Nickelodeon, Cirque du Soleil and 16 more brands you won’t find on cruise ships anymore

What do Starbucks coffees, Victoria’s Secret lingerie, Swarovski crystals, Mary Frances wallets and Guy Fieri burgers have in common? They all showed up on the cruise ship.

As a lover of retail therapy, I love nothing more than when a favorite brand shows up on a ship as part of a yacht collaboration. I can think of many outstanding partnerships at sea over the years, and many of these are still thriving. But when one party (or both) decides that the relationship is on the right track, your favorite big-name brands can disappear from cruise ships in a flash.

Whether you’re feeling nostalgic or simply wondering if your favorite cruise line still has the shows, restaurants or amenities you love, here’s a list of 18 cruise partners. Boats have come and gone.

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For several years, Festival cruise line placed comfortable small baskets in the bathrooms of all cabins on board the airline. These include sample sizes of branded toiletries, including shampoos, conditioners, and even razors. It’s a nice touch, but the baskets were scrapped at times in the early 2010s.

A Carnival representative said he couldn’t find any information on whether these baskets are an official partnership, but it’s likely that Carnival is working with several companies. to provide them.

Hasbro

In 2011, as part of a fleet-wide “Fun Ship 2.0” revamp, Carnival teamed up with toy and board game maker Hasbro to create “Hasbro, Game Show”. Live stage versions of popular board games — including Connect 4, Yahtzee, and Operation — require audience participation and contestants competing for prizes.

The partnership no longer exists, but Carnival’s newest ships now offer a live version of “Family Feud,” pitting two yachting families against each other, much like the TV show.

In 2014, Celebrity signed an agreement with the onshore Canyon Ranch spa farm. The deal added 10 more Canyon Ranch SpaClub locations to ships in the Celebrity fleet that not only offer standard massages and facials, but also offer a full range of wellness options. Wellness classes include fitness classes and reiki healing.

The partnership went up in smoke 5 years later; The route’s spas are currently operated by OneSpaWorld (formerly Steiner), the company that operates the spas on most of the cruise line’s ships.

Celebrity chef partnerships are common in the yachting industry. One of the most remarkable is The Cunard . SeriesHis relationship with American chef Todd English, who opened his first oceanfront restaurant in 2004 on Queen Mary 2. The second location was followed by Queen Victoria.

However, in 2010, the airline’s new ship Queen Elizabeth launched without a venue. By 2013, the one on Queen Victoria was replaced by The Verandah, a throwback to the line’s original onboard restaurants. At the end of 2015, the restaurant also decided to replace the restaurant with Verandah on Queen Mary 2, ending its cooperation with English.

Netherlands US route

America’s Test Kitchen

Netherlands USAMy partnership with America’s Test Kitchen — a real kitchen where chefs experiment and create for a half-hour TV show — began in 2016. America’s Test Kitchen-trained chefs Creator leads live cooking demonstrations and offers advice on everything from buying the right cookware to making desserts better. The program is offered on all ships except the Maasdam.

The airline added new guidelines in 2019, but a cruise line representative confirmed that Holland America is no longer partnering with the group. However, food-loving passengers can check out the airline’s food-themed shore excursions, offered through a long-standing partnership with Food & Wine magazine.

O, Oprah Magazine

When the Netherlands’ Nieuw Statendam set sail in 2019, media mogul Oprah Winfrey acted as its godmother. She has blessed the cruise line and partnered with O, Oprah Magazine.

During the tenure of the now defunct link between the two brands, Oprah organized a number of themed rides, including the “The Adventures of Your Life” and “Excursions” sailing trips. for girls”, both give passengers access to editors from the magazine, as well as authors and motivational speakers.

MSC Cruises

Circus du Soleil

In spite of MSC Cruises It’s not the only company to partner with popular circus-meet-and-broadway entertainment brand Cirque du Soleil, it’s the most recent. The agreement began in 2013, when MSC began delivering six tailor-made performances aboard three Meraviglia-class ships.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cirque du Soleil declared bankruptcy. It’s unclear if that would affect its relationship with MSC, but as with Celebrity Cruises’ Cirque du Soleil partnership, which dissolved in 2005, MSC is no longer available.

Eataly

When MSC Preziosa, the third of four of MSC’s Fantasia-class ships, arrived in 2012, it debuted with Eataly-branded restaurants on board. The trio of eateries — an Italian restaurant, a steakhouse and a pizzeria — also make their way to MSC Divina and MSC Meraviglia.

MSC Seaside was also expected to offer alternative dining options, but the partnership ended before the ship began sailing in late 2017.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Carlo’s Bakery

With the deployment of the first Breakway class in 2013, Norwegian Cruise Line has brought a number of enhancements and new branches to the high seas, including a branded mini version of Carlo’s Bakery of the famous “Cake Master”. At the ship’s outpost, passengers can purchase cakes, cupcakes and pastries made with Buddy Valastro’s recipe.

In 2015, Norway’s Encore, the firm’s first Breakaway Plus class ship, emerged from the shipyard without Carlo’s, and The Bake Shop took its place instead. By 2016, its contract with Valastro expired and The Bake Shop replaced Carlo’s on Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway.

‘Kinky Boots’, ‘Legally Blonde’ and ‘Rock of Ages’

In 2011, Royal Caribbean was the first cruise line to bring shows on board, but Norwegian is no less. The list of titles it has archived is impressive and includes “Kinky Boots”, which opened on Norway’s Encore in 2019; “Legally Blonde”, which debuted at sea on Norwegian Getaway in 2014; and “Rock of Ages”, which aired on Norwegian Breakaway starting in 2013.

At the time of publication, “Six” and “Jersey Boys” were still showing on some NCL ships, but three other shows had closed.

Nickelodeon

Nearly a decade ago, children’s favorite Nickelodeon brand partnered with Norway to offer children’s programming on five of its ships. The ships feature appearances from live characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, themed miniature golf and waterpark areas, and a few themed excursions by stars from the TV shows hosted by Nickelodeon and of course, slime as part of the game show on board.

The relationship lasted 5 years, from 2010 to 2015, when the couple broke up.

rocket

After their time as co-patrons of the Norwegian secession in 2013, popular New York City synchronized dancers, The Rockettes, joined the ship for a series of rides they performed.

The original deal was for The Rockettes to join the ship’s first six voyages, followed by the first of each month thereafter. Partnerships, including things like Rockettes-themed workouts in the ship’s fitness center, are no longer in effect.

Voli Vodka

In 2015, NCL broke with maritime tradition by casting rapper Armando Christian Perez, also known as Pitbull, the godfather of Norwegian Escape — the first godfather of cruise ships. As part of a joint effort, Pitbull shot an integrated video for his song “Freedom”, which was part of a TV commercial for Norway. His own brand of Voli Vodka was also served on ships in the once fleet.

Perez will always be the ship’s godfather, but Voli is no longer found at the ship’s bars.

Princess Cruise

Norman Love Confectionery

Travel and passion go hand in hand, that’s why the partnership between Princess Cruise – known as the romantic cruise line, thanks to his relationship with the TV show “The Love Boat” – and chocolatier Norman Love makes complete sense. The link began in 2014, appearing on ships in the Princess fleet as Chocolate Journeys. It includes services like chocolate massages in the spa, desserts made with Norman Love’s chocolate, and the chance to buy his delectable works of art on board.

The partnership dwindled over the years, with the chain shedding parts of it until it came to an end.

In search of quirky godmothers, Royal Caribbean found Princess Fiona — an animated character from the DreamWorks movie “Shrek” — and honored her with a blessing for Allure of the Seas at her baptism in 2010. The DreamWorks collaboration followed. .

Favorites like Shrek and King Julien from “Madagascar” danced the Royal Promenade in parades aboard some of its ships. Passengers enjoy themed performances, including the “Madagascar” performance at the AquaTheater on Oasis-class ships and the “How to Train Your Dragon” ice show at the Studio B’s skating rink.

An impressive nine-year partnership ended in 2019.

One of the oldest and oldest celebrity chef partnerships in the yachting industry is the one between Charlie Palmer and Seabourn Cruise Line. In 2011, Palmer became the executive chef of the luxury line and is in charge of creating a fine dining experience for passengers.

Palmer and Seabourn split in 2011 after a decade of working together.

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