Norwegian Re-Brands Children and Teens Program

NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) has re-branded it's on-board kids and teen activity program. The details (including new program name) will be released in the coming months.

The new program will be launched next month on the Norwegian Gem - and eventually the entire NCI fleet will feature the new activities.

One of the main features about the new program is new age groups will be defined. The new groups will consist of 3-5 years; 6-8 years; 9-12 years and two groups of teens - 13-14 and 15-17. In addition to the new breakdown of these age groups, there will also be new programs for babies and toddlers 6 months old to 2 years.

The focus of the new program will be sporting activities, arts/crafts, theater and technology. Depending on the age group the activities will change every 30 to 60 minutes, and set within blocks of programming time in the morning, afternoon and evening.

New creative themes include circus day, theater/technology/sports and port of call day. NCI is teaming up with Cirque Du Jour is a company that specializes in teaching children real circus skills such as scarf juggling, ball juggling, plate spinning, clowning and acrobatics has also been hired. It will create circus workshops and shows. Family friendly events will include parades and scavenger hunts.

And the new programs expand beyond the dedicated children's facilities into other areas of the ships.Kids and teens will have new activity options at the on-board sports courts, rock walls, theaters and lounges.

In order to successfully implement these programs, NCI will increase the ratio of staff to children, as well as establish new criteria for hiring of counselors. Counselors will have to have a college degree in recreation or child care (or the equivalent experience).

 All the new programs will supplement the exclusive Nickelodeon family events, shows and activities that Norwegian already has on several ships: Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Jewel and, starting in mid-February, Norwegian Gem.

Nickelodeon activities include pool games, breakfast with the characters, where kids – and adults – can eat, sing and play with SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Patrick, Diego and more; Dora’s Dance Party, where kids can join Dora and the Nickelodeon cast to dance and sing along; meet and greets with Nickelodeon characters including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and many more.

In addition, there are also other family activities offered, including Nick Jr. story time, family trivia and special arts and crafts sessions.

Visit www.bookncl.com

New Disney Ship Fantasy Floated Out in Germany

The Disney Cruise Line's newest ship, the Disney Fantasy, has taken to the water for the first time.

The 2,500-passenger vessel on Sunday was floated out from a dry dock in Germany where it has been under construction for more than a year -- one of the last major milestones before its maiden voyage in March.

A sister to the much-heralded Disney Dream, which debuted last year, the 130,000-ton Disney Fantasy is arriving as the line gears up for a major expansion that includes its first cruises out of New York, Seattle and Galveston, Texas. The two new ships are Disney's first in more than a decade and together are more than doubling the line's capacity.

Read full article - New Disney cruise ship, Fantasy, floated out in Germany - USATODAY.com

Disney Cruise Line Children's Programs

Disney Cruise Line has announced a change in its popular kids programming that is sure to please parents -- children no longer will be grouped by age, but by the activities they choose to participate in.

While Disney will continue to recommend activities that appeal to specific maturity levels and ages, all offerings in the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab are open to children ages 3 to 12 on the Disney Wonder and ages 3 to 10 on the Disney Magic.

In addition to the obvious benefit of have a wider range of things to do, this change also makes planning easier for friends and extended families who vacation together and have children of different ages. That definitely would be a key point for my children and their cousins.

How could they not be excited by these possibilities with popular Disney characters?

- During the new Cinderella's Royal Ball, young guests can feel like royalty as Cinderella shows them how to be princes or princesses.

- So You Want to be a Pirate offers adventurous tales of the high seas, pirate training for young buccaneers, swashbuckling fun and a special appearance by Captain Hook.

- Children are immersed in the world of Disney- Pixar's Toy Story during Toy Story Boot Camp. Led by Corporal Green, toy recruits participate in interactive activities.
Other activities are hands-on sessions designed to appeal to children's sense of creativity and invention:

- In Ratatouille Cooking School, kids work together to bake tasty chocolate chip cookies.

- During the new Animal Tracking Series, children discover that conservation can be fun as they learn about endangered animals, create an animal tracking device and locate (plush) cotton-top tamarin monkeys using telemetry tracking on Castaway Cay.

- In Flubber, one of the most popular youth activities on Disney Cruise Line, children join Professor Goo in creating magical green goo and other interesting concoctions.

Other onboard youth activities include playful programs such as Mouseketeer Training and Little Einsteins for preschoolers; challenge-and solution-games like Stitch's Great Adventure and Detective School with Goofy.

High-action group activities such as Kim Possible, Cruise Control and The Challenge of Davy Jones; and unstructured free time to enjoy the youth areas, play on computers and spend time having fun with new friends.

And those are just the children-only offerings. Disney stage productions, family activities, first-run films in digital 3-D, poolside movies, deck parties, a family club and the Castaway Cay Family Beach provide even more opportunities for families to make memories together.