Carnival Spirit – you may have heard the name before or spotted the 2,124-passenger beast sailing around your shores at some point over the the past three years.
She makes her way in and out of Australian ports with an air of confidence, knowing she’s the only one in the region with a ginormous waterslide on board (the ever-so-enticing Green Thunder) and one of the few cruise ships serving Aussie-approved coffee (so important).
Not to mention she think she’s pretty schmick carrying around the nicest employees in the world (not being able to find flaws is just annoying), delicious and diverse food (I’m talking about those mouthwatering burgers at Guy Fieri’s burger joint) and non-stop entertainment.
She’s pretty irresistible until you’ve had a chance to board her – then you’ll be cruising with a whole new attitude.
Carnival Spirit and her team are so good at what they do they’ll give you the best holiday or even day tour of your life and when you’re not looking, the ship will steal your spirit, making it hard for you to leave and enjoy anything on-land ever again (cue dramatic music).
No seriously.
Here are six ways Carnival Spirit will steal your spirit:
1. Alcohol on land will never be as good…
… once you’ve tried the specially made ‘medicine’ served up in the new Alchemy Bar.
The apothecary-themed was one of seven new drinking venues added to the ship after her recent $44 million renovation. She now sails with 25 bars on board (25 – there aren’t even that many bars left in Sydney since the lockout laws – jokes) each offering a unique environment and mix.
At the Alchemy Bar, mixologists will create each patron (upon request) their own individualised cocktail based on their mood and alcohol cravings. It’s pretty incredible.
The venue also serves The Red Centre, the cruise line’s first dedicated Australian cocktail designed using local palettes.
2. The kids will never let you hear the end of it
‘We love it’ and ‘we want to go back’ will literally be the only words coming from the kids mouths for weeks after the cruise.
You can’t really blame them, because where on land could you possible find a place like Camp Ocean? A place completely dedicated to making the young ones happy with ocean-inspired activities and entertainment.
They spend days in Camp Ocean surrounded by new friends and staff keep them occupied with games and activities that they’re rarely ever bored.
But that’s not all. Where else in the world can you get Green Eggs and Ham? The cruise line actually serves up the Dr Seuss speciality as part of its Seuss at Sea program.
3. Watch a movie at the cinemas? Forget that!
Because how could a stuffy cinema room with dozens of other viewers ever beat watching a flick at Carnival Spirit’s Dive-In Movies?
During renovations, the cruise line added a 5m by 3cm screen on the top deck in front of the pool.
As well as receiving the usual movie-night goodies such as popcorn, guests can also pick up a burger from Guy’s Burger Joint, which was added near the big screen.
There’s nothing more amazing than watching a flick under the stars from the comfort of your deck chair.
4. And forget ever enjoying a theme park again
They’ll just seem like long lines and incredible disappointments once you’ve taken a ride down the largest waterslide in Australian waters, the Green Thunder.
The green giant sends riders travelling down several decks at 65 kilometres per hour before being spit out into a little pool on the top deck.
Best part about the ride is it’s literally at your doorstep AND you can ride it whenever you like (within operational hours of course).
5. No more free Biggest Loser workouts
Oh Arrow.
It’s true, once you disembark Carnival Spirit you’ll no longer have access to Shannan Ponton’s special workouts.
As part of The Biggest Loser Australia trainer’s relationship with Carnival, he provided the on board fitness centre with a sample of his trademark workouts that guests can do as a group or individually.
Disembarking also means leaving behind his specially created nutritious dishes such as the turkey burger using choa and quinoa buns.
Leaving the ship means leaving behind a personal trainer and a nutritionist.
Bye, bye Spirit.
6. And saddest of all – farewell to 24/7 pizza & ice cream.
24/7 pizza and 24/7 ice cream – *died*
Carnival Spirit actually has a 24/7 pizza joint and a place that serves ice cream 24 hours seven days a week.
The whole family will be craving a good slice at 2.00am for weeks after finishing up the cruise.