Your idea of a new Carnival ship class

[CarnivalPride]

I was wondering, what are your ideas of a new Carnival ship class?

I personally would like to see an extended version of the Spirit Class.

Carnival has continuously evolved the Destiny Class, which evolved into the Conquest Class, Splendor, and Dream Class. My primary gripe with those ships is that the dining hall is divided by a galley, requiring people to traverse decks in order to get from one side of the ship to the other.

My idea of an extended Spirit Class would be about the same size as a Conquest Class, being much longer but narrower. In addition, the ships would have an extra deck between the Panorama and Lido decks. The dining hall should remain in the back of the ship, but would span three decks (the Promenade, Atlantic, and Main decks), and would feature a glass elevator inside to speed up service. The galley should IMO remain below the dining hall on the Riviera deck. On some of the extended balconies, there would be some spa accomodations.

The ships would be known as the Prestige Class, and would comprise of four ships (Prestige, Joy, Temptation, and Dignity). The builder should be Aker Finnyards (formerly Kvaerner-Masa Yards). Yes, I know that all of Carnival's newest ships are built by Fincantieri, however, I don't think that monopoly contracts are a very good thing. Carnival should at least be open to all shipbuilders.

[futaba951]

The Carnival Rio class, featuring ships themed after famous world class cities. Carnival Rio. Carnival Parisian. Carnival Venetian. Carnival Monte Carlo. Carnival Topeka.

[CarnivalPride]

The Carnival Rio class, featuring ships themed after famous world class cities. Carnival Rio. Carnival Parisian. Carnival Venetian. Carnival Monte Carlo. Carnival Topeka.

 

Okay then. Could you describe your ideal ship design?

[futaba951]

Okay then. Could you describe your ideal ship design?

 

Well, not being a naval architect and not having given it alot of thought, I'd be happy if the darn thing floats and has the pointy end up front. :D

[terri910]

The Carnival Rio class, featuring ships themed after famous world class cities. Carnival Rio. Carnival Parisian. Carnival Venetian. Carnival Monte Carlo. Carnival Topeka.

Can't wait until Farcus gets his hands on Carnival Topeka.... :)

[LHP]

I want a lazy river!!!!!

[futaba951]

I want a lazy river!!!!!

 

That would be very cool. :D

[terri910]

I want a lazy river!!!!!

I think that would be unbelievably popular.

 

Is it really feasible, do you think?

[big_duck]

The only redeeming feature of the Spirit class is it's smaller passenger base, so making a bigger one would be pointless IMO.

 

BTW, The Spirit Class ships are already longer then the Conquest Class.

 

Smaller is the way to go IMO not bigger.

 

I like the names though, well maybe except Dignity ... they are the funships after all. :D

[TexBear]

Can't wait until Farcus gets his hands on Carnival Topeka.... :)

 

He could do a Wizard of Oz theme throughout! The ship would have the Dorothy and Toto dining rooms, Scarecrow and Tin Man Theatres, a Wicked Witch arcade. The promenade would be Oz Boulevard - plenty of golden glitter there! The spa facilities would be the Glinda the Good. I'd set aside a recreation area called the Cowardly Lion, for good measure. Some of the bars could be Wizard's Paradise, Flying Monkey Alley, and Melting, Melting Pot!

[DarthGrady]

Here it is folks:

 

The Carnival Imperial!

 

Three words for you: STAR WARS THEME!!!!!

 

The ship could be built to look like a Star Destroyer, but just stick a Farcus Funnel on top of it.

 

The crew could dress as Storm Troopers, and the CD could be Vader.

 

Wee Jimmy would be Yoda, and Heald would be Obi Wan Kenobi. The pursers could all dress as either Amidala or Leia, the waiters as Ewoks. The Captain would be Han Solo and the Chief Engineer would be Chewbacca.

 

And this would be so freakin sweet,,,,,,the Cantina Band on deck instead of the steel drum reggae thing.

 

 

Next up: The Carnival Enterprise. "Boldly going where many, many tourists have gone before!"

[futaba951]

He could do a Wizard of Oz theme throughout! The ship would have the Dorothy and Toto dining rooms, Scarecrow and Tin Man Theatres, a Wicked Witch arcade. The promenade would be Oz Boulevard - plenty of golden glitter there! The spa facilities would be the Glinda the Good. I'd set aside a recreation area called the Cowardly Lion, for good measure. Some of the bars could be Wizard's Paradise, Flying Monkey Alley, and Melting, Melting Pot!

 

I was going to say that Carnival Topeka was in total sarcasm since the theme is famous world class cities, but you seem to be having such a great time with it I didn't want to burst your bubble. :D

[mcfam5]

Here it is folks:

 

The Carnival Imperial!

 

Three words for you: STAR WARS THEME!!!!!

 

The ship could be built to look like a Star Destroyer, but just stick a Farcus Funnel on top of it.

 

The crew could dress as Storm Troopers, and the CD could be Vader.

 

Wee Jimmy would be Yoda, and Heald would be Obi Wan Kenobi. The pursers could all dress as either Amidala or Leia, the waiters as Ewoks. The Captain would be Han Solo and the Chief Engineer would be Chewbacca.

 

And this would be so freakin sweet,,,,,,the Cantina Band on deck instead of the steel drum reggae thing.

 

 

Next up: The Carnival Enterprise. "Boldly going where many, many tourists have gone before!"

 

I would be booking in a minute! Going to start practicing the Leia buns in my hair! :D

[CarnivalPride]

The only redeeming feature of the Spirit class is it's smaller passenger base, so making a bigger one would be pointless IMO.

 

BTW, The Spirit Class ships are already longer then the Conquest Class.

 

Smaller is the way to go IMO not bigger.

 

I like the names though, well maybe except Dignity ... they are the funships after all. :D

 

Well, the general consensus is that the Spirit Class layout is far more efficient than the the layout of all the Destiny Class derivatives. The major design flaw of the Destiny Class and its derivatives (including the Dream) is that the dining hall is divided by a galley, requiring people to traverse floors to get from one side to the other. Its a shame that Carnival has done nothing to fix that design flaw. That is why I oppose Carnival's decision of moving the Pride to Baltimore and using the Splendor on the Mexican Riviera trips. Luckily I went on the Pride this year.

Basically, my extended Spirit Class would be the longest ships in the fleet, being even longer than the Dream Class. The capacity would be about the same as a Conquest Class due to its long and thin design. The galley would remain below the dining hall on the Riviera deck, but to accomodate the larger capacity, the dining hall would span three decks.

The ships would also feature an added deck between the Panorama and Lido decks. The Destiny Class had decks added twice, first on the Triumph and now on the Dream.

[phroggie]

I was wondering, what are your ideas of a new Carnival ship class? I personally would like to see an extended version of the Spirit Class.

 

The "design" of these ships isn't an accident but rather the result of make all sorts of trade-offs.

 

In the case of the Spirit class (and its cousins over at Holland America, Cunard, Costa, etc.), there were three important criteria: Panamax, speed and flexibility.

 

A Panamax ship is the absolute largest ship that can pass through the Panama canal. This dictates the overall dimensions of the ship. This leads to a cruise ship that's narrower than desired and thus has to make up for that by being as long as possible and still be able to fit into a lock. Note that the resulting ship doesn't benefit as much from the "economy of scale" (i.e. cramming pax on) that Carnival and Costa need as much as a bigger ship can. Note that Carnival's demographic probably isn't into Panama Canal cruises. This probably explains why the Fincantieri Panamax ships are going to HAL and Cunard. (Did you see how much Queen Victoria resembles Carnival Spirit?) So forget about making the class longer.

 

The Spirit class was also designed for speed. Though an extra few knots may not seem like a lot, on the long hauls (like the drive back from Cabo to LA), it adds up. I believe that Carnival Splendor will need to leave Cabo earlier and will arrive back at LA later when she takes over from Carnival Pride. Why would they replace speedy Carnival Pride? Probably because her route is the only seven day cruise Carnival offers to the 15 million or so people who live within an hour of the port. A larger ship is a must even if she's a slow poke.

 

As for flexibility, note how the same basic design can serve so many different markets.

 

The builder should be Aker Finnyards (formerly Kvaerner-Masa Yards). Yes, I know that all of Carnival's newest ships are built by Fincantieri, however, I don't think that monopoly contracts are a very good thing. Carnival should at least be open to all shipbuilders.

 

Southwest Airlines might have a different opinion.

 

I imagine that Fincantieri benefits from the economy of scale and passes on some of the savings to Carnival.

 

For some reason, however, people (myself included) seem to dislike having a deck with a dining room obstructing it and prefer dining rooms located right over two 17.6 MegaWatt azipods. Go figure.

[DarthGrady]

He could do a Wizard of Oz theme throughout! The ship would have the Dorothy and Toto dining rooms, Scarecrow and Tin Man Theatres, a Wicked Witch arcade. The promenade would be Oz Boulevard - plenty of golden glitter there! The spa facilities would be the Glinda the Good. I'd set aside a recreation area called the Cowardly Lion, for good measure. Some of the bars could be Wizard's Paradise, Flying Monkey Alley, and Melting, Melting Pot!

 

That sounds like something that would be right up Farcus' alley! Its strange that I can picture all of that being incorporated into a Carnival ship. After seeing the huge hands on Sensation, the octopus tentacles on Inspiration, the bodyless Lady Liberty heads on Freedom, the Moonwalk Bar, and the Frankenstein Laboratory, I think hes capable of almost anything.

[DarthGrady]

Phroggie excellent posting! You said a mouthful.

[halos]

My ideal CCL ship would include someone BESIDES Farcus designing it. :o

Some ships with his signature look are fine, but ALL of the dang ships??? :rolleyes:

I'd like to see something a little different without having to switch lines.

 

I also think a mid sized ship that holds LESS passengers would be nice :)

Larger Pools with swim up bars :D or at least pools that they allow you to have a drink in....

Do away with buffet areas or make them so they work more efficiently.

 

I'd also like them to instate pool police to make sure chair hoggers become a thing of the past.

 

That's all I want. I'm easy to please. :p

[Fergus]

He could do a Wizard of Oz theme throughout! The ship would have the Dorothy and Toto dining rooms, Scarecrow and Tin Man Theatres, a Wicked Witch arcade. The promenade would be Oz Boulevard - plenty of golden glitter there! The spa facilities would be the Glinda the Good. I'd set aside a recreation area called the Cowardly Lion, for good measure. Some of the bars could be Wizard's Paradise, Flying Monkey Alley, and Melting, Melting Pot!

 

In addition to the blue & white gingham robes, each passenger would get a pair of sparkly red slippers in their stateroom. Before debarkation, there would be subliminal audio broadcast of the phrase "there's no place like home, there's no place like home", which would hypnotize all the passengers into an orderly, polite evacuation of the ship.

[futaba951]

In addition to the blue & white gingham robes, each passenger would get a pair of sparkly red slippers in their stateroom. Before debarkation, there would be subliminal audio broadcast of the phrase "there's no place like home, there's no place like home", which would hypnotize all the passengers into an orderly, polite evacuation of the ship.

 

I had to look twice at your s/n. I thought you were Farcus. :)

[Fergus]

No, not me, I'm not that big a fan of NEON!

[CarnivalPride]

 

I imagine that Fincantieri benefits from the economy of scale and passes on some of the savings to Carnival.

 

Isn't that called bribery? I would think so.

Anyway, if a Spirit Class extension is not possible, I would at least hope that Carnival would come up with an all-new design, regardless of builder. The dining hall divided by a galley is a design that is in desperate need of being scrapped and replaced by something more like the Spirit Class layout of having the galley below the dining hall on the Riviera deck.

[terri910]

He could do a Wizard of Oz theme throughout! The ship would have the Dorothy and Toto dining rooms, Scarecrow and Tin Man Theatres, a Wicked Witch arcade. The promenade would be Oz Boulevard - plenty of golden glitter there! The spa facilities would be the Glinda the Good. I'd set aside a recreation area called the Cowardly Lion, for good measure. Some of the bars could be Wizard's Paradise, Flying Monkey Alley, and Melting, Melting Pot!

Camp Carnival would be "Munchkin Land"..... :)

 

The atrium could have the look of the Emerald City....with "Horse of a Different Color Bar"....

[yst347]

The dinning rooms being split by the galley seems like a very practical design to me. With staggered dining times it allows the galley to operate very efficiently without the need for every dish to travel up an escalator, or two.

 

I really like the Spirit Class design because it feels much less crowded than the Destiny/Triumph/Conquest platform. But inability to find the entrance to the aft dining room was never one of the reasons. :D

[ajmac01]

Here it is folks:

 

The Carnival Imperial!

 

Three words for you: STAR WARS THEME!!!!!

 

The ship could be built to look like a Star Destroyer, but just stick a Farcus Funnel on top of it.

 

The crew could dress as Storm Troopers, and the CD could be Vader.

 

Wee Jimmy would be Yoda, and Heald would be Obi Wan Kenobi. The pursers could all dress as either Amidala or Leia, the waiters as Ewoks. The Captain would be Han Solo and the Chief Engineer would be Chewbacca.

 

And this would be so freakin sweet,,,,,,the Cantina Band on deck instead of the steel drum reggae thing.

 

 

Next up: The Carnival Enterprise. "Boldly going where many, many tourists have gone before!"

 

The tenders can look like Imperial Shuttles and there would have to be a cantina band playing.