Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Spirit

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.

Carnival Waterworks

Refurbished and expanded in January 2012, this is a great play area for kids, with a splash pool and small slides for the little tykes. The kiddie area is anchored by the Power Drencher, a giant bucket that continuously filled with water until tipping over. Twister was a slide that corkscrewed around—parents should know in advance the minimum height restriction was 42 inches. Green Thunder was an even taller slide, towering over all but the ship’s main funnel and plunging into a winding turn that circled out beyond the ship’s starboard side. Carnival calls this the “steepest water slide at sea”—we have no reason to doubt this. In fact, quite a few of us adults enjoyed these two slides.