What do Starbucks espresso, Victoria’s Secret underwear, Swarovski crystals, Mary Frances purses and Man 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 reveals up on a ship as a part of a cruise line collaboration. I can consider many stellar at-sea partnerships through the years, and lots of of those alliances are nonetheless thriving. However when one celebration (or each) decides the connection has run its course, your favourite title manufacturers can disappear from cruise ships within the blink of a watch.
Whether or not you are feeling nostalgic or just questioning whether or not your favourite cruise line nonetheless has the present, restaurant or amenity you’re keen on, this is an inventory of 18 cruise partnerships which have come and gone.
For cruise information, opinions and suggestions, join TPG’s cruise publication.
Carnival Cruise Line
Rest room 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 mentioned he could not discover any data on whether or not the hampers had been an official partnership, however it’s seemingly Carnival was collaborating with some firm to supply them.
Hasbro
In 2011, as a part of its fleetwide “Enjoyable Ship 2.0” revamp, Carnival partnered with board recreation and toy producer Hasbro to create “Hasbro, the Recreation Present.” The stay on-stage model of common board video games — together with Join 4, Yahtzee and Operation — required viewers participation, and contestants competed to win prizes.
The partnership now not exists, however Carnival’s latest ships now supply a stay model of “Household Feud,” which pits two cruise households towards each other, very similar to the TV present.
Superstar Cruises
Canyon Ranch
In 2014, Superstar Cruises entered an settlement with swanky land-based spa Canyon Ranch. The deal added 10 Canyon Ranch SpaClub places to ships within the Superstar fleet, providing not solely normal massages and facials but in addition a whole battery of wellness choices that included health courses and reiki therapeutic.
Join our day by day publication
The partnership fizzled 5 years later; the road’s spas are presently run by OneSpaWorld (previously Steiner), which operates spas on most cruise strains’ vessels.
Cunard Line
Todd English
Superstar chef partnerships are frequent within the cruise trade. One of the 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.
Nonetheless, 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 switch the eatery with the Verandah on Queen Mary 2, ending the collaboration with English.
Holland America Line
America’s Check Kitchen
Holland America‘s partnership with America’s Check Kitchen — an actual kitchen the place cooks check and create for a half-hour tv present — kicked off in 2016. Cooks skilled by America’s Check Kitchen led stay cooking demonstrations and gave recommendation on the whole lot from procuring the proper cooking utensils to creating higher desserts. This system was provided on all ships besides Maasdam.
The road added new tutorials as just lately as 2019, however a consultant from the cruise line confirmed that Holland America now not has the team-up in place. Nonetheless, passengers who fancy themselves foodies can take a look at the road’s culinary-themed shore excursions, provided by means of a longstanding partnership with Meals & Wine journal.
O, The Oprah Journal
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 Journal.
All through the tenure of the now-defunct hyperlink between the 2 manufacturers, Oprah hosted a few themed voyages, together with the “Journey of Your Life” crusing and the “Ladies’ 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
Though MSC Cruises is not the one line to have joined forces with heady circus-meets-Broadway leisure model Cirque du Soleil, it’s the latest. The settlement started in 2013, when MSC began providing six custom-designed reveals throughout three Meraviglia-class ships.
In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cirque du Soleil declared chapter. It is unclear whether or not that affected its ties to MSC, however, as with Superstar 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 means 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. On the onboard outpost, passengers might 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 an alternative, put The Bake Store as a replacement. By 2016, the road’s contract with Valastro expired, and The Bake Store 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 reveals on board, however Norwegian wasn’t far behind. The checklist 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.
On the time of publication, “Six” and “Jersey Boys” had been nonetheless featured on some NCL ships, however the different three reveals have closed.
Nickelodeon
Almost 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 stay 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 recreation reveals.
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 Metropolis’s well-known synchronized dancers, The Rockettes, joined the ship for a sequence 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 now not in place.
Voli Vodka
In 2015, NCL broke with maritime custom by making rapper Armando Christian Perez, also called 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 industrial for Norwegian. His personal Voli Vodka model was additionally served on ships throughout the fleet for a time.
Perez will all the time be godfather to the ship, however Voli is now 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, due to 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 beneath the title Chocolate Journeys. It included choices like chocolate massages within the spa, desserts made with Norman Love chocolate and the possibility to buy his tasty artistic endeavors on board.
The partnership dwindled through the years, with the road phasing out bits of it till it lastly ended.
Royal Caribbean
DreamWorks
Within the quest for quirky godmothers, Royal Caribbean discovered Princess Fiona — an animated character from the DreamWorks film “Shrek” — and honored her with blessing Attract of the Seas throughout its 2010 christening. A DreamWorks collaboration adopted.
Favourite characters similar 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 “The best way to Practice Your Dragon” ice present within the Studio B onboard ice rinks.
The partnership lasted a formidable 9 years however led to 2019.
Seabourn Cruise Line
Charlie Palmer
One of many oldest and most longstanding movie star chef partnerships within the cruise trade was the collaboration between Charlie Palmer and Seabourn Cruise Line. In 2011, Palmer grew to become the luxurious line’s consulting govt 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.
Planning a cruise? Begin with these tales:
