screen and stereo surround sound will highlight this space, which fuses movies with unique food experiences. The drydock work also will broaden Celebrity’s commitment to its Suite Class, with significant renovations to the ships' Penthouse and Royal Suites, and will include conversion of the ship's specialty restaurant to one of Celebrity's signature venues, Tuscan Grille. Celebrity Summit will follow with a similar scheduled drydock in March of 2016.
With modular furniture, a metal "garden-like" design, and cabanas, the new, multi-functional Rooftop Terrace will offer guests a relaxing, open space during the day. By night, the space will be illuminated by unique decorative lighting, and a large screen and soundscape will showcase movies and other entertainment. Rounding out the unique outdoor experience will be a variety of specially curated food options available for purchase and presented in unique serving vessels, inspired by the entertainment content, the destination, or the occasion. The Rooftop Terrace will be on the 12th deck of the ship, at the aft end. The Rooftop Terrace will officially open on December 5, 2015.
"The Rooftop Terrace is a brand-new way to enjoy the great outdoors on a modern luxury vacation," said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President & CEO, Celebrity Cruises. "The popularity of our Lawn Club venues has shown us that some of the richest moments our guests enjoy are when relaxing in beautiful outdoor spaces. In creating the Rooftop Terrace, we wanted to create a hot spot where guests can kick back under the stars in the middle of the ocean, with amazing entertainment and food."
As part of the $16 million refresh plan, Celebrity is investing heavily in its Suite Class experience on Celebrity Infinity and Celebrity Summit, as every Penthouse and Royal Suite will receive new glimmering fixtures, marble surfaces, and comfortable seats in the bathrooms. The rest of the suite will get refreshing touches like new carpeting, drapes, and bed linens.
"We want these suites to be so luxurious and comfortable that it's difficult for guests to leave at the end of their vacation," Lutoff-Perlo said. "We want the entire ship to turn heads."
Conversion of Celebrity Infinity' S.S. United States restaurant to Tuscan Grille, Celebrity's popular, Mediterranean-inspired steakhouse that debuted on its Solstice Class ships, will include complete refinishing of the space and the introduction of a refreshed menu designed to tantalize, including fresh pasta made in-house; an Italian cocktail menu, a first for Tuscan Grille; a wine list focused on the wine-growing regions of Italy; and new foods like artisanal salumi and cheeses; crispy crab arancini with lemon pepper aioli; grilled branzino with spinach and olive oil; swordfish with Castelvetrano olives, fennel and white wine; and oven-roasted USDA Prime dry-aged steak. Guests who are currently booked in the S.S. United States for sailings beginning on October 29, 2015 or later, will be given the first opportunity to cancel their reservations in order to rebook in Tuscan Grille. On Celebrity Summit, The Normandie will be converted into Tuscan Grille. Guests who are currently booked in The Normandie for sailings beginning on March 19, 2016 or later, will also have first dibs on reservations in Tuscan Grille.
On Celebrity Infinity, the maritime artifacts in the S.S. United States will be featured in a special display area in the casino's entry vestibule. Items include charts, maps, an original place setting, a ship model, and more. On Celebrity Summit's Normandie also features numerous artifacts that will be preserved and displayed in a special area onboard. These include photographs, artistic works, a ship model, and more.
Additional work taking place onboard both ships will include:
– The addition of an enclosed portrait studio similar to that found on Celebrity's Solstice Class ships, Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Equinox
– The creation of a new future cruise sales office, where guests can take advantage of special offers
– A refresh of the Solarium, with new furniture, new floors, and refinished pool tops, and a refresh of finishes in the spa café
– The removal of the themed décor in the ship's casino
Celebrity Infinity enters drydock on October 15 and will emerge on October 29, 2015, before sailing several Panama Canal itineraries leading up to December 5. Then, Celebrity Infinity will begin its South America season, which will be followed by an Alaska season beginning in May 2016. Celebrity Summit will sail 7-night Southern Caribbean itineraries this winter, both before and after her drydock from February 27 to March 12, 2016, before heading to Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey in April, for her summer season of 7-night cruises to Bermuda. Both drydocks will take place at Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas.
More Articles ...
