In a convergence of name and theme, Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, Carnival Valor, will feature an interior design that…
In a convergence of name and theme, Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, Carnival Valor, will feature an interior design that explores the subject of heroes and heroism.
When the 110,000-ton “Fun Ship” debuts in Miami this December, it will sport public rooms that celebrate heroes real and imagined, as well as heroic eras and feats from the past. From famous U.S. presidents Washington and Lincoln to legendary aviator Charles Lindberg and Neil Armstrong’s famous walk on the moon, Carnival Valor’s interior design encompasses a broad spectrum of heroism with a special focus on American history.
“The Valor’s design explores a wide variety of what can be defined as heroic,” said Joe Farcus, Carnival’s ship architect. “There is a certain American feel to the decor overall, and the icons featured within many of the public rooms represent the best of what America is all about.”
Touches of Americana are readily identified in the lobby, promenade and elevator bays. Elevator entrances evoke Colonial America with brass doors with wood inlay, stained-glass lamps and half-pillars on the wall in polished stainless steel. Some of the pillars are adorned with gold-leaf eagles and over the elevator doors is an arch of marble-like bronze molding.
The dome over the lobby features bas-relief panels depicting 10 famous U.S. destinations — including Miami Beach, Chicago, San Francisco, the Grand Canyon, the Sonoran Desert, and New Orleans — illuminated from underneath by red, white and blue lights. On the main wall of the atrium is a mural of these locations painted by Alaskan artist Devita Writer.
Along the Valor Promenade, there are also numerous arches decorated with famous American heroes.
The Americana theme is evident in the Eagles Show Lounge. Inspired by the United States’ national bird, the room features woodwork along walls with images of eagles made of wood marquetry inlaid with four varieties of wood. Vitrines throughout room contain realistic models of life-size eagles in their natural habitat. The ceiling features aluminum cassettes painted to look like wood, with light fixtures of polished stainless steel that have a design of cutouts of an eagle in flight with color-changing lights behind.
One of the more unusual takes on the Americana theme is the One Small Step Dance Club, which celebrates Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon. Around the room are moon craters combining LED lights in them that create a multicolored volcano effect. The walls are black with tiny twinkling lights to resemble a starlit night, while the ceiling features images of all the planets taken from the Hubble telescope. Special lights on the ceiling also produce an effect that appears to be shooting stars. The floor is made of white marble with inlays of white granite, creating an appearance similar to the lunar surface, and also features footprints inspired by man’s first moon walk.
The hero commemorated in the Lindy Hop Piano Bar is Charles Lindberg, the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a solo airplane flight. Lindberg’s flight took him from New York to Paris, so the room features the Empire State Building done in polished stainless steel on one side and the Eiffel Tower done in brass on the other, along with murals of the two cities. The walls are dark with starlights, while the ceiling is a map of the North Atlantic Ocean with lights showing the actual flight path of Lindberg’s plane, Spirit of St. Louis. Models of the famous plane hang over the bar.
Scarlett’s, Carnival Valor’s reservations-only steakhouse-style supper club, is named for Scarlett O’Hara from the legendary novel and film “Gone with the Wind.” The decor of this stunning room is contemporary, with wood paneling, white columns and pink shutters in the windows. Opposite the dance floor, the walls resemble a colonnade with arches. And between each column is a mural of the classic scene from Gone with the Wind showing Scarlett O’Hara dancing with Rhett Butler.
Paintings of various southern plantations decorate walls around the room.
In a tribute to the women who worked in factories during World War II, the casual poolside restaurant is called Rosie’s Restaurant, after “Rosie the Riveter.” A famous 1940s poster illustration of “Rosie” is featured as a big mural done in ceramic tile. Banquette separators are tile and stainless steel. Other tile murals around the room depict women working in various jobs in the style of that era.
Carnival Valor’s formal dining rooms honor two of America’s most-beloved presidents — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both restaurants have the same decor with the exception of bas relief images of Washington or Lincoln along the walls. Lighting is provided by dark-wood chandeliers that have a candle-like design. The ceiling’s gold-leaf main dome has larger versions of the chandeliers. The color scheme and atmosphere of both dining rooms has a colonial feel that incorporates the design style of that era in a contemporary way.
The restaurant annexes are named for U.S. Navy officer John Paul Jones and seamstress of the continental flag, Betsy Ross. The style of the rooms is contemporary, with Tiffany-stained glass panels. Paintings on the wall tell Jones’ and Ross’ stories. Walls are paneled in American cherry wood with tiny knots and the ceiling cassettes are red with brass borders.
The Bronx Sports Bar celebrates one of America’s most famous sports teams, the New York Yankees. The decor re-creates fabled Yankee stadium with white arches and grillwork, and red, white and blue bunting often found at baseball games. Each table in the bar has a piece of a number-four uniform, like that of Baseball Hall of Fame member Lou Gehrig, encased in resin on the tabletop. Banquettes resemble baseballs with white leather and red stitches, while bar stools and table bases resemble sawed off baseball bats. The carpet is designed to resemble the green grass of a baseball field.
The Caboose — a combination video game room/teen club — has a railroad theme that celebrates Casey Jones of American literary lore. The room features cabooses in various colors, crossing gates with flashing red lights and a floor with simulated railroad tracks made of polished stainless steel. Tables and bar stools are old train wheels and a large locomotive model dominates the middle of the bar. Completing the railroad theme is an electric train that continuously runs around the bar encased in a clear plexi-glass tunnel.
Heroes from other countries throughout the world are represented, as well. The 1,400-seat Ivanhoe Show Lounge recalls the classic tale by Sir Walter Scott, with the walls featuring a figure of a knight in full armor backed by a Medieval-style tapestry, and a faux wood-beamed ceiling with ornate inscriptions.
Flanking the stage are large castle towers with stained-glass windows and shields bearing coats of arms. The walls beside the towers look like large tapestries, while trim work is done in stainless steel to heighten the knight in shining armor motif.
Chandeliers made of wrought iron hang from the beamed ceiling and tabletops are in the shape of shields with coats of arms.
Winston’s is a cigar bar named after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Reminiscent of an English gentleman’s club, the room has marble-like columns and faux wood panels around the room, as well as brass tacked padded leather panels on the lower section of walls with wood wainscoating. The artwork reflects Churchill’s maritime interests, with paintings of World War I–era naval ships and a half model of an old battleship behind the bar. Large wood tables and big, comfortable leather sofas and chairs add to the clubby atmosphere.
The Shogun Club casino evokes a distinctive Japanese flavor. Japanese murals and suits of samurai armor give the room the look of a medieval palace in Kyoto. Wood columns throughout the room have large wood-like brackets affixed to the ceiling.
Slot machine bases are decorated with emblems that look like Japanese coats of arms.
The Paris Hot Jazz Club pays homage to chanteuse Josephine Baker, the famous singer during the 1920s and ’30s. An expatriate American living in France, Baker, who was black, found fame and fortune in Europe and fought tirelessly against racial bias in the United States. The jazz club has a distinctive French cabaret atmosphere, with walls done in glass tiles that resemble pearls. A statue of Baker dancing in her famous banana costume rests on a base that resembles a giant pearl.
Bar stools and table bases look like stacks of pearls, and the floor is done in white granite with inlaid bananas in a
contrasting yellow stone.
For guests whose interest in ancient Greece has been rekindled by the hit movie “Troy,” the Iliad Library will transport them back to Homer’s Ilium. The predominance of wood in the room is complemented by murals themed from Greek vases that tell this heroic story, while characters from the Iliad and models of Greek ships are used as artwork throughout the room.
Other public areas include Jeanne’s Wine Bar which recalls Joan of Arc, the Togo Sushi Bar, named after the famous Japanese admiral, and the Java Cafe that celebrates the simple pleasure of a “good cup of joe.”
Carnival Valor is slated to enter service from Miami Dec. 15, 2004 with a special two-day introductory voyage to Nassau, The Bahamas. The ship is scheduled to begin year-round seven-day service from Miami Dec. 19, operating alternating week-long voyages to the eastern and western Caribbean.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
