CARNIVAL LIBERTY OFFERS YEAR-ROUND SEVEN-DAY CARIBBEAN VOYAGES FROM MIAMI

Carnival Cruise Lines’ 110,000-ton Carnival Liberty, which offers a year-round schedule of seven-day cruises from Miami, provides a truly unique vacation experience, with a host of “resort-style” amenities and an exciting array of stunning public rooms and facilities, each with a character all its own.  It is also the first Carnival vessel to feature the “Fun Ship 2.0” enhancements which were added during a two-week dry dock in October.

Carnival Liberty offers three different seven-day eastern and western Caribbean cruises each departing the Port of Miami every Saturday.   Exotic eastern Caribbean cruises feature the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay; St. Thomas.;San Juan; andGrand Turk.Another eastern Caribbean route visitsSan Juan,St. Thomas, and St. Maarten, while the western route visits Ocho Rios; Grand Cayman; and Cozumel.

PUBLIC ROOMS AND AREAS 
Designed by Carnival’s award-winning architect Joe Farcus, Carnival Liberty features an interior design theme that celebrates the work of fine craftsmen in many different media.  From ironworking to wood- carving, from stone cutting to jewelry making, from pottery to photography, the public rooms on Carnival Liberty showcase the skills of artisans, including those who build the line’s ships.

Highlights include the Grand Villa Garden Atrium, where ironworking, masonry, pottery making and painting come together to create an elegant park-like atmosphere; and Venetian Palace, the ship’s main show lounge which is designed to capture the artistic variety and quality for which the fabled Italian city of canals is renowned.  Other rooms include the Piano Man Piano Bar, with interiors featuring ornate replicas of ivory carvings; the Antiquarian Library, which celebrates the art of book-binding and offers a comfortable environment for reading and relaxing.

DINING OPTIONS
Carnival Liberty offers a wide variety of formal and casual options, including the stunning Golden Olympian and Silver Olympian formal dining rooms with extensive menus and wine lists; a casual poolside restaurant, Emile’s, with full breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets and a 24-hour pizzeria, along with a New York-style deli, an Asian specialty station, a grille and a rotisserie; and Harry’s, a reservations-recommended steakhouse serving prime U.S.D.A. dry-aged beef, chops, seafood and other cuisine. 

Two recent additions to the poolside restaurant include BlueIguana Cantina – a complimentary dining destination offering guests freshly made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas; and Guy’s Burger Joint, where guests have a choice of delicious fresh-off-the-grill burgers designed by Food Network personality Guy Fieri.  There are also two new poolside bars – the RedFrog Rum bar, offering a Caribbean-style vibe and a variety of rum-based drinks and beers, and the BlueIguana Tequila Bar, a Mexican-themed watering hole featuring a wide range of tequilas and other beverages.

Dining room menus also include vegetarian dishes and children’s menus, as well as Spa Carnival Fare, delicious health-conscious menu items that are lower in fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories. The ship also features a patisserie and a sushi bar, as well as complimentary 24-hour room service and ice cream and frozen yogurt.          

ON-BOARD PROGRAMS
‘CAMP CARNIVAL,’ ‘CIRCLE C,’ ‘CLUB O2’ – Building upon Carnival’s distinction as the family cruise leader carrying 670,000 children annually fleetwide, Carnival Liberty offers organized programs for three different age groups – Camp Carnival for 2- to 11-year-olds, Circle “C” for 12- to 14-year-olds, and Club O2 for 15- to 17-year-olds – with supervised activities and expansive, modern facilities for each group.  CarnivalLiberty also houses four swimming pools, including a children’s wading pool and an aft pool offering a 214-foot-long water slide.

‘HEALTH AND FITNESS FACILITY’ – Fitness has become an important part of everyday life and guests sailing on the Carnival Liberty can take advantage of the ship’s 13,300-square-foot Spa Carnival facility, which features exercise equipment, a gymnasium, and body and facial treatments, including a number of exotic European-style therapies. The ship also features a salon offering a variety of hair, nail and make-up services. 

CARNIVAL’S SEASIDE THEATRE- Carnival Liberty also features the line’s popular “Carnival Seaside Theatre,” a massive 270-square-foot LED screen on Lido Deck displaying movies, concerts, sporting events, and other programming, including a “Morning Show” hosted by the ship’s cruise director.  Utilizing the same technology featured in large stadiums andNew York’sTimes Square, the state-of-the-art entertainment system includes a 70,000-watt sound system, providing concert quality sound, even outdoors.

SPACIOUS ACCOMODATIONS- As part of Carnival’s fleetwide stateroom amenities, all of the Carnival Liberty’s staterooms feature the “Carnival Comfort Bed” sleep system, featuring plush mattresses, luxurious duvets and duvet covers, fluffy pillows and high quality sheets and linens. All accommodations include terrycloth bathrobes and all staterooms offer in-cabin amenity kits with a variety of brand-name product samples for men and women. 

The Carnival Liberty also features, two new 750-square-foot “deluxe penthouse suites” –the largest in the “Fun Ship” fleet by far- featuring a new cabin configuration with a separate bedroom, expansive living area, and two full bathrooms, including one with a bathtub tub.

Located on the ship’s forward section on Deck 9, the deluxe penthouse suites can accommodate up to five guests – rare in cruise industry staterooms – and include two twin beds that convert to a king, a sofa bed and two pull-down upper beds.             

INTERNET CAFÉ, WI-FI ACCESS, CELL PHONE SERVICE – Like all “Fun Ships,” Carnival Liberty offers an Internet café with private workstations featuring flat-screen monitors, along with Wi-Fi access available in virtually all public rooms and areas.  Guests can also make and receive cell phone calls whether the ship is at sea or in port.

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CARNIVAL LIBERTY OFFERS YEAR-ROUND SEVEN-DAY CARIBBEAN VOYAGES FROM MIAMI

             MIAMI —  Carnival Cruise Lines’ 110,000-ton Carnival Liberty, which offers a year-round schedule of seven-day cruises from Miami, provides a truly unique vacation experience, with a host of “resort-style” amenities and an exciting array of stunning public rooms and facilities, each with a character all its own. 

            The Carnival Liberty offers three different seven-day eastern and western Caribbean cruises each departing the Port of Miami every Saturday.  The Exotic eastern Caribbean cruise route features the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay; St. Thomas.; San Juan; and Grand Turk. Another eastern Caribbean route visits San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten, while western route visits Ocho Rios; Grand Cayman; and Cozumel.

            PUBLIC ROOMS AND AREAS
            Designed by Carnival’s award-winning architect Joe Farcus, the Carnival Liberty features an interior design theme that celebrates the work of fine craftsmen in many different media.  From ironworking to wood- carving, from stone cutting to jewelry making, from pottery to photography, the public rooms on Carnival Liberty showcase the skills of artisans, including those who build the line’s ships.

            Highlights include the Grand Villa Garden Atrium, where ironworking, masonry, pottery making and painting come together to create an elegant park-like atmosphere; Venetian Palace, the ship’s main show lounge which is designed to capture the artistic variety and quality for which the fabled Italian city of canals is renowned; Hot & Cool, a dance club celebrating the craft of body art with giant arms and legs that are decorated with tattoo patterns in bright fluorescent colors.

            DINING OPTIONS
            Carnival Liberty offers a wide variety of formal and casual options at sea, including the stunning Golden Olympian  and Silver Olympian formal dining rooms with extensive menus and wine lists; a casual poolside restaurant; Emile’s, with full breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets and a 24-hour pizzeria, along with a New York-style deli, an Asian specialty station, a grille and a rotisserie; and Harry’s, a reservations-recommended steakhouse serving prime U.S.D.A. dry-aged beef, chops, seafood and other cuisine.

            Dining room menus also include vegetarian dishes and children’s menus, as well as Spa Carnival Fare, delicious health-conscious menu items that are lower in fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories. The ship also features a patisserie and a sushi bar, as well as complimentary 24-hour room service and ice cream and frozen yogurt. 

            ON-BOARD PROGRAMS
            ‘CAMP CARNIVAL,’ ‘CIRCLE C,’ ‘CLUB O2’ – Building upon Carnival’s distinction as the family cruise leader carrying 625,000 children annually fleetwide, Carnival Liberty offers organized programs for three different age groups – Camp Carnival for 2- to 11-year-olds, Circle “C” for 12- to 14-year-olds, and Club O2 for 15- to 17-year-olds – with supervised activities and expansive, modern facilities for each group.  Carnival Liberty also houses four swimming pools, including a children’s wading pool and an aft pool offering a 214-foot-long water slide.

            ‘HEALTH AND FITNESS FACILITY’ – Fitness has become an important part of everyday life and guests sailing on the Carnival Liberty can take advantage of the ship’s 13,300-square-foot “Spa Carnival” facility, which features exercise equipment, a gymnasium, and body and facial treatments, including a number of exotic “European-style” therapies. The ship also features a salon offering a variety of hair, nail and make-up services. 

            CARNIVAL’S SEASIDE THEATRE- Carnival Liberty also features the line’s popular “Carnival Seaside Theatre,” a massive 270-square-foot LED screen on Lido Deck displaying movies, concerts, sporting events, and other programming, including a “Morning Show” hosted by the ship’s cruise director.  Utilizing the same technology featured in large stadiums and New York’s Times Square, the state-of-the-art entertainment system includes a 70,000-watt sound system, providing concert quality sound, even outdoors.

           SPACIOUS ACCOMODATIONS- As part of Carnival’s fleetwide stateroom amenities, all of the Carnival Liberty’s staterooms feature the Carnival Comfort Bed sleep system, featuring plush mattresses, luxurious duvets and duvet covers, fluffy pillows and high quality sheets and linens. All accommodations include terrycloth bathrobes and all staterooms offer in-cabin amenity kits with a variety of brand-name product samples for men and women. 

            The Carnival Liberty also features, two new 750-square-foot “deluxe penthouse suites” –the largest in the “Fun Ship” fleet by far- featuring a new cabin configuration with a separate bedroom, expansive living area, and two full bathrooms, including one with a bathtub tub.

            Located on the ship’s forward section on Deck 9, the deluxe penthouse suites can accommodate up to five guests – rare in cruise industry staterooms – and include two twin beds that convert to a king, a sofa bed and two pull-down upper beds.             

            INTERNET CAFÉ, WI-FI ACCESS, CELL PHONE SERVICE – Like all “Fun Ships,” Carnival Liberty offers an Internet café with private workstations featuring flat-screen monitors, along with Wi-Fi access available in virtually all public rooms and areas.  Guests can also make and receive cell phone calls whether the ship is at sea or in port.

            For additional information, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit www.carnival.com.

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           Underscoring the increasing popularity of balcony and suite accommodations, Carnival recently completed the construction of two expansive new 750-square-foot suites aboard the Carnival Liberty.  

            The newly completed suites — the largest in the “Fun Ship” fleet — feature a new cabin configuration with a separate bedroom, expansive living area and two bathrooms.

            Located in the ship’s forward section on Deck 9, the deluxe penthouse suites can accommodate up to five guests – rare in cruise industry staterooms – and include two twin beds that convert to a king, a sofa bed and two pull-down upper beds.           

            The Carnival Liberty currently offers seven-day Caribbean cruises departing from Miami and in April 2009 will introduce new week-long Western and Exotic Eastern Caribbean itineraries.

          Carnival Cruise Lines has announced that its Miami-based Carnival Liberty, which was originally scheduled to reposition to Europe in May 2009, will instead remain in Miami to operate year-round Caribbean cruises.

            The Carnival Liberty will continue to offer its existing schedule of seven-day Caribbean cruises through next spring and then introduce a new seven-day program from Miami beginning in April 2009. 

            In turn, the Carnival Pride, currently based in Long Beach, Calif., and originally scheduled to shift to Miami for a five-month Caribbean deployment from April through August, will instead launch its Baltimore-based program on April 27, 2009. 

            Prior to its Baltimore deployment, Carnival Pride will operate its previously scheduled Panama Canal cruise from Long Beach, Calif., to Miami March 22–April 5, 2009, as well as a six-day cruise departing April 5 and two seven-day Caribbean cruises departing April 11 and 18, 2009, all operating from Miami. 

            “Based on current market conditions, continued economic uncertainty and high air costs to Europe, we are shifting our focus to an even greater extent toward our core, close-to-home cruise options which are clearly the preference of the vast majority of the mainstream vacation market right now,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO. “We are excited that this change in deployment will also enable us to bring the Carnival Pride to Baltimore four months earlier than originally planned to start up that city’s first year-round cruise program, which is proving to be extremely popular based on advanced bookings so far,” he added.

            Cahill noted that Carnival will still offer several European cruises next year when the 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream – the line’s newest and largest ship – debuts with a series of three 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises from Rome (Civitavecchia) in September and October 2009. Carnival Dream will also operate a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Rome (Civitavecchia) to New York in late October 2009.

            Cahill said that the company will be offering assistance in finding vacation alternatives to Carnival Liberty guests who were scheduled to sail in Europe, including European cruises on Carnival’s sister companies that have a strong presence in the region such as Holland America and Princess.

             “We understand that our guests who were scheduled to sail in Europe are going to be disappointed by this development and we sincerely apologize to them for this disruption to their vacation plans. Europe remains a desirable vacation choice for many and we will endeavor to help our guests find alternative plans to sail within the region,” he said.

Existing Bookings – Carnival Liberty and Carnival Pride

            Guests booked on the Carnival Liberty Europe cruises will be provided special onboard credit offers toward other 2009 Carnival cruises, including the Carnival Dream European departures. In addition, Carnival will assist guests with the cost of changes/cancellations for non-refundable air transportation.

            Guests who were booked on the Carnival Pride’s Caribbean cruises from April 25, 2009 to August 29, 2009 from Miami will be automatically shifted to the same accommodations on the Carnival Liberty.  The Carnival Liberty will also operate the same itineraries as previously scheduled on the Carnival Pride.     

Carnival Liberty’s New Seven-Day Caribbean Cruises From Miami

            Carnival Liberty will continue its current program of seven-day Caribbean cruises from Miami through April 18, 2009 then assume a new schedule of weeklong cruises to the Western and Exotic Eastern Caribbean beginning Saturday, April 25, 2009, through November 28, 2009.  The new Exotic Eastern Caribbean cruise route will feature Half Moon Cay, a private Bahamian island; St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands.  The western route will visit Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico

 
Carnival Pride’s New Spring/Summer Departures From Baltimore

            Carnival Pride will launch Baltimore’s first year-round cruise program beginning on April 27, 2009, four months ahead of the original schedule.  From April 27, 2009 to September 6, 2009, the ship will operate a series of six-, seven- and eight-day cruises.  These cruises will visit a wide variety of ports including Nassau, Freeport, Half Moon Cay (a private Bahamian island), Port Canaveral (Orlando) and Grand Turk in the Turks & Caicos.

Reservations

            Carnival will begin accepting reservations for the new Carnival Liberty and Carnival Pride programs from Miami and Baltimore beginning October 30, 2008.   For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

   

           Underscoring the tremendous popularity of its balcony staterooms, Carnival Cruise Lines will add balconies to a number of cabins on two ships during upcoming dry docks over the next few months.

            Staterooms on the Carnival Destiny and Carnival Triumph that currently feature floor-to-ceiling windows will be retrofitted with private balconies, creating a total of 48 additional 230-square-foot verandah staterooms on these vessels. 

            Additionally, two new 750-square-foot “deluxe penthouse suites” – nearly double the size of the largest staterooms in the fleet – will be added to the Carnival Liberty.

            “Balcony staterooms continue to be in great demand – in fact, they’re often the first cabin category to sell out,” said Ruben Rodriguez, Carnival’s executive vice president of marketing and guest experience. “Therefore, we are pleased to incorporate additional balcony staterooms on Carnival Destiny and Carnival Triumph, which will offer guests their own private, relaxing venue for viewing magnificent ocean vistas and scenery,” he added.

            Like all “Fun Ship” accommodations, the new balcony staterooms on the Carnival Destiny and Carnival Triumph will offer a host of in-cabin amenities, including the popular Carnival Comfort Bed sleep system with plush mattresses, luxurious duvets and high quality linens and pillows. 

            Carnival balcony accommodations also include soft terrycloth robes for guest use during their cruise, as well as satellite television, mini bars, hair dryers, ample closet space, and in-cabin amenity kits with a wide array of brand-name products.

            The two new 750-square-foot “deluxe penthouse suites” on the Carnival Liberty will be largest in the “Fun Ship” fleet by far and feature a new cabin configuration with a separate bedroom, expansive living area, and two full bathrooms, including one with a bathtub tub.

            Located on the ship’s forward section on Deck 9, the deluxe penthouse suites can accommodate up to five guests – rare in cruise industry staterooms – and include two twin beds that convert to a king, a sofa bed and two pull-down upper beds.         

            The 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny began a new program of year-round four- and five-day Caribbean cruises from Miami last week. 

            The 2,758-passenger Carnival Triumph will continue its seven-day Caribbean schedule from Miami through next summer then sail on a series of Canada/New England voyages from New York before repositioning to New Orleans to launch year-round four-, five-, and seven-day Caribbean service in November 2009. 

            The 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty, which currently operates seven-day Caribbean cruises from Miami, will reposition to Europe next summer to operate 12-day voyages to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.  The ship will resume its weeklong Caribbean program from Miami in December 2009.

            The new balcony staterooms on these three vessels will be available for sale on October 3, 2008.

            Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph and Carnival Liberty are part of the line’s 22- vessel “Fun Ship” fleet which operates three- to 18-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe and South America.  The line has two new ships scheduled to enter service between now and 2011.

            For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

          

           At a reception Saturday aboard the Carnival Liberty in Miami, Captain Marco Nogara and the vessel’s crew were presented with the U.S. Coast Guard’s Meritorious Public Service Award by Rear Admiral Steve Branham for rescuing 44 Haitian migrants from a boat that was sinking off the coast of Cuba on Aug. 22.

            The award recognized the Carnival Liberty’s officers, staff and crew for not only rescuing the migrants but also for their humanitarian efforts in providing food, water and medical care to the individuals, who were adrift at sea for 15 days. 

            In addition to the search and rescue efforts, the Carnival Liberty conducted an assessment of the Haitian vessel that resulted in the seizure of more than 25 pounds of marijuana which was turned over to law enforcement officials