For many cruise passengers, their trip does not start until they get the first drink from one of the many bars onboard. That has led the major cruise lines to invest heavily in creating unique drinks and bar concepts.
Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) literally has a brewery onboard the Carnival, a first at sea. The Redfrog Pub and Brewery brews three beers onboard including ThirstyFrog Port Hoppin’ IPA, FriskyFrog Java Stout, and ThirstyFrog Caribbean Wheat. In addition, the brewery rotates in seasonal beers including Pumpkin Ale and Pale Ale.
Redfrog Brewery is also now on Carnival Mardi Gras and Carnival Panorama as well as the upcoming Carnival Celebration. The cruise line also has its own line of hard seltzers as well as a special lineup of exclusive beers served at Guy Fieri Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse on many ships. And, on Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama, the smokehouse is now also a brewhouse brewing select beers onboard.
Royal Caribbean does not have any breweries onboard its ships but does have its own beer -- Chilla Thrilla -- brewed in collaboration with Funky Buddha Brewery. Chill Thrills is served exclusively at the cruise line's CocoCay private island.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) has a beer partnership as well, with Miami-based Wynwood Brewing Company, but now it's adding something unique.
Carnival Cruise Line
Norwegian Adds a New Twist for Onboard Beverages
Norwegian has added not just another beer, but a new signature gin, Cruise Industry News reports. The cruise line's Director of Beverages Luis Ortega posted about the gin on his LinedIn account.
"Things are getting GIN- Interesting! Our ‘66 by Norwegian Ultra Premium Organic gin is produced by Antonio Hidalgo, 8th Generation of Hidalgo Family, known by the high quality of wines and Spirts from Jerez De La Frontera. Spain. We use organic Mediterranean botánicas during the distillation that strictly follow the organic farming processes and procedures," he wrote.
'66 Gin will only be available on the cruise line's new Norwegian Prima. The cruise line will also offer a beer, also named '66, exclusively on Prima (at least for now).
Norwegian recently raised the price of its unlimited beverage packages and dropped its cheapest offering, "Corks and Caps," which gave passengers unlimited beer and wine for $65 per day.
Prima Will Have Lots of Firsts for Norwegian
Norwegian Prima will be the first member of the new Prima Class, which is planned to have six ships. In addition to having its own gin and wine, the new ship will offer an entertainment venue which transforms from a three-story theater into a Vegas-style nightclub, freefall drop dry slides, and the largest racetrack at sea.
"We're not just elevating the guest experience, we're giving it an adrenaline rush and multisensory overload," said Norwegian CEO Harry Sommer.
Prima will also be the first ship to offer "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical."
"This is the story of Donna Summer's meteoric rise from young starlet to the Queen of Disco featuring a score of more than 20 of Summer's mega hits including 'Bad Girls,' 'Last Dance,' and 'Hot Stuff.' The 75-minute immersive production will be a first at sea where the theater itself transforms into a full disco and guests can become a part of the show and dance to Summer's all-time medleys," the cruise line shared.
The ship will also host multiple game shows including a version of long-running television show "The Price Is Right."
