Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) took their “Freestyle Cruising” to a whole new level — a nightclub level that is.

“World hold on, F3 is coming your way,” boasted Colin Veitch, NCL’s president and CEO. The line showcased five distinct nighttime experiences specifically designed for NCL’s new F3 ships, the first to be launched in 2010. “There is nothing ordinary about these ships. The F3s are unconventionally extraordinary,” said Veitch. He added that the F3 won’t have massive void spaces and rooms only used for one thing. Each nightclub space will have multiple uses - sunning, bowling, dining and, of course, hip night club atmosphere.

Here’s what NCL has in store:

NCL’s Ice Bar — a chill out chat up venue that is inspired by the original ice bars and ice hotels in Scandinavia. “This will be the industry’s first true ice bar,” said Veitch. The area on Deck 7 is a frozen chamber of iced vodka where the centerpiece is a giant ice cube that glows and changes colors. Ice Bar will accommodate 25 guests who will be given fur coats, gloves and hats since the rooms temperature will not rise above 17 degrees Fahrenheit. To enter, guests will pay a cover charge — NCL says it has not yet determined the price.

POSH Beach Club - With a South Beach vibe by day and night the venue will change to encompass four unique cover charge experiences:
POSH Vive - From 6 to 9 am can partake in yoga classes and treatments in private cabanas.
POSH Rehab - From 9 am till noon, guests can relax and recover from a hard night of partying with specialty drinks and chill out tunes
POSH Sol - From noon till 6 pm, guests can lounge on day beds and enjoy a beach-themed atmosphere.
Pure POSH - Echoing the famous Las Vegas nightclub at Caesar’s Palace this venue will have a Vegas vibe where guests and drink and dance under the stars.

Halo, the Uber Bar — Garden and Courtyard Villa guests have exclusive VIP access to this venue, other guests will pay a cover charge. This venue sets atop the ship on Deck 16 and will showcase the ship’s best art and jewelry (modeled by servers) that can be purchased.

Bliss Ultra Lounge and Nightclub - Already popular on the Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Pearl, this bowling club by day hot bed club by night will also be onboard the new F3 ships.

Spice H2O — Is an aft-pool area like none other. Like the POSH club Spice will feature four unique experiences. Inspired by Latin and Asian flare the adults-only area will encompass a huge LED screen with various themes:
Sunny Spice — 8 am to 11 am — Spicy drinks and breakfast.
Aqua Spice — Sun and fun and a little Chinese take out.
Sunset Spice — Guarantees a perfect sunset everyday rain or shine.
All Spice — Offering a show of aqua ballet and dancing.

Again, NCL has not determined the pricing for each venue; however, the company says it will offer a “Beyond the Velvet Rope” package for all clubs.

[ 06-18-2008: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

So as one trundles around the caribbean one will be able to don fur coat, gloves and hat and go for a drink. Ok.

And basically the extension of the freestyle concept is more spaces I have to pay to go in, and more music everywhere.

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Originally posted by Matts:
I wonder if the cruise fare will be free given all the other open your wallet opportunities onboard

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Originally posted by Linerrich:
Those things are sure to draw lots of attention, but I think the reality is that they are quite small venues on a huge ship, (25 person capacity in the specialty Ice Bar, out of thousands on board?)

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Will those requiring "Rehab" really be up at 9am and wish for a speciality drink Aqua ballet - will need a deep pool then.

They already do Malcolm, a number in Hong Kong & the US Casino ships.

What's all this POSH and Spice thing mean?

Who wants a "Spicy drinks and breakfast"?

Does 'Rehab' replace the Friends of Bill W Meetings?

Whatever the charges, I have yet to come across a hotel which offers a cheaper night's stay for the same amenities, and most [all?] nightclubs charge for entry on land.

Ships are just becoming more land resort type accommodation, without floating they will soon be the same. One's own choice how one wants to spend one's money aboard. Some will argue why should their fare pay for an evening show for others when it's the last thing they want themselves, and so it can go on and get silly. Others will moan at paying for nightclubs when they never have and never wish to step inside one.

If the basic fare is acceptable then people won't mind paying for the individual forms of 'entertainment' to suit them, as one does on land.

I am not sure I am interested in any of these large ships as ships, but I will 'test' them for a few nights to see. But why should I pay for anything aboard when all I want is a deck chair and a piece of deckspace to place it

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Originally posted by Carlos Fernandez:
Wow, so this is it, that was a waste of my time all night waiting for something really innovative for the F3 and all I get are nightclubs . I fell in luck and while waiting for the F3 announcement I saw the Oasis of the Seas video instead .

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The big ships have no other option but to charge piecemeal.. imho of course.

NCL should give each passenger "points" that can be used onboard however they wish. For example, a passenger booked in a standard cabin might get 100 points. They might use 10 at a specialty restaurant and 20 at the Ice Bar. But once their points are gone, then they'd have to pay an additional surcharge. Passenger's booked in a minisuite might get 200 points. Etc.

I paid a pretty low fare by UK standards, for my recent NCL cruise. It was lower than similar RCI fares for similar cruises. However, I spent more onboard than I would on an RCI cruise, mainly due to the surcharge dining. However the grand total was probably not dissimilar from an RCI cruise with expenditure.

The adavantage of low fares with surcharges is that if you are on a budget you can avoid many of the surcharges. They are optional!

I tried nearly all of the alternative surcharge dining rooms - many twice. Other passengers only used the free ones. I never paid for a speciality coffee other passengers did regularly.

All-inclusive could mean that you are paying fo rstuff that you do not want to use or consume. For example, if you are a non-drinker or are happy with modest food.

It's all about profit but there is still a big element of choice on board NCL ships: surely more dining choices than any other cruise line.

[ 06-18-2008: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

Contrast this to tomorrows announcement, I suspect the discussion will be very different in tone.

[ 06-18-2008: Message edited by: Atlcruiser ]

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Originally posted by mike sa:
This is the problem with NCL, they make a big spiel about their announcement and it turns out to be - well boring, in fact....

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I personally do not think NCL’s introduction of two 150,000 ton ships is not remotely boring. A few years ago our jaws would have dropped at such a though.

NCL are not everyone’s cup of tea, they are very firmly mass market, but they are not boring. Their existing newbuilds are genuinely innovative and ‘Freestyle’, love it or hate it was quite an industry revelation in its approach. I bet all of the major cruise lines will adopt such a system in the future. (Will Oasis have just one main dining room, I doubt it).

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Originally posted by mike sa:
Contrast this to tomorrows announcement, I suspect the discussion will be very different in tone.

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Without a doubt. It's Daggers-in for NCL and a Love-in for RCI on CT, no matter what either PR Dept say or do.

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Originally posted by PamM:

Without a doubt. It's Daggers-in for NCL and a Love-in for RCI on CT, no matter what either PR Dept say or do.

Pam

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POSH at night.

[ 06-18-2008: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]