Tag Archives: entertainment

Marella Cruises Launches All-Inclusive Cruise Calculator

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Marella Cruises Launches All-Inclusive Cruise Calculator

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Marella Cruises has introduced the All-Inclusive Cruise Calculator, a free tool that reveals the cost of sailing with the company.

The company said in a press release that the tool demonstrates savings from booking an all-inclusive offering.

The tool highlights the all-inclusive offering, which includes flights, food and drink, transfers, entertainment, tips and service charges.

Chris Hackney, managing director at Marella Cruises, said: “The new All Inclusive Cruise Calculator allows customers to see the value for money we provide to our customers.”

“With all-inclusive at the heart of our cruise holidays, we provide an exceptional end-to-end service which includes flights, transfers, tips and accommodation rolled into one price, as well as entertainment, food and drink offerings and fantastic service,” added Hackney.

“We hope the tool helps new-to-cruise customers who are looking for alternative holidays consider a cruise holiday this summer and beyond.”

Research by Marella Cruises revealed that over 60 per cent of Brits plan to take a holiday this year, yet 20 per cent admit that the cost of living is stopping them from booking.

Twenty-two per cent see an all-inclusive cruise to be the best value; however, 46 per cent would be open to a cruise holiday if they could compare the costs more easily.

Chelsea Dickensen, a travel expert influencer, said: “All inclusive holidays are back in fashion with searches for stress-free escapes skyrocketing by 60 per cent year on year.”

“And it’s not just resorts seeing the love, with cruise holidays expecting to surpass pre-pandemic levels by reaching 37.1 million passengers in 2025. However, prices are on the rise too, with the average package holiday prices rising 4.2 per cent compared to 2024,” added Dickensen.

“For cruises, these hidden costs could include your flights, transfers, meals, drinks and tips, though companies such as Marella Cruises do include all of these as standard. Their All Inclusive Cruise Calculator is really helpful in sharing exactly what you’ll get, and how much you could save by having it as part of your package.”

Saga Adds Four More Celebrity Faces to Their Entertainment Line-Up

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Saga Cruises has added four more celebrity faces to its onboard entertainment line-up in the coming months.

 TV stars Jennie Bond, Charlie Dimmock, John Craven and Dr. Sian Williams are the latest celebrities to join Saga sailings to give talks and answer guests’ questions on their specialist areas.

Journalist and broadcaster, Jennie Bond is known as a presenter on two of the BBC’s most popular shows, Cash in the Attic and Rip Off Britain, among others. She will deliver a talk and Q&A session on Saga’s 14-night Winter Sun in the Canaries voyage departing onboard the Spirit of Discovery from Portsmouth on December 7, 2023. Prices for the cruise start from £2,826 per person.

Presenter and editor John Craven OBE, best known for John Craven’s Newsround, will talk to guests about his broadcasting career on the 14-night Canary Island Medley cruise departing from Portsmouth onboard the Spirit of Adventure on December 4, 2023. Prices start from £2,737 per person. 

 Dr Sian Williams, a registered Counselling Psychologist, will be ​​a guest on the Highlights of Spain and the Balearics cruise on the Spirit of Adventure, departing Dover on September 24, 2023.

Nigel Blanks, CEO of Saga Cruises, said: “We’ve been really focusing on our entertainment program and securing high-quality celebrities to talk on subjects we know our guests will enjoy from life behind the lens, to the royals and gardening. These latest speakers deliver exactly that, and we anticipate a full house for their sessions.”

LG Launches 5 Smart TVs Designed for Cruise Ships

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LG Business Solutions USA has announced the introduction of a line of smart TVs specifically designed for cruise staterooms and crew cabins.

According to a press release, the models are available in 43-, 32-, 28- 24- and 22-inch class sizes. The voice-controlled and Wi-Fi-connected TVs allow cruise lines to “offer a variety of services and entertainment options in any size cabin.”

These Pro: Centric Smart TVs also offer specialized service menus, allowing ship operators to create “custom-branded digital experiences,” LG Business Solutions USA said.

“As cruise operators begin to welcome back their valued guests, our Cruise TVs will allow them to deliver a catered, carefree digital environment where guests can easily navigate digital video programming and ship-related information,” said Mike Kosla, vice president of hospitality at LG Business Solutions USA. “Our cruise TV line will benefit both cruise operators and passengers with increased functionality, simplified operation and a thoroughly enhanced guest experience, just in time for a return to the seas.”

According to the press release, the Pro: Centric software provides a number of important features for cruise ship environments, such as support for 39 languages, one-click service tools, webOS 4.5 smart TV features, remote system management, and templates and pages for custom on-screen interfaces to provide information and services to guests.

The TV line also allows cruise operators to enable wireless streaming of music and video content from passengers’ mobile devices and laptops through Smart Share, Screen Share and Bluetooth Sound Sync technologies.

All five cruise ship TV models also include the Pro: Idiom digital rights management system designed to provide access to “high-value content” while helping to deter video piracy, LG Business Solutions USA said. While LG’s conformal coating on critical circuits is designed to help protect the TVs from extremely low or high temperatures, dust, humidity and salty air in the harsh marine environment.

For cruise ship applications requiring larger TV sizes, LG said that it also offers a complete line of hospitality smart TVs ranging from 49- to 75-inches diagonal. These models with built-in hotel TV features, according to the press release, may be used in luxury suites and other hospitality applications “from bow to stern.”