Carnival Clears the Air With Smoke-Free Ship

Our first feeling upon boarding Carnival’s newest ship in Miami in December was jealousy. This sister vessel to the line’s Los Angeles-based Elation has one thing most Californians would flip for--a totally smoke-free atmosphere.

No one aboard, from the captain to the passengers to the waiters, cabin stewards and deckhands, is permitted to light up a cigarette anywhere, indoors or out. Not only that, but shipyard workers, too, were forbidden to smoke inside the Paradise while it was under construction.

Even more startling is the fact that the line is strictly enforcing the nonsmoking rule. Several travel agents on trade preview cruises and a couple of passengers on short Bahamas sailings were put off the ship and forced to pay their own way home, with no refunds for unused cruise days. Violators were also charged $250 in “liquidated damages” for each offense in order to replace smoke-damaged cloth in the cabins.

For nonsmokers like us, the ship is a dream come true. Imagine lingering as long as you like in the bars or casino with not a single whiff of smoke to pollute the air. You don’t have to plan ahead to avoid the smoking side when you enter the buffet restaurant for breakfast, and you can breathe freely when walking or jogging anywhere on deck.

So, we wondered, how does the line know when the rules are broken? So far, the guilty parties have been turned in by their cabin stewards. And if you’re wondering why a steward who lives off his tips would risk losing tips by tattling on passengers, the answer is that he is reimbursed by Carnival for any lost gratuities.

What Carnival gets in return for offering a totally smoke-free cruise is a new cruise audience. At least that’s the way it appeared to us when we sailed on the second regularly scheduled cruise. Many families with babies and young children were aboard, along with seniors and disabled passengers in wheelchairs, with oxygen tanks or with seeing-eye dogs.

Children’s play areas are double in size aboard the Paradise and Elation compared to the earlier Fantasy-class ships, and after-hours baby-sitting is available from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m. for $5 an hour in the Children’s World.

While bar and casino revenues appeared to be down somewhat on the first two sailings, according to staff members, shore excursions, spa programs and attendance at shipboard shows and activities were much higher.

A splashy new Las Vegas-style production show called “Dream Voyage” featured an 18-person cast and a 10-piece orchestra. Most surprising of all to Carnival veterans was the library activity aboard the Paradise. While we’ve always joked that Carnival ships have more slot machines than library books, a long queue was waiting for the bookcases to be unlocked at 10 a.m. on the first day at sea, and, according to the staffer in charge, the line didn’t let up all day: “It was more than quadruple what we usually see!”

This eighth and last ship in the Fantasy-class series that began in 1990 is quite handsome, much more subdued than its earlier sisters. Designer Joe Farcus chose to salute classic ocean liners such as the Normandie, United States, Queen Mary, Ile de France, Paris and America in an abstract fashion, creating details such as bar stools reminiscent of Cunard funnels, plumed wall sconces like Art Deco smokestacks and oil paintings of the Rex and the Rotterdam.

With its revolutionary Azipod system pulling rather than pushing the ship through the water, the Paradise sails smoothly through the Caribbean at a cruising speed of 22 or 23 knots, much faster than most ships at about 20 knots.

The 54 suites and demi-suites aboard provide private verandas at relatively modest prices, as well as twin beds, which convert to king or queen size, and sofas that can be made into a single or double bed to sleep one or two extra people.

Both food and service have improved tremendously on Carnival ships during the past decade, and passengers can literally eat around the clock with the extended hours in the self-service Paris Restaurant atop the ship. Besides two outdoor and two indoor buffet setups, you’ll find a 12-item salad bar, a serve-yourself ice cream and frozen yogurt area, pasta and stir-fry prepared to order, a 24-hour pizzeria with Caesar salad and garlic bread, and a new separate themed-buffet station serving a holiday turkey dinner one day, a New Orleans dinner the next.

Elsewhere, a cocktail-hour sushi bar (free), a sidewalk cafe with fancy coffees and pastries ($1-$2) and a gala midnight buffet help you make it through the night.

To work off the calories, there’s the 12,000-square-foot Nautica Spa, operated by Steiner of London, with plenty of StairMasters, bikes and treadmills.

The Paradise sails every Sunday from Miami on alternating western and eastern Caribbean itineraries at published brochure prices that range from $1,129 to $2,679 per person, double occupancy. Air add-ons are available, and port charges, except for a $3 passenger departure tax and a $6.50 customs fee, are included in the fare.

Some Super Saver fares as low as $679 per person, double occupancy, are available with early booking for designated dates and cabin categories.

Ports of call on the western itinerary include Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, with an additional stop for shore excursions at Playa del Carmen, while the eastern itinerary visits San Juan, Tortola and St. Thomas with an additional shore excursion at Virgin Gorda.

For a free color brochure or information on Super Saver fares, see a travel agent or call (800) CARNIVAL.