New to Carnival...curious about Carnival ship theming

[KKB]

17 cruises under our belt but never Carnival.

We have Carnival Miracle booked for January.
I am watching a video & still feel that ships are more alike than different.

It does seem there is very strong theming on this ship (with hilariously no rhyme or reason to it).

I'm interested as I have not seen such theming on any other ship, even DCL.

It doesn't affect our trip--in Vegas we have stayed at nearly every resort on the Strip & always have a blast so clearly theming doesn't bother me.

Just curious if this a ship thing or a Carnival thing.

[Guest BasicSailor]

When you actually get onboard, bring your camera 😉

[Cruise, J.D.]

It's a Joe Farcus thing. 

[KKB]

15 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

When you actually get onboard, bring your camera 😉

I was giggling...

Alice in Wonderland 

to

Phantom of the Opera 

to

Frankenstein

to

Bacchus

 

Kinda all over the place!

[Guest BasicSailor]

Just now, KKB said:

I was giggling...

Alice in Wonderland 

to

Phantom of the Opera 

to

Frankenstein

to

Bacchus

 

Kinda all over the place!

It's truly all over the place, with a bit of NU-Nu- Nudity 😇

[KKB]

2 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

It's truly all over the place, with a bit of NU-Nu- Nudity 😇

Wait--what?

Topless deck?

Or are you just referring to the statues?😉

[Guest BasicSailor]

2 minutes ago, KKB said:

 

Or are you just referring to the statues?😉

And more than statues , its a delicate Farcus ART that one seeks to admire.😉

[KKB]

2 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

And more than statues , its a delicate Farcus ART that one seeks to admire.😉

You have me curious...is there more I need to know?

PS I'm not easily offended...

[Joe817]

7 minutes ago, KKB said:

You have me curious...is there more I need to know?

PS I'm not easily offended...

Joe Farcus was the architect behind many Carnival cruise ships:

 

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS757US758&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=joe+farcus+carnival&fir=_7E0lAiXrFJu4M%2CtaUOhQg8us8I0M%2C_%3B2hRAIAOuBBucgM%2CEaEqWgonArwyYM%2C_%3BLA07nnp66BeE_M%2C4wO-z32YEGYxMM%2C_%3B2MTdjKY_fI7e-M%2Ch_xzfgRkSFu5vM%2C_%3B5AiFG3FYARoQUM%2CqpVHxhYeHbfn-M%2C_%3BpPftjbkutH5FKM%2CaqoxmyFXJ0ZcIM%2C_%3B3x_DAKAH8RNMCM%2CQV0_gQ6D7CmddM%2C_%3BNvxFHx1F4aaOAM%2CMYNrS7zUf4CYnM%2C_%3BDZ5OeAzutzn5MM%2C4wO-z32YEGYxMM%2C_%3BctlfB5CATBLwTM%2Cd7hgocV7OZzq_M%2C_%3BJ3kTqei8xEUZKM%2CtkwJllqZ3Tc5dM%2C_%3BTAEQyzyZ-BaZRM%2C4wO-z32YEGYxMM%2C_%3BfGjPop7DGDQ0PM%2CsmO8ZfoXz9w6zM%2C_%3BnMAC5t7sL75udM%2Cm9WtGuW9IiXwVM%2C_&usg=AI4_-kR-sys4Bbz4iEODOvX1o3pG0oYW6w&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiei8WWlvf3AhUGm-AKHZ09C0EQjJkEegQIAhAC&biw=1366&bih=663

[Essiesmom]

They are all individual.  It’s like Farcus was on an acid trip.  Each ship has a theme, up through Dream.  Sometimes it’s hard to figure it out.  You get used to it, and when you get on a post-Far us ship, you are confused because there is nothing that is memorable.  It’s boring.  That’s the way I feel about the Magic.  EM

[KKB]

5 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

They are all individual.  It’s like Farcus was on an acid trip.  Each ship has a theme, up through Dream.  Sometimes it’s hard to figure it out.  You get used to it, and when you get on a post-Far us ship, you are confused because there is nothing that is memorable.  It’s boring.  That’s the way I feel about the Magic.  EM

It very much reminds me of the theming that Vegas hotels did in the 90s.

Fun to do once but never drew me back (well, unless they tossed me comps...then MAYBE)

We did Venetian in 2020 & I fell in love.

Unfortunately those generous COVID comps have dried up.

So back to Ballys. We aren't in our room anyway.

But a ship is a bit different. It isn't just the room. It's the whole ship.

But on our 17 cruises among 5 lines not one ship made a difference.

Always had a good time (tho I will say I do believe a CD who was rotten at activity scheduling made it my least fav cruise)

[jsglow]

To the OP, Miracle is near the top of the list when it comes to Joe Farcus' excesses. The 'grapes' in the MDR are legendary.  We personally don't like it but for a week or so, who actually cares?  I've never based my cruise decision on how outlandish the decor of the ship is.  Frankly, perhaps the newer builds have gotten a wee bit too boring.

 

I do think the designs from the 90s and early 00s were very much intended to 'not look like home' in an effort to dispel the notion that cruising was for the stuffy upper class. Carnival really was the company to lead that effort toward cruising is Fun for Everyone.  For me now, it's just some interesting history. Enjoy your cruise. 

[mmtska]

Ok so I was curious as to all the comments so I went to look at some pictures and what on EARTH is going on in this ship??? LOL

[Funsince1983]

She’s something special alright. I met my husband on the Miracle so she’ll always hold a special place in my heart, but damn that girl is ugly. 😂

[Cruisegirl1919]

10 hours ago, KKB said:

I was giggling...

Alice in Wonderland 

to

Phantom of the Opera 

to

Frankenstein

to

Bacchus

 

Kinda all over the place!

It's a literature theme 

[KKB]

21 minutes ago, Cruisegirl1919 said:

It's a literature theme 

OK...I'm a librarian...my brain went to movies...

[Ilovesailaway]

You're about to be Farcus'd 

Get the drink package... it helps

[luv2kroooz]

When you take time to understand what Farcus is is trying to do with each ship, it is so unique. His ships are like museums, in a way. In many ways, I liked his approach much better than the bland, cookie-cutter interiors of Vista class, but his style is not for everyone.

 

Miracle details.

 

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Carnival+miracle%3A+wherein+Farcusian+fiction+becomes+reality.-a0121874611

[pc_load_letter]

I thought Miracle was a beautiful ship.

 

The ships are going to trendy now trying to look like Vegas hotels.

[tidecat]

I miss the "great cities of the world" theme from the Triumph. At least the map of the world on the atrium ceiling stayed when the ship became the Sunshine.

[pcvtmom]

The Sunshine was originally the Destiny, not the Triumph.

 

[KimPossible1]

Well we went on the Freedom at the beginning of May and that was hands-down one of the ugliest ships I have ever been on.  Every time you turned around there was something worse, from the red and black snakeskin trim in the dining room to the 70's metallic wallpaper 🤮...it was BAD!! 🤣

[luv2kroooz]

1 hour ago, KimPossible1 said:

Well we went on the Freedom at the beginning of May and that was hands-down one of the ugliest ships I have ever been on.  Every time you turned around there was something worse, from the red and black snakeskin trim in the dining room to the 70's metallic wallpaper 🤮...it was BAD!! 🤣

Not disagreeing with your opinion about the ugliness...but.....the theme of the Freedom is decades through the centuries. The disco is intentionally designed to represent the 1970's.

 

The Chic and Posh Dining Rooms, respectively, reflect the style of the 1890s. The walls of the Dining Rooms feature a combination of polished marbles and a special wood veneer laminated in a python skin pattern. Marble and antique gold grillwork with fruit, vines and leaves is mounted between the banquettes.

 

https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Cruise/Carnival-Freedom-Interior-Will-Feature-Design-by-the-Decades

 

So Farcus carries out the overall theme of ship in a very deliberate, intentional way, resulting in a uniqueness to each ship, even though it may not agree with everyone's taste.

[rj59]

The giant grapes in the Bacchus dining room sort of made me dizzy and sick. The funnest activity on a Farcus-designed ship is counting bare breasts (of the ship painting and sculpture, not crew or passengers)--the winner was the Imagination or Inspiration, which had topless Egyptian goddesses all over. The kind of cool thing I liked about Miracle, as a book lover, was that the room hallways were designed with literary figures. I'll be on its sister ship in a few days, the Spirit, and one of the reasons I chose it, along with the smaller passenger count and nice outside promenade close to the water, was to experience a similar design weirdness that is a thing of the past now, like old Las Vegas casino design. 

[snowballs mom]

I love the Farcus weirdness - I would never have it in my house, but it adds to the fun factor while cruising. The newer ships seem cold and sterile in comparison.