First Glimpse When Carnival Cruise Lines' 113,000-ton, 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor launches in July 2008, it will represent a new class of ship for the line -- and new details are now emerging about the ship's amenities and itineraries. Splendor, which the cruise line previously announced would feature the fleet's largest spa, will also introduce Carnival's first "spa staterooms." Sixty-eight staterooms will surround the 21,000-square-ft. health and fitness facility. Cruisers who book these special cabins will have exclusive access to the spa and other perks such as priority spa appointments and free fitness classes. Occupants will also get unlimited use of the thermal suite and thalassotherapy pool -- Carnival's first -- covered by a glass dome. Dedicated spa cabins are a new trend in the spa evolution; Carnival Corp. line Costa Cruises was the first in the industry to offer dedicated spa cabins when its Costa Concordia launched last summer. Costa Serena, which launches next month, will also have them. What else is in store for Splendor? The ship will also operate Carnival's first-ever Northern Europe program, a series of 12-day voyages that will operate July 13 through August 30, 2008; ports of call include Copenhagen, Warnemunde (Berlin), Helsinki, St. Petersburg (two days), Tallin and Amsterdam. Following its Northern Europe cruises, Carnival Splendor will sail a one-time 12-night Mediterranean & Greek Isles cruise before repositioning (via a 16-day trans-Atlantic) to Ft. Lauderdale for weeklong Exotic Eastern Caribbean cruises, calling at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas and St. John, San Juan, and Nassau. Even more exciting? Carnival Splendor will offer Carnival's first ever series of South America sailings. On its way from the Caribbean to its 2009 spring/summer seasonal home port in Los Angeles, Splendor will offer three different cruises: January 31 - February 17, 2009: 17-night cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Buenos Aires, with calls in Dominica, Barbados, Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. February 17 - March 3, 2009: 14-night cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago, with calls in Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas and scenic cruising of Cape Horn and Cape Horn/Beagle Island. March 3 - 21, 2009: 18-night cruise from Santiago to San Francisco, with calls in Arica, Lima, Manta, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Long Beach. --by Melissa Baldwin, Senior Editor
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