USVI-On-Line

A future headline??? See the below -

MIAMI, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In a traditional maritime handover
ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, earlier today,
Carnival Cruise Lines officially took delivery of its newest and largest ship,
the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream.

Following the ceremony, Carnival Dream departed for Rome (Civitavecchia),
Italy, for its inaugural cruise, a 12-day Grand Mediterranean voyage departing
Sept. 21 - the first of three voyages within the region.

The ship will then sail a trans-Atlantic crossing from Rome to New York
followed by a special two-day cruise and two eight-day Caribbean voyages from
the Big Apple. Carnival Dream will then reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla.,
for a special one-time nine-day voyage Dec. 3 before launching year-round
seven-day Caribbean service Dec. 12.

"With some truly unique spaces and amazing entertainment options, Carnival
Dream is dramatically different from any other ship we've introduced and
ushers in an exciting new era in 'Fun Ship' cruising," said Gerry Cahill,
Carnival's president and CEO. "Value is more important than ever and the
Carnival Dream - with its unique public spaces and exciting on-board
innovations - provides the type of quality, affordable vacation experiences
that today's consumers are seeking," he added.

Representing a new class of vessel for the line, the 3,646-passenger Carnival
Dream offers a host of innovations, including Ocean Plaza, a stunning
indoor/outdoor cafe and live music venue; The Lanai, an outdoor area featuring
a wrap-around promenade and cantilevered whirlpools that are suspended over
the ship's side; a host of new accommodation categories, including two-bath,
five-berth staterooms that appeal to families and cove balcony cabins located
closer to the water line; a sprawling Carnival WaterWorks aqua park featuring
the longest water slide at sea; and a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, the
largest in the fleet.

Exciting new entertainment choices, including a comedy club offering 24
performances per voyage and outdoor laser shows on Lido Deck, are also
featured. Also new is the "Fun Hub," a comprehensive intranet portal and the
first shipboard social network that provides a variety of helpful information
on the vessel and allows guests to interact and connect with their fellow
passengers on board.

Dining options include two formal restaurants with extensive menus and wine
lists nightly, an expansive Lido-area eatery featuring a 24-hour pizzeria,
Indian tandoori and new Italian pasta bar, an elegant steakhouse serving USDA
prime dry-aged beef, a sushi bar, a patisserie and complimentary 24-hour
stateroom service.

A host of bars, lounges, nightspots and live music venues - all bearing the
unmistakable design stamp of Carnival's renowned interior architect Joe Farcus
- are also featured.

Carnival Dream is the 23rd vessel in Carnival Cruise Lines' fleet, which
operates three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera,
Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda and Europe.

A sister ship to the Carnival Dream, the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, is
scheduled for delivery in June 2011. It is also being built in Italy by
Fincantieri.

Yes, I get all that about size and capacity.
But I see no information about the Midnight Buffet

Mooo Moooo Round 'em up and load 'em in.

OMG! The town I grew up in was smaller than the population of that ship.

That's a whole lot of folks on some tiny islands.

I noticed that the week we are visiting in Nov there are three Princess ships in port with greater than 3K passenger capacity. Hopefully the majority of people who prefer to travel in small cities will find that St John is too "slow" for their taste and opt for the shopping excursions.

I must confess that an excursion to Trunk from a cruise was how I found StJ.

Thoughts on a ship that size:

I would not want to go on one for this reason: If I'm going to a ship that large with such FREAKIN AWESOME waterslides, I don't want to go to any islands, especially ones I have never visited. Take me on that ship and drive me around in circles for 7 days so I can relax at a resort...which is exactly what that ship is. It's a resort...not a cruise ship.

Until then...assuming we ever take a cruise again...we tend to like smaller ships (under 1000 people). But, they're a dying breed

Ships built for an economy that no longer exists...

That was a close one!

Why doesn't Carnival build a humid, hot "port bazaar" with a few Diamonds International shops onboard. Then they really could sail in circles and simulate shore excursions?

Pia wrote:Thats just a baby compared with the largest of the Royal Caribbean ships with a passenger capacity of 4,375 plus crew

Larger ships are being built as I type !!!

Pia

Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean's new $1.2 billion dollar Genesis class ships. Capacity is said will be 5,400 passengers double occupancy up to about 7,300 including third and fourth passengers. These are scary big and will have what Royal Caribbean calls "neighborhoods":

http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/

Oasis of the Seas first cruise is scheduled for December 1, and the first visit to STT will be on December 8, 2009.

That Oasis website is incredible - the videos of the ship and its design are really well done - they have a deck that is called Central Park and it is an amazing park on board - Hope the dredging issue in STT allows for its visit.