Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Lines Experience

Bring some heavy-duty sunglasses; thanks to the boundless imaginative (some would say hallucinogenic) designs of inventive designer Joe Farcus, Carnival ships are fervently garish. So much so that we feel compelled to coin a word to describe them; Farcusian. You can be munching a slice of pizza in Imagination's Lido deck, for instance, minding your own business, and suddenly realize you've been mesmerized by the bright purple and green neon tubing on the ceiling. Bring a sense of humor along with the sunglasses, and be ready to dispel all preconceived notions of acceptable color combinations.

Think Mardi Gras at sea. By day, young singles sip little-umbrella-laden cocktails, and then dance on deck to a live band. But it's by night that the action really goes into overdrive, with dozens of venues offering everything from lavish production shows to R-rated comics. There's a jazz bar whose patrons are urged to sing. You can hear funky blues or enjoy some torrid disco action. And both the casino and disco stay open very late, while the library, just for comparison, is open 60 minutes per day!

You'll encounter a very wide range of passengers, from singles, to the retired, to multi-kid young families, the latter especially during the summer and school vacation periods. When you want to get away from it all, you'll do so in some of the largest cabins at sea. The food's mostly delicious, and you'll marvel at how well managed everything is, especially considering how many passengers are apt to be aboard.

The price you pay for the never-ending fun on these ships is that you begin to feel as though you're never more than a few seconds from an announcement of another zany contest -- belly-flopping or hairiest chest, anyone? In fact, if you plan on using your cruise to catch up on some much needed rest and a trashy novel, a set of eyeblinders and ear plugs are recommended.

That said, Carnival can be one of the best deals around. With outside staterooms, even balconies, available for less than a thousand dollars per person per week (if you shop around), Carnival may well offer the most bang for the mid-price cruiser's buck.

Carnival Cruise Lines | Fellow Passengers

Carnival carries a wide cross-section of salt-of-the-earth Americans: high-rolling, single twenty-somethings, young parents with toddlers, baby boomers, and empty-nesters. During the summer and school breaks, Caribbean, Mexico and Bahamas cruises can carry up to 700 children each. Carnival has now lived down its reputation as a "party-ship," but unfortunately, there are apt to people who still haven't gotten the message. So, if you have a neighbor who feels its appropriate to continue drinking until 2:00 am with the cabin door open, be sure and call the front office - anonymously.

Carnival Cruise Lines | Taking Kids on a Carnival Cruise

The exemplary "Camp Carnival" is available on all ships year-round for Toddlers (2-5) Juniors (6-8) Intermediate (9-12) and Teens (13-15), with supervised activities for each in facilities open from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Group babysitting is available in the playroom between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. and, 8 a.m. to noon on port days for a fee. There is no in-cabin babysitting. Cribs are available upon request, but bring your own stroller.

The recreational fitness program "ExerSeas" aims to get the next generation of couch potatoes up and burning off some calories. "A-B-Seas" is a reading and writing program that a lot of little ones seem to relish, while H2Ocean features a wide variety of enjoyable-looking hands-on science projects. The line's popular EduCruise program has also been expanded to include even more interactive projects focusing on the cultures, landmarks, history and geography of the destinations to which Carnival sails.

The youth spa program, recently introduced on Carnival Miracle, allows kids ages 12-14 and their parents to indulge in luxurious body and beauty treatments together on port days in the ship's health and fitness center at a discount. Offered to mother/daughter and father/son combinations, packages include hair and nail treatments, health evaluations, and foot and scalp massages.

Fantasy, Spirit and Conquest-class ships all have dedicated teen areas, including a club/coffee bar and a high-tech game room.

Carnival Cruise Lines Shore Excursions

Carnival's shore tours, geared toward the up-and-at-'em type who loves water sports, party boats, and general sightseeing, tend to be a bit costlier than on other lines. Read the descriptions and book online at www.carnival.com, or arrange your own excursions after doing some research of your own.

Carnival Cruise Lines Repeat Passenger Programs

Return passengers receive Carnival "Currents" magazine, and discount coupons. There's a big "Festivale Party" for recidivists on 5-day or longer cruises. For more information call 1-888-CCL-GUEST.