Carnival Spirit's interior design celebrates world's great architectural styles
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From art nouveau to postmodern to funky to Egyptian, the public rooms on
Carnival Cruise Lines' newest ship, the Carnival Spirit, celebrate a wide
variety of architectural styles in their interior-design themes.
Just as the Carnival Spirit represents a new class of "Fun Ship" for the line,
its interior design reinvents the traditional central thematic idea by creating
a mood of diversity through a synthesis of highly divergent decors.
The 88,500-ton, 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit is slated to debut in April and
sail Alaskan waters during its inaugural season through the summer, followed by
a winter program of eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami.
"Although the central idea for this ship could be called 'noteworthy décor
styles,' it's really a very abstract unifying theme," said Joe Farcus, interior
architect for the "Fun Ship" fleet.
"There is a main decorative style used in each of the public rooms - Chinese in
one, art deco in another, for example - however, the styles are not necessarily
executed in a traditional manner, but rather are more interpretive," he added.
The Spirit Lobby and some public areas are decorated in the art deco style,
which uses sleek, graceful lines and slender organic forms.
The lobby houses two grand staircases, a bar with dance floor and the
information and tour desks.
Rich wood and antiqued copper are used extensively in the lobby, stairwells and
elevator bays.
Railings are a lacey cast copper, stained-glass domes in the ceiling provide
diffused mood lighting, and the walls and elevators combine wood, handmade
etched plates, marble inlaid frames and embossed copper trimmings.
The Spirit has several rooms not found on other Carnival ships, perhaps most
noteworthy among them the alternative-dining venue, the Nouveau Supper Club.
Located at the top of a soaring nine-deck-high atrium and housed under a red
tinted glass dome that forms the front portion of the ship's funnel, this art
nouveau-style restaurant hearkens back to the great supper clubs of the past.
Art nouveau is characterized by dense, winding floral forms in a linear
arrangement.
It incorporates organic shapes - vines, leaves, flowers, branches - into
abstracted architectural elements.
In the supper club, pillars are shaped like flower buds in a Tiffany-like
design using antiqued copper for the stems and leaves.
The floral pattern is carried out throughout the room in hand-painted wall
murals, the stained-glass balcony on the upper level and the bud-shaped bar
stools.
On one side of the room is a beverage bar, and on the other, a display cooking
area with bar stools so guests can watch the cooks at work.
The circular, two-level room has a stage for entertainers, as well as a dance
floor.
Another first on a Carnival ship, The Chapel, is decorated in the linear,
graceful and elegant Gothic style.
Available for weddings or other ceremonies, The Chapel has a traditional house
of worship atmosphere.
A central aisle leads to the stage under stained-glass windows that portray Old
Testament scenes.
A bride's room with dressing area provides privacy.
Located adjacent to The Chapel is the Chippendale Library.
Named after Thomas Chippendale, the 18th-century English style of furniture is
recognized by its graceful lines and rococo ornamentation.
The room's main features are columns shaped like giant Chippendale table legs.
The mural of an English garden overlooks a traditional secretary and bookcases
mounted on desks which hold computer terminals offering Internet access for
guests.
The three-level Pharaoh's Palace show lounge is decorated in Egyptian Revival
style.
Sarcophagi designed after that of the golden King Tutankhamen are situated
between the windows and stone walls which are decorated with hieroglyphics.
Twenty-foot-tall stone figures flank the stage.
A circular staircase and elevator provide access to all three levels of the
lounge, which has a retractable orchestra pit, turntable stage and loft for
scenery, lights and stage props.
The ornate Versailles Lounge is located one deck below the Egyptian Lounge,
and, as its name implies, is richly done in the elegant, highly decorative
manner that emerged in 18th-century France.
The sloping floor provides excellent sightlines to the stage, which extends
into the seating area for greater interaction between the entertainers and the
audience.
Since the room is on a lower deck, there are no windows.
However, faux windows have been created using ornate frames around French
skyline scenes of chateaux with starry skies lit by fiber optics.
With a large dance floor, the room has been designed as a cross between a
lounge and an intimate theater.
"Funky" best describes the décor of the two-level Dancin' Dance Club.
A large dance floor is located on the lower level of the club, with a bar and
overlook seating located on the upper level.
The room also features a two-deck, 20-by-20-foot video wall of 48-inch
monitors.
The Champions' sports bar is done in the sophisticated moderne style.
Decorated like a 1950s club with wood and black lacquer with copper accents,
one wall has bas-relief figures of famous sports legends like Babe Ruth and
Alonzo Mourning.
The room features big-screen televisions and tabletop gaming machines.
The Shanghai Bar, the Carnival Spirit's piano bar, features a heavy Oriental
"Chinoise" style that emphasizes elaborate ornamentation.
The walls are covered in Chinese fabric, and silk screens are illuminated from
behind.
Although contemporary, the room has many authentic Chinese elements to create
an impressive Oriental atmosphere.
The Spirit's main dining room, the Empire Room, is a two-deck affair done in
the Napoleonic, or early 19th-century French style.
The ceiling is decorated with domes painted with murals in the grandest empire
style, with crystal chandeliers providing an elegant atmosphere.
In the center of the room is a grand circular staircase decorated with a
sculpture of the regal Napoleon at his coronation.
Flanking the entrances are pilasters that are in the form of female statues.
Large circular windows are bordered with a cast frame embossed with shapes of
fruit and flowers.
The Lido restaurant, called La Playa Grille, takes postmodernism for its style.
The room features a skylight that culminates two levels above and houses a
spectacular chandelier.
The majority of seating is adjacent to windows between which are wooden columns
connected to deconstructed masonry-like arches that appear to be falling apart.
Multi-colored terrazzo flooring in an arabesque design and hand-painted murals
on the walls create a stunning and elegant atmosphere.
The aft section of the restaurant features an outdoor bar and serving area
under a large awning.
All of these diverse public rooms are connected by a two-level promenade.
A waterfall and grand staircase lead from one level to the other.
(Source: Carnival Cruise Lines)
http://www.carnival.com/htmlsite/FunShips/shiphome.asp?shipcode=SP
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