The big ship

Author: By Jerry Morris, Globe Staff

Date: SUNDAY, February 2, 1997

Page: M1

Section: Travel

That's a pretty big promise. But this is a pretty big ship. A big Fun Ship, no less. And if you can't believe your cruise director, whom can you believe?

Carnival has a right to boast. The line has built the first cruise ship to top 100,000 tons, making it more than 20,000 tons larger than anything else that has sailed the Caribbean waters. And in the world of ships, increased tonnage means more space. Carnival is also the No. 1 cruise line in the world, operating 11 ships that consistently sail at or very close to capacity, own or control three other cruise lines and more than possibly a fourth shortly. So why shouldn't we have fun or enjoy ``the best vacation ever.''

The first time I spotted this ship was last November while lunching in the elegant Globe cafeteria. Across the South Boston skyline I could see a familiar red smokestack towering above everything and moving into place at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, more than a mile, as the sea gulls fly, from my vantage point. ``That's big,'' I said. The Destiny was making a brief call on the city straight from a shipyard in Italy before heading down the coastline to Miami. I said ``That's big'' again as we approached the Miami port terminal and the Destiny towered over ships and buildings in the area.

Its size, though, brings some concern. How can anyone in their right mind enjoy being on a ship that size and with 3,000 or so of your nearest and closest friends? Is this fun or madness?

We also wondered whether this was cruising or checking into a grand resort hotel. And after checking into our stateroom and hearing cruise director John Heald's ``best'' announcement, we wondered if that wasn't just a lot of hype.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the first ship of this size, but Carnival has some surprises aboard to back up the hype and to make this not only a passenger-friendly ship but a very big Fun Ship.

First, though, I guess you have to accept that cruising today is more of a resort experience than a seagoing adventure. Oh yes, we would be sailing on the ocean and could spot it right outside our cabin window, but this ship, like most today, keeps most activities inside and completely climate-controlled while keeping its open decks open to what most seem to want to do during the day -- lie in the sun and relax. While the ship lacks the open Promenade Deck found on older oceangoing vessels, we did discover an open deck just outside the lobby deck. It didn't span the entire ship but did provide lots of room for relaxing in those big deck chairs. With a deck on either side, you could thus choose sun or shade.

The ship provides many design innovations that quickly make one forget they are on a huge liner. Public areas -- shops, casino, theater, lounges, disco, dining -- are concentrated on three decks set midway on the ship with passenger cabins on decks above and below. No one has to travel far to dine or play the slots. Of course, if you want to sun or swim and are on one of the lower, low-priced decks, there is a bit of a hike up to deck 9 or 10, but the ship has lots of quick elevators, including a bank of glass-enclosed ones within the nine-deck-high central attrium.

Size, too, plays a big part in making the ship more fun. More people give the ship a livelier atmosphere.

Of course, size can mean crowding, but we never really experience such crowding, except for some long but quickly moving lines on boarding. With so much room aboard, passengers seem to disperse to activities and lounges, leaving one to think you are on a much smaller vessel.

Fun also depends on how you define it. Carnival as a pioneer in cruising obviously has done its homework over the years -- 25 to be exact -- to create an atmosphere that offers something for just about everyone and all ages. While the image of this line may seem to be for the younger crowd, our cruise had an almost equal balance of young and old age groups. There is lots of danceable music, from nice and easy to the kind you'll find in a lively disco covered with more than 500 TV screens that show everything from music videos to old-time flicks to the scene on the disco floor. We particularly liked the many small lounges, offering everything from a singalong piano bar to quiet getaway places with deep, comfortable chairs.

For those who just want sun and fun, or even sun and quiet, the Destiny more than provides. The spacious upper decks have lots of open space, two pools (one with a retractable roof that can be closed for use in rainy weather), many hot tubs, even a terraced deck design around the main pool that also is used for day and evening entertainment. There is a separate pool and play area for the young set. And then there is the spectacular 214-foot-long twisting water slide, from which you can catch a commanding view of the ship and sea before being whisked down.

Size, too, means bigger shows. On the Destiny, the stage shows are lavish and spectacular in the three-deck-high showroom, with hardly a seat that doesn't have a great view. The Palladium is designed to handle just about any type show a Broadway theater could. And the Palladium looks better than some Broadway theaters. The shows are primarily musical ones with lots of dancing, laser lighting and more. One evening we were treated to ``Rand Woodbury and his magical world'' -- he made a small plane appear on stage. Later, we checked out an X-rated comedian whose performance was carefully staged after midnight and with cautionary warnings about the content of the show. It appealed to many in the audience, but I'm afraid I found little humor.

Nighttime brings great variety to entertainment. The main promenade deck is much like walking along a boulevard downtown, although far more lively and interesting than anything at home. We could shop duty-free, enjoy coffee or dessert in the sidewalk cafe, try our luck in the Millionaire's Club Casino, where one jackpot had reached $907,004. We could step into any number of lounges -- the All Stars Sports Bar one night was featuring the Seattle Sonics vs. Denver Nuggets, complimentary hot dogs and two-for-one draft beer; The Warren Commission -- -- yes, that's really the name of this enjoyable trio -- is offering some nice music in the Downbeat Lounge; we could sing along with John Melnick in the Apollo Piano Bar or catch some jazz at the Flagship Bar; and there was more.

The ship is bright and light. It seems more subdued than some Carnival ships that seem to be measured by the number of miles of neon lighting they have. Without realizing it, we later discovered we had been wandering amid a multimillion-dollar art collection. Some pieces do jump out but so many blend in with the decor so well that they only add to the pleasant atmosphere of the ship.

Staterooms are quite spacious, most have outside views and many have private balconies. Bathrooms also are spacious with a large shower area -- some more expensive rooms have tubs. Our cabin comes with a TV that provides a choice of movies and shipboard activities, along with Fun Vision, an interactive system that allows shopping, ordering of shore excursions, information on billing and a wide range of pay movies on demand. Our cabin attendant, Carlos, constantly checked on our needs, but we had nothing to ask of him -- he did his job too well. At the end of the day, we were greeted by new creations he'd made from towels and our sunglasses.

Service throughout the ship was friendly and good. We tried room service, and our sandwiches arrived warm and within a reasonable time. The free room-service menu was good, with a variety of sandwiches, drinks and salads -- and it was available 24 hours a day. Enough food is served throughout the day that there should be no need for this service, but I must admit it was a nice treat to sit outside on the balcony, enjoying the sea breezes and munching on a sandwich or having breakfast.

The Destiny offers a huge choice in food and dining that is both plentiful and very good. Daughter Wendy didn't think the bagels were up to her standard , but other than that, there were no complaints with the food choices. Besides two large dining rooms, designed to create intimate areas, there is a two-deck-high Sun & Sea restaurant with four buffet serving areas for breakfast and lunch and, nearby, a 24-hour pizza place, outdoor grills for hamburgers and hot dogs and an Oriental and also Italian buffet area. Too many tempting dishes. Our evening menu, too, was filled with choices, from meats and fish to vegetarian entres. None of the dishes disapointed us.

With its many small, intimate lounges and the way Carnival has divided the ship into many areas, the Destiny has the feel of a much smaller ship. While I certainly enjoyed the food, my only complaint would be with the casual Sun & Sea restaurant topside. It reminded me of a cafeteria.

For those who feel they must or should work off the calories, the Destiny has a huge fitness and health center with all the latest in workout equipment, relaxing saunas and steam rooms and massages. There is an aerobics area, a juice bar and a salon for hair care and facials, even European-style spa services. For walkers and joggers, there is a 1/8-mile outdoor track.

The Destiny offers two cruise itineraries, both from Miami. We chose the Eastern Caribbean that offered calls at St. Croix and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and San Juan. The western Caribbean itinerary has Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman; and Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

Maybe the biggest problem is that there are too many choices for activities, entertainment, ports of call, food, drink. So if you want to mix a seagoing adventure with lots of pleasure in a relaxed atmosphere, the Destiny is a very good choice. Forget the size, just enjoy.

So, did we have fun, and was this the best vacation ever? Well, we did have fun. The ship is quite lively, with something for all. (Although when the announcement was made that the Knobby Knee Contest was about to begin in the Palladium Lounge, there was no rush, in fact no interest, from those sunning around the pool.) But was it the best vacation? As a vacation from the everyday world, it was very good. All the ingredients for a great vacation are there; a lot depends on what you think a vacation should be. For me, my image of a Carnival cruise has changed -- the experience on board exceeded my expectations. Maybe it wasn't the greatest vacation for me, but it surely was a very good one.

The Carnival Destiny is the latest in the company's expanding fleet, having entered service in November. Unlike other ships in the fleet, which use a single name, this one is officially the Carnival Destiny.

The ship sails from Miami on seven-day cruises with an alternating itinerary -- one week, the eastern Caribbean (St. Thomas, St. Croix and San Juan and three days at sea); the next week, the western Caribbean (Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman; and Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and three days at sea). Listed cruise prices range from 1,099 to $2,469. Ocean-view staterooms with balconies range from $1,729 a person to $2,469, depending on season and size. As with most other Carnival ships, the Destiny has spacious cabins and baths. The same price structure is used on the line's other vessels, with one exception -- eight penthouse suites that go from $2,599 to$2,709 depending on season.

Carnival also publishes discounts of up to $800 a cabin for early bookings. Other discounts may also be available for special sailings.

The ship is capable of carrying 2,642 passengers on the basis of two per cabin but, with upper berths available, can carry 3,000. The ship also has 16 family staterooms, a number of them connecting. There also are 40 large suites and eight penthouse suites. While the atmosphere aboard is casual and relaxed, there are two formal nights at sea. At these, men are requested, although no one demands, to wear a jacket and tie. On the Destiny, many men did wear tuxes, but most were in business suits.

The Destiny's size allows it to offer a wide range of services, from dining to shopping. The shopping area offers everything from necessary items one might have forgotton to formal wear rentals, duty-free luxury and liquor items. The ship has a large casino with all the games one would expect. We even found an ATM machine aboard. It was bit expensive to use, with a $5 fee because it uses ship-to-shore technology to activate. But the machine is very handy if you find yourself short of cash.

Each deck also has a laundry on it in addition to laundry and dry cleaning service from the staterooms. A wash load costs $2.50, including soap and drying.

The Destiny provides a full program and facilities for the young set, complete with a two-deck-high play area and a Camp Carnival program for 13- 17- year-olds. Carnival will also be offering complimentary baby-sitting to parents who want to go ashore at ports.

Carnival also offers a vacation guarantee on all sailings except those in Alaska, Hawaii or through the Panama Canal. The guarantee is simple: If you are not happy, Carnival will fly you back from the first port of call to your home airport and refund the per diem cost of the unused cruise days. Guests must notify the purser's office onboard before the first port of call. Carnival says that less than 110 of a percent have taken advantage of the offer to date. The line also says about half the first-time cruisers were influenced by the guarantee into booking their trips.

Carnival this year marks its 25th anniversay, having grown from one ship, the Mardi Gras (formerly the Empress of Canada), to a modern fleet of 11 vessels offering cruises from three to 11 or more days. The ship can be found in the Caribbean, along the West Coast and in Alaska. All Carnival's ships have been built since 1982. The family of ships now includes those of Holland America Line, Windstar and Seabourn, and the company reportedly may soon purchase a major interest in Costa Cruises, which will give it a major presence in Europe.