Welcome to Cruise Ship Monday.
Today we will explore two classes of ships–Carnival Conquest and Splendor-class. First are the Carnival Conquest-class ships–Carnival Conquest (2002), Carnival Glory (2003), Carnival Valor (2004), Carnival Liberty (2005) and Carnival Freedom (2007). These ships were built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. While they are smaller ships, weighing in at 110,000 tons and measuring 952 feet, they are not “smaller” on fun. The 13-deck ships have a passenger capacity of just under 3,000.
Each Carnival Cruise LIne Conquest-class ship features all the popular eateries onboard a Carnival ship. This includes the BlueIguana Cantina, Guy’s Burger Joint, Pizza Pirate, the Lido Marketplace and Carnival Deli. However, only Carnival Conquest and Carnival Freedom feature a Bonsai Sushi Express, while only Carnival Valor, Carnival Liberty and Carnival Freedom feature the Mongolian Wok.
Each ship features the same activities like bingo, mini golf, basketball and the Alchemy Martini Tasting. The bars are also very similar including Alchemy Bar and RedFrog Rum Bar. While only Carnival Glory and Carnival Freedom have a Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, every Carnival ship hosts a Military Appreciation Gathering.
Guests can enjoy table games, blackjack and slots in the Casino as well as dive-in movies on the Lido. Guests will find live music, karaoke, and a piano bar. Each ship’s entertainment includes the Punchliner Comedy Club, Deal or No Deal and musical shows performed by Playlist Productions. Guests will enjoy Family Feud Live onboard Carnival Liberty.
Kids and teens programming include Camp Ocean, Circle “C,” and Club O2; arts and crafts; and all the Suess at Sea things (adults will enjoy those too). Each ship features a Serenity Deck where adults will find the Serenity Adults-Only Retreat. Families will enjoy pools and waterslides, but only Carnival Glory and Carnival Freedom feature WaterWorks. Each ship also features a spa and fitness area.
Carnival Conquest sails from Miami, Florida to the Bahamas and Caribbean. Carnival Glory and Carnival Freedom sail from Port Canaveral, Florida. Carnival Glory sails to the Bahamas, and Carnival Freedom sails not only to the Bahamas, but also the Caribbean and in Europe. Carnival Valor and Carnival Liberty sail from New Orleans, Louisiana. Carnival Valor sails to the Caribbean and Carnival Liberty sails to the Caribbean, the Bahamas and the Panama Canal.
The Carnival Splendor-class is a unique class in that it only has one ship–Carnival Splendor. The ship is actually the sister to Costa Cruises Concordia-class ship, but the design was based on the design of the Carnival Conquest-class of ships.
One main difference is Carnival Splendor has a redesigned top deck area with a retractable, sliding glass roof over the ship’s main pool, a kid’s water area and a bigger spa area. It is also slightly larger than the Conquest-class with a passenger capacity of 3,012 based on double occupancy.
Carnival Splendor sails 2- to 10+ itineraries from Sydney, Australia throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Tony and the lovely Jenny B cruised aboard Carnival Liberty near the beginning of their cruising journeys. Here is the ship tour from seven years ago. Enjoy!