It’s Smooth Sailing on the “New” Carnival Triumph 4-5 Night Galveston Cruises

Carnival Triumph is re-vamped, re-charged and she returned to the open sea on June 13, 2013.  The first two Carnival Galveston Cruises were sold out.

Carnival Triumph docked in Cozumel.

Recently, I was invited to re-board the Carnival Triumph to tour and lunch on the newly refurbished ship that I (not-surprisingly) feel an unusually close connection.

I have to admit, I was quite excited to see what the Carnival Corporation had done with her.

What will she look like?  And feel like?
What does $115 million buy in refurbishments?

Let me start with the engine room, which incidentally, was not part of the tour, but I for one, want to know about the enhancements of the safety issues FIRST!

According to Carnival Corporation, the following safety enhancements will be happening not only on Triumph, but fleetwide (a $300 million undertaking).  Triumph began the process with her recent rennovations.

• Increased Emergency Generator Power – An additional emergency generator will be installed on each vessel to provide for 100 percent of stateroom and public toilets, fresh water and elevators in the unlikely event of a loss of main power. This  means they will have no longer have a need for an extra stash of red plastic bags.

• Increased Fire Prevention, Detection and Suppression Systems – The company will also make additional investments in the newest and most technically advanced fire prevention, detection and suppression systems.  When triggered, this high-pressure water mist system instantly creates a larger and thicker blanket of water droplets than the present system. As the water droplets evaporate, the system also rapidly cools any hot areas to prevent the possibility of a fire restarting.

• Enhanced Operating Redundancies – All of Carnival Cruise Lines ships have two separate, redundant engine rooms.  If one engine is shut down for any reason, the ships will still run on the other operating engine.

“Our fleet already operates at a high standard of reliability. The investments announced today for Carnival Cruise Lines, and those we will continue to make, will reinforce our ability to consistently deliver the customer experience that 10 million people every year have come to expect from us across our fleet of 101 ships. Absolutely nothing is more important than the safety and comfort of our guests and crew, and we will use the full resources of our company to meet that commitment,”
Micky Arison, Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation

So let’s move on to the fun stuff…

At first glance, I was quick to notice the entire ship has been painted, newly carpeted throughout, along with new mattresses and bedding.  This, I would expect.

Premium Vista Wrap-Around Balcony Stateroom

What I didn’t expect was how much the public areas of the ship would be transformed with additional (free) dining options and enhancements around the entire ship.  

I was on the ship prior to public boarding time, so you’ll notice some of the areas are closed or vacant.

To the eye, the Lido deck  received the biggest make-over.

The pool was re-designed and increased in size to include extra seating and wood bench surrounding the entire pool.  The 2 jacuzzis were separated from the pool and moved further over on the deck (closer to the waterslide).

The re-vamped Carnival Triumph Pool.

2 (free) restaurants and 2 bars were added to the Lido deck.

The Blue Iguana Cantina serves homemade mexican food like chicken, fish and pork tacos.

Blue Iguana Cantina with always-friendly servers

With a boat-load (no pun intended) of homemade salsa and toppings to choose from at the Blue Iguana Salsa Bar.

The Salsa Bar at Blue Iguana.

Also added to the Lido deck is the popular Guy’s Burger Joint. 

From Food Network personality, bestselling author and restauranteur, Guy Fieri, this restaurant is being rolled out feetwide.  It  is also complimentary and offers hot burgers and hand-cut fries.

Guy’s Burger Joint by Guy Fieri

And of course…a toppings bar for your burger!

Burger Toppings for Guys Burger Joint by Guy Fiere

Now…this is vacation… so if you are one to partake in adult beverages of any kind, you will find a plethora of new choices.

As I mentioned earlier, there were 2 bars added to this deck that are located directly across from each other.

The RedFrog Rum Bar features Caribbean rum-based concoctions and Carnival’s signature private-label draught beer, ThirstyFrog Red.

Caribbean inspired rum-based drinks and Carnival’s signature ThirstyFrog beer.

And the BlueIguana Tequila Bar for your frozen tequila drinks (yes, that means margaritas) and cold Mexican beers.

BlueIguana Tequila Bar on Carnival Triumph (groom and groomsmen not included).

Also on the Lido deck is the South Beach Club, which received a new look with updated decor including colors, paint and carpet.

This is a self-service casual restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night snacks.

The South Beach Club – Casual dining for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

And did I mention dessert?   Lots of dessert??

Lots of desserts to choose from on Carnival Triumph

The new EA Sports Bar on Deck 5 which shows live sports events & real time scores on big screen TVs will be a fun place to hang during football season!

EA Sports Bar on Carnival Triumph

And also on deck 5, the California Wine Bar is now The Alchemy Bar, a unique vintage-themed cocktail “pharmacy.”

The Alchemy Bar serves vintage cocktails.

After my tour of the ship, I was treated to a fabulous lunch in the Paris Dining room that included  a crab cake, ceasar salad, smoke salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and did I mention:

Dessert?

Creme Brulee in the Paris Dining Room tops of a great morning on the Triumph!

To sum this all up, I saw many positive changes onboard the “new” Carnival Triumph and would not hesitate to recommend this ship if you are looking for a 4 or 5 night Galveston cruise.

A Cruise Therapy Travel client recently returned from a family vacation on Carnival Triumph with the following comments:

“…YES!  It was SO much fun!  Absolutely LOVED the joining balconies.  The food was great & the young kids loved Camp Carnival!… Thank You!”

The “New” Carnival Triumph has my stamp of approval!

4 & 5 night Galveston cruises start at just $269 per person this fall 2013!  What are you waiting for?  It’s a great getaway!*

If you would like more information or a FREE quote for a Carnival Triumph Cruise out of Galveston, TX, please email me at info@CruiseTherapyTravel.com or fill out a Vacation Request Form, and I will contact you shortly.

*Price does not include taxes and is quoted for an October 21st sailing, from current rates as of today, 8/30/2103.