Phil Reimer—The Carnival Dream is officially named, has a godmother and is ready to go.
This is going to be short as I have had very little time to get around the ship since I arrived at Pier 88 in New York. This is the newest Fun Ship in the Carnival fleet. It's also the longest, largest and carries 3,600 passengers. With kids on-board and the new family rooms it will sail full at over 4,000. I have already dubbed it the Family Fun Ship.
This ship is designed for families, with over 20,000 square feet dedicated to kids and teens. Adults will get a break on the two level serenity areas.
Joe Farcus, who designs all the Carnival Ships, has made this one as funky as the rest, although I think he has modified his funkiness on this ship. Lots of red and gold, striped balls, well--you get the idea. Carnival is the one cruise line you could board blindfolded and know it’s a Carnival ship the moment the blindfold is removed.
Marcia Gay Harden, whose father was a captain in the navy, is the godmother for several reasons, but mainly it's because of Carnival’s support of St. Jude Children’s Hospital and the Care to Play campaign.
We stayed in port for the festivities last night and are scheduled to sail today.
The Dream is the first in this category and will be followed by Carnival Magic in 2011.
John Heald, the famous Carnival Cruise Director, was the MC and did a great job of injecting a lot of fun into the evening. There was a great montage of him hauling a giant helium filled Moet Chandon Champagne replica bottle balloon around NY. All of this took place in preparation for Marcia to break it open with a New York Yankee bat signed by A-Rod.
President Gerry Cahill got into the mood by appearing with the cast of Fun Force, which will be a big part of the entertainment on-board.
For the next five days, I'll dissect the ship from bow to stern and report back to you.
Time for some sleep!
All for now.