What do Starbucks espresso, Victoria’s Secret lingerie, Swarovski crystals, Mary Frances purses and Guy Fieri burgers have in frequent? They’ve all made appearances on cruise ships.
As a retail remedy lover, I take pleasure in nothing greater than when a favourite model exhibits up on a ship as a part of a cruise line collaboration. I can consider many stellar at-sea partnerships over time, and lots of of those alliances are nonetheless thriving. But when one celebration (or each) decides the connection has run its course, your favourite identify manufacturers can disappear from cruise ships within the blink of an eye fixed.
Whether you are feeling nostalgic or just questioning whether or not your favourite cruise line nonetheless has the present, restaurant or amenity you like, here is an inventory of 18 cruise partnerships which have come and gone.
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Carnival Cruise Line
Bathroom reward baskets
For years, Carnival Cruise Line put small amenity baskets within the bogs of all cabins on its ships. They included pattern sizes of brand-name toiletries, together with shampoo, conditioner and even razors. It was a pleasant contact, however the baskets had been phased out someday within the early 2010s.
A Carnival consultant stated he could not discover any info on whether or not the hampers had been an official partnership, but it surely’s seemingly Carnival was collaborating with some firm to supply them.
Hasbro
In 2011, as a part of its fleetwide “Fun Ship 2.0” revamp, Carnival partnered with board sport and toy producer Hasbro to create “Hasbro, the Game Show.” The dwell on-stage model of fashionable board video games — together with Connect 4, Yahtzee and Operation — required viewers participation, and contestants competed to win prizes.
The partnership not exists, however Carnival’s latest ships now supply a dwell model of “Family Feud,” which pits two cruise households towards each other, very similar to the TV present.
Celebrity Cruises
Canyon Ranch
In 2014, Celebrity Cruises entered an settlement with swanky land-based spa Canyon Ranch. The deal added 10 Canyon Ranch SpaClub areas to ships within the Celebrity fleet, providing not solely normal massages and facials but in addition a complete battery of wellness choices that included health lessons and reiki therapeutic.
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The partnership fizzled 5 years later; the road’s spas are at the moment run by OneSpaWorld (previously Steiner), which operates spas on most cruise traces’ vessels.
Cunard Line
Todd English
Celebrity chef partnerships are frequent within the cruise business. One of essentially the most notable was Cunard Line‘s affiliation with American chef Todd English, who opened his first at-sea restaurant in 2004 on Queen Mary 2. A second location adopted on Queen Victoria.
However, in 2010, the road’s then-new ship Queen Elizabeth debuted with out the venue. By 2013, the one on Queen Victoria had been changed with The Verandah, a throwback to the road’s unique onboard eating places. By late 2015, the road additionally determined to exchange the eatery with the Verandah on Queen Mary 2, ending the collaboration with English.
Holland America Line
America’s Test Kitchen
Holland America‘s partnership with America’s Test Kitchen — an actual kitchen the place cooks take a look at and create for a half-hour tv present — kicked off in 2016. Chefs educated by America’s Test Kitchen led dwell cooking demonstrations and gave recommendation on every thing from procuring the proper cooking utensils to creating higher desserts. The program was supplied on all ships besides Maasdam.
The line added new tutorials as not too long ago as 2019, however a consultant from the cruise line confirmed that Holland America not has the team-up in place. However, passengers who fancy themselves foodies can try the road’s culinary-themed shore excursions, supplied by means of a longstanding partnership with Food & Wine journal.
O, The Oprah Magazine
When Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam started crusing in 2019, media mogul Oprah Winfrey served as its godmother. She bestowed the cruise line together with her blessing and a partnership with O, The Oprah Magazine.
Throughout the tenure of the now-defunct hyperlink between the 2 manufacturers, Oprah hosted a few themed voyages, together with the “Adventure of Your Life” crusing and the “Girls’ Getaway Cruise,” each of which gave passengers entry to editors from the journal, in addition to authors and motivational audio system.
MSC Cruises
Cirque du Soleil
Although MSC Cruises is not the one line to have joined forces with heady circus-meets-Broadway leisure model Cirque du Soleil, it’s the newest. The settlement started in 2013, when MSC began providing six custom-designed exhibits throughout three Meraviglia-class ships.
In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cirque du Soleil declared chapter. It’s unclear whether or not that affected its ties to MSC, however, as with Celebrity Cruises’ Cirque du Soleil partnership, which dissolved in 2005, MSC’s isn’t any extra.
Eataly
When MSC Preziosa, the third of MSC’s 4 Fantasia-class vessels, splashed onto the scene in 2012, it debuted with Eataly-branded eating places on board. The trifecta of eateries — an Italian restaurant, a steakhouse and a pizza venue — additionally made their manner onto MSC Divina and MSC Meraviglia.
MSC Seaside was additionally slated to deal with the choice eating choices, however the partnership ended earlier than the ship started crusing in late 2017.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Carlo’s Bakery
With the rollout of its first Breakway-class ship in 2013, Norwegian Cruise Line introduced a number of improvements and new affiliations to the excessive seas, together with a branded mini-version of Carlo’s Bakery of “Cake Boss” fame. At the onboard outpost, passengers may buy truffles, cupcakes and pastries made utilizing Buddy Valastro’s recipes.
In 2015, Norwegian Encore, the road’s first Breakaway Plus-class vessel, emerged from the shipyard with out Carlo’s and, as a substitute, put The Bake Shop as a replacement. By 2016, the road’s contract with Valastro expired, and The Bake Shop changed Carlo’s on Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway.
‘Kinky Boots,’ ‘Legally Blonde’ and ‘Rock of Ages’
In 2011, Royal Caribbean was the primary cruise line to carry Broadway exhibits on board, however Norwegian wasn’t far behind. The record of titles it has hosted is spectacular and consists of “Kinky Boots,” which opened on Norwegian Encore in 2019; “Legally Blonde,” which made its at-sea debut on Norwegian Getaway in 2014; and “Rock of Ages,” which had a run on Norwegian Breakaway starting in 2013.
At the time of publication, “Six” and “Jersey Boys” had been nonetheless featured on some NCL ships, however the different three exhibits have closed.
Nickelodeon
Nearly a decade in the past, kid-favorite model Nickelodeon joined up with Norwegian to supply youngsters’s programming on 5 of the road’s vessels. The ships featured dwell character appearances with the likes of SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, themed miniature golf and water park areas, a few theme cruises hosted by stars from Nickelodeon TV applications and, in fact, slime as a part of onboard sport exhibits.
The link-up lasted 5 years, from 2010 by means of 2015, when the pair parted methods.
The Rockettes
Following their stint as co-godmothers of Norwegian Breakaway in 2013, New York City’s well-known synchronized dancers, The Rockettes, joined the ship for a collection of sailings on which they carried out.
The unique deal was for The Rockettes to affix the vessel’s first six sailings, adopted by the primary crusing of every month after that. The partnership, which additionally included issues like Rockettes-themed exercises within the ship’s health heart, is not in place.
Voli Vodka
In 2015, NCL broke with maritime custom by making rapper Armando Christian Perez, often known as Pitbull, the godfather of Norwegian Escape — the primary godfather of a cruise ship. As a part of the joint effort, Pitbull shot an onboard video for his tune “Freedom,” which was half TV business for Norwegian. His personal Voli Vodka model was additionally served on ships throughout the fleet for a time.
Perez will at all times be godfather to the ship, however Voli is not discovered at bars on board.
Princess Cruises
Norman Love Confections
Cruising and indulgence go hand in hand, which is why a partnership between Princess Cruises — recognized for being the romantic cruise line, because of its ties to TV present “The Love Boat” — and chocolatier Norman Love made whole sense. The link-up started in 2014, showing on ships throughout the Princess fleet below the identify Chocolate Journeys. It included choices like chocolate massages within the spa, desserts made with Norman Love chocolate and the prospect to buy his tasty artworks on board.
The partnership dwindled over time, with the road phasing out bits of it till it lastly ended.
Royal Caribbean
DreamWorks
In the hunt for quirky godmothers, Royal Caribbean discovered Princess Fiona — an animated character from the DreamWorks film “Shrek” — and honored her with blessing Allure of the Seas throughout its 2010 christening. A DreamWorks collaboration adopted.
Favorite characters corresponding to Shrek and King Julien from “Madagascar” danced down the Royal Promenade throughout parades on a handful of its vessels. Passengers loved themed performances, together with a “Madagascar” present on the AquaTheater on Oasis-class ships and a “How to Train Your Dragon” ice present within the Studio B onboard ice rinks.
The partnership lasted a formidable 9 years however resulted in 2019.
Seabourn Cruise Line
Charlie Palmer
One of the oldest and most longstanding superstar chef partnerships within the cruise business was the collaboration between Charlie Palmer and Seabourn Cruise Line. In 2011, Palmer grew to become the luxurious line’s consulting government chef and led the cost to create an upscale eating expertise for passengers.
Palmer and Seabourn parted methods in 2011 after a decade of working collectively.
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