Carnival Ecstasy profile and photo tour

This week we present the 100^th ship to be profiled on Beyondships.com. There were less than a dozen ships profiled on the site when we started in 2007 and so it is with something of a feeling of accomplishment that we reach the century mark.

Our 100th ship is the venerable Carnival Ecstasy. Ecstasy is one of eight ships built for Carnival during the 1990s, which are collectively known as the Fantasy class. While all of the ships in the class were built to essentially the same design, one of the things that I have found interesting about exploring them is to see just how different they are one from the other.

One of the reasons they are different from one another is that their interiors were all originally designed by the same man, Joe Farcus. All of the Fantasy class ships have essentially the same interior layout. But Farcus made the corresponding rooms in each ship different. This does not mean that he used blue wall paper on one ship and red on the next to decorate a particular bar. Instead, he let his imagination run wild and produced some extravagant rooms each of which is unique.

For example, on Ecstasy you have the Chinatown Lounge complete with the entrance to a Chinese movie theater and a real delivery truck parked near the dance floor. There is the Neon piano bar, which has that name for a reason. Then there is the beautifully elegant Explorer's Club Library. Compare these to the corresponding rooms on say Carnival Fascination and you will see just how different rooms can be.

Also, Carnival has invested substantial amounts in refurbishing and revitalizing the Fantasy class ships over the years. As a result, there have been significant changes to the ships. For example, the pool deck areas have been transformed and given a resort-style look. A large water park has been added to the upper deck of each ship. An adult sanctuary has been added as have more rooms for the youth program.

But Carnival did not call in all of the Fantasy class ships at the same time and make these changes to all the ships at once. Thus, you can find differences between the ships that reflect changes in Carnival's thinking over time. For example, on Carnival Fantasy, the Camp Carnival youth center is on Deck 9 whereas on Ecstasy, it is on Deck 11.

Recently, Ecstasy's dance club was transformed as part of the Fun Ships 2.0 program. It now has the cool sophistication of the dance club on Carnival's latest ship Carnival Breeze.

Thus, while Carnival Ecstasy has many sisters, she does have her own distinct character and that is the way it should be.

Beyondship's profile of Carnival Ecstasy with copies of daily programs, menus and other information, is at http://beyondships.com/CarnivalEcstasy-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour of Carnival Ecstasy begins at http://beyondships.com/CarnivalEcstasy-Tour-1.html

Crown Princess Profile and Photo Tour; Breakfast at Sabatini's

             I have long felt an affinity for Crown Princess.  I first experienced her shortly after she entered service in 2006 and was impressed by the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the ship.   The Piazza, the center point of the ship both structurally and spiritually, was a visual feast with its use of marble and European-inspired detailing.  While this ship was clearly for the more demanding traveler, it was relaxed at the same time.  And the food, particularly the Italian dishes, was impressive.

            Since then I have been back for visits and have encountered her in various ports - - New York, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, St. Martin, Fort Lauderdale, Southampton to name a few.  She has always been surprisingly photogenic.  Perhaps the best shots were of her in Barbados as the orange light of the setting sun engulfed her.

            Accordingly, I was excited to be able to spend a week on her recently, cruising the Western Caribbean.  I had spent the previous week cruising on the recently refurbished Grand Princess.  Although Grand’s refurbishment had given her many of the features first seen on Crown Princess, the two ships still present different cruising experiences.  Although she is a large ship, I found Grand to have a more intimate charm.  Crown remains, as she has always been, elegant with an almost sumptuous luxury.

            Beyondships’ profile of Crown Princess was one of the first profiles posted on the site.  Over the years, new information has been added to it.  However, I felt that it no longer did the ship justice.  Therefore, I have completely redone the profile with new daily programs, menus and other information.  In addition, I have created a new and much larger photo tour and commentary of the ship.  The new address for the profile is http://beyondships.com/Princess-KP-Profile.html and the new address for the photo tour is http://beyondships.com/Princess-KP-Tour-1.html.

            I have also added a specialty restaurant review entitled “Breakfast at Sabatini’s”.  Sabatini’s is Princess Cruises’ signature Italian specialty restaurant.  In order to enhance the cruise experience of guests traveling in the ships’ suites, Princess has opened Sabatini’s to those guests for breakfast.  My review recounts my morning experiences at Sabatini’s on Crown Princess and on Island Princess. It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/crown-princess-island-princess-sabatini-review.html  

Profile and Photo Tour of Oceania's Regatta; Photo Essay on Carnival Dream

This week the focus is on two ships that present quite different cruising experiences. Indeed, they could be said to be polar opposites. Both ships are very good at providing the type of cruise experience that they set out to provide. However, that experience is quite different and whether you will be happy cruising on either of these ships very much depends upon your tastes and lifestyle. Thus, they serve to illustrate that all cruise ships are not fungible and thus it is important to investigate the type of cruise experience that a ship provides before booking a cruise.




Oceania Cruises Regatta is one of eight essentially identical cruise ships that were built for Renaissance Cruises. When that company went out of business the eight ships were dispersed among several cruise lines. Previously, Beyondships has profiled R Four, which is now Ocean Princess of Princess Cruises http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-OP-Profile.html and R Eight, which is now Adonia of P&O Cruises. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Profile.html Regatta was formerly R Two.



The R class ships are relatively small ships providing an elegant cruise experience in an intimate setting. They have wood-paneled public rooms that are furnished with overstuffed chairs and subtle unobtrusive art collections. The atmosphere is reminiscent of an upscale country club. Wisely, Oceania has maintained this atmosphere on Regatta.



Regatta is offered as a luxury cruise experience. It includes a gourmet dining program developed by Chef Jacques Pepin. Things like airfare are included in the fare and there is no cover charge for the two specialty restaurants. The intimate shipboard spa is operated by Canyon Ranch.



With only 684 passengers, the ship is uncrowded. Moreover, the guest to staff ratio is 1.71 to one, which allows for very personalized service.



As a small ship, Regatta is able to get into ports that the larger cruise ships cannot. Thus, her itineraries include ports that are off the beaten track.



As a result, Regatta tends to attract experienced travelers as well as those who are seeking a luxury experience. Guests are often mature and well-to-do.



Beyondships’ profile of Regatta is at http://www.beyondships.com/Oceania-Regatta-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Oceania-Regatta-Tour-1.html



Carnival Dream is the largest cruise ship in the Carnival fleet. In fact, in terms of gross tonnage, she is four times the size of Regatta. She carries more than five times as many passengers.



Although Carnival still calls its ships “Fun ships,” they are not the young singles party boats that they were when the line began. Rather, the focus is on young families. Carnival provides a good quality cruise experience at reasonable rates designed to embrace people for whom cruising was not an affordable vacation option in the past.



Dream is big, bold and brassy. While her interior is more subdued than earlier Carnival ships, it is still intended to evoke a good times atmosphere. Furthermore, as a very large ship, there is space for lots of amenities and features. The spa is quite large as is the outdoor pool deck. There are also numerous bars, lounges and public areas.



Carnival Dream currently operates out of Port Canaveral in Florida. Her itineraries include major Caribbean ports where she can dock. These are popular ports that are well-developed for tourism.



I’ve added a new photo essay to Beyondships’ profile of Carnival Dream showing her in one of those popular ports - - St. Maarten. http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-photo-essay.html We have also added some more Fun Times daily programs to the profile page. http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-Profile.html



Thus, Carnival Dream and Regatta provide much different vacation experiences. Which is better depends upon what you like.

Celebrity Century - Profile, Photo Tour and Interviews

When you speak to the officers of Celebrity Century about their ship, invariably one hears phrases such as a “ship with a soul” or the “ship has a great heart.” What they are referring to is an atmosphere aboard the Century that makes one feel that traveling on this ship is special.

Century is smaller than most major cruise ships. She did not start out that way. When she entered service, she was one of the largest cruise ships in operation. However, over time, cruise ships have become bigger and bigger and so Century has become relatively more intimate. Moreover, the layout of her public rooms somehow adds to this feeling of intimacy. The major rooms flow very well together so there is a feeling that nothing is very far away.

Century’s age also plays a part. She is now 15 years old and while that is less than middle age for a ship, there is a feeling that this ship is tried and true. People have been enjoying her for years. There is no doubt that this ship works.

Overlaid on this is the fact that Celebrity spent $55 million to revitalize the ship in 2006. This included the addition of a fine dining specialty restaurant and numerous balcony cabins. The ship also got a makeover of her public spaces and existing cabins which somehow managed to preserve her pre-existing sophistication.

Century also lends herself well to the modern Celebrity product. Her facilities allow her to present most of the Celebrity Life activities that one encounters on the larger Celebrity ships. In addition, the typical Celebrity passenger appreciates her large contemporary art collection, the elegance of her wood-paneled Michael’s Club, the grandeur of her main dining room as well as quality of her culinary options.

Beyondships’ profile of Celebrity Century is at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Century-Profile.html The photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Century-Tour-1.html
In addition, we have interviews with her hotel director Jan Willem Kuipers http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Century-HD.html
and her cruise director. Sue Denning. http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Century-CD.html

Profile and Photo tour of Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Epic is one of three revolutionary ships to have debuted in the last year. Although not as large as the other two, Oasis of the Seas and her sister Allure of the Seas, Epic is a large ship. Indeed, she is one of the largest.

However, it is not the size of these ships that matters but rather how the cruise lines have used the space. Norwegian Cruise Line, like Royal Caribbean, has not just expanded on what has gone before but creatively increased the number and the quality of the options that guests have onboard. Consequently, these ships will change people’s level of expectation with regard to cruising.

NCL is no stranger to innovation. At a time when most cruise companies were employing small ships, NCL brought the giant ocean liner SS France back into service as the SS Norway, opening the door for big ship cruising.

NCL was also the first cruise line to have full production shows as entertainment. This was the fore-runner of the multi-million dollar shows that are now standard in the industry.

NCL is perhaps best known for abandoning the traditional cruise ship dining system in favor of one that allows the guests to decide when and where to dine. Almost all of the major cruise lines now have a flexible dining op0tion.

With Epic, there is innovation in the staterooms including studio cabins, non-traditional bathrooms, curving walls, and mood lighting. There is the two deck ship within a ship luxury area that encompasses not only 60 suites but exclusive outdoor areas, restaurants and lounges. Advanced technology has been employed extensively. Interactive technology has changes the way guests find their way around the ship and plan what entertainment to see. Facial recognition software has even been used to change the way images are offered in the photo gallery.

Beyondships profile page for Norwegian Epic is at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLEpic.html and the multi-page photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLEpic-Tour-1.html

Carnival Victory Photo Tour

Carnival Victory was the first ship profiled on Beyondships. Even though I did an update of that profile since then, I was surprised when I revisited Victory, how much had changed.

Chief among these were the changes that followed from the addition of a Serenity outdoor section to the ship. Serenity is a concept that was featured on Carnival Dream when she went into service and which is now being implemented throughout the fleet. It is an adults-only section of the open decks that features premium seating - - hammocks, enhanced loungers, etc. - - whirlpools and its own bar. It provides some rest time for parents and a sanctuary for those traveling without kids. It is a nice bit of pampering.

For the most part, the Serenity section occupies an area that was an underutilized section of the open decks in the forward part of the ship. However, the addition of the Serenity section did displace some other facilities. The mini-golf course has been moved to the area immediately under the funnel. This was a definite improvement. When the mini-golf was forward, it was sort of cramped and all the holes followed one after another in a straight line due the rectangular nature of the space the course occupied. The funnel area is much more open and the course is more spread out.

An earlier refit saw the addition of the giant LED screen to the open decks. It is located at the aft end of the main pool area. In order to make the area more theater like, the old bandstand that stood at the front end of the pool area has been removed.

In addition to the changes to the ship, there have been changes to Beyondships over time. The profiles include more than they used to include. As a result, there are more photos covering more of the bars, public rooms, spa and dining venues. In addition I have invested in better cameras, which hopefully means better quality photos.

The Beyondships profile of Carnival Victory is at http://www.beyondships.com/CARNIVALVICTORY.html and the expanded photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalVictorytour1a.html

I have als added a few new photos to the profiles of some of the other Carnival ships that I have recently encountered - - Carnival Conquest, Carnival Legend, and Carnival Valor.

In the upcoming weeks, I will be presenting new material from some of the other ships that I have been on recently including Norwegian Epic, Azura and the fabulous Allure of the Seas. There will also be reports on some of the destinations that I have visited.