Cruise Ships through the years

It was 30 years ago that my husband and I took our first cruise, on a Carnival ship out of Miami. We visited Key West and Cozumel during our 5-day sailing. I don’t remember the name of the ship, although Dave tells me we had a cabin with a window, not a balcony. It didn’t matter. We were cruising, enjoying the whole experience—the dinners, the onboard pool, the shows, and yes, even the breakfast buffet. Those were the early days of global cruising—remember Kathie Lee Gifford singing in Carnival’s TV ads?—and it looked like the next big thing in vacationing.

            It sure was. Back in 1994, only about 5 million passengers boarded cruise liners. This year, projected numbers reach 35 million. Companies like Carnival have absorbed smaller lines and created new, innovative ships that are designed to give passengers not only exotic itineraries, but incredible onboard experiences. Royal Caribbean and Carnival are neck-and-neck in the number of passengers carried per year, at about 2.6 million each. Now, the race for passengers is not about the places the ships will visit, but the ships themselves. Princess Cruises, a Carnival subsidiary, has introduced something designed to give passengers a magical experience on board—literally.

            Travel Weekly’s Andrea Zalinski recently wrote about her sailing on the Sun Princess, one of the signature vessels of Princess Cruises. She was one of the first to take part in Spellbound, the newest specialty venue offered by the line. Created in conjunction with Magic Castle, a private club in Hollywood for magicians and magic enthusiasts, Spellbound “envelops guests in an early- to mid-20^th-century place, time and mindset with the help of a specialty dinner, creative drinks and magic.” Guests who get reservations—which go fast, since only thirty are allowed in at a time—are asked to wear cocktail attire. They begin the evening in a secluded area of the Horizons dining room, with a menu not featured anywhere else on board. Following dinner, guests are led to a black door. Behind the door is Spellbound.

            When they’re allowed in, guests begin an immersive experience that includes several rooms, specialty drinks like the Artemis, served in a golden owl, and Escape from Houdini’s Chest, a cinnamon-and-strawberry-infused vodka drink with St-Germain and lime that has to be retrieved from a smoking box. The rooms feature décor based on the Magic Castle itself. At the bar, a magician performs card tricks. In the library, visitors can actually be “shushed” by the books if they’re talking too loudly. Each room features different treasures that can be explored by guests, including a rotary telephone that might just have someone else on the line if you pick up.

            The evening concludes in the theater with a magic show heavy with audience participation. For Zalinski’s cruise, the magician asked a guest to call a friend who was elsewhere on the ship. Once the friend was on the line, the magician instructed the guest to tell the friend to think of a specific card in the deck and keep it to herself. Moments later, the magician announced the friend was thinking of the queen of hearts, which the astonished friend confirmed over the phone.

            Magic Castle supplies all the magicians who work at Spellbound, and the cast will rotate every few cruises. Many of them have been learning their trade at Magic Castle since childhood, and it shows in their performances. That’s just one way Princess has been going all-out to make Spellbound one of the signature guest experiences on any cruise line.

            Currently the experience is by reservation only at $149 per person, with children aged 13 and up permitted. There are three shows per evening except on embarkation day. The line eventually plans to open a Sunday brunch experience that will allow younger visitors.

            Early indications are that Spellbound is a big hit for Princess, yet another entry into the rapidly growing world of onboard passenger experiences that run the gamut from go-karts and laser tag to old-school arcades and virtually anything in between. Ready to get out there and experience it yourself? Give us a call and start packing!