MIAMI (05/09/02) - From wonders of the ancient world and heroes of antiquity to 20th century jazz masters and great athletes, legendary people and places inspire the interior design of the Carnival Legend, Carnival Cruise Lines' newest ship. The latest edition of Carnival's 88,500-ton, 2,124-passenger Spirit class of "Fun Ships" is slated to debut in Harwich, England, Aug. 24. 

The central idea of legendary figures and locations - both historical and mythical - which inspired the design of the public rooms aboard Carnival Legend, represents the latest installment of what Joe Farcus, Carnival's ship architect, calls "entertainment architecture." "The overall design theme of legends is realized in many different ways, both literally and figuratively," said Farcus. 

Ancient Greece and the legendary, classical city of Rhodes provided inspiration for the ship's atrium. On the towering nine-deck-high atrium wall is a mural of the Colossus of Rhodes, a 150-foot-tall bronze statue that stood in the city's harbor and is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Greek triremes in the harbor and the city of Rhodes in the background are also depicted in the Colossus Atrium mural. 

Using ancient Greece as a jumping off point, Farcus employed a decorative theme of stylized Greek vases throughout the ship's atrium, promenades, elevator lobbies and other public areas in the form of pillars, table bases, railings, bar stool bases and so on. The Medusa's Lair dance club offers a playful twist on the mythological legend of the mysterious gorgon Medusa which was so horrifying that to look upon her turned men to stone. Here, one encounters giant three-and-a-half-foot-high Medusa heads with four-inch-diameter snakelike hair ending in a snake's head with lighted eyes. The flexible four-foot-long snakes extend from the wall, and, assuming guests are not immediately turned to stone, they can move the strands and point the snake heads in different directions. Table bases are snakes and snakes also curl up the black stainless-steel wall and extend onto the ceiling. 

The poignant Russian folktale of a talented seamstress from a small village who is turned into a bird by an evil sorcerer is the inspiration for the Firebird Lounge. Hand-painted lacquered boxes, similar to those created by Russian artisans for centuries, provide the wall decorations, accented by lamps done in Pairpoint fashion - the glass globes are frosted and painted on the inside so the painted images are backlit, providing a soft, moody lighting effect. 

Follies, the main show lounge on Promenade Deck, recalls the magnificent movie palaces of the 1920s. The lounge is designed to have the feel of the open courtyard of a Mediterranean villa, a style prevalent in these now-rare venues. The walls and the proscenium are adorned with turrets, stained-glass and mission-style walls. The proscenium arch elements are continued across the ceiling in a mural of buildings that spans the width of the room. 

Satchmo's Club, named after legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong, is decorated to resemble an old New Orleans bar, with exposed brick walls, wrought-iron details, café curtains, thatched ceiling fans, wood handles and other design elements associated with the Big Easy. The walls are adorned with a series of photos of Armstrong at various stages of his career, while a false skylight provides diffused illumination. 

The Dream Team Bar is a paean to sports greats from the past - some obscure, some instantly recognizable. Features include a recurring motif of red, white and blue bunting - often found at World Series games - large photographs of classic sports figures, including Jackie Robinson, Bart Starr, Wilma Rudolph, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, and Juan Fangio, big plasma-screen television sets and comfortable overstuffed leather living-room sofas. 

Doubtless many Carnival Legend guests will be looking for magic when they enter the Club Merlin Casino, named after the powerful wizard of the Arthurian legends. The days of chivalry and adventure are recalled with paintings of damsels, knights and wizards on the walls. The castle-like atmosphere is enhanced by a statue of a suit of armor standing at the bar and shields with heraldry symbols and crossed swords topped by a knight's helmet mounted on the walls. 

Named for the aromatic delicacy treasured by chefs and gourmands alike, Truffles Restaurant is the main dining room on Carnival Legend. The main feature of this two-deck-high room is a series of glass display cases containing fine china - plates, soup tureens and platters in a variety of patterns. The ceiling sports large murals of a china pattern made famous by Royal Copenhagen. The Flora Danica pattern features botanical paintings of various flowers, vegetables and fruits with gold borders, so the ceiling looks like giant dishes painted in this pattern. 

On Atlantic Deck, Billie's Piano Bar is a tribute to famed blues singer Billie Holiday. The streamlined, modern room has walls of corrugated polished stainless steel with light decorations fashioned to resemble portholes. Instead of a window, however, the "portholes" are filled with fine pieces of special burl wood backlit to highlight the grain. Separating the banquettes are stylized stainless-steel musical bar lines with notes welded to them. There are even faux oversized microphones affixed to each table. The overall effect is reminiscent of the art deco days of the 1930s - Billie Holiday's heyday. 

Super sleuth Sherlock Holmes is the inspiration for the Holmes Library. The English-style library could have been found at Holmes' fictional Baker Street apartment, with wall space covered by bookshelves with faux antique books mingling with the latest bestsellers, Oriental rugs and a series of built-in wall clocks displaying times from all over the world. Even the desks housing the Internet-connected computers have a classical look to them. Forward on Atlantic Deck is the enclosed promenade, the Enchanted Forest. Great tree trunks with huge knotholes where owls or squirrels might live adorn the walls. The ceiling is luminous, casting a light similar to that filtered through the leaves of an oak tree arbor. The result is a quiet spot where guests can relax, read or simply watch the sea through the large windows. 

On Lido Deck there is a return to medieval legends in the Unicorn Café. Murals of unicorns are everywhere. Gothic wooden arches with colored glass separate the banquettes, which are paneled in mahogany and have small pewter-like medallions depicting unicorns in bas-relief. Antiqued mirror resembling aged masonry is located throughout, while ceiling cassettes are of mahogany. 

The Golden Fleece Supper Club recalls the legend of Jason and the Argonauts with ships in gold bas-relief and figures of Jason and Greek triremes in black and gold. A sculpture of the Golden Fleece is located behind the supper club's bar where guests can enjoy a before- or after-dinner cocktail. The fantasy theme also extends onto the pool deck, with the Camelot Pool featuring a statue of a medieval castle, the Avalon Pool a statue of a knight and the Unicorn Pool a corresponding likeness of the mythological beast. 

Carnival Legend is scheduled to enter service Aug. 24 with a 12-day Northern European voyage round-trip from Harwich (near London) followed by a 15-day transatlantic crossing departing Harwich Sept. 5 and arriving New York Sept. 20. From New York, the ship will operate two- and three-day cruises-to-nowhere and 11-day Canada/New England voyages then sail on six-day Bermuda cruises from Baltimore and Philadelphia in October. Carnival Legend will then reposition to Miami to operate a two-day cruise-to-nowhere and a series of eight-day Caribbean sailings from that port Nov. 10. Following these voyages, the ship will launch a one-of-a-kind eight-day Caribbean cruise program from New York May 13, 2003. 

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

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