2.0 upgrade - please explain??

[cocosmum]

I've seen this mentioned many times. Can someone please explain exactly what this is? Thanks.

Edited December 27, 2013 by cocosmum
typo

[KPfromCT]

What is Fun Ship 2.0?

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES’ $500 MILLION FUN SHIP 2.0 INITIATIVE TO DRAMATICALLY TRANSFORM CARNIVAL VACATION EXPERIENCE WITH INNOVATIVE DINING CHOICES, NEW BARS, LOUNGES, AND ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS

Multi-Year Initiative Features Breakthrough Partnerships with Comedian George Lopez, Food Network’s Guy Fieri and Entertainment Leaders,

Hasbro and EA SPORTS, Plus Exciting New Carnival Brands

MIAMI (October 3, 2011) -- Carnival Cruise Lines today unveiled Fun Ship 2.0, a program that will dramatically transform its on-board guest experience to deliver even more memorable vacations. The multi-year effort will offer guests mouth-watering new dining choices, more exciting bars and lounges, and captivating entertainment options through innovative partnerships and new branded spaces. In the first phase alone, which extends through the end of 2015, Carnival will invest more than $500 million across its fleet.

At an event today in New York City, Carnival announced partnerships with entertainer George Lopez, who will become Carnival's creative director for comedy and enhance its fleetwide comedy clubs; Food Network star Guy Fieri, who will develop a burger venue called Guy's Burger Joint; leading video game manufacturer EA SPORTS to create the first-ever EA SPORTS Bar at sea, and Hasbro for new larger-than-life game shows featuring iconic games and brands. The company also worked with leading production talent to create a high-energy musical showcase and announced that celebrity song master DJ IRIE was named Official DJ of Carnival Cruise Lines. Plus, Carnival announced more of its unique branded spaces with the RedFrog Rum Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar and three other fun themed bars and lounges, as well as a new complimentary BlueIguana Cantina casual dining option.

Fun Ship 2.0 – 2

“Fun Ship 2.0 is the largest and most ambitious initiative that our company has ever undertaken and it will serve to significantly transform the Carnival vacation experience for our guests,” said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. “Through breakthrough partnerships with some of today's biggest talents and most popular entertainment brands, plus our very own new branded experiences and on-board destinations, Carnival fans and those new to our cruises are destined for an incredible vacation experience.”

The Carnival Liberty will be the first ship to feature many of the new dining and bar venues when it returns from a scheduled refurbishment later this month. Fourteen ships are scheduled to receive many of the Fun Ship 2.0 enhancements through 2015.

Big Names and Big Brands On Board

Through its partnership with comedian and TV personality George Lopez, Carnival will bring even more laughs to The Punchliner Comedy Club Presented by George Lopez. As Carnival's “curator of comedy,” Lopez will act as a consultant on the vetting and hiring of comedic talent in one of the line's most popular nighttime entertainment options, and advise on décor, lighting, music and more to enhance the overall comedy club experience. Hilarious pre-recorded voice and video messages from Lopez will welcome guests and club patrons. Over the next year, the revamped clubs will roll out fleetwide, creating laughter during multiple shows each voyage.

At Guy's Burger Joint, Carnival and successful restaurateur, cookbook author and television star Guy Fieri have come together to cook up the best burgers at sea, and best of all, they're free! Guests have a choice of delicious fresh-off-the-grill burgers designed by Fieri, or they can make their own at a condiment bar by adding a variety of tasty toppings. Burgers are complemented by hand-cut fries. For lunch, a snack or dinner, guests can drop by this laid-back poolside dining venue modeled after a road-side burger joint off an iconic coastal highway.

Fun Ship 2.0 – 2

Under license from Hasbro, Inc., Carnival will create Hasbro, The Game Show, a new series of larger-than-life productions and entertainment activities based on the popular Family Game Night television show from The Hub. Hasbro, The Game Show will put guests right in the middle of their favorite Hasbro games. Six main games are to be featured: SORRY SLIDERS, which involves a giant shuffleboard court; SIMON FLASH, where two teams of four guests wear giant light-up color boxes and must shuffle themselves quickly to repeat a color sequence; YAHTZEE BOWLING, with a giant ball and larger-than-life-sized bowling pins; OPERATION, which is set up like a skee-ball board where contestants try to get the balls into different slots on the “patient‟s” body, and CONNECT 4 Basketball, which uses a basketball setup rather than the traditional checkers to play.

[cocosmum]

Thanks KP.

 

So it's really a huge upgrade to all the ships? Which ones have been through the upgrade so far?

[k2excursion]

It's basically just a marketing tool. They renamed the candy store & the comedy club, but many people think that those things are new because they place them under the 2.0 label. Some of the things are improvements for some people, many 2.0 things are irrelevant to most people, and many people see some of the things as downgrades. I feel that Playlist Productions shows are a severe downgrade, and many many people around these boards feel the same. It involved getting rid of the showband entirely, getting rid of half the performers, cutting the length of the shows in half, and getting rid of almost all the props.

 

I feel that Liberty may be the best of the 2.0 ships, as she kept the good shows but also received the most popular 2.0 things, which would be the Blue Iguana cantina and Guys Burgers. Dream didn't receive those 2 things, but she at least kept the good shows. So not every ship that has received 2.0 has gotten everything.

 

Many bars were renamed, and maybe added a few drinks to the menu. Since I don't drink much, I can't tell you how good this is or if it's irrelevant. I just booked the Splendor's amazing November 1st itinerary, and I see it as a very good thing that Splendor has none of the 2.0. I don't see 2.0 as being a big upgrade at all. I often sarcastically call it 0.2 or downgrades.

Edited December 28, 2013 by k2excursion

[GottaLuvCruising]

...I feel that Playlist Productions shows are a severe downgrade, and many many people around these boards feel the same. It involved getting rid of the showband entirely, getting rid of half the performers, cutting the length of the shows in half, and getting rid of almost all the props.

 

I feel that Liberty may be the best of the 2.0 ships, as she kept the good shows but also received the most popular 2.0 things, which would be the Blue Iguana cantina and Guys Burgers. Dream didn't receive those 2 things, but she at least kept the good shows. So not every ship that has received 2.0 has gotten everything.

...

 

I feel the same about Playlist Productions - blech!

 

Our only other Carnival cruise will be on is the Liberty next January. Does anyone know if it will still have full production shows then? It does not appear to be scheduled for drydock!

[cocosmum]

Thanks for the info. We cruised on the Splendor Nov 2011 from LA and loved it! I can not believe the low price of the cruise. We're from New Zealand so have to add on about US$3000.00 air fares to get to the departure port :-) We spent 3 weeks in California and Nevada so having a 7 day cruise before our flight home was just the icing on the cake!

 

Planning on cruising the Caribbean after our next trip hopefully next year. Keen to try the Breeze this time as this seems to be a popular ship.