Carnival Cruise Lines' pool decks on its
Fantasy-class ships could feel more like Caribbean resorts next
year, complete with faux palms trees and whirlpools covered with
thatched roofs.
Carnival unveiled
design details for the pool areas and the Carnival WaterWorks aqua
parks that are slated to be installed on its Fantasy-class ships as
part of the line's $250 million "Evolutions of Fun" enhancement
program.
Evolutions of Fun
began in 2005 and includes renovations to almost every guest area
on the line's eight Fantasy-class ships: the Carnival Fantasy,
Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Fascination,
Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Elation and
Carnival Paradise.
"A quintessential
part of the Carnival cruise experience centers around the ships'
pools and outdoor decks," said Vicki Freed, Carnival's senior vice
president of sales and marketing. "We have focused very heavily on
making these areas absolutely fabulous."
A modern cruise
ship's pool deck is typically a major showcase for the ship and a
gathering spot for cruisers. And enhancing the pool decks with
water parks is a concept that's catching on in the industry. Royal
Caribbean International, for example, created the H2O Zone water
park for its Freedom-class ships, complete with water cannons,
whirlpools and a lazy river.
The Carnival
WaterWorks aqua park will be located on the aft section of the
Verandah Deck and will feature a four-deck-high, 300-foot-long,
spiraling tube slide, which Carnival called "the biggest, longest
and most elaborate in cruising."
The aqua park will
also have an 82-foot-long, triple-lane water slide and an expansive
spray park.
The resort-style
look on the midship pool deck was designed to be "reminiscent of
the Caribbean's aqua waters infused with tropical sunshine,"
Carnival said.
Features will
include a tiled "beach" bordering the circumference of the pool, a
thatched roof that will cover one of the two whirlpools, centrally
positioned staircases and faux palm trees.
The midship pool
area and Carnival WaterWorks park will be accented by lounge chairs
and teak decking.
New mosaic tiles
will decorate the two bar areas, which will be placed on the
forward corners of the deck area. Bars will have thatched roofs
above them.
Two ships were
scheduled to be outfitted with the new features at the end of this
year, the Imagination and the Inspiration. Carnival expects that
the rest of the Fantasy-class ships will have the new pool deck by
the end of 2009.
To
contact reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].