Carnival's New Ship Is A Dream Boat For Families

With more than 19,000 total square feet of space catering to children, ’tweens and teens – from expansive indoor and outdoor play areas to a sprawling aqua park housing the cruise industry’s longest water slide – the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream is designed to be ideal for family vacations.

In addition to modern facilities and the most dedicated space to families in the “Fun Ship” fleet, Carnival Dream’s kid-friendly amenities will include supervised programs for three age groups – Camp Carnival (ages 2-11), Circle “C” (12-14) and Club O2 (15-17) – offering a full schedule of morning-til-night activities organized by highly trained staff. 

Slated to debut Sept. 21, 2009, Carnival Dream will further bolster Carnival’s distinction as a family-friendly cruise line, carrying an estimated 625,000 children aboard its 22-vessel “Fun Ship” fleet – roughly half of the total number of kids carried by the entire North American cruise industry.

“Families today are looking for a vacation that provides children of all ages with a wide variety of fun-filled activities, all at outstanding value. We’ve taken everything we’ve learned over the years and incorporated it into the design of Carnival Dream whose unmatched combination of spacious facilities, unique outdoor features and enthusiastic staff makes it the ultimate family vacation,” said Roberta Jacoby, Carnival’s senior vice president of hotel operations. 

Expansive ‘Camp Carnival’ Play Area

The focal point of Carnival Dream’s children’s activities will be an expansive play area encompassing 5,000 square feet of space and offering magnificent ocean views.  Located on Deck 11, Camp Carnival will be divided into three distinct sections, each catering to a different age group. 

The first area, designed for children ages 2-5, features an arts and crafts center and a variety of age-appropriate toys and games; the second, aimed at six- to eight-year-olds, offers video game consoles such as PlayStation2 and Wii linked to the latest plasma TV screens; and the third, catering to kids 9-11, includes a karaoke machine, air hockey and foosball tables and PlayStation2 and Wii video game consoles.  A reception desk will provide parents with a convenient and inviting venue to check their kids in and out of the program. 

Like all “Fun Ships,” Carnival Dream will offer a wide variety of activities specifically geared toward children, including the WaterColors art program; ExerSeas, emphasizing physical fitness, SeaNotes, with fun music-oriented games and activities; and EduCruise, designed to educate kids on the ship’s diverse European and Caribbean itineraries. Children can also create their own custom-designed Carnival T-shirts, as well as build their own Carnival Cuddly or “Fun Ship” Freddy plush toy. A number of multi-generational activities – including pizza-making sessions, family water play and trivia contests – will also be offered.

Camp Carnival will also serve as the site for Carnival’s babysitting services, which are available from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. nightly and cost $6 per hour for the first child and $4 per hour for each additional child in the same family.

Older Kids Enjoy ‘Circle C,’ ‘Club O2’ 

Sure to be a big hit with older kids are the modern, high-tech Circle “C” and Club O2 facilities,  catering to 12- to 14-year olds and 15- to 17-year olds, respectively. 

Located on Deck 4, the 1,075-square-foot Circle “C” center gives ’tweens a place to call their own, with a dance floor, DJ, a video jukebox and Internet workstations, providing the perfect place to just kick back and relax.  Adjacent to Circle “C” is Club O2, a 2,740-square-foot teen club where older kids can make new friends, and dance to the latest hits cranked out by a high-energy disc jockey. Designed as the ultimate “chill” space, this expansive room also includes a soda bar, music-listening stations and a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system.  Both the Circle “C” and Club O2 programs have a dedicated director who oversees a host of fun activities, including late-night movies, video game contests and pool parties. 

Located next to the teen club is The Warehouse, an expansive game room featuring the latest video and arcade games. Teens can also enjoy Carnival’s popular Y-Spa youth spa program offering a variety of soothing treatments.    

Expansive Outdoor Activities

As the largest “Fun Ship” ever constructed, Carnival has made maximum use of the Carnival Dream’s massive open decks, creating a variety of fun and inviting features, including Carnival WaterWorks, the largest and most elaborate water park at sea. 

In addition to a 303-foot-long, four-deck-high corkscrew water slide – the longest in cruising – there will be another 104-foot-long spiral water slide that leads into a giant funnel, providing riders with an exhilarating and memorable conclusion to their journey.  WaterWorks also includes twin double-lane 80-foot-long racing slides and various water spray apparatus with squirting fountains, splash zones, “dump buckets” and more. 

Carnival Dream’s other open-deck activities include the line’s first 18-hole miniature golf course, as well as basketball and volleyball courts with stadium-style seating. 

Family-Friendly Staterooms, Kid-Friendly Dining 

Carnival Dream’s family friendly features even extend to the ship’s accommodations, which include spacious deluxe ocean view staterooms with a unique configuration featuring two bathrooms.  In addition to twin beds that convert to a king and ample closet space, the extra-roomy cabins will include one full bathroom and a second bathroom with a junior tub, shower and sink.  In addition to dozens of inter-connecting staterooms, many of the Carnival Dream’s accommodations can hold up to five guests – a rarity in new ship construction and also ideal for families. 

With dining such an important part of any cruise, Carnival Dream will also offer the widest variety of kid-friendly culinary choices at sea.  In addition to a grille serving hamburgers and hot dogs, The Gathering casual poolside restaurant offers 24-hour pizza and ice cream while extensive children’s menus, with a daily junior special promising something new each day, are available in the main dining rooms.  And with Carnival’s “dining under the stars” program, kids can also enjoy a meal with the youth staff in the Lido restaurant allowing parents to have a night to themselves.  

Carnival Dream will also offer the line’s Fountain Fun Card program which, for a one-time fee, offers unlimited soft drinks throughout the voyage.  And greeting guests each night as they return to their staterooms are Carnival’s wildly popular “towel animals” – in the shape of a swan, monkey, pig or dozens of other creatures that are custom-designed by the line’s talented stateroom stewards. 

Inaugural Schedule

Carnival Dream is slated to debut Sept. 21, 2009, with the first of three 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises operating round-trip from Rome, followed by a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Rome (Civitavecchia) to New York Oct. 27 - Nov. 12, 2009.  

From New York, Carnival Dream will operate two eight-day Bahamas/Florida cruises departing Nov. 15 and 23, 2009, then reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., for a special one-time nine-day Caribbean cruise departing Dec. 3, 2009.  Carnival Dream will then launch year-round seven-day service from Port Canaveral, Dec. 12, 2009, offering weeklong voyages to the eastern and western Caribbean.  With Port Canaveral’s close proximity to Orlando, home to numerous theme parks and attractions, these cruises are expected to hold particular appeal to families.

For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit www.carnival.com.