Comedy Clubs to be on all Carnival Ships soon.

Comedy clubs to be on all Carnival ships 

Carnival Cruise Lines will put comedy clubs on all 22 ships in its fleet by the end of this year, building on the success of the line’s first Punchliner Comedy Club, introduced on the Carnival Dream last year.

Carnival said it experimented with the comedy club concept unofficially on the Carnival Glory and determined it was a viable concept before officially rolling out its first dedicated comedy club space on the Dream.

While comedy shows have always been part of Carnival’s diverse entertainment lineup, the concept was taken to another level aboard the Carnival Dream, which offered the line’s first dedicated comedy club last fall. Comedy clubs are currently also featured on Carnival Glory, Carnival Pride and Carnival Sensation — with the concept being incorporated into the remainder of the fleet over the next several months.  When Carnival Magic enters service in May 2011, a Punchliner Comedy Club will also be featured on the line’s newest “Fun Ship.” 

Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz said the concept "has really taken off and has proven exceptionally popular, and therefore we have made the decision to roll it out fleetwide on a very aggressive schedule." 

All of the line’s aft show lounges will be converted to Punchilner Comedy Clubs with a special stage as well as branded glassware, menus, employee uniforms and other items featuring the Punchliner Comedy Club logo.

Each club will offer five to 10, 35-minute shows on multiple nights during each cruise, with at least two comedians performing each night. The two early-evening shows offer fun for the whole family, while later performances will feature adult-oriented comedy, Carnival said.

The Carnival Punchliner Comedy Clubs will feature established comedians as well as "rising stars," Carnival said.

"Laughter is the most public, most infectious expression of fun, so we’re excited to provide our guests with an expanded offering in comedy with our new Punchliner Comedy Clubs," said Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill in a statement.

By: Johanna Jainchill July 19, 2010

Virgin America Orders Up Like a Gazillion More Planes !!!

If you follow me around often you know how I love flying Virgin America when I have that option.  I am particularly fond of the the LAX to FLL run and all up and down the West Coast !!!  (Thank you Virgin !)

Although I do wish they would take a later exit time out of Fort Lauderdale for those of us disembarking ships THIS is really great news!  

Just when Emirates shocks with orders for 32 new, giant A380s, making their total superjumbo order 90-strong, along comes the announcement from Virgin America that they've placed orders for forty new Airbus A320s, with the option for an additional twenty beyond that by 2018. 

Okay, so nothing can really beat Emirates' splurge, but the Virgin America announcement is noteworthy in that it will triple the airline's fleet, and the new aircraft—to be delivered beginning in 2013—will feature the newish "sharklets," a larger and redesigned version of the American flag-painted winglets you'll currently find on the tips of the plane wings. Aside from reminding us of the awesome "Shark Week" on the Discovery Channel, sharklets mean fuel savings and increased eco-efficiency for VX's already pretty green-conscious fleet. 

So where will Virgin America's shiny new A320s be flying? Well, the airline still has at least another year to decide that, but a larger fleet obviously means increased destinations, and we're still pulling for a Chicago route. We see the potential for more Canada and Mexico routes, since their hype with the Toronto launch and upcoming Cabo San Lucas/Cancun routes seem to be doing well. Perhaps New York will get more options, or—hold your breath—they'll start flying to Austin? 

Where do you want to see Virgin America flying?

Carnival Gives us West Coasters another Short Trip Ship

Carnival Cruise Lines announced today that it will return to the Port of Los Angeles in fall 2011 when the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit launches a series of five- and nine-day Mexican Riviera voyages.

“It’s been eight years since Carnival Cruise Lines home-ported a ship at the World Cruise Center and we are extremely pleased to welcome them back to the Port of Los Angeles,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. 

“The additional Carnival ship calls help fuel regional tourism and benefit our local economy by generating jobs and revenue connected to ship services and retail sales.”

Carnival Spirit’s new Los-Angeles-based schedule will include 12 departures between September 2011 and January 2012. One of the departures will include a 15-day voyage from Los Angeles to Hawaii in December 2011. 

It gives us one more choice of ships at least on the west coast.  Look for from short to longer voyages this fall and next spring.

We have sailed the Spirit and she is a very nice mid size ship with a great crew...We love the large aft pool deck with hot tubs a full bar and the ice cream is back there!  Lot's of lounge chairs to go around.