This was published 6 years ago
New cruise ship Norwegian Joy boasts 'first at sea' with go-karts and tea room
The Norwegian Joy is as much fun as it looks.
New ship: Norwegian Joy
Norwegian Cruise Line's newest colourful megaship, Norwegian Joy, is the line's first ship specifically designed for the Chinese market. It also boasts a host of "first at sea" features, including a go-kart racetrack on the top deck – something I was keen to test out when the ship was in Singapore ahead of its official debut in Shanghai later this month.
Go-karting after a generous lunch in the multicultural Food Republic with a bunch of Aussie travel agents was just as much fun as I'd imagined, even though I would have clocked up a faster time if Cruise 1st boss Carl Frier hadn't rammed me into the side of the 240-metre, zig-zag track. The go-karts look and sound like mini racing cars and go up to 30km/h – I'm sure it won't be long before this concept is adopted by other adventure-packed ships.
Another East meets West concept that could be incorporated into other ships is Norwegian Joy's lovely Tea Room. Here, a wide variety of loose China teas are served, in English bone china cups, along with traditional high-tea sandwiches, scones and cakes. Although you can indulge in afternoon tea on many ships, it seems that the tea culture doesn't percolate through to breakfast and room service. A jug of hot water and a couple of teabags doesn't really cut it – you'll get more varieties of sugar sachets than teabags, and please bring mugs as well as minuscule cups!
Back to Norwegian Joy – on our whistle-stop tour of the ship we checked out several more exciting new features. The karaoke booths would be a great addition to other ships, while the Galaxy Pavilion has eight different mind-bending activities: a simulated "walk the plank" experience, a simulated rollercoaster, actual bumper cars, a Star Wars cockpit simulator, simulated hang gliding, a real F1 racing car, a multi-player race game and a 4D cinema.
Other recreational facilities include an open-air laser tag complex, two aqua parks – one just for children – a rock-climbing wall, a chess and card room and the Serenity Park area, where we saw crew members leading a graceful tai chi session.
The ship offers a good mix of Eastern and Western cuisine in 28 restaurants, cafes and lounges. Some venues will be familiar to regular NCL cruisers – Cagneys Steakhouse, the Garden Cafe buffet, La Cucina and Le Bistro – while others specialise in Chinese, Japanese and Korean dishes.
Norwegian Joy will sail short itineraries to Japan from its home ports of Shanghai and Tianjin (Beijing) year round. see www.ncl.com.au[ncl.com.au].
MEET THE CREW
NAME Angus Wilkinson, from the UK
POSITION Customer services director, Princess Cruises' Sea Princess
MY JOB I lead a culturally diverse team to serve our passengers through consistent delivery of outstanding hotel services. I am responsible for customer service, financial control, logistics and directing our onboard retail partners.
A TYPICAL DAY… starts with a walk around the ship to ensure the guest areas are all presented correctly. I review upcoming logistics, port and passport requirements and on certain evenings I can be found at social cocktail parties or hosting a dinner table.
FAVOURITE CRUISE MOMENT Creating meaningful experiences that leave guests with a new perspective, a new friendship, a new story or a deeper appreciation of their loved ones.
FAVOURITE CRUISE PORT Venice, jewel of the Adriatic. You can feel the history seeping out of the stones.
INSIDER TIP Use the Future Cruise Booking deposit – it's only available onboard. It is 100 per cent refundable and includes onboard spending money and is active for two years.
TIP
Check if you require visas for your destinations well before your departure date; rules change and some visas can take a couple of weeks or more to organise.
NEWS
Irrawaddy adventure
Pandaw's latest adventure is a voyage to the heart of the Irrawaddy Delta, one of Myanmar's most fascinating regions. As well as fulfilling a long-held ambition of the adventure river-cruise company, this exciting new expedition marks the 10th anniversary of Pandaw's widely acclaimed humanitarian intervention in the aftermath of 2008's Cyclone Nargis. The new eight-day round-trip cruise from Rangon takes travellers to the home of the ancient Mon race – the country's "rice basket" – where you'll visit historic towns and villages, temples, churches and mosques set along broad waterways and labyrinthine channels. The first journey sets sail next year on March, 10, on board RV Katha Pandaw. The ship accommodates a maximum of 32 passengers; pre- and post-cruise stays can be arranged in Rangon. See www.pandaw.com.
Australian circumnavigation
Cruiseco has released bookings for 14- and 26-night segments of its historic 40-night Australian circumnavigation voyage on Ponant's luxury expedition ship L'Austral, which sets sail on January 25, 2018 from Sydney. The 14-night cruise is from Sydney to Fremantle, and includes three calls in Tasmania – Freycinet, Tamar Valley and King Island – SA's Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln, and Esperance, Albany and Busselton in WA. The 26-night sector starts at Fremantle on February 8 and calls at Geraldton, Turquoise Bay, Broome, Talbot Bay, Darwin, Wyndham, Yirrkala, Thursday Island, Cape York, Lizard Island, Port Douglas, Hamilton Island and Fraser Island before returning to Sydney on March 6. A specialist expedition crew will be on board to share their knowledge about history, wildlife, geology and marine biology.
See www.cruising.com.au.
More Majestic
Princess Cruises is adding two 14-day Grand Asia cruises between Shanghai and Singapore on its newest ship, the 3560-passenger Majestic Princess. The ship will visit Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand and include a late-night call in Hong Kong. The first cruise departs Shanghai on February 25, 2018 and the second departs Singapore on March 11, 2018. Launched in Europe in April, Majestic Princess will offer cruises in Europe and China before heading south to Sydney, where it will be home-ported from September 2018 to March 2019. It will sail 16 round-trip itineraries from Sydney, to the South Pacific, New Zealand and Tasmania. Golden Princess will be based in Melbourne for the 2018-19 season; Sea and Sun Princess are based in Australia year-round. See www.princess.com.
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Experience one of the world's most desirable destinations with Cruise Traveller's 11-night cruise/stay package to Iceland. After a night in Reykjavik, board the expedition-style 198-passenger ship Ocean Endeavour for a nine-night cruise that visits eight ports. Pristine fiords, spectacular volcanic landscapes and traditional fishing villages are among the highlights. It departs June 30, 2018; fares start from $4495, when booked by June 30, 2017. Phone 1800 507 777. See www.cruisetraveller.com.au.
MORE DEALS
APT Book select 2018 Magnificent Europe river cruises for March, April or October 2018 before June 30, 2017 and you can fly business class from Australia with Emirates from $2995. APT's 15-day Magnificent Europe is a classic itinerary sailing the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers between Amsterdam and Budapest; cruise fares start from $7695. Phone 1300 336 932. See www.aptouring.com.
CRUISE EXPRESS has special balcony-cabin fares for a six-night Melbourne Cup cruise on P&O Cruises' new Pacific Explorer. The round-trip departs Sydney on November 4, 2017, and features two nights docked in Melbourne where Cruise Express guests will receive free transfers, entry to Flemington Racecourse and a fully inclusive, VIP Winning Post package for the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, November 7. From $3990. Phone 1300 764 509. See www.cruiseexpress.com.au.
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