Life aboard Carnival Spirit
Carnival Spirit, carrying 2,124 passengers, gives the feel of not being particularly crowded. Modified for the Australian market, expect local cuisine, beers and wines, newly-trained baristas for better coffee, a cruise director from Sydney, Australian comedians, Australian currency, and no tipping. The ship has the steepest vertical drop waterslide at sea, and a children’s pool area with a “giant soaking water bucket”, features never seen before in Australian cruising. This “Fun Ship” has a nine-deck-high atrium, onboard golf program, duty-free shopping mall, video arcade, great alternative restaurants, and creative touches such as museum-quality artwork and “designer” martinis. Carnival Spirit has received top marks from past guests for the quality of its entertainment and facilities for families and children. The Night Owls program also offers nightly babysitting between 10 pm and 3am, which is designed as a “fun filled slumber party at sea” (extra charge).

Accommodation
The 20 cabin categories include interior staterooms, ocean-view rooms, ocean rooms with French doors (but no balcony), ocean rooms with private balcony, suites with private balcony, and deluxe suites. Eighty percent of the cabins are outside; 80 percent of those staterooms have private balconies. Each cabin has a gift amenity basket in its bathroom, filled with disposable razors, deodorant, breath mints, toothpaste and soap. Standard cabins are a good size and equipped with all the basics. Most with twin beds can be converted to queen-size bed. Some cabins can accommodate a third and fourth person, and recently more cabins were fitted with inter-connecting doors to suit families. Good design and soft lighting add to a feeling of spaciousness in interior staterooms.

All staterooms include flat-screen TVs, safe, hair dryer, bathrobes to wear during your cruise, and Carnival Comfort Bed with plush mattresses, good quality duvets, linens and pillows. The deluxe suites have a large lounge and sleeping areas, large bathroom with twin wash basins, bidet, and whirlpool bathtub. The best suites and cabins are those on the aft-facing decks. Suites qualify for priority check-in at US ports. There are no single cabins, and 16 wheelchair-accessible cabins.

Food and Dining
The ship has a single two decks high dining room - the Empire Restaurant - with a choice of fixed-time dining at two seatings, or flexible "Your Time Dining". Dining assignments can be booked before the cruise. Menus change daily and service is excellent. Breakfast and lunch are open seating. La Playa Grille is an extensive casual eatery, with sections that include small buffet counters, salad counters, a dessert counter, a 24-hour pizzeria, ice cream/frozen yoghurt station, and deli. Each night the Unicorn becomes Seaview Bistro for serve-yourself dinners.

The Nouveau Supper Club (reservations only, cover charge) is a superb fine-dining experience not to be missed. There is a poolside grill offering burgers, hot dogs and the like. Hot coffee is available at drinks stations throughout at no cost, but the offerings at the specialty coffee bar near the pizzeria, as well as the Fountain Cafe in the lower promenade area, are extra. A sushi cart is set up each afternoon offering salmon, shrimp and assorted rolls (free of charge), and sake (extra) in the bar. Afternoon tea is served in the Artists' Lobby. The ship offers 24-hour room service, ranging from basic continental-style breakfast fare to a variety of sandwiches and desserts.

Entertainment
There is something for everyone. Pharaoh’s Palace Showlounge spanning three decks presents large production shows and cabaret acts backed by a live show band. Seaside Theatre’s giant screen over the main pool shows sports events, music videos and films. Night is the time for late buffet snacks, R-rated comedy, and 12 lounges and bars to suit every mood, many of which feature live music. Try the popular Shanghai Bar for sing along with the piano.

Daytime activities include the customary art auctions, karaoke, "game show mania," ballroom dancing, comedians, bingo, library and Internet café. Adults have the large action-packed Louis XIV Casino. For adults, an open-air deck called Serenity will have a child-free pool, spas, sun lounges and a bar. Take an aerobics class, work out in the gym, refresh with a beauty treatment and massage. There’s a mini-golf course, jogging track, and deck games. Teens enjoy their own parties and movies at Club O2, junior teens at Circle “C”, and pre-teens at Camp Carnival. Entertainment extends to the humungous WaterWorks slides and pools.

Explore the decks

12 - Sky 11 - Sports 10 - Sun 9 - Lido 8 - Panorama 7 - Verandah 6 - Empress 5 - Upper 4 - Main 3 - Atlantic 2 - Promenade 1 - Riviera