Carnival Cruises Vacations

Carnival Cruises made cruise travel accessible to everyone. From their image as the "Fun Ship" to adding children's programs that were much more than babysitting, Carnival priced Cruisesso that families could afford to travel together.

To further open the Cruise travel options that didn't make you go to Miami, Los Angeles or New York, Carnival was a pioneer in adding regional drive-to ports so you could board the ship in New Orleans, Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, Norfolk, Charleston, Galveston, Long Beach and Mobile.

In breaking with the old image of cruising as the place for stuffy rich folks and making it appealing to younger travelers, Carnival created highly successful packages for weddings at sea and family reunions.

The Carnival line is the most aggressive in adding state of the art new ships to the fleet. Among the features of the newer ships are interior upgrades in the public areas - but even more personal to the passengers are the new Carnival Comfort Beds.

Each cabin has beds with deluxe comfort mattresses, high quality linens and soft pillows. Even standard cabins have a plush bathrobe waiting for you. Another health-related feature is the increased restriction of smoking in public areas.

The fun on deck often centers around the pool area - from the poolside snack service to the twists and turns of the water slide. Of course the now traditional "belly-flop" pool contest is worth watching.

Some of the Carnival Ships have a retractable cover over the pool area so you can enjoy it year round. If you like water activities in a calmer way, check in at the luxurious Nautica Spa or Spa Carnival for quiet enjoyment in the steam room or whirlpool. Whether you stay for a massage and facial or work off lunch in the well-equipped fitness center, the spa is a kid-free zone.

So certain that Carnival could live up to its motto of "exceeding expectations," they were the first line to give a vacation satisfaction guarantee. If passengers are not enjoying their Cruise, they can leave the ship at the first port and receive a refund. Needless to say that passengers find little interest in this option once they get their "sea legs" and start getting involved in the many wonderful activities onboard.

Another popular upgrade for the entire Carnival Cruise line is with food service. Passengers are no longer required to choose early or late seating, report at a certain time and dine at the same table.

Carnival's Total Choice Dining offers four dinner times in the main dining, plus other specialty restaurants on the ship. Some ships have an Asian cuisine restaurant, New York Deli, Sushi Bar or Supper Club. You can dine in casual clothes or select a restaurant where dress is as uptown as the meal.

Carnival Cruises is also the parent company of a growing family of smaller Cruises lines. That's a real benefit because repeat guests receive great discounts for future cruises. You can also get excellent deals for groups of any size including scheduling some private functions for your colleagues or family reunion.