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Cruise Ship: Carnival Triumph
Cruise Destination: Western Caribbean
Cruise Dates: September 2 - September 9, 2006
Guest Contributor: Mary and Vincent Finelli
When the best laid plans "Of Mice and Men" go awry, then make the best of it and try, try again. Last Carnival Triumph cruise was meant to reconnect with the courteous Captain Francesco La Fauci, who has been with Carnival Cruise Lines since 1983.
He has served on Carnival's first ship the Mardi Gras and most of the rest of its fleet. Unfortunately, on our last Triumph cruise, he debarked the same day we embarked. However, this time we all managed to spend a great week on board simultaneously.
We are partial to the Triumph because, in our opinion, it is one of architect Joseph Farcus's best decorated ships. The world theme is brought to life in a most elegant manner. The awe inspiring depiction of a bronze globe on the ceiling of the Lobby Bar Deck 3 is a beautiful portrayal of our planet Earth. There is repetition of this globe several times on the ceiling of the World's Way on Deck 5. In this same promenade, on the walls are eight of Venetian sculptor Luciano Vistosi's colorful glass murals titled the "Continents" They are designed in triple layers to add a 3D effect to the sparkling glass. Maestro Vistosi was born in Murano, Italy, the heart of Italian glass making and his work reflects his love of the medium. It is uncommon to find such clear brilliance of color as that conjured up by Venetian masters.
Of the many ships we have sailed on in the last fifty years, the Triumph now holds fond memories for us. We anticipated a happy cruise among old friends and we more than realized that anticipation.
Embarkation
The Port of Miami is sometimes a hassle because of traffic, but this Saturday morning at eleven there was not much traffic and port access was simple. We were greeted curb side by ship's staff and helped with the wheelchair. We were through security quickly and in our mini suite by 11:15am. Sail & Sign cards were not yet available, but we could leave our luggage and go off to the South Beach Buffet at noon. Which, by the way, was rare roast beef and a multitude of chicken, fish and vegetable side dishes. Enjoy!
Carnival Triumph Cruise Ship
We have published two other reviews on the Carnival Triumph in 2001 and 2006. She was made in the Fincantieri Shipyards of Monfalcone Italy and is a sister ship to Carnival Destiny and Carnival Victory. The Triumph is 101.509 tons, 893 feet long, with a beam of 116 feet and a draft of 27 feet. Guest capacity is 2,758 and a crew of 1,100 provides a nice guest to crew ratio. Her 14 decks and the distinctive red, white and blue whale tail funnel are indicative of Carnival Cruise Ships, and make her easily spotted in port.
Her crew takes the lead of Captain La Fauci: they are highly competent, friendly and appealing. The overall ambiance is one of cordial approachability. We took a short walk with Captain La Fauci during which he attended three functions, shook hands and had his picture taken with many guests. There is also the Welcome On board Cocktail Party during which he may be shaking hands with over 2,000 cruisers. It may be bruising, but it is all in a day's work to this navigator.
Carnival began its Cruise Line in 1972, just about when the era of the grand Transatlantic Ocean Liners ended. The Italian Lines provided Carnival with an abundance of highly trained, experienced Captains, Staff Captains, Engineers and Senior Officers. Since those early days, it has become a tradition that most of the Captains and Senior Crew members of the Carnival Cruise Lines are Italian. On the Triumph the Staff Captain is the genteel Rosario Vasta and Chief Engineer is Camillo Russo. Hotel Director Henry D'Roza (Australia) is an old acquaintance of ours, who is planning to write the book on Hotel Management with an emphasis on the cross cultural aspects of multinational staffs. Sounds like a good Ph.D. subject to us.
There is no need for another deck by deck description of the Triumph, rather we want to emphasize a few areas of this floating home away from home. Since we were on board during the second week of the U.S. Tennis Open, we spent sometime at the Olympic Sports Bar Deck 5. Sandwiched between the Shops on Board and the Club Monaco Casino, it is a bit secluded. The unique chairs with leather ball motifs are quite comfortable enough to watch both Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick win their quarter finals matches just before satellite TV was lost midweek, then the signal was regained late Thursday just in time for the semifinals.
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