DREAM Big this CyberMonday on Carnival’s newest ship. Sail 1/9 in a Balcony from $992.09 pp includes: tax, port charges and FREE Prepaid Cabin Gratuity for 2.
Balcony guarantee fare based upon availability.

We sell the Fun Ships for less! Save $$ with us.

1Cheapcruise.com
Twitter.com/1cheapcruise
866 773-2845

Optimism Abounds as Cruise Industry Adds Two Giant New Ships

 Maybe you caught the hoopla surrounding the arrival of the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.  Holding more than 5,000 passengers this 220,000 ton megaship has seven neighborhoods instead of mundane decks.  So far the reviews have been over the top in praise for this innovative new ship.

 Royal’s biggest competitor, Carnival also brought its newest ship, the Dream into operation with a New York arrival.  And, early reports sound very good about what this ship features for cruise vacationers.

 Between them, they represent more than 8,000 passengers a week.  The two biggest cruise companies are confident they can fill their new additions.  That’s good news for consumers because prices should remain at their current value levels for the foreseeable future

Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo

Auténtica sensación causó la presencia en el puerto de La Luz y Las Palmas del megacrucero Carnival Dream, abanderado en Panamá, el más grande y moderno de la flota de Carnival Cruises Lines, que arribó el pasado 4 de noviembre y marcó un hito en la historia del puerto y de la ciudad, que en los últimos años está adquiriendo un notable protagonismo como escala del turismo marítimo. El buque atracó por la banda de estribor al muelle de Santa Catalina, y su avanzada estampa marinera con su típica chimenea alada se convirtió en el indiscutible protagonista de la jornada.

La escala del megacrucero Carnival Dream formaba parte de su viaje inaugural de cruce del Atlántico, camino de King’s Wharf (Bermudas) y Nueva York, donde el pasado día 12 de noviembre se realizó la ceremonia oficial de inauguración, con la participación como madrina de la actriz Marcia Gay Harden. El nuevo buque está considerado el “fun ship” (barco de diversión) más grande de la compañía y, sin duda, el más espectacular de su flota, al que seguirá un gemelo llamado Carnival Magic, cuya entrega está prevista para junio de 2011. El coste de su construcción asciende a la respetable cifra de 740 millones de dólares. La base de operaciones está en Port Cañaveral, desde donde realizará cruceros de una semana en los itinerarios clásicos de la zona a partir del próximo 3 de diciembre.

Construcción número 6.151 de los astilleros Fincantieri, en Monfalcone (Italia), el contrato entró en vigor en 2007 y finalizó con su entrega oficial, el pasado 21 de septiembre. Es un buque de 128.251 toneladas brutas (GT) y son sus principales dimensiones 305 metros de eslora total, 37 de manga y 8,20 de calado. Está propulsado por seis motores Wärtsila acoplados a dos líneas de ejes, capaces de desarrollar una potencia de 75.600 kw y una velocidad de 22,5 nudos. Tiene capacidad para 3.652 pasajeros y 1.369 tripulantes. Dispone de 14 cubiertas, de las que ocho son para alojamiento de los pasajeros y algunas de ellas combinan servicios, mientras que el resto son de uso común. Código IMO 9378474.

A bordo del Carnival Dream, además de un amplio abanico de servicios de ocio y relax,  se propone un nuevo concepto de animaciones bajo el nombre The Piazza, una cafetería interior y exterior con música en vivo, así como muchos espacios dedicados a familias y niños, con áreas de juego desde baloncesto hasta minigolf, y un extraordinario parque acuático denominado Carnival WaterWorks, con el tobogán de agua más grande que existe a bordo de un barco y el spa más grande de toda la flota de Carnival Cruise Lines, conocido como Cloud 9 Spa. Dispone de 14 cubiertas, de las que ocho son para alojamiento de los pasajeros y algunas de ellas combinan servicios, mientras que el resto son de uso común.

Ocean Plaza es un nuevo concepto de club de baile. Se trata de un café bar que integra una discoteca con pistas de bailes espectaculares, con un escenario donde se ofrece música en vivo, cómodos lugares para sentarse y siempre con una vista privilegiada al mar. Serenity, por su parte, es una zona exclusiva para adultos con jacuzzis y zona para relax bajo una sombrilla.

El buque también dispone de piscinas escénicas que se “cuelgan” sobre el mar, generando una increíble sensación. Seaside Theatre consiste en una pantalla gigante (12 × 22 metros) junto a la piscina, donde se puede ver películas, conciertos, noticias, deportes. Existen camarotes exclusivos integrados al spa y una pasarela con tiendas, zona de ocio y descanso, para ir de compras y pasear por esta “calle comercial”. Todo ello muy al estilo americano.

Espectacular perspectiva del megacrucero "Carnival Dream"

Foto: Carnival Cruises Line

To view the CARNIVAL DREAM when it’s in Port Canaveral just click on this LINK. It’s a live streaming camera.

http://www.portcanaveral.com/webcam.htm

Carnival Dream came to New York this week for her official naming ceremony and I had the good fortune to attend.  The ship is Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest ship to date and while she is ultimately based upon the Carnival Destiny design, the increase in size gives the ship more-eye pleasing proportions than her predecessors.  Inside, the design is more restrained than earlier ships but still with the distinctive style of architect Joe Farcus.

 The ceremony was held in the ship’s theater, which was indeed fortunate because outdoors NewYork was in the grips of a pre-winter cold snap and there was a steady rain.  Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director and master blogger John Heald conducted the ceremony with his typical charm and good humor.  He emphasized that a goal was to get away from the traditional stuffiness of ship naming ceremonies and it was kept fast-paced and light-hearted.  Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill spoke, Dr. Henry Belin delivered the benediction and Marcia Gay Harden acted as godmother to the ship.  I have put together some photos along with excerpts from the various speakers and posted it at: http://beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-art-naming.html

Following up on last week’s story about Costa Atlantica, I was able to ask Maurice Zarmati, President and CEO of Costa Cruises North America, a series of questions about Costa.  Costa is a relatively old line and very well known in Europe but in recent years, its North American operations have been primarily in the Caribbean.  Now that Costa is offering cruises in and around Canada and New England, I thought it would be a good to give the line the opportunity to re-introduce itself and talk about its cruising style.  My interview with Mr. Zarmati appears at:  http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlantica-art-Zarmati.html

             Returning to Carnival, the line featured prominently in the news this week.

Carnival’s oldest ship, the Holiday, has now left the fleet.  She is to be replaced as the Carnival ship sailing out of Mobile, Alabama by the Carnival Fantasy.  Taking the Fantasy’s spot in New Orleans will be the Carnival Triumph.  Both ships inaugural cruises from their new homeports were delayed a day due to the approach of Hurricane Ida. (As she moved north, the remains of Ida closed the port of Baltimore thus preventing Grandeur of the Seas from returning as scheduled).

Carnival also announced that Carnival Fantasy will be homeported year-round in Charleston, South Carolina beginning in May 2010.  She will be replaced in Mobile by sister ship Carnival Elation.

 Two other Fantasy-class ships, Carnival Ecstasy and Carnival Fascination, will be going in for major refurbishments, which will include the addition of 98 balconies and the installation of water parks and adults-only retreats.  These ships will be the fifth and sixth Fantasy-class ships to be so retro-fitted.  

 Meanwhile, Oasis of the Seas arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her new homeport, on November 13, 2009.  The giant ship was delayed two days on her crossing from Finland due to hurricane-force winds and 80-foot seas.  Her next milestone will be her naming ceremony on November 30.

Just a quick report.  What a thrill to be on the ship as the bottle broke as Marcia Gay Harden swung an A-Rod signed bat to start the process.  Great food, great entertainment and a great time.  What can you say about a ship that is truly a Dream.  Trude called it “Carnival Grown Up”, all the glitz but toned down.  Alot of use of yellows and the halls had interesting murals instead of the usual photos or cases.  Staterooms were Carnival roomy and comfortable.  Also what a great idea to collect canned goods and books for programs in NYC.  It was an honor to add our donation to the collection.   We’ll have a full report with pictures early next week.

Carnival Cruise Line’s newest fun ship, the 130,000-GRT Carnival Dream, has been christened in the New York by her godmother Marcia Gay Harden. The award-winning actress swung an official Yankees baseball bat autographed by player Alex Rodriguez at a 1.8-meter tall faux bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne onstage in the ship’s theater, triggering the release of a real bottle against the ship’s hull.

The festivities, hosted by Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald, continued throughout the ship and guests at the Encore! show lounge were treated to a live dance performance by Carnival Dream’s Fun Force dance troupe. Dressed in blue track suits, the performers breakdanced and cartwheeled to techno music, with one performer being revealed at the end of the number to be Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Gerry Cahill.

The 3652-guest Carnival Dream is the largest ship in the Carnival fleet and offers a host of innovations, including the Ocean Plaza indoor/outdoor dining and entertainment venue and a 2,206-square meter Cloud 9 Spa. The ship also features the longest water slide at sea as part of the Carnival Waterworks aqua park, to be christened with a ride down by Hailee Steberger, the winner of Carnival’s “Virtual Book of Dreams” contest.

Constructed in Italy, Carnival Dream entered service in September 2009 , sailing in the Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to New York, making her North American debut. She will operate a series of short cruises before repositioning again to homeport in Port Canaveral in Florida to operate Caribbean cruises throughout the year.

For more information, visit www.carnival.com.

Trude and Ira will be on the Carnival Dream as she is Christened by Marcia Gay Harden (her Godmother) on Thursday, November 12th at 4PM.  View it here http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/ships/carnival_dream/celebration.aspx?icid=CC_HMPG_360 live.  Maybe you’ll see us.  We’ll have a complete report next week about the festivities and our experience.

Costa Atlantica

This week Beyondships presents its first profile and photo tour of a Costa Cruises ship.  She is Costa Atlantica, which was built to the same design as the Carnival Spirit and which is the forerunner of quite a few cruise ships sailing for a number of different lines.  It is a good design from a seagoing perspective – - she goes fairly fast and her seakeeping qualities mean that she is not confined to just going around calm seas.  This design is also popular with passengers, carrying an array of features and amenities in a good layout.   At nearly 86,000 gross tons, she is big but not gargantuan.

What distinguishes Costa Atlantica from her sisters and cousins that sail for other lines is her Italian-style of cruising.  While some other lines try to de-emphasize their national origin in hopes of attracting an international clientele, Costa emphasizes its Italian origins and succeeds in attracting an international clientele. In fact, it is the most popular cruise line in Europe and even when the ship is sailing in North America, there are substantial numbers of European guests.

As a result, Costa Atlantica has a cosmopolitan and international feel.  This should not be confused with being stuffy  - – the bold colors and designs of the interior are too light hearted for that.  Rather, it means that one is likely to encounter people with different backgrounds and tastes, which is a broadening experience.

The profile of Costa Atlantica appears at:  http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlarntica-Profile.html  and the photo tour and commentary begins at: http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlantica-Tour-1.html

Turning to some items in the news – -

On 1 November Oasis of the Seas passed under the Great Belt Fixed Link bridge in Denmark while making her way from the shipyard where she was built in Finland out to the Atlantic.  Even with her telescopic funnels lowered, there was only 2 feet of clearance between the bridge and the ship.  Traffic on the bridge was halted for 15 minutes while the ship passed.  I think that incidents such as this underscore just how big this ship is in a way that the gross tonnage figures do not. 

Unfortunately, the ship then encountered high winds and rough seas, which caused RCI to announce that her arrival in Fort Lauderdale will be delayed two days to November 13.  This should not be seen as a black mark on the new ship’s record.  The North Atlantic can be difficult that in November.  Building in the ability to withstand such seas and make fast crossings is the reason why Queen Mary 2 cost a third more to build than a comparable sized cruise ship.   Since such crossings are not what Oasis is intended to do, there was no reason to build such a capability into her.   Her test will be how well she entertains guests while sailing the calm waters of the Caribbean.  

Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest ship yet, Carnival Dream (130,000 tons) will be named in a ceremony in New York on November 12.  Carnival has announced that the godmother will be actress Marcia Gay Harden.  The naming ceremony will also include the unveiling of the world’s largest children’s book signifying a multi-year partnership between Carnival and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.    

Princess announced that it is going fully digital with its pre-cruise documents.  In the past, passengers have received a rather dauntingly large envelope in the mail containing such things as information about shore excursions and a booklet designed to answer questions about the upcoming voyage.  For voyages departing after January 21, 2010, passengers will be receiving a series of e-mails giving them information about their upcoming cruise.   Amongst other things, these e-mails will be more personalized to the ship, the itinerary and the passenger’s status in Princess’ repeat passenger program.  At least in theory, this should save a few trees.