Here Come the Grown Ups!

Here Come the Grown Ups!

A couple of Porthole writers set out to experience a Carnival cruise — sans kids.

By John and Sandra Nowlan

We were curious . . . but a little uneasy.

After all, it’s been almost two decades since our last cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines. Since those relatively youthful years, we’ve sailed on most major lines, ultra-luxury included. So when we heard that Carnival had changed its approach to be more inclusive of all age groups, especially aboard its newer vessels, we felt it was time to rediscover the swagger of the Fun Ships.


Take a closer look at Guy’s Burger Joint. Warning: Do not view on an empty stomach!

Enter Carnival Breeze, the newest ship in the fleet, which offers an attractive 8-day Southern Caribbean itinerary — Miami to Grand Turk, the Dominican Republic, Curacao, and Aruba. Debuting in June 2012, the 1,000-foot-long, 4,000-passenger ship features several innovations we were anxious to try.

Onboard Touches

Embarking at PortMiami was, well, a breeze. Carnival has clearly found ways to process people quickly at its modern Florida hub. Fellow guests joining the ship covered the full spectrum. There were lots of kids, teens, and plenty of tattoo-covered 20- and 30-somethings in muscle shirts, cut-offs, and backward baseball caps. But, to our surprise, there were also a significant number of folks of, shall we say, mature age. (Hotel Director, Pierre Camilleri, later told us that more than 1,600 of the 4,000 passengers were 50 or older).

Once on board, we were delighted by the newfound décor. The atrium no longer had the brilliant, flashy colors of the line’s past. Instead, the impact of the neutral colors….


 

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Now in its 25th year, Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine is published bi-monthly and available worldwide through digital subscription. It offers the latest news in cruise and travel, with in-depth features on voyages, new ships, the best destinations, readers' picks, onboard cuisine, entertainment, and more!