| A new Spirit emerges for Australia

Carnival Spirit has emerged
from her two week drydock
sporting seven million dollars
worth of upgrades, ahead of
her arrival in Sydney this year.
KEY upgrades to Spirit included a revamping
of her Serenity area, one of the largest childfree
adult retreats on the ship, which includes
an open-air deck with pool, heated spa,
hammoks, plush lounges and a cocktail bar
offering a special daily selection of drinks.
The drydock also included $450,000 in
upgrades to Spirit’s fitness centre with new
cardio and strength training equipment, as
well as a Jacuzzi under a giant skylight; and the
creation of the child-magnet Splash Zone,
which includes the Power Drencher, a massive
tipping bucket that fills up with hundreds of
litres of water, then tips and soaks all
underneath it.
New carpets were also laid through all public
areas and in cabins, plus Spirit was also treated
to a new coat of paint on her interior and
exterior, whilst cabins scored new flat-screen TVs.
Most notably, Spirit’s star attraction, the
world’s steepest and fastest waterslide at sea,
Green Thunder was also installed, and was
broken in on the vessel’s debut Hawaiian
cruise post-makeover.
Onboard for the celebrations was the
Australian winner of the Green Thunder
naming competition, Elke Faulwetter, who was
one of the first to take the plunge and
“thunder” down the super speedy slide.
“I’ve shared the photos and my experience
on Green Thunder with a number of agents
and the most common reaction I get is “Wow, I
can’t believe that’s on a cruise ship!,” said
Jennifer Vandekreeke, director, Carnival Cruise
Lines.
“About half the agents claim they’re going to
give it a go, and the other half reckon they’ll
just spectate.
“When they see the photos of Serenity and
the SplashZone, they frequently state that this
will really change Australians’ perceptions of
cruising,” she added.
Despite the drydock work, it’s not all said
and done just yet for Spirit’s Aussification,
with Carnival confirming that over the next six
months she will undergo further upgrades to
her food and beverage program, including the
installation of an Aussie BBQ area.
When she arrives in Oct, Spirit will also
receive Australian power points, feature
Australian currency onboard and her
American-style ‘slot machines’ will be
swapped for traditional Aussie pokies.
MEANWHILE, speaking about the response
of Australians to Spirit in the lead-up to her
arrival Down Under Vandekreeke said “we’ve
seen an unprecedented response to the Cash
Back promotion that we launched in January”.
“Each week, it’s exciting and rewarding to
see so many agents make their first ever
booking on Carnival Spirit’s Australian
itineraries,” she added.