Carnival Announces Digital Streaming Channel

Posted on 26 September, 2017 by Spacejunkie2

PHOTO: A Carnival Cruise Line ship in Galveston Harbor. (photo via Flickr/Jerry and Pat Donaho)

The Carnival Corporation announced Monday it is launching the world’s first over-the-top digital streaming channel from a travel provider.

OceanView will be completely free to access on land and at sea and will feature a unique mix of travel content for viewers around the world. Original shows from Carnival’s OceanView channel are now available on major digital streaming platforms Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku.

The OceanView channel will be found on the Ocean.com website and more than half of the Carnival Corporation’s 103 cruise ships by late October. The digital streaming channel will feature more than 100 Ocean Original episodes, including the company’s four original series and its two direct-to-digital streaming series.

Carnival will celebrate the official availability of OceanView Thursday and will also demonstrate its new PlayOcean interactive gaming platform, which includes two new mobile apps and onboard, location-based experiences for guests.

“One of the great things about our cruise vacations is that we connect people, places and cultures around the world through extraordinary experiences on state-of-the-art ships to more than 760 global destinations – and over the past year we have been bringing that unique experience to life through original storytelling that breaks perceptions by showcasing why cruise holidays are the fastest-growing segment of the vacation sector,” Carnival Corporation chief experience and innovation officer John Padgett said in a statement. “Our original programming is already a big hit on network and cable TV. With the launch of OceanView, we are excited about making our authentic experiences accessible to people around the world through digital media. Our ultimate goal is to continue generating broad awareness of cruising as a great vacation and exceptional value, and to inspire consumers to consider cruising as a vacation option.”

GO and Local Eyes, the two direct-to-digital streaming original series, will run 10 minutes per episode without commercials. GO follows explorer Trek Thunder Kelly on his many adventures using visually stunning cinematography, and Local Eyes explores unique destinations with the help of residents and host Anji Corley.

OceanView also includes programs from the company’s One Cruise Experience Access Network original content portfolio. Guests will be able to watch episodes of Vacation Creation”(ABC), Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin (ABC), The Voyager (NBC) and Good Spirits (A&E Networks).

AIDAnova Keel Laid

Posted on 7 September, 2017 by Spacejunkie2

AIDANova has had her Keel Laid at Meyer Werft Germany.

Carnival Corporation marked the official start of construction for a total of seven cruise ships that will be fully powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) with today’s keel laying of the AIDAnova at Meyer Werft in Germany.

The ship will be delivered to AIDA in late 2018.

n the presence of AIDA President Felix Eichhorn, Bernard Meyer, CEO of Meyer Werft, and Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Werft, two trainees named Louisa Tröbner (AIDA Cruises) and Martin de Boer (Meyer Werft) placed the traditional lucky coin under the first of a total of 90 blocks.

AIDA President Felix Eichhorn said: “One of the main tasks AIDA Cruises sets itself is to make cruises sustainable. With AIDAnova and its sister ship, we are sticking to this course with our pioneering work. Thanks to our trailblazing green cruising design, the use of only LNG in the cruise industry will become a reality in 2018.”

“We thank Carnival Corporation and AIDA Cruises very much for their trust and their pioneering decision to implement LNG technology on board. The corresponding infrastructure is now being developed at numerous ports. Carnival has made a decision benefiting the environment that is highly important for the cruise industry,” added Bernard Meyer, CEO of Meyer Werft.

Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, together with Bernard Meyer, CEO Meyer Werft, Michael Thamm, CEO Costa Group and Carnival Asia, David Dingle, Chairman Carnival UK (P&O Cruises UK), Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises, and Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises, – gave the official “full steam ahead” signal, ringing in a new era of the commercial use of low-emission LNG in cruise travel. The seven LNG ships for cruise brands Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Carnival UK, and AIDA Cruises will be built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg (Germany) and Turku (Finland) and commissioned between 2018 and 2022.

In AIDAnova’s launch season, the ship will offer trips around the Canary islands.

starting in December 2018. Its twin ship with over 180,000 GT and 2,600 staterooms is set to be commissioned in the spring of 2021. Using LNG prevents almost completely

Carnival TV Series Renewed for a Second Season

Posted on 31 August, 2017 by Spacejunkie2

The Voyager with Josh Garcia (photo courtesy of Carnival Corporation)

Three of Carnival Corp.’s travel television series have been extended for a second season ABC and NBC stations.

The company made the announcement at the ASTA Global Convention at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

Season two of “The Voyager with Josh Garcia” will premiere on NBC stations beginning Saturday, September 30. “Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin” and “Vacation Creation with Tommy Davidson and Andrea Feczko” will debut on ABC affiliates the following week on Saturday, October 7.

The renewals come a year after Carnival’s first original travel programming and is part of Carnival Corp.’s focus on producing and distributing compelling experiential content.

All three shows were ranked as number one or number two in their time slot during the inaugural season.

Image result for the voyager with josh garcia

“Based on the exceptionally positive viewing results and the overall increased interest in cruise vacations following our shows’ inaugural year, we are extending our programming and growing our content library for the 2017 to 2018 season,” said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation

The company’s brands include Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK), as well as Fathom, its immersive, enrichment experience brand.

“Championing the extraordinary experiences that our guests enjoy while on a cruise vacation via original programming is key to expanding the market’s awareness and generating demand for cruising,” Padgett added.

According to Carnival Corp., cruise vacations are growing 20 percent faster than land-based trips. That stat is evidence that Americans’ interest in cruise vacations is becoming more and more popular, it said.

It also cited an Adobe Digital Insights study, released earlier this year, that showed the number of visits to cruise websites had increased 32 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2017.

Three of Carnival Corp.’s original series—which debuted in fall 2016 and are distributed by Litton Entertainment—were honored recently with 10 Telly Awards for the best in TV and cable, digital and streaming and non-broadcast productions.

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“Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin” broadcasts nationally as part of the daytime Emmy-winning block “Weekend Adventure,” a three-hour programming block airing Saturday mornings on 98 percent of the country’s ABC affiliate channels.

In season two, Corwin takes audiences to Iceland, Belize and Peru while also sharing his family with viewers as they visit Japan. There, Corwin connects with the one creature that’s alluded him for more than 20 years—the giant Japanese salamander.

The new season of the “Vacation Creation with Tommy Davidson and Andrea Feczko” will also be featured on ABC’s “Weekend Adventure.” It takes viewers beyond the typical travel show by personalizing vacations of a lifetime for couples, individuals and families facing hardship, in need of hope or seeking much-needed time together.

From revealing the wondrous glaciers of Alaska to encounters with the mystical Moko Jumbie of the Virgin Islands, the show celebrates the importance of spending time with family and friends, along with discovering how the world can help people learn more about each other and their family history. Along the way, viewers share their stories of overcoming adversity, while taking part in extraordinary experiences.

“The Voyager with Josh Garcia” returns for a second year as part of the network’s nationally broadcasted “The More You Know” programming block.

This season, viewers will travel with Garcia to Alaska’s majestic Mendenhall glacier, sample traditional Thai food in Bangkok and venture into the mountains of Taiwan to learn how traditional tea is farmed and prepared.