Sailing on the Carnival Spirit

The Carnival Spirit is the newest addition to our Australian waters arriving into her new permanent home in Sydney late last year. She has underdone an "Aussie-fication to cater for her Australian and NZ passengers - so no need to worry about foreign currency on board,power adaptors and tipping is not required nor expected compared to other American based Cruise Liners!

I was lucky enough to sail on the Spirit in February on a 3 night Sydney- Melbourne cruise.  If you are new to cruising then I highly suggest these Shorter Sampler cruises to get a feel for what you can expect on a longer Itinerary.  The Spirit will be the largest Super-Liner to be permanently based in our Waters. She can carry 2,680 passengers and is an impressive 85,900 tonne.  The ship has all of your standard facilities you would expect from a ship of her size, but has some unique and impressive features too!

Still a great view!

Your first impression of a ship once on board will normally be your cabin. You will notice that the Spirits exterior cabins are predominantly Balcony Cabins. There is only one Deck Level of Ocean View Cabins on offer and these are located on Deck 1.  I stayed in an obstructed Balcony Cabin - category 7A.  I have to say I was very impressed and surprised at the lack of obstruction.  These cabins are located on Deck 5 , the top of the life rafts only reach up in line with your Balcony railing, so when standing on your Balcony you can still see over and above and out to see.  These cabins represent fantastic value if you want to upgrade from an Inside or Ocean view but not pay the full price of a fully unobstructed balcony!

The next standout feature is the Green Thunder. It is billed as the worlds steepest Water slide at sea at it certainly lives up to the hype! This slide begins with a trapdoor that opens and sends you free falling at up to 60km/h through a corkscrew and flying out the bottom!  There’s also a sports deck that includes mini golf and a great little water park for kids.

At the Aft of the ship  is a relaxing Adults only area known as Serenity. Here you will be able to relax and unwind with no kids to worry about!  Offering hammocks, large 2 person cabanas and plenty of deck chairs to relax on, you can also enjoy meals out here.  The entry to the dining hall is very close and it is also only a short stroll to Fat Jimmy's C-side BBQ - there is also a fully staffed bar. A medium sized swimming pool is located in the centre along with a spa. 

Carnivals Motto is "FUN". 
This is certainly felt from the moment you step on board! From the bar and wait staff to the entertainment team and your cabin stewards. There are a heap of activities to do on board as well,these are all listed in your 'Fun times" which will be delivered to your cabin every night.
One other thing you will notice is that the drink prices are very reasonable - The cocktails especially!  I have copied some sample drinks lists for you to see.

So if you are a first time cruiser or looking for a fantastic ship that will cater for your whole families needs then Carnival Spirit will be a great option for you.  She is in our waters year round and mainly sails the South Pacific with some NZ and shorter sampler Itineraries also.

View Sailings on the Carnival Spirit :
Australia
New Zealand

Photos Courtesy of Caribbean website and taken personally by myself.