Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line
Even as exciting new cruise ships launch, it's always pleasant to see lines refurbish their existing fleet, and Carnival Cruise Line is set to enhance its Carnival Inspiration accordingly.
One of eight Fantasy-class ships, the 1996-built, 2,052-guest Carnival Inspiration will receive several Fun Ship 2.0 dining features during a multimillion dollar refit to bring it closer in line with its newer siblings. The three-week dry-dock will take place in Portland, Oregon from Jan. 18 to Feb. 5, 2016. The scheduled additions are listed below:
• Guy's Burger Joint - Carnival's complimentary poolside gourmet burger and fries eatery from Food Network personality Guy Fieri
• BlueIguana Cantina - another free poolside Mexican dining venue serving fresh burritos and tacos with a complete toppings and salsa bar
• RedFrog Rum Bar (pictured above) - a poolside tropical drink bar for rum-based cocktails and beers like Carnival's own ThirstyFrog Red
• Alchemy Bar - a "cocktail pharmacy"-themed watering hole where mixologists "prescribe" concoctions and elixirs such as Forty is the New Twenty and The Restorative Basil Drop
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar - an al fresco Mexican bar for poolside tequila-based drinks and beers
• Cherry On Top - the sweet spot for bulk candy, novelty gifts and custom clothing
Other new features already on the ship include Camp Ocean and the Seuss at Sea kids facility and program, and accompanying Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast; plus fresh Playlist Productions stage shows. Once the refurbishment is complete, the Carnival Inspiration will return to year-round three- and four-day Baja sailings to Ensenada and/or Catalina Island from Long Beach, California.
What remains to be seen is what will eventually become of Carnival's older ships as new vessels come online. Parent Carnival Corporation often talks about introducing higher capacity ships to supersede less efficient hardware over time, but announcements such as these seem to contradict that philosophy, at least for the immediate future.
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