Carnival Spirit

This is the SuperLiner that introduced Spirit-class sailing and such innovations as the two-level promenade and the reservations-only supper club. Among her outstanding features is greater speed, which makes it possible for you to visit destinations that would take other ships 10 days or more. Also remarkable is that 80% of her staterooms have ocean views, and of those, 80% have balconies, so you can admire that panoramic scenery from the comfort of your own private stateroom.


Best for People Who Want: A budget/mid-priced cruise; a high energy, Las Vegas-style atmosphere with lots of glitz; many choices of excellent nightlife and daytime activities; alternative evening dining; balcony cabins; large fitness/spa facilities; enormous casino; extensive children's facilities and programs; large cabins, many of which hold three and four passengers. Above average food and friendly, although unpolished, service.

On Board Experience:
With the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit (and sister ships Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend and Carnival Miracle) Carnival introduced new features, including a wedding chapel and supper club located high in a portion of the funnel. Carnival Spirit has so many balcony cabins -- 80% of all outside cabins -- that the exterior resembles a Mediterranean-style apartment building more than a cruise ship. On this 88,500-ton ship, Carnival's master architect/designer Joe Farcus interprets the Carnival "Fun Ship" motto as a high-energy, "let's party, dance and gamble until dawn" experience. On Carnival's ships, the slot machines are operational at 8 a.m. while the library is open one hour per day. These are ships for people who want to be energized, not imbibing champagne and caviar in an elegant setting. If this is your idea of fun, grab a cabin aboard Carnival Spirit.

Decor:
Aboard Carnival Spirit, most of the public rooms are glossy bronze. Farcus says the decor is art nouveau, and if you look closely you can see signs of the French design. I thought he overdid it a bit, but many fellow passengers proclaimed it "stunning" and "beautiful." It's all a matter of personal taste. So much is monochromatic shiny bronze, including the furniture, you'll have to look closely to see the refined touches of hand-etched glass, carved wooden banisters, high quality upholstery and marble floors. While many other ships have large panels of glass so the sea and sky are always within view, Carnival Spirit's public rooms have a cave-like, closed-in atmosphere. The sound of live music and slot machines permeates public rooms and it's hard to find a quiet corner. If you love a high-energy atmosphere where entertainment and gambling are the focus, this may be the ship for you.

Public Rooms:
You enter the ship on Deck 2 (Promenade), into what is called the Spirit Atrium. This is the area where you will find a nine-deck-high ceiling with frescos painted all the way to the top. Additionally there are four glass elevators that will take you to Deck 9 (Lido), where you can take a glass stairway to the Nouveau Supper Club--the reservations-only, jackets-required dining area featuring prime beef, seafood and the stone crabs from the famous Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant. There is a bar with a three-piece orchestra for your enjoyment as well as the Purser's and Shore Excursions desks. Most of the lounges, casino, shops, and main dining room can be found on Decks 2 and 3. Deck 9 (Lido Deck) is where alternative dining, pools, spa etc. are located. The other decks are mainly passenger cabins. Deck 1 forward has the Versailles Lounge. Decks 2,3 and 4 also contain the main showroom called Pharaohs Palace. The arcade is located all the way forward on Deck 4, and the Children's Funhouse is all the way forward on Deck 5. There is a quiet place called the Jungle located on Deck 3 that wraps around the main showroom, where you can sit in quite contemplation if you need time away from the activities and the hustle and bustle of the ship.

Cuisine:
Considering the moderate cost of this ship, Carnival constantly surprises with the quality of its food. It is amazing that they can actually serve 2,000 passengers and almost 1,000 crew more than 10,000 individual meals daily and not only do it in an orderly manner, but present really wonderful tasting and beautifully presented meals. You can find food available 24/7 either in one of the restaurants, room service, the buffet, or specialty shops like the deli and pizza bar. New on this ship is a specialty coffee bar with pastries and desserts, available at an extra charge.

Service:
You can expect personal and friendly, if somewhat informal, service from the staff. They will learn your names the first evening and by the second night should have your personal preferences in drinks, extras, and breads ready and waiting for you. The staff is using a new concept called 'team service' with a headwaiter and a number of assistants serving up to four tables as a team effort--which seems to work better than the usual waiter/busboy concept. After all this they still manage a warm and friendly smile and perform dances and other entertainment almost nightly.

Restaurants:
There are three restaurants: the informal La Playa Grill on the Lido deck; the semiformal Nouveau Supper Club, where jackets for men and reservations are required (and a $25 charge is added to your Sail & Sign card); and the two-level Empire Dining Room, which has an annex called the Napoleon Room with tables for eight and sometimes 10. The main dining room has early (5:45 p.m. or 6:15 p.m.) and late (8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.) seatings. The Supper Club is open from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and so is the informal La Playa Grill.

Entertainment:
Carnival is well known for its lavish Las Vegas-style shows in the main showroom. These are multi-million dollar productions, with nearly half a million dollars spent for the costumes alone! With nine female and five male dancers accompanied by two singers--and often special guests--in the main show alone, the entertainment field is quite large. They also bring on featured entertainers such as musicians, jugglers, comedians, ventriloquists, magicians, etc., so the evening shows will surely have something for everyone. What's more, they have bands in the lounges and in the lobby, piano bar, and on the Lido Deck. Add to this the games that the Cruise Director's staff comes up with during the day and evening hours, and it would be hard to find anyone claiming to be bored.

Cabins:
The feature I most like about Carnival Spirit is the size of the cabins. The standard cabin is a comfortable 180 sq. ft., tastefully decorated in beige and peach. Very well designed and laid out, they seem larger than they are. Amenities include a twin/king bed configuration, color TV with three movies per day, enormous closets, hair dryer, large vanity, safe and sofa. The bathroom is tiny, with a shower, but plenty of shelf space for two people; it comes with a complimentary basket of toiletries. Oceanview staterooms and suites have terrycloth robes for your use during the cruise and a mini bar. An even better cabin is the deluxe ocean-view balcony cabin, measuring 230 sq. ft. Suites are 275, 245 (wrap-around balconies) and 300 sq. ft.

Fitness/Spa:
Sports and fitness lovers would be hard-pressed to find better shipboard facilities. The fitness center encompasses 13,700 sq. ft. The two-deck gym, with floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic views, has elliptical walkers, treadmills, Stairmasters, stationary bikes, rowing machines, free weights, and hydraulic weight machines on a multi-level theater setting. There is also a whirlpool strictly for adults as well as steam rooms and saunas for both men and women. Adjacent is the Beauty Salon Classique, operated by Steiner's of London. While every massage and beauty treatment imaginable is available, expect the staff to push the sale of their products aggressively. The jogging deck encircles the Sky Deck forward. The pool areas are impressive, including a multi-directional water slide. Topless sunbathing is allowed in a secluded section near the main funnel and is on two levels.

Attire:
While there are two formal nights, most men opt for dark suit instead of tux; jeans and shorts aren't allowed in the dining room after 6 p.m. Daytime wear is strictly casual.

Rates:
Book early for Carnival's Super Saver rates which are about half the brochure rate. Sample Super Saver rates, per person based on double occupancy start at $799 for a seven-day Alaska cruise and $749 in the Caribbean.

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