Carnival Cruise Lines,(NYSE: CCL), last week took delivery of its new $375-million cruise ship, the 88,500-ton Carnival Spirit, during the traditional "hand-over" ceremony at the Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, Finland, where the 2,124-passenger vessel was built.
The Carnival Spirit, the 15th vessel in the "Fun Ship" fleet and the first in a new class of ship for the line, departed Helsinki last Thursday on its transatlantic crossing and is expected to arrive Miami on April 24. Following a two-day pre-inaugural voyage for the travel trade, the Carnival Spirit will begin its inaugural season with a 16-day Panama Canal cruise departing Miami April 29 and arriving in Los Angeles May 15.
The ship will then host a series of travel agent functions on the West Coast and then begin a summer itinerary of cruises in Alaska and Hawaii, marking the first time that a new "Fun Ship" has been deployed in those markets. The ship will sail on a 14-day Panama Canal cruise departing Oct. 20 from San Diego to Miami, where the Carnival Spirit is scheduled to operate a unique eight-day "exotic" Caribbean program beginning Nov. 3.
The Carnival Spirit offers a host of innovative dining and entertainment options, including the line's first wedding chapel, a large conference center, a reservations-only supper club bordering the ship's massive winged funnel and a spectacular outdoor wrap-around promenade. It is also one of the most spacious cruise ships in the contemporary market and offers the highest percentage of ocean view and balconied staterooms of any "Fun Ship."
Carnival currently has six other "Fun Ships" with an estimated value of $2.6 billion scheduled for delivery over the next three years. Included in the company's order book are three additional "Spirit-class" ships under contract with Kvaerner – the Carnival Pride, which is scheduled to debut Jan. 12, 2002, the Carnival Legend in summer 2002 and the Carnival Miracle in early 2004. Carnival Cruise Lines is a member of the cruise lines alliance, which includes Holland America Line, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
