First-Ever Dr. Seuss Bookville Facility, Variety Of Fun Ship 2.0 Dining, Bar And Entertainment Innovations To Be Added To Carnival Freedom During Dry Dock This Spring

MIAMI, March 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Freedom will undergo an extensive multi-million-dollar makeover this spring that will add the first-ever Bookville family reading venue– part of the recently launched Seuss at Sea program in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises – along with a variety of dining, bar and entertainment innovations that are part of the line's Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancement initiative.

The majority of these exciting new features will be incorporated during a dry dock that will take place in Freeport, The Bahamas, from April 19 to May 3, 2014.

Following the dry dock, Carnival Freedom will resume its popular six- to eight-day Caribbean schedule from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and introduce two new five-day Caribbean options, marking the first time that a Fun Ship 2.0-equipped ship will operate a short cruise itinerary from South Florida.

"With the debut of the first-ever Dr. Seuss Bookville, along with an array of exciting dining, bar and entertainment concepts, we're making a terrific 'Fun Ship' even better and creating a lifetime of wonderful vacation memories for guests of all ages," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.  "Incorporating these fantastic new spaces on Carnival Freedom also provides travel agents with yet another attractive 'Fun Ship' vacation option to market to their clients," he added.

Debut of Bookville
As part of the new Seuss at Sea program, Carnival Freedom will be the first ship to feature Bookville, a dedicated Seuss-themed play space featuring iconic decor, colors, shapes and funky furniture inspired by the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss. The perfect place for families to relax and unwind, guests can read beloved Dr. Seuss books or stretch their imagination through family-fun activities such as arts and crafts, toys and Dr. Seuss-inspired games.

Other Seuss at Sea activities include the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with the Cat in the Hat and Friends, an interactive reading event called Seuss-a-palooza Story Time, and the Seuss-a-palooza Character Parade along the ship's promenade.  Bookville and other Seuss at sea activities are scheduled to be available by the departure of May 24.

Exciting Fun Ship 2.0 Innovations
A wide range of popular Fun Ship 2.0 features will be added to Carnival Freedom this spring, as well. Here's a look at the many new offerings:

• Guy's Burger Joint, a free-of-charge poolside venue developed in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri serving hand-crafted burgers and fresh hand-cut fries in an atmosphere that celebrates the chef's California roots and love of car culture
• BlueIguana Cantina, a complimentary poolside Mexican eatery where guests can enjoy authentic, freshly made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas that can be personalized with a variety of salsas and toppings
• EA SPORTS Bar, a sports and video game lovers' paradise where guests can catch live sporting events, check out scores on the real-time 24/7 sports ticker, and play the latest EA SPORTS games on a 16-screen video wall
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar, a fun and festive outdoor watering hole offering a laid-back Mexican-themed atmosphere and tequila-based frozen drinks and beers, perfect for chillin' by the pool
• Alchemy Bar, a vintage-themed cocktail "pharmacy" that's the go-to spot for guests seeking a unique experience with mixologists who "prescribe" concoctions from different elixirs and ingredients or guests' own custom-created cocktails
• RedFrog Rum Bar, a poolside adaptation of the RedFrog Pub offering the quintessential Caribbean vacation vibe with refreshing Caribbean rum-based frozen drinks and beers, including Carnival's own private label draft brew, ThirstyFrog Red
• Hasbro, The Game Show, where guests are part of the show through a series of larger-than-life productions and entertainment activities based on the company's iconic and popular games
• Playlist Productions, which builds upon Carnival's reputation for high quality entertainment by combining captivating live performances and spectacular staging and special effects to create enthralling music revues produced by the top directors and choreographers in the industry
• Cherry on Top, which celebrates the joys of simple indulgences with bins of bulk candy, fun fanciful gifts and novelties, custom apparel and more
• RedFrog Pub, where guests can enjoy the Caribbean's best rums and beers – including, of course, Carnival's own ThirstyFrog Red – while soaking up the distinct British-West-Indies-meets-Key-West ambiance (scheduled to be completed by the departure of May 18)
• The Warehouse, a family-friendly entertainment center where the young – and the young at heart – can play a wide variety of video and arcade games and win tickets that can be redeemed for fun prizes (scheduled to be completed by the departure of June 14)

Attractive Caribbean Itineraries from Fort Lauderdale  
Carnival Freedom's schedule from Fort Lauderdale encompasses two new five-day itineraries - one visiting Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman or Cozumel and the other calling at Grand Turk, Nassau and the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay.

These new choices complement the ship's six-day cruises that call at Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel or Ocho Rios; and three different eight-day voyages including four-port eastern and southern Caribbean departures. These unique eight-day cruises visit a variety of exciting destinations including Grand Turk, St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Maarten, Aruba and Curacao.

For additional information, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

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Journalists also can visit Carnival's media site, www.carnival-news.com or follow the line's PR department on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CarnivalPR.

About Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 24 ships operating three- to 23-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Tahiti.  The company's 25th ship, the 135,000-ton Carnival Vista, is scheduled to enter service in 2016.

Carnival is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises and Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, World's Leading Cruise Lines inspires people to discover their best vacation experience. Together, we offer a variety of exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.  Visit us at www.worldleadingcruiselines.com.

SOURCE Carnival Cruise Lines