Carnival Dream Is Officially Named in New York
The 130,000-ton Carnival Dream is a new class of ship for Carnival and is the largest ship in the fleet, carrying 3,646 passengers. I was in New York for the naming party yesterday and will be staying onboard for a short weekend cruise to nowhere. I'll have photos and more on the ship posted on the site early next week. Now, back to the party.
John Heald, beloved long-time Carnival cruise director, was the master of ceremonies for the naming ceremony, which was held in the beautiful red and gold, 1964-seat Encore! show lounge. He introduced the group "Fun Force", who gave us a small taste of the acrobatics and dancing they would be performing on a regular basis in the ship's lounge. They dazzled us with their athleticism and artistry. Next, John tried to introduce Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines' President and CEO, who appeared to be missing. It was a funny moment for all as Gerry was found to be standing in costume in the line with the Fun Force group. He quickly assured the audience that he wasn't one of the guys doing the flips and tricks.
Mr. Cahill spoke briefly, telling the assembled group of travel professionals and Carnival friends that the goal of the Carnival Dream was to "make guests' vacation dreams come true", whether they were a family group or just a single or couple looking for a getaway from daily life. As for all their ships, Carnival planned to provide a "fun, memorable vacation experience at an affordable price".
He introduced the godmother of the Carnival Dream, actress Marcia Gay Harden, noting that in winning both an Academy Award and Tony Awards, she had made her own dreams come true.
Mr. Cahill added that Carnival had added many innovations on the Carnival Dream, such as the waterworks, ocean plaza, and 19,000-square-foot children's space.
Next on the naming program was Pastor Henry Belin of the AME Bethel Church in Harlem, who is also chairman of the New York City Food Bank. He led a prayer for the ship and all who sail on her before handing the microphone back to John Heald.
John next told us that Gerry had sent him to JFK airport to pick up the special six-foot bottle of champagne to be used for the christening. After picking up the bottle, John took us on a "fun" trip around New York City with the bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne he had been entrusted with for the naming ceremony. We watched a hilarious slide show of John and his "friend", who he named Monique, as they saw all the must sees of New York.
As expected, the party leading up to the ceremony was a fun one. However, the big moment had arrived. Ms. Harden and the Carnival Dream captain took their places. A live video feed from the bow of the ship was shown in the theater. Our curiosity as to just how the champagne bottle would be released to break across the bow was finally answered. John Heald produced a Yankee bat signed by Alex Rodriguez. After John told his new friend good-bye, Ms. Harden recited the traditional words used to name ships, took the bat in hand, and swung like a pro. Monique's neck was broken and confetti spewed into the theater. Simultaneously, a bottle of the real stuff broke across the bow outside. Welcome to the fleet, Carnival Dream!
"Monique" Bottle of Moet & Chandon (c) Linda Garrison
Carnival Dream Photo Galleries - Over 100 photos of the Carnival Dream
carnival dream was a bad dream. I felt miserable all over the transatlantic crossing owing to a terrible cold I caught on the ship. Drafts od cold air came from all sides of the ship, including my bedroom. the air conditioning was awful. No sports activities were organized on the basketball court, except for the crew. I will never take that ship again.