Friday, November 6, 2009

Carnival Newst Ship: Carnival Dream Review


While Carnival continues to focus on improving and expanding older classes of vessels -- $250 million has been set aside to revamp its eight Fantasy-class vessels -- there are some fresh designs. The 130,000-ton, 3,652-passenger Carnival Dream, the line's largest ship ever, began sailing in September of 2009, representing a totally new class for Carnival. Dream is an innovative twist on Carnival's tried-and-true ship designs. Features include:

The first laser light show at sea takes place by the top-deck Seaside Theater. The shows last 15 minutes and use lasers to project multi-colored patterns onto the nighttime sky, choreographed to music by rock bands like Styx, Rush, Van Halen, Boston and Pink Floyd. During the show, the Seaside Theatre's big screen displays the artists' music videos.

"The Gathering," Carnival Dream's Lido buffet, is one of the most impressive casual dining options at sea. In addition to the traditional salad bar, and hot and cold picks, choices include a deli, burrito bar, Indian tandoori oven (meat, fish, chutnies, naan), grill setup (burgers and dogs), 24-hour pizzeria, and made-to-order Mongolian wok and pasta stations. Besides the main dining rooms and buffet, there is also be for-fee option. The Chef's Art Steakhouse serves up seafood, steaks and chops for an additional $30 per person.

On Carnival Dream, the line scraps the traditional Internet cafe in lieu of 36 "FunHub" kiosks. The stations are spread out over Decks 3, 4 and 5 -- Carnival Dream's main public areas -- and in addition to providing for-fee Internet access, they offer free access to Dream's ship-specific information portal and social network. Read more about the FunHubs here.

The 11,250-square-foot adults-only Serenity area encompasses two levels -- a first for the line -- and accommodates up to 200 guests. Seating includes chaise lounges, shaded sun loungers and hammocks. Check out the lower level for the full bar and the upper level for two whirlpools overlooking the sea. Serenity spans the forward sections of Decks 14 and 15 and features custom windscreens.

Other outdoor deck spaces include four overhanging sea-view hot tubs, a mid-ship Seaside Theatre and a two-deck mini-golf course.

Carnival Dream features an expansive 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa.

A wide variety of lounges, bars and nightspots -- including a new dance club concept, Caliente, offering indoor/outdoor access -- are accessible via an 11-deck-high atrium whose ground level offers a cantilevered bandstand atop a massive dance floor.

Three production shows debuted on Dream. "Dancin' in the Street" is rich in special effects like neon lighting and video projection. Another show, "Get Ready," chronicles varying professions through music ranging from Motown to R&B. Finally, "Xtreme Country" pays homage to country and western tunes. Also performing in various venues shipwide are bands, solo singers, comedians and "Fun Force," an acrobatic team.

Already recognized as an exceptional choice for families, Carnival ups the ante on Carnival Dream, with the fleet's largest-ever kids' facilities and a WaterWorks aqua park. In addition to a 303-foot-long, four-deck-high corkscrew water slide -- the longest at sea -- there is another 104-foot-long spiral slide that leads into a giant funnel. Kids in all age groups have more than 19,000 square feet of dedicated space.

Carnival introduced some new family cabins among its stateroom options, including several with two bathrooms, and others specially designed to accommodate five guests.

The ship, constructed at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, will offer a handful of Europe sailings before crossing the Atlantic for its official christening in New York in mid-November. Once Stateside, it will sail a few cruises from the Big Apple before heading "home" to Port Canaveral. Carnival Dream's first homeport cruise will depart on December 5. The ship will be sailing a schedule of seven-night Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises. On the former, ports will include Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Nassau; the latter itinerary consists of stops at Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

A sister ship, Carnival Magic, will debut in June 2011.

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