Traveling to Barcelona to sail new Carnival Horizon in the Mediterranean took more planning and effort than our last Carnival cruise, a meaningful sailing on Carnival Paradise to Cuba from Tampa, a drive-in port for us like many scattered around North America.  At the time, Paradise had not gone through her recent dry dock remodeling that would add popular venues from more recently-built ships. Reflection on that really good sailing had me wishing they would not change the ship. I would have repeated that sailing again in a heartbeat. It was not until the Sailaway Deck Party on new Carnival Horizon that I realized how inaccurate my perception of that scene was.

I suppose I had made a mental wish that they would not add those upcoming new features.  But not because I wanted to prevail over time or re-live the past.  Boarding Carnival Horizon expected the new ship to nail sailaway. That sparkling new Carnival Vista did so with well-planned choreography consistent with one of the oldest ships presents a very nice message to take forward: the brand is evolving in a very positive way.

But we are really talking about at least two events here.  The Sailaway Deck Party is one.  The immediate effect of it is another.  Let me explain.

The Paradise Sailaway Deck Party happened on one of the oldest ships in the fleet, bringing a rocking deck party reminiscent of those that sold us on cruising decades ago.  It was Fun.  Lots of Fun.

Sailaway is a highlight of the trip for many cruise travelers.  In addition to getting the travel experience started off on the right foot, that party sets the stage for what I consider to be a critical part of the experience. It’s one that really sneaks up on first-time cruise travelers too: When the great big cruise ship actually starts to move.

Look closely to see the faces of those passengers as the cares and woes of their 9-5 job in a cubicle and most other land-based cares melt away.  To people in the travel business: this is what it’s all about. This is payday. This is making an impact on the lives of others in meaningful, positive way.

We know the ship is going to move eventually before arriving at the pier. But that movement, if set up right, can trigger a cascade of emotions. These are key feelings that open the door for travelers to buy into the onboard programming of a cruise line. Any cruise line.

In this case, it’s Fun with a capital F in Carnival Cruise Line’s unique owned way.  Nice to know, but we expect the best show on the newest ship.  That I experienced this stellar Sailaway Deck Party on one of the oldest ships in the Carnival fleet speaks volumes to the line’s commitment if not culture.  Something is going on here.  Something new or a further evolution of the Carnival brand in a very positive way.  It’s as though Carnival has introduced Funship 3.0 and just forgot to mention it.

There is a different feel in the air here that I’m thinking is going to endure, long after the new ship smell has sailed off into the sunset. Quality has a way of doing that.  Lisa said something a long time ago that stuck in my head “I always know what to expect with Carnival”, tagging the brand’s consistency over the years.  A lot has changed and more will change in the future. That one single element of the Carnival success formula that has never moved an inch over time and is the rock-solid foundation of Carnival: Fun. It ain’t goin’ nowhere my friend.  Fun is alive and not well but thriving on Carnival Horizon and I suspect the rest of the fleet.

Up next: The Choose Fun Concept and what it means to you.

 

FOLLOW ALONG

Start with daily LIVE EVENT posts here at ChrisCruises then move along to these popular social sharing methods:

• Instagram– Three a day, reflecting three critical elements of luxury cruise travel: beautiful scenes not found at home, onboard ambience and stellar crew members.
• Facebook– I’ll check in at every place we visit, with photos. Photo albums will eventually show up here as well.
• Google+– ChrisCruises posts in a different place.
• Twitter– Follow @ChrisCruises and the tags #CarnivalHorizon, #CruisingCarnival and #CarnivalMedCruise among others to be introduced along the way.
• Flickr Photo Albums- one for multiple photos of each onboard event, destination visited, tour experienced and more
• Pinterest– Food glorious food and only food glorious food. The culinary operation in detail.
• Tumblr- See what Lisa is doing while Chris is traveling at The World As Lisa Sees It, one post a day.
• RSS Feed- everything we post here, delivered as you wish.
• Exposure Photo Storybooks- Usually created after sailing and reflection, these full-size images provide a distinctly different view of destinations and events also depicted elsewhere. Actually, you can preview the Carnival experience on our