Nov
2014
Princess Cruises Launches Discovery at Sea
Princess Cruises has launched Discovery at Sea, a series of fun, interactive and educational activities for families.
The cruise line has joined forces with Discovery Consumer Products, the licensing arm of Discovery Communications, the TV programmer, to launch the program of events.
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While some families go on holiday to blow off some steam, or to relax and to unwind, some seek active and educational pursuits. If the kids can learn something while having fun, that has to be a good thing, right?
Discovery at Sea will offer themed tours, science activities, hands-on sessions and games all based on the Discovery brand. As you can imagine there will be an American bias to these as many of the programs these experiences are based upon are themed around channels and programmes I have never heard of. They will be using content based on programming from the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Science Channel including shows such as Shark Week, Mythbusters and Deadliest Catch.
So what is on offer?
- Discovery Under the Stars – Here guests on selected cruise itineraries will learn about the night sky from the ship's top deck.
- Shark Week at Sea – This experience tests parents and children alike on their knowledge of the ocean through trivia games and a variety of themed activities.
- Baking at Sea with TLC – Enjoy all-round family fun by learning how to bake and decorate cakes by the best pastry chefs at sea.
- Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel Shore Excursions - These feel like the star of the Discovery at Sea program. A range of family-friendly fun and educational shore excursions will be on offer including panning for gold on the Gold Rush inspired tour; getting up-close with native animals during Animal Planet tours; and learning how popular foods and beverages go from farm to table on Science Channel How It’s Made tours.
- Discovery Kids and Teens Program – Here age-appropriate on-board activities will be offered to kids and teens including fun and engaging science experiments made popular by Mythbusters; Animal Planet themed activities; brain teasers and competitions; and videos, puzzles, games and apps from Discovery.
- TV programming - Expect to see hit shows from Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and TLC on your stateroom TV.
- Discovery branded merchandise - Just-in-case you want some keepsake souvenirs to take home you'll find a range of branded merchandise available to purchase during your holiday.
I think this is a great pairing and helps to add an educational element to a family holiday. One of the best aspects of cruising is learning about different cultures and destinations.
The themed shore excursions sound like a fantastic idea to incorporates sightseeing, education, and fun into one seamless package. As long as children do not feel like they are taking part in a school lesson, these experiences should go down well.
Discovery at Sea debuts on Princess Cruises' ships early in 2015. The program will be tailored to the regions each ship sails.
Would you book a cruise on the strength of its educational programs for children? Let me know in the comments below.
What discovery at sea cruise do you reccomend for children ages four and six?
Looking at the information from Princess°, it seems elements of the Discovery at Sea experience are available on a wide range of ships covering a wide area of geography. There doesn’t seem to be an easy way to search their website for Discovery at Sea themed cruises as far as I can see.
Speaking from experience, the Caribbean is ideal if they love going to the beach. The Med is great if you want to explore cities (which usually have better transport connections than sleepy towns and villages, meaning they are less demanding on little legs). More remote places like Alaska and Norway have their appeal, but you may find the kids need to walk more and may well complain more.