Expanded Options and Services Provide Guests with
Even More Exciting Choices Among the Nearly 1,200
Unique Landside Experiences Offered by the Line Each
Year
MIAMI, July 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Cruise Line has dramatically expanded its shore excursion
offerings, adding exclusive new landside experiences and customized
private tours, as well as new family-friendly enhancements,
including fun complimentary beachside activities, value pricing and
free tours in select ports for children under age five.
The new options build upon Carnival's leadership position in the
shore excursion arena, with nearly 1,200 unique landside
experiences offered by the line in more than 50 ports of call
throughout the Caribbean,
Mexico, Hawaii, Bahamas, Canada, New England, and Central and
South America.
"Shore excursions are an important part of the Carnival vacation
experience and we've gone to great lengths to provide our guests
with even more choices and offer families unique value-added
services and pricing options that are exclusive to Carnival," said
Erika Tache, Carnival's director of product development.
Exclusive 'Only-On-Carnival' Tour Options In Select Caribbean
Ports
For those who want to create unforgettable vacation
memories in their own tropical paradise, Carnival now offers
exclusive tours that not only include amenities like access to
luxurious private villas but also unique enrichment activities that
allow guests to fully immerse themselves in local culture and
cuisine. The new tours include:
- La Casa en la Playa (Cozumel) – Recently named Carnival's "Tour
of the Year," this five-hour-long tour offers an exclusive luxury
experience limited to 30 participants with access to a beach house
with five-star service for the day, complete with a personal chef
and wait staff. Participants can also learn how to cook authentic
Mexican cuisine, make refreshing Margaritas and mojitos, or simply
relax on a white-sand beach while enjoying pampering and attentive
service.
- Eat, Drink & Dance (Ocho
Rios) – This tour is definitely on "island time,"
designed to please guests' palates and awaken their senses through
Jamaica's unique food, music and
culture. After savoring spicy samples at a traditional jerk hut,
guests enjoy a delicious meal at Miss T's Kitchen which was
featured on Guy Fieri's Family
Vacation on Food Network. The day continues with a visit to a
beachside bar where mixologists create hand-crafted Jamaican rum
cocktails and concludes with a spirited reggae dance lesson.
- Jamaican Home for the Day (Ocho
Rios) – Just like the name implies, this day-long tour
offers guests their own Jamaican home for a day where they can
relax, kick off their shoes, and enjoy a fantastic home-cooked
island lunch in their own private paradise. The tour also includes
full use of the expansive property which features a beautiful
secluded beach where guests can enjoy refreshing frozen daiquiris
and other rum-infused cocktails.
- Photo Safari & Beach Expedition (Cozumel) -- Taking place over the course
of two days, the tour begins with a one-hour photo seminar on board
led by the ships' photographers who offer tips on camera equipment,
lighting, photo composition and more. The tour continues the
following day with a visit to gorgeous Mexican beaches and a
national park where participants are offered an informative
hands-on demonstration to "Capture the Moments that Matter."
- Eat, Drink & Walk (St. Thomas) – This self-described
"walking culinary/culture tour" begins with a drive through the
lush countryside to St. Peter Mountain Great House & Botanical
Gardens, home to diverse plant and animal life and an observation
level where guests can see the 15 islands that comprise the
Virgin Islands chain. Participants
can sample 24 different island rums as they learn how to make
banana daiquiris and nosh on island-inspired food like saltfish,
plantains, jonny cakes and West Indian pumpkin soup.
New Family-Friendly Services and Tours
Carnival is
offering new "family friendly" shore excursion options in ports
throughout the Caribbean,
Bahamas and Mexico, with tours offered at multiple price
points to provide parents the ultimate in flexibility, value and
convenience. Children age five and under receive
complimentary beach excursions with their parents' paid tour.
Sample excursions include:
- Family Beach Escape (Freeport) – Designed with all-ages appeal,
this tour begins with an air-conditioned ride to a breathtaking
beachside resort. Here, under the watchful eye of trained youth
specialists, kids can enjoy such activities as sandcastle-making
competitions, treasure hunts and face-painting while parents can
relax under oversized umbrellas and sip a cool tropical drink.
Lunch is included and water toys, paddle boats, kayaks and other
watercraft are available for rent.
- Island Beach Escape for Families by Power Catamaran
(Cozumel) – After an
exhilarating power catamaran ride, families arrive at Passion
Island, which boasts white-sand beaches and clear turquoise waters
along with full resort facilities with plentiful beach chairs and
hammocks. Guests of all ages can enjoy volleyball, water
trampolines and pedal boats, while kids get their own special
beachside play area. A Mexican-style buffet with guacamole, grilled
mahi-mahi and a kids' menu is included in the price.
- Family Treasure Hunt with
Lunch at Blue Lagoon (Nassau)
– Families are sure to have a blast during this fun-filled
adventure where participants must discover hidden treasures,
collect clues and answer trivia questions on their journey to win
the Pirate's Bounty! After their plunder, families can soak up the
sun on a stunning powdery beach as they enjoy a grilled lunch and
icy beverages at Blue Lagoon Island, one of the top destinations in
The Bahamas.
- All Inclusive Family Beach Resort Getaway (Montego Bay) – Hosted at the
Mediterranean-inspired Seawinds Beach Club, one of Jamaica's premier oceanfront properties that
is home to magnificent beaches and world-class amenities, this tour
includes lively island entertainment, along with a complimentary
buffet lunch and drinks. When it's time to cool off, families can
take a dip in the ocean or one of the many on-property pools and
enjoy fun water sports like sailing, snorkeling and kayaking.
Well-staffed beachside excursions provide families with extra
assistance with services such as stroller storage as well as hosted
fun activities like beachside games, and arts and crafts, along
with play areas and water slides and toys, all available on a
complimentary basis. Offered in all of Carnival's Caribbean ports, the new activities are
designed to keep kids entertained while offering parents some
much-needed "we" time.
Unique Valued-Added Options
For guests seeking a more
authentic landside experience, there are exclusive private tours –
operated via custom motor coaches, sailboats, yachts, and even
helicopters – that take guests on off-the-beaten-path excursions
tailored to the guests' specific preferences. These
excursions showcase non-traditional sightseeing sites typically not
available to other guests, all under the guidance of an experienced
local who provides an "up close and personal" view of the
destination.
And with Carnival's new on-board lounge tour dispatch system,
tour operators come on board to meet shore excursion participants
and tours depart from a shipboard venue versus the previous method
of tour operators assembling large groups of guests on the pier,
thus providing a more streamlined, organized and expedited
departure. Carnival is the only cruise operator in the
Caribbean to have local tour
operators involved with this enhanced service option.
Industry-Leading Programs and Offerings
All of these
new offerings complement Carnival's industry-leading programs such
as the Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee. The only one of
its kind in the cruise industry, the program provides a 110 percent
refund in the form of a shipboard credit should consumers find a
better price on a similar tour, providing much-needed peace of mind
knowing that they're getting the best price.
Each of Carnival's 24 ships also offers a dedicated shore
excursion desk with highly trained and experienced staff members
who can recommend particular tours and answer any questions guests
may have. Shore excursion personnel also personally experience the
wide array of landside options in every port and obtain feedback
from guests to strive for continuous improvement in the line's
shore excursion choices.
Carnival has also revamped the shore excursion section of its
web site to include a greater variety of photos and videos,
enhanced navigation and on-line reservations for both desktop and
mobile devices, as well as guest-written reviews of the various
options ashore.
For additional information and reservations, contact any travel
agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.
Carnival can also be found on:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/carnivalcruise
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/carnival
YouTube: www.youtube.com/carnival
Instagram: www.instagram.com/carnival
Journalists also can visit Carnival's media site,
www.carnival-news.com or follow the line's PR department on Twitter
at www.twitter.com/CarnivalPR.
About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival, a unit of
Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The
World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 24 ships operating three-
to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas,
Caribbean, Mexican Riviera,
Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, Australia, New
Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The company currently
has two 133,500-ton ships on order - Carnival Vista, scheduled to
enter service in 2016, and an as-yet-unnamed vessel set to debut in
2018.
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SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line