Writer Ann Bieri based this independent review on her 8-night Mexican Riviera cruise departing from San Diego, California.

Carnival Spirit has been making waves since 2001. Step aboard this superliner and you’re instantly transported to an audacious Shangri-la in which Parisian art nouveau meets Las Vegas glitz. Decorous Tiffany-style lamps consort with flashing casino-esque signs, while paintings by European masters rub shoulders with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Pools may be kid-sized, but the lavish port-to-starboard casino packs in the crowds. Honeymooners, the retired, and families all love the exuberance of this sassy ship.

Why Carnival Spirit?

• Entertainment dining: In the midst of fine dining in the opulent Empire Room, the maître d’ quips a pronouncement, music strikes up, and the wait staff begins dancing the Macarena. Guests are invited to join in the nightly line dance to burn off that extra dessert.
• Dancing fools: Bring your favorite slippin’-and-slidin’ shoes for a groovy Austin Powers dance lesson in the Pharaoh’s Palace, twisting to oldies in Club Cool, and Latin Night sambaing in the disco. Then kick back with a cigar and live jazz in the Deco Lounge.
• Games of chance: One of the largest casinos afloat, a mega-cash jackpot, daily bingo games (including $1,000 coverall bingo), and opportunities to win such prizes as a free cruise keep adrenaline levels soaring.

Who should go
Those who yearn for the hearty rah-rahs of summer camp will feel right at home on Spirit. Guests are divided into three teams, and a win in any shipboard contest earns team points. However, simply relaxing by the pool all day and enjoying the shows at night are perfectly acceptable activities. Kids and teens will find plenty of organized activities away from the parents.

Who shouldn't go
If over-the-top Vegas kitsch doesn’t excite you, consider a ship with a more subdued ambience. Designers might blanche at the juxtaposition of some of the wildly patterned carpets and mosaics, and the vertigo-challenged will want to avoid the dizzyingly high atrium. A sense of humor and a willingness to step out of one’s usual comfort zone will make Spirit a memorable joy ride.

Heard on the deck: “A cruise is like life -- you can either look at it as half empty or half full. I look at it as half full.”

Hits and misses

• Don't miss: At midnight on the last formal night, display tables in the grand dining room groan with a cornucopia of expertly carved fruit and vegetables, monumental ice sculptures, and irresistible desserts. After the file-by photogenic viewing, guests may indulge in the bounty.
• Best part of the ship: The 11-story atrium stuns the senses with its sheer height, convoluted balcony grillwork, and three glass elevators that glide effortlessly between the buzzing lobby below and the reserved Nouveau Supper Club on top.
• Best experience: Spirit-ual here means soaking in the hot tub, indulging in a full-body massage, luxuriating in the steam room, burning off calories in the gym while scanning the ocean for whales, and eating to your heart’s content before starting the process all over again.
• Best shipboard activities: Adult-only activities tease couples out of the doldrums. A discreetly tucked away topless deck; a midnight R-rated hypnotist show; and an onstage love, sex, and romance quiz can quickly spice up relationships.
• Needs improvement: If you like to sleep on a plump, soft pillow, bring your own. Also, the public restrooms would do well to supply paper towels. Waving hands in front of the automatic driers to get them to work is a constant exercise in frustration.
• Activities to skip: The men’s knobby knees contest in the main theater is good for a few laughs if you’re over 70, but your time is better spent devising floatation devices for the more mind-challenging shipbuilding competition.

How to meet the captain
On the first formal night, a long line queues outside the main theater. Once doors open, the line moves fast as guests shake the captain's hand and file into the lower floor of the theater to sit on the sofa-style seating. Roaming tray-bearers proffer free cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, while a big band orchestra keeps couples dancing onstage until the captain takes the helm to introduce his senior officers.

Empire Room
Smartly situated at the very back of the ship, the ornate two-story main dining hall glows with an outer ring of portholes and sparkling chandeliers on high. The sinuous upper level opens to the broad sweep below, where booths line the edges and round tables of various sizes fill the center. Gilded trim, a life-size statue of Emperor Napoleon, and etched-glass privacy partitions between booths lend a theatrical flair. Seating is strictly traditional, at either 5:45 or 8:15 PM (breakfast and lunch are open seating). Your waitperson will recommend the night's specialty, whether it's jerk pork loin, filet mignon, or broiled lobster tail. Low-carb and spa choices (low in calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol) are always available for the health-conscious.

Nouveau Supper Club
Versace dinnerware, a stained-glass Tiffany balcony, and a sky-high mural of angels signal that you’re in the ship’s upper echelon. Modeled loosely after the historic art nouveau Hotel Tassel in Brussels, the restaurant is reached by a see-through glass stair that hangs vertiginously out over the atrium (you may want to descend by elevator after that bottle of wine). Make reservations in person to approve your table since you'll spend two to three hours indulging. At $25 per person, the meal excels in both taste and presentation for specialties ranging from lobster bisque with vintage cognac to Alaskan king crab to a 24-ounce porterhouse.

La Playa Grille
Different stations spread throughout this buffet area require a fair bit of scouting before selections can be made. Narrow circulation routes get clogged by slow lookers and the entire process of loading a tray requires patience. Everyday favorites include the hot pastrami sandwich at the Deli and grilled chicken or barbequed ribs at the Rotisserie. More exotic entrées are had from the daily Taste of the Nations; especially delicious are the tandoori-style chicken and lamb kebab with tamarind sauce. The rather uninspired salad bar, whether assemble-your-own or prepared, is self-serve, while the other counters, including the Pâtisserie dessert bar, are staffed and portions dished out. An omelet chef makes eggs to order in the mornings. Coffee, hot chocolate, and iced drink machines in central locations are always open, although only plastic mugs are offered.

Heard on the deck: “The buffet coffee is disappointing, maybe because you can only drink it out of plastic mugs. Coffee tastes much better in ceramic.”

Other dining options:

• Pizza: Available 24/7 on the lido, six options are offered during the day, from every kid's favorite plain-cheese margherita to pepperoni to a more exotic goat cheese with mushrooms.
• Fantail: This self-serve ice cream bar hits the spot at any time of day or night. Dishes or cones catch the machine-generated vanilla or chocolate swirls (or a combo) in either soft ice cream or frozen yogurt. Swirl to your heart's content: It’s free.
• Fountain Café: For a fee, the attendant at the Fountain Café steams or ices espresso drinks for those suffering withdrawal from Starbucks. Milk shakes run $3.50; a slice of rich chocolate cake, only $2; chocolate-covered strawberries, 3 for $5.
• Afternoon tea: Tea is served in the smoke-free Artist's Lounge to the strains of a classical music trio. Individual pots of hot water, a (rather minimal) tea bag selection, finger sandwiches, and sweets are all on the ship’s tab.
• Room service: Room service lets you enjoy a private meal day or night. Choices are limited but delivery quick. Fill out the supplied card the night before and a continental breakfast is delivered to your room the next morning. While the food is complimentary, gratuities are appreciated.

Best dining

• Dish: Traditional, yes, but the tenderloin of beef Wellington with goose liver mousse is absolutely mouth-watering, wrapped in a flakey, not-at-all-soggy crust topped by alfalfa sprouts, of all things. Perfectly cooked vegetables accompany all Empire Room dishes.
• Dessert: Melting in your mouth in just two or three bites, the exquisite Japanoise consists of a swirled meringue puff topped with a rosette of chocolate ganache. A plume of hardened chocolate icing and a dusting of grated almonds completes the effect: That of a woman’s chic 1930s-style hat.
• Restaurant: Dinner at the Nouveau Supper Club demonstrates the possibilities of a ship galley. The waitperson and sommelier prove attentive but not obsequious, and unexpected and delectable tidbits may arrive compliments of the chef. Lighting is low and romantic.
• Food seminar: A free triple-knockout cooking, bar tending, and napkin folding demonstration by the pool guarantees you'll take new skills home. Learn how to carve turnips into life-like flowers, twist towels into monkeys, and concoct those wildly colored cocktails found only on cruise ships.

How to…

• Get a table for two: Ask and a table for two is yours without question at breakfast or lunch. At the busier dinner seatings in the Empire Room, check ahead of time with the maître d’. Most of the tables at the Nouveau Supper Club are designed for couples.
• Celebrate a birthday/anniversary: Free cakes have gone the way of the dodo, but a personalized cake can be ordered the day before at the Formalities shop, and will be presented to the celebrant with song at dinner. A small one costs $8, a larger one $10, both available in either a heart or round shape, in vanilla or chocolate.
• Change seating: Not clicking with your tablemates? Simply ask the accommodating maître d' and you'll be moved. To change your cruise assignment from early to late seating, or vice versa, see him at his station in the main dining room the afternoon you board.
• Dress for formal night: Tuxes are few and far between these days, but women still enjoy the opportunity to wear long gowns, sequined tops, or strapless cocktail dresses. Men generally spruce up in a coat and tie.
• Dress for casual night: Shorts are prohibited and jeans frowned upon in the regal Empire Room. Tailored but comfortable clothing and that new necklace from Fashion Boulevard will suffice to maintain the “elegant casual” designation. Anything goes in the lido buffet except bathing suits, bare feet, and shirtless chests.

Heard on the deck: “We didn't know you had to buy a birthday cake. The waiter brought one dinky slice of cake with two candles for both birthdays at our table to share.”

Tips:

• Window seats in the Nouveau Supper Club are coveted, though after dark the ocean disappears from sight. In fact, balcony tables offer views of the keyboard/guitar duo and dance floor below. Make reservations early in the week or put your name on the waiting list; the club is rarely full.
• You might be paired with just one other couple for your weeklong Empire Room dinner seating. If you prefer a larger table of diners, put in a request ahead of time.
• A quieter atmosphere prevails on the upper level of the Empire Room as well as in the smaller Napoleon Room, off the main level.
• Since jackets for men are required in the Nouveau Supper Club, formal night is a good time to make this a romantic date destination.
• Tuxes can be rented from the Formalities shop -- the cost is $75 for the entire cruise. Shoes will step the price up another $10.

Heard on the deck: “One thing I learned on cruises: If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. And if you don’t like the way something’s prepared, send it back.”

Not only do 80 percent of Spirit’s cabins have ocean views, but 80 percent of those feature private balconies. A typical room provides a king-size bed (made from two twins, which can leave an unfortunate pronounced ridge down the middle), a banquette-style sofa large enough to serve as a twin bed, a small oval table, and a vanity/desk combo which houses a minibar, television, and safe, with a hair dryer hiding in a drawer. Three closet units provide plastic hangers and deep shelves. Décor is pastel and unassuming -- not necessarily a drawback for most since one’s attention is turned toward the blue expanse out the window or glass balcony doors. Bathrooms are tidy and compact but not claustrophobic, and consist of a generous sink/counter with shelves, angled toilet, and corner shower with scald-protection button and clothes line. Stainless-steel Grohe fixtures add panache. Upon request, your cabin steward will unlock the minibar for you the day of sailing.

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Spirit provides 16 wheelchair-accessible cabins. Dining rooms, lounges, and some public restrooms are accessible. Portable TTY kits including a text telephone, bed shaker, smoke alarm, door knocker, and phone amplifier are available for hearing-impaired guests, and an information book in Braille is provided for the visually impaired. Requests should be made prior to boarding. Elevators on the ship are small and plentiful, which means the wait for one is shorter, but fitting in a wheelchair can be tight. When tenders are required to reach shore in some ports, accessibility may be limited.

Tips:

• Thick white terry cloth bathrobes monogrammed with the Carnival logo are yours for the week. If you care to bring one home, the price is $45.
• Two beach towels in the room save you packing space. When used, they’re replaced daily. If you lose one, you’ll shell out $22.
• Cabin stewards whisk away all used towels even if you only dry your hands once and hang them back up. If you want to help cut down on laundry, let him or her know to remove only the ones left on the floor.
• Before bed, the steward turns down the sheets and leaves chocolate mints along with the next day’s copy of the Carnival Capers newsletter. But the real treat is his or her towel animal propped on the covers. You’ll want to snap pictures and keep a record of these amazing creations.

Bars, lounges, and casino
All the big shows take place at the multi-level Pharaoh’s Palace. The lower level features sofa-style seating with bar service, while the steep upper tiers offer high-back theater seats. Signs are nonexistent on the lounges and dozen or so bars, which makes a rendezvous tricky until you know your way around. Colorful images from the paintings of Gauguin, Klimt, and Maxfield Parrish decorate the Artists’ and Deco lounges. Smokers receive no guff in the Deco Lounge, Chinese lantern-lit Shanghai Piano Bar, or Champions’ Bar (where you can eyeball Mohammed Ali’s autographed gloves and other sports paraphernalia). Contemporary Club Cool features arts and crafts during the day and sophisticated dancers at night. Descend into the grotto-like Versailles Lounge for karaoke, art auctions, and big screen movies. From 11 PM onward the action is at the two-story Dancin’ disco, with its robotic colored lights, glass floor, and range of music.

Spanning the ship with large windows on either side, the Louis XIV Casino aptly takes the name of France’s so-called Sun King. Columns, crystal chandeliers, and gilded furniture exude formality, yet the ambience is welcoming. Take lessons to learn the patter, enter the no-experience-necessary $500 slot tournament, and play for cash back points as an Ocean Players Club member (membership is free). Guests must be 18 to enter, 21 to drink at the bar.

Swimming pools
A big hit with kids of all ages, the 72-foot spiral waterslide is open (at no cost) to those undaunted by heights and head spins most days from 10 AM to 4 PM. You’ll be spit out (gently) on deck, not in a pool. Two identical pools on Lido Deck allow kids to splash rain or shine -- one pool has a retractable glass roof that serves as a stage cover for events such as the men’s hairy chest contest. A kids-only pool and the smaller Fantail Pool at the stern get less attention. All pools are tiny, so forget lap swimming on this ship. Hot tubs usually fill with adults. A bit of scouting along the upper decks will reveal a topless sunbathing area, with cautionary signs for the unwary (adults only). Poolside lounge chairs aren’t numerous but one or two are usually free at any given time.

Heard on the deck: “Did you see that sign for the topless deck? I went up there but nothing was going on.”

Shows
Pharaoh Palace’s nightly productions are popular but hit or miss. One comic falls flat, another sets the house in an uproar. Crowd pleasers include the one-performance-only Mexican Folkloric Show and extravagantly costumed Vegas-style excerpts from such musicals as All That Jazz, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Life is a Cabaret. Guest performers may include magicians, comics, and hypnotists. On our cruise, the guest hypnotist elicited hilarious acts from 20 or so audience volunteers. A lesson to think twice before you volunteer for a midnight R-rated show: Your inhibitions may take an embarrassing leave of absence.

Quiet areas
Dark, heavily carved desks seem to absorb all sound in the 24-hour Internet Café/Chippendale Library. All you’ll hear besides finger clicks are occasional sighs of exasperation at the computers’ slow speed and the hum of the printer as it prints out a receipt for your exorbitant 75¢ per minute charges (deals are available). During limited hours, glass-fronted cabinets are opened for access to games and books.

Shore excursions
Carnival conveniently lets you book shore excursions using your cabin’s interactive television and remote control. Tickets are delivered to you the next day. By booking online from home up to three days before sailing, you’ll have a better shot at a spot on such popular excursions as swimming with dolphins. If you cancel an excursion, you’ll fork over 25 percent of the cost; if you cancel within 24 hours of port arrival, you’re out the entire amount. Carnival may cancel some excursions due to weather or other factors. Small group disembarkation by tender can be confusing; excursions themselves are fairly well-organized if not always worth the cost. Popular options include learning to surf on Maui, mushing a dog sled on a Juneau glacier, and watching the famous cliff divers in Acapulco. Spotting whales is a pleasurable pastime on all Spirit sailings.

Weddings and vow renewals
Save stress and expense with a wedding/honeymoon package through The Wedding Experience, the Carnival Cruise Line wedding specialists (call an Expedia cruise specialist for more information). Nuptials take place in port, either in the ship’s chapel, on a palmy beach, or perhaps atop an Alaskan glacier -- the choice is yours. Spirit’s chapel charms with corbel arches, white columns, deep blue carpet, stained-glass windows, and sea views. A bride’s dressing room waits next door.

Looking for…

• Quietest spot: Giraffes, elephant foot tables (not the real thing, don’t worry), and wicker easy chairs line the big round portholes along The Jungle corridor, and it’s almost always deserted. Bring your laptop for connecting wirelessly with folks back home, or bring your significant other and cocktails for an undisturbed tête-à-tête.
• Liveliest spot: The atrium lobby resonates convivially at that magical 7 PM hour -- just after early diners depart the dining room and just before late diners are seated. Cocktail specials tempt at the lobby bar, a piano player tickles the ivories on the raised stage, and photos are being snapped right and left, especially on formal nights.
• Most popular spot: Between TV-style game shows during the day and all out song-and-dance revues at night, the Pharaoh’s Palace draws guests like a magnet.
• Best view: Start your day with breakfast at one of the tables at the very rear of the ship. The windows cant over the water, providing uninterrupted views of the great blue and possible sightings of whales and porpoises.
• Best show: The passenger talent show is a tremendous hit, with very creditable singing acts. About seven finalists are culled from earlier tryouts.
• Best drink: Unabashedly tropical in color, the Aquatini glows a Caribbean turquoise and is adorned with an orange twist and lime-green sugared rim. Vodka, Blue Pucker, and lime juice in this sweet-and-sour concoction chase the winter blues away.

Heard on the deck (from a teenager): “I like the glass elevator because if it starts to free-fall, you’d know when to jump up as it hits the floor.”

Roman Spa and Salon
Friendly personnel make up for this Steiner spa’s rather plain front desk and a waiting area that consists of lounge chairs in the chlorine-smelling shadow of the gym hot tub. Three hairdressers cut, curl, and color in the modest-size salon, while beauticians massage, wrap, and wax guests in the quiet but chilly treatment rooms. A sales pitch always comes at the end of a session, but a polite “no thanks” to a $50 bottle of oil brought a chirpy “that’s cool” from the massage therapist. Check daily for spa specials, especially on port days. The $79 “De Stress Buster” provides 50 minutes of blissful back, scalp (legs can be substituted), and foot massage. Another great deal is the $50 couples massage seminar (complete with free bottle of Elemis energizing massage oil), which teaches you and your partner how to keep up the good vibes once you get back home. Locker rooms are spare but impeccable, emphasizing natural wood and granite. The five-jet shower and green-tiled steam room rapturously pamper. Plush towels and locker keys are available at no charge.

Fitness center
Perched at the very bow of the ship, the two-story, horseshoe-shaped gym gleams with wraparound sea view windows, mirrors, and a glass-and-column-enclosed hot tub. Ten treadmills line the upper level which overlooks smaller, intermediate tiers holding a dozen or so stationary bikes, rowers, and elliptical trainers. Weight machines dot the windows on the lower level, and TVs play at low volume. Though spray bottles of disinfectant for wiping down the machines are hard to find, the gym smells and looks invitingly clean. Small towels are provided. A drinking fountain is housed within, but bottled water must be purchased at the spa desk down the hall. Off the upper level, a carpeted aerobics room sets the venue for everything from spinning classes to beauty seminars. Free cosmetics, makeovers, and deals on teeth whitening are often yours for attending.

Tips:

• Treadmills are first come, first serve. Afternoons are the best time to nab one, but the glass-enclosed gym also heats up then thanks to the greenhouse effect.
• Pilates, yoga, spinning, fitball, and step classes are offered throughout the cruise for $10 each; advance sign-up is available. 7 AM stretch and relaxation classes are free.
• Notice the futuristic white pod in the aerobics room? The Alpha Capsule claims to melt stress and balance chakras using warmth, aromatherapy, vibrations, and soothing music (25 minutes for $45; 50 minutes, $60).
• A 60-minute personal training session might just change your life for a mere $75. At the very least, a Body Composition Analysis for $30 tells you how your body type can best burn fat.
• Bring your own water bottle and fill it from the gym drinking fountain. A small bottle of water will set you back $2.25.

Fashion Boulevard offers tax- and duty-free boutique shopping for everything from designer watches to souvenir shot glasses. Racks of casual dresses and T-shirts often line the marble corridor -- look for specials here. One side of the boulevard features jewelry, formal wear, and cosmetics displays; the other side, liquor, cigarettes, candy and chips, toiletries, and postcards. Kid’s Cove brims with such gifts as Boys Are Smelly lip jelly and $7 Towel Pal animals (modeled after the stewards’ cabin creations). Formalities specializes in fresh flowers, champagne, and other shipboard luxuries.

Tips:

• Bargain displays along the promenade tempt buyers toward the end of the cruise. Look for half-price crystal figurines and $1-per-inch gold chains (made into necklaces while you wait).
• Carnival offers an unconditional one-year guarantee on all fine jewelry and designer brands of watches.
• While the Mexican ports of call aren’t renowned for shopping, the port shopping talk might net you a big fish: Freebies thrown into the audience at the talk have been known to include an eight-night cruise.

At the back of The Jungle, a staircase (with wheelchair lift) ascends to the dimly lit, pulsating Techno Arcade, jam-packed with virtual reality video games, foosball, and more for all ages’ 24-hour pleasure. Overlooking that is the Fun House, where younger children keep busy with Camp Carnival arts and crafts and games. Teens 15-17 can partake in Club O2 ping-pong, basketball (on an outdoor court), dodgeball, and Halo 2 tournaments, as well as teen-only parties at the disco from 9:30 to 11 PM. Babysitting is available for a fee for ages 11 and under, from 10 PM to 3 AM.

Heard on the deck (from a senior citizen): “I wish those parents would keep their kids under control. I was afraid they'd knock me off my feet.”

Spirit sails the sun-drenched Mexican Riviera and Hawaii from October through May, and Alaska -- both the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska -- during the warmer months of May through September.

• Cruise line - Carnival
• Ship name - Carnival Spirit
• Type of cruise - Fun/Casual
• Total cabins - 1062
• Private balcony cabins - 750
• Decks - 12
• Passenger capacity - 2124
• Total crew - 930
• Officers nationality - Italian
• Ship size - Large
• Year entered service - 2001
• Tonnage - 88500
• Ship length - 960
• Registry - Panama