Carnival Cruise Lines to Offer New 'Fun Ship' Cruise Vacation Options from Miami

[OceanAngel]

Carnival Imagination to Operate Three and Four-Day Cruises

Carnival Destiny Offers Four- and Five-Day Cruises Beginning in Sept. 2008

MIAMI, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carnival Cruise Lines will

expand its short cruise offerings from Miami with the 2,052-passenger

Carnival Imagination and 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny operating new

itineraries beginning next fall.

The 70,000-ton Carnival Imagination - which will become the first

Carnival ship to be completely remodeled under the line's "Evolutions of

Fun" enhancement program this fall - will sail on year-round three- and

four-day cruises from Miami beginning Sept. 22, 2008.

Additionally, the Carnival Destiny will be the industry's only 100,000-

plus-ton-cruise ship to offer year-round four- and five-day cruises when it

launches this program from Miami Sept. 27, 2008. This 101,000-ton "Fun

Ship" will offer a one-of-a-kind vacation experience that will include

four-day weekend cruises and five-day trips to exciting destinations. Plus,

the Carnival Destiny will offer a wide selection of affordable balcony

staterooms -- a feature not widely available on other ships in the short

cruise market.

These new deployments represent the latest enhancements to Carnival's

highly popular three- to five-day cruise programs which comprise roughly

half of the line's departures. Carnival is the industry leader in three- to

five- day vacations, with 25 different itineraries departing from 10

different U.S. homeports.

"With an unmatched combination of convenience, value and affordability

- and more departure points than ever before - our three- to five-day

cruises continue to be in high demand," said Vicki Freed, Carnival's senior

vice president of sales and marketing. "'Fun Ship' cruising is all about

choice and Carnival Destiny and Carnival Imagination - each of which offers

unique on- board facilities and features - provides today's busy consumers

with exciting new cruise getaways on two popular Miami-based cruise

programs," she added.

Carnival Imagination's New Itinerary, 'Evolutions of Fun' Upgrades

Carnival Imagination's new program begins Sept. 22, 2008, and

encompasses three-day cruises departing Fridays and overnighting in Nassau,

The Bahamas, and four-day cruises departing Mondays and calling at Key West

and Cozumel, Mexico.

In addition to a variety of all-inclusive dining, entertainment and

activity options, Carnival Imagination will undergo an extensive renovation

this fall, with the addition of the new Carnival WaterWorks aqua park

featuring a massive 300-foot-long cascading waterslide and double-lane

racing waterslide, along with a redesigned resort-style pool area and a new

Serenity adults-only deck area.

Carnival Imagination's "extreme makeover" will also include fully

remodeled staterooms and suites including new bathrooms, flat-screen

televisions in staterooms and select public areas, an atrium lobby bar,

updated sound and lighting systems in various lounges and clubs, coffee

bar, nine-hole miniature golf course, new art and photo galleries, New

York-style deli in the Lido restaurant and purpose-built conference

facilities.

These upgrades are part of Carnival's $250 million "Evolutions of Fun"

program, cruising's most ambitious ship refurbishment and product

enhancement initiative that is resulting in a dramatic transformation of

Carnival's eight Fantasy-class vessels.

Carnival Destiny's New Four- and Five-Day Program

On its new four- and five-day schedule beginning Sept. 27, 2008, the

101,353-ton Carnival Destiny will depart Thursdays on four-day "long

weekend" cruises to Key West, Fla., and Cozumel, Mexico. Five-day cruises

departing Mondays visit Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands, the private

Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay and Nassau, The Bahamas. Five-day cruises

departing Saturdays visit George Town, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios,

Jamaica. Carnival Destiny will also offer a special one-time six-day cruise

from Miami on Sept. 21, 2008, calling at Key West, Grand Cayman and Ocho

Rios.

Carnival Destiny will feature four swimming pools, Carnival's signature

"Twister Waterslide," a duty-free shopping mall, a 15,000-square-foot

health club, and 18 lounges and bars, including a three-deck-high theater

showcasing lavish revues.

Expansive facilities and activities for children and teens -- part of

the line's "Camp Carnival" and "Club O2" programs, respectively -- along

with a variety of dining options, including two formal restaurants, a

casual poolside eatery featuring a 24-hour pizzeria, a patisserie and

complimentary 24-hour stateroom service, are also available.

Reservations

Carnival will begin accepting reservations for the new Carnival Destiny

and Carnival Imagination itineraries on August 24, 2007. For additional

information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL

or visit carnival.com.

Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:

CCL; NYSE: CUK), is a proud member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise

Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Holland America Line, Princess

Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises, and The Yachts of Seabourn. Sharing a

passion to please each guest, and a commitment to quality and value, our

member lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. Together, we

offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable

destinations.

SOURCE Carnival Cruise Lines

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[GottaCruz]

Thanks for the great info, Angel. I can finally do a 3 day Carnival on a ship other than the Fascination. And, I'm very happy to hear that we can do a four night cruise on one of the larger ships, for a change. Yeah!!!!