Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Spirit

Exterior Promenade (Deck 3)

This wide walkway almost encircles all of Deck 3, but for running or walking laps you’ll want to head to Deck 10. This is a nice place for taking in the breeze and/or sun, but there were no deck chairs on the Promenade, meaning it was used primarily only by smokers (smoking permitted on the Starboard side).

This is where the Muster Drill was conducted on the first day of the cruise.

Lido Deck

This was the hub of the action when the sun was out. The ship’s two main pools and two whirlpools were located at mid-ship, with the Canopy Bar wedged between them. Odd green flamingo sculptures took flight over the pools.

The Lido stage was used several times each day for outdoor performances and games. These usually started around lunchtime and included live calypso music, a beanbag toss, a golf chipping contest and a hairy chest competition. After dinner, a DJ spun dance tunes some evenings.

Smoking is permitted on the starboard (right) side of the Lido Deck’s outdoor areas.

Serenity Adult Retreat

During the January 2012 renovation of Carnival Spirit, this sun perch was transformed into an adult-only (age 21 and up) area of this ship—the results are great. One of the ship’s three pools is found here, along with a whirlpool that took in the aft view. Sun loungers and semi-private day beds filled up the rest of the deck, and some sunning space was covered with wooden pergolas that screened out some of the sun (the desk is otherwise fully exposed). Waiters from the adjacent full-service bar were available to ply us with drinks, and La Playa Grille was close by, when we needed a snack.

The mood is generally pretty quiet back here, but we had a couple minor quibbles. One, when the kids (and adults) were using the slides at the waterpark, their screams were audible. We also found the whirlpool was often packed with bodies, like sardines, and the day beds (which were big enough for two) were usually grabbed early in the day and it was hard to snag one thereafter.

Otherwise, we found the kids- and teens-free Serenity Retreat to be a fine addition to Carnival Spirit.

Sun Deck

Deck 10 offers Carnival Spirit’s walking and jogging track—3½ laps equals a mile, though jogging was allowed only before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. Although the forward part of the deck was a great perch from which to admire the view, there were no deck chairs or loungers here. But plenty of loungers were found on the port and starboard sections of the deck, and this was a good place to grab one when options on the Serenity Retreat or Lido Deck ran out.

Sports Deck

This small area on deck 11 forward had a 9-hole miniature golf course, ping-pong tables, and a basketball court.

Sky Deck

This small split-level deck wrapped around the red and blue trademark Carnival funnel. It wasn’t used as much but was perhaps the quietest of the outdoor areas for sunning, and loungers stood at the ready for us.