Carnival Splendor

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Carnival Splendor.JPG
Carnival Splendor in the Victoria Cruise Ship Port.
Career
Name: Carnival Splendor
Owner: Carnival Corporation & plc
Operator: Carnival Cruise Lines
Port of registry: Panama
Route: Mexican Riviera
Ordered: 2006
Builder: Fincantieri
Cost: US $697 million[1]
Yard number: 6135
Laid down: 2007
Launched: July 2, 2008
Christened: July 10, 2008[2] by Myleene Klass[3]
Completed: June 28, 2008[4]
Maiden voyage: August 18, 2008
In service: 2008-present
Identification: IMO number: 9333163
Status: In Active Service as of 2010
Notes: Similar in design to Costa Concordia
General characteristics
Class and type: Splendor class cruise ship
Tonnage: 113,300 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 952 ft (290.2 m)
Beam: waterline: 116 ft (35.4 m)
maximum: 125 ft (38.10 m)
Decks: 13 decks
Speed: 21-knot (39 km/h)
Capacity: 3,006 passengers
Crew: 1,150 crew

Carnival Splendor is a Splendor-class cruise ship and is one of the latest of the Carnival Cruise ships to enter the fleet. She entered service on July 2, 2008. At 113,300 gross register tons (GRT),[5] she was the largest ship in Carnival Cruise Lines until the Carnival Dream debuted in September 2009. There are currently no plans to build another ship like her.

The ship was originally designed for Costa Cruises, hence the larger spa and children's facilities.[6] She is similar in design to the Costa Concordia, Costa Serena and its new sister ship, the Costa Pacifica.

Ship Highlights

The 3,006 passenger vessel offers a 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2) state-of-the-art indoor spa (the largest spa ever on a Carnival ship), consuming two forward decks. The spa features an elaborate thermal suite, a variety of health and beauty treatment rooms, and Carnival's first Thalasso therapy pool. Encircling the upper level of the spa is a winter garden with a ceremonial tea house. Spa access is complimentary for those staying in the non-smoking "spa" cabins on the Promenade and Spa decks. Those in other cabins may buy passes for the day or for the length of the voyage; typical fees are approximately $35 per day. Unlike with most Carnival ships, the sauna and steam rooms are part of this fee-based access and are not free to all passengers.

The children's playroom (located midship) is 5,500-square-foot (510 m2), making it the largest in the Carnival fleet. Above the facility is a dedicated water play area, a first for Carnival Cruise Lines.

File:Carnival Splendor.jpg
Carnival Splendor constructed at the Fincantieri shipyards in Sestri Ponente

Located at the back of the ship is a new sports deck featuring arena-style seating for games and other events, but the net around the sport deck is too low to play basketball, while a reservations-only supper club is located atop the poolside Lido restaurant, providing diners with magnificent ocean vistas.

The mid-ship pool, one of four on board, is enclosed by two full decks of glass walls. The area is covered with a two-deck-high retractable dome that can be closed during inclement weather. A large balcony encircles the upper deck of the pool area. There are flat screen televisions in every stateroom on the ship. There are award-winning shows on the ship.

Special Voyages

Carnival Splendor’s inaugural season began on the 2nd July 2008 with a cruise from Genoa (Italy) to Dover (England), followed by a three-day cruise to Amsterdam. Thereafter followed five 12-day Northern Europe cruises[7] from Dover to the Northern European ports of Copenhagen, Warnemunde, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, and Amsterdam. On 11th Sept 2008, the ship sailed to Southern Europe, to visit ports such as Civitavecchia (near Rome), Naples, Dubrovnik, Venice, Messina, Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno, Marmaris, Izmir, Istanbul, and Athens. It finally started its crossing of the Atlantic on the 3rd Nov 2008, towards its new home port of Fort Lauderdale, in Florida.

In January 2009, the Carnival Splendor embarked on a relocation from the Caribbean to the Pacific ocean, its new home port being Long Beach in California. The ship was too wide to sail through the Panama Canal, so it made the journey by sailing around the whole of South America. It was the first Carnival ship to have ever made this voyage. [8] The relocation took 49 days, and included visits to ports in Dominica, Barbados, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico.

In March 2009, Carnival Splendor was the host ship for Mayercraft Carrier 2, a 4-day cruise (March 27 – March 31) from Los Angeles, California to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico hosted by musician John Mayer and featuring music and comedy shows.[9]

Miscellaneous

The ship's godmother is Myleene Klass. She named the ship in Dover on the 8th June 2008 in a 'fun' ceremony where she played 'Sailing' on the piano, whilst a Royal Navy diver climbed up 5 decks on a rope, and then smashed the bottle of champagne on the bow by hand.[10][11]

References

External links

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