Carnival triumph: a cosmopolitan atmosphere on a Caribbean Cruise-Liner - Ship of the Month - Cover Story

Cruise Travel, Dec, 2001 by Suellyn Preston Scull

No matter whence you hail, the Caribbean elicits images of white sand beaches, clear blue water great coral reefs, and plenty of sunshine. Though I now reside in America, I hail from Australia. A Caribbean cruise has long been a dream of my sister, so when she came stateside to visit, I decided to make her dream come true with a week on the Carnival Triumph. When I told friends my plans, t received Sots of advice: Be prepared for plenty of partying, as you'll be sailing on a "Fun Ship," a virtual city at sea with almost 3,000 passengers: and expect thoroughly ordinary food.

Indeed, embarkation proceedings for so many guests ailed for some patience, but soon we were on our private balcony looking out across to the Miami Causeway, where passing motorists tooted and waved. Inside our Empress Deck cabin was a cozy seating area with a comfy sofa, chair, and small table plus plenty of closets, drawers, and shelves to accommodate our wardrobes. The fabrics' coral-pink and mauve tones nicely complemented the two colorful prints above our beds, executed by Virginia Ferrera and depicting a reclining woman and a couple viewing the Venetian canals. The artwork throughout the ship is a constant reminder that Joe Farcus, Carnival's interior architect, has chosen "The World" as the theme for the ship's public rooms.

Built in Italy's Fincantieri shipyard in 1999, the second in Carnival Cruise Lines' Destiny Class, the 102,000-gross-register-ton Carnival Triumph has been cruising from Miami to the Caribbean year-round. With a passenger capacity of 2,758, she attracts mainly Americans, although 16 nationalities were on our cruise, including groups of French Canadians and Brazilians. Spanning the ages, we noticed family groups--some represented by three, even four generations--honeymooners, singles, young professional couples traveling with friends, and the staple older cruising crowd.

The Capitol Lobby with its popular bar, located on Deck 3 at the bottom of a central atrium, is the focal point for life onboard. A huge, artistic gold-leaf globe dominates the seven-deck-high atrium where passengers gather to watch the comings and goings on the grand staircases and the four rising and descending glass-enclosed elevators. Radiating from here on decks 3, 4, and 5 are most of the public areas. Decks 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 are completely dedicated to passenger cabins, and decks 9, 10, and 11 have cabins situated forward with spacious open decks aft.

The Carnival Triumph has the most outdoor space of any ship in the fleet, and a tiered arrangement ondeck helps avoid the image of hundreds sunbathing cheek to jowl. In addition, a discrete section up by the funnel is reserved for the topless types, where no minors or cameras are allowed. The indoor/outdoor lido restaurant is aft on decks 9 and 10. On Deck 11 a jogging track surrounds the huge funnel aft, while set in a prime spot forward is the Nautica Spa & Gym occupying 15,000 square feet with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, an aerobics studio, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, and a beauty salon providing all the pampering one could imagine.

No matter where you are onboard, you are always aware of the interior design highlighting vacation places around the world. As we clambered up and down the aft staircase heading to the lido restaurant for breakfast or to the Paris Dining Room for dinner, we enjoyed identifying the cities portrayed in murals by Israeli artist Calman Shemi. Istanbul, Rome, Paris, and Rio were easy, but others remained a subject of some debate. Was that sky tower in Seattle or Sydney, and were those canals from Venice or Amsterdam?

Aft on Deck 5, Club Rio is the gathering place for passengers interested in dancing to the lively music of a Filipino band. With its brightly colored cobalt blue, green, orange, and maroon tiles lining the upper walls and part of the ceiling and jazzy fabrics covering the sofas, one easily slips into Rio de Janeiro's Carnival atmosphere.

No passport is needed to travel from Rio to Venice, and the adjacent Venezia Lounge. Afternoons attract the karaoke crowd, seated among fluted columns supporting curved arches and mud-colored brick-like walls, styled to resemble a Venetian palazzo. A jazz trio plays soothing music, for listening before or after dinner, often accompanied by a singer who belts out good old popular songs.

New Orleans is the theme of The Big Easy Bar, a piano lounge with a highly popular musician soliciting requests and playing his own tunes to enthusiastic crowds. Real oyster shells, from one of the city's famous seafood restaurants, have been embedded by hand in a deep blue plaster to dramatically highlight the upper walls and ceilings. Mardi Grasthemed white feathers hand-painted on a dark-blue suede cover the lower walls.

Four exquisitely designed Murano glass goblets, crafted by Italian artist Lucio Bubacco, celebrate great wines of the world as an enticement to step into the California Wine Bar. The intricate designs in bright blue, deep red, green, and chalk white range from heavenly bodies playing musical instruments to delicate human forms with swanlike heads to gods and goddesses drinking wines. It all adds up to an eye-catching, cozy spot to taste vintage vino by the glass.