Carnival Cruise Lines will send its next
new-build, the 113,300-ton Carnival Splendor, to Northern Europe to
debut the line's first cruise program there, in summer 2008,
Carnival said.
The vessel,
currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy,
will introduce a new class for Carnival, and Carnival said the ship
would have the second-largest spa at sea, after the Costa
Concordia.
The Carnival
Splendor will feature a two-level, 21,000-square-foot spa and
fitness area that, like the Concordia, will be surrounded by "spa
staterooms."
The Splendor will
operate 12-day Northern Europe voyages from July 13 to Aug. 30,
2008, that will visit Denmark, Germany, Finland, Russia, Estonia
and the Netherlands.
It will be the
second Carnival ship deployed in Europe in 2008; the Carnival
Freedom is slated to operate 12-day Mediterranean cruises from May
to October.
In a statement,
Carnival President and CEO Bob Dickinson said that the Splendor's
itinerary would offer another Europe option for Carnival passengers
who had already sailed on the line's Mediterranean
program.
The Splendor is
slated to sail five 12-day cruises from Dover, England, that will
call in Copenhagen, Denmark; Warnemunde, near Berlin; Helsinki,
Finland; a two-day call in St. Petersburg, Russia; Tallin, Estonia;
and Amsterdam.
After its
Northern Europe program concludes, the Splendor will reposition to
the Mediterranean to operate 12-day cruises out of Rome from Sept.
23 to Oct. 17. From there it will head to the Caribbean and offer
seven-day eastern Caribbean itineraries.
Spa service
The spa stateroom
concept, which was introduced last year by sister line Costa
Cruises, is new to Carnival.
Passengers booked
in the Splendor's spa cabins will have exclusive entry access to
the adjacent spa facilities, Carnival said. They will receive
perks, including priority spa appointments, complimentary fitness
classes and unlimited use of the spa's thermal suite and
thalassotherapy (saltwater) pool.
The thermal suite
and thalassotherapy pool, which also are features of Costa's
Samsara Spa, are firsts for Carnival. But while there are many
similarities between Costa's and Carnival's spas, Carnival is quick
to point out the differences.
"The spa
staterooms will be similar in size to the Costa Concordia but will
have a unique decor and layout created in Carnival's style," said
Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen. "We will also feature a greater
selection of balcony accommodations in these spa
staterooms."
He also said that
the Carnival spa cabins would be fitted
with "Carnival exclusives," such as its "comfort beds." And
passengers in those cabins would have access to the ship's in-cabin
wireless Internet.
The Splendor also
will debut the largest children's play area in Carnival's fleet, a
two-level, 5,500-square-foot area that will include a water-spray
park.
To contact reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].