At 102,000 tons, the Carnival Triumph is one of the largest cruise ships ever built. Despite this, we have never noticed any more crowding or any longer lines than we have found on much smaller ships. We were also surprised to discover how easy it was to find our way around this vessel. We quickly learned that the key was to find out which elevator banks served which public rooms.

There was a full slate of activities and entertainment for every age group and taste -- from ballroom dancing, classical music concerts, tea time and art auctions to hairy chest and knobby knees contests, blackjack and slot machine tournaments, bingo and karaoke.

The Carnival Triumph features some changes from the Carnival Destiny -- most notably the addition of an extra deck of balcony cabins. The other significant changes are most apparent on the Lido Deck. These improvements include more open deck space than on any other Carnival ship, larger swimming areas and reconfigured outdoor performance stages.

Carnival Triumph has an additional deck of balcony cabins that her twin sister, Carnival Destiny, does not have. The balcony cabins are smaller on the inside (180 square feet), to allow for the 40-square-foot balconies. The balconies have safety- glass panels, affording unobstructed views of the water. Outside standard cabins without balconies are an ample 220 square feet. The inside cabins measure a generous 195 square feet. Bathrooms in all categories have showers, a hair dryer and a medicine cabinet. The bathrooms on Carnival Triumph are among the largest we've ever seen on any cruise ship. Carnival is phasing in a new program to offer free toiletry/amenity kits on all of their ships. Carnival is now providing the use of terry cloth bathrobes in the higher category cabins. All cabins have color television, radio, direct-dial telephone and individual climate control. The "Fun Vision" interactive television system is not operational at this time. Carnival plans to add "Fun Vision" to Carnival Triumph in the future. All cabins boast ample closet and drawer space. Reading lights and cabin lights can be controlled from a panel over the beds. Most cabins have twin beds that can be converted to a king bed, upon request. There are self-service laundry rooms with washing machines, dryers, irons and ironing boards. A very nice touch on Carnival Triumph that we have not seen on any other ship is self-service ice machines and Coca Cola vending machines ($1 per can).

The London and Paris Dining Rooms are each two-decks high, with two seatings for all meals. The food was the best we've had on Carnival. In fact, much of the food was better than what we've recently had on other cruise lines. Carnival now features broiled lobster one night on all of their cruises, and this is a real highlight for many guests. Carnival has upgraded and expanded their menus to include more contemporary and gourmet dishes, but they still offer plenty of meat and potatoes for less adventurous diners. Carnival also features very tasty vegetarian entrees and low-fat, low-sodium Nautica Spa selections on their dining room menus. The nightly entertainment by the waiters is part of the "Fun Ship" experience and many guests enjoy it. The service in the dining room was efficient and professional.

The Art Deco-style South Beach Club restaurant on the Lido Deck is two-decks high. This is the place for the breakfast and lunch buffets, as well as for the optional casual dinners. The breakfast buffets included the usual array of hot and cold breakfast dishes, as well as made-to-order omelets. The lunch buffets feature different selections each day, plus a salad bar and bowls of fresh fruit. The South Beach Club has free iced tea and lemonade all day, as well as soft ice cream and frozen yogurt machines. The Hong Kong Noodle Factory, featuring stir fry dishes and other Asian fare, is located on one side of the buffet. The very popular New York Deli is located on the other side of the buffet, offering freshly-carved deli sandwiches, as well as potato salad, cole slaw and kosher-style pickles. Pizza and Caesar salad are available 24-hours a day, although we thought that the pizza was better on other Carnival ships that we've sailed on. The Coney Island Grill serves up grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts and french fries all day. There is also complimentary 24-hour room service with a limited menu of cold sandwiches, salads and desserts. Carnival has a newly-expanded children's menu, with such items as hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, chicken nuggets, pizza and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

One enters Carnival Triumph by way of a soaring seven-deck atrium called The Capitol, which is dominated by a huge, gold-leafed globe. Carnival Triumph has a global theme that is intended to capture the spirit of the world's greatest cities, so the lobby area sets the tone for the rest of the public rooms. The three-deck-high Rome Lounge is the venue for Carnival Triumph's nightly Las Vegas-style floor shows and reviews. This state-of-the-art theater boasts lasers lights, special effects and a sound system to rival any land-based show room. This lounge also has a video projection system, a revolving stage and a retractable orchestra pit. Two, brand-new shows have been created especially for Carnival Triumph—"Wonderful World" and "Century Café." A word of warning—be sure to get there early to get the best seats. Some of the seats have limited or obstructed views of the stage.

The New Orleans-themed Big Easy Piano Bar is the sing-along piano bar. This was one of the few places that we noticed very serious overcrowding. It was often impossible to even get inside the door of the piano bar, let alone find a seat anywhere. Passengers in the mood for a high-octane dance club will find the entrance to the Hollywood Dance Club nearby. More than 500 video monitors cover practically every square inch of wall space, and the glass dance floor features various lighting effects. A winding staircase leads down from the disco to the cozy Oxford Bar, which is reminiscent of a traditional English library. At the aft of the Promenade Deck is the colorful Club Rio, with it's Carnaval theme. Late-night comedy shows, art auctions and live dance music are among the activities and entertainment that take place in the Club Rio. The Olympic Sports Bar features multiple television monitors that show most of the major professional sporting events. The Club Monaco casino is one of the largest afloat, with every imaginable type of slot machine and table game. Additional public rooms along the World's Way Promenade Deck include the Vienna Cafe, offering pastries and specialty coffees; the cave-like Underground Tokyo video game room; and the California Wine Bar.

Carnival's shows are arguably the best afloat. The fabulous Vegas-style shows (that doesn't mean nudity, as one fellow passenger thought) exhibit a degree of professionalism hard to beat, with extremely talented singers, dancers, costume designers—even the lighting effects are spectacular. Full scale Broadway-style reviews have lovers of musical comedies smiling and suppressing the desire to sing along. Additionally, late-night, R-rated comedians entertain the grownups. Various bars throughout the ship offer music entertainment throughout the cruise with mixture of music styles. Underground Tokyo is the popular dance club where everything from "house" music to disco keeps passengers dancing till the wee hours.

Carnival Triumph's 15,000-square-foot, two-level Nautica Spa is one of the largest at sea. The gym, with floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic views, has treadmills, Stairmasters, stationary bikes, rowing machines, free weights, and progressive resistance machines. There are men's and women's saunas, steam rooms and locker rooms, plus two coed whirlpools. There is also a separate aerobics room and juice bar. Trained instructors lead a variety of exercise classes. Personal trainers are available, at an additional charge. There is an outdoor, one-eighth mile, padded jogging track and a golf driving net. Golf lessons are available with a PGA pro through Carnival's Fore! Golf Program. The spa and salon, which are operated by Steiner's of London, offer every kind of massage, facial and treatment imaginable.

The Continent Pool area is one of Carnival Triumph's most popular features. You cannot miss the winding, 214-foot-long water slide. The deck around the pool is laid out in levels, creating an amphitheater-like effect. There is also open deck space around the aft New World Pool, with its retractable glass ceiling. Topless sunbathing is allowed in a secluded section near the main funnel.

The Camp Carnival program is one of the best children's programs afloat. There are age-appropriate activities available for the various groups. There is an outdoor area with a kiddie pool and playhouse for the younger kids. Children's World features arts and crafts (including spin art and sand art machines), an activity wall and a bank of educational computer games. All age groups are supervised by experienced counselors, and regularly-scheduled activities take place between 9 AM and 10 PM. Babysitting services are available from 10 PM until 3 AM at an additional charge. Carnival offers Fountain Fun Cards to all guests under the age of 21. These cards cost one flat price and they are valid for unlimited fountain soft drinks.

Carnival carries about equal number of passengers in all age groups. Approximately 1/3 of all Carnival passengers are over the age of 55. More than half of the passengers will range in age from 20 to 55.

Carnival recommends $3.50 per person, per day to your waiter; $2 pp/pd to your assistant waiter; and $3.50 pp/pd to your cabin steward. A 15 percent gratuity is added to bar bills.

There are two formal evenings per week (most men wear either dark suits or tuxedos and most women wear either short cocktail dresses or dressy pants outfits). The other nights will be more casual. Gentlemen may want to wear a sport shirt (with or without a jacket or sweater) and ladies may want to wear a dress, skirt and blouse or pants outfits. Swimsuits are not permitted in the dining rooms at any time. Jeans, shorts and t-shirts are not appropriate in the dining rooms in the evenings. Daytime dress is very casual—shorts, T-shirts, swimsuits and sandals or athletic shoes.

• Cruise line - Carnival
• Ship name - Carnival Triumph
• Type of cruise - Fun/Casual
• Total cabins - 1379
• Private balcony cabins - 480
• Decks - 13
• Passenger capacity - 3473
• Total crew - 1150
• Officers nationality - Italian
• Ship size - Large
• Year entered service - 1999
• Tonnage - 101509
• Ship length - 893
• Registry - Panama

Copyright 2005, The Independent Traveler, Inc. All rights reserved.