Holiday Review
--On November 2, 2009, Holiday embarked on its final cruise as part of the Carnival Cruise Lines fleet. The ship will undergo a month-long refurbishment before joining Iberocruceros, Carnival's Span-based operator, in December. Holiday will be renamed Grand Holiday.
It's hard to believe that Holiday was only the second new ship Carnival ever built, and it's still sailing. (Tropicale, built three years earlier in 1982, was Carnival's first new-build and is no longer in the fleet.) It was first in a class of three, with the subsequent honor of having the class named after it, and represents an earlier era of contemporary cruising. At 46,000 tons Holiday was considered a mega-liner in its day -- now it is considered "intimate." And yet it represents a watershed in the incredible growth of Carnival Cruise Lines, a bit of history for them. Alas, like most historical figures, when their name and the word "history" are uttered together, it's a sign they are beginning to show their age.
We first reviewed Holiday in early 2005. Since then, the ship has gained tremendously in popularity, local awareness and bookings. When we first sailed on the ship, most of the room key/Sign and Sail cards were red and blue in color, signifying first- or second-time Carnival cruisers. Revisiting Holiday nearly a year and a half later, we noted that the vast majority of those cards were gold, indicating that in the interim many of the passengers had either re-sailed on Holiday, or after their introduction to cruising, had chosen to sail on another vessel in Carnival's enormous fleet.
Also during that period, the Gulf Coast was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and Holiday was chartered by FEMA (and moved to Pascagoula, Mississippi) as temporary housing for those displaced by the hurricane. Following that six-month deployment, Holiday spent three weeks in dry-dock in the Bahamas undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation, before returning to Mobile.
Although nobody would realistically expect that a three-week renovation would include tearing out walls and decks to improve interior architecture, there was much aboard Holiday in 2005 that could have used a serious sprucing up. Back then it was really showing its age in wear and tear. Reflective metal surfaces were dulled or scratched, much of the carpeting was worn or stained, and reflective coating on windows was peeling in many spots. We were eager to return to Holiday again in 2006, following its post-FEMA makeover.
Much of the work done during the dry-dock is invisible -- upgrades and repairs to plumbing, engines, propellers and infrastructure -- and while it is true that much of the ship's carpeting has been replaced, and wood surfaces throughout have gotten new coats of varnish, most of the improvements in public areas are in the details, and will be lost to the casual observer. One exception is the installation of a miniature golf course to replace the former topless sunning deck, and even the most casual observer should be able to tell the difference between topless sunbathing and miniature golf!
Other improvements, though subtle in nature, are important enough to warrant comment, and each will be highlighted in the applicable review category.
Much of the ship, of course, cannot be changed. Holiday's design and architecture were considered bold and innovative when the ship was launched. In particular, its cabins, both inside and oceanview, were larger than virtually any low- or mid-price vessel afloat. Holiday's deck plan is asymetrical: Port and starboard sides of public room decks are not mirror images. There is a bright and bold color palette, featuring liberal use of chrome and other reflective surfaces, and the whimsical use of found objects in gigantic scale to establish themes for public rooms -- all elements of architect Joe Farcus' interior design style. This is a radical departure from the tradition of designing ships to be elegant, serious and calming in their ambience. (Although, compared to Farcus' later efforts, Holiday almost seems tame.)
Nowadays, most would find many of its design elements commonplace or outmoded. Holiday features only 10 suites -- out of a total of 726 cabins or about 1.4 percent -- and they have the only balconies onboard. On Carnival's current generation of cruise liners the percentage of balcony cabins runs between 35 percent and 40 percent, and the industry-wide demand for suites has grown over the years as well.
Another design wrinkle is the placement of the ship's two restaurants and galley -- putting them on a deck that includes other public rooms creates a major passenger flow issue. Passengers seeking the ship's shops, library, piano bar or the entry level of the show lounge can only get there by using the forwardmost stairway or elevators. If they choose either of the other two elevators (midship and aft) they will find their way blocked.
Many of these flaws and deficiencies are forgivable, however, taken in the context of Holiday's position in Carnival's marketing plan. Over recent years Carnival has aggressively developed the Gulf Coast by moving a Holiday-class ship to a city that had not previously homeported a major cruise line, offering short cruises to the Western Caribbean. This strategy yields a triple enticement to first-timers: short duration, affordable fares and a pier that can be reached by automobile. First-time cruisers, ipso facto, have no other ships to compare with Holiday, so it does not suffer so badly by comparison. Thus, these sailings get extremely positive local reviews. The word of mouth generates repeat customers and an expanding market, which a larger ship (usually Fantasy-class) eventually moves into service.
But it is not only lack of prior cruise experience that generates such enthusiasm and forgiveness for Holiday's physical shortcomings: There seems to be a genuine esprit de corps among crew and staff in most departments, and the result is a level of service in most departments -- both in warmth and efficiency -- superior to most of our previous experiences with the line. In the early 80's when I lived in Los Angeles, I often sailed with my family on three-night Baja California cruises aboard an older, outmoded ship called the Azure Seas. This 15,000-ton, 800-passenger vessel was already 30 years old and showing its age. What Azure Seas lacked in and bells and whistles, it made up for with compensatory warmth, personal service and a real sense of camaraderie, much like Holiday to Alabamans. In the early 90's, Carnival moved Holiday to Los Angeles to compete for passengers in the same three-night sailings. I sailed that itinerary aboard Holiday a decade ago. Ironically, it was Holiday then who was the "new kid on the block," state of the art, fashionable, but lacking the warmth and caring service found on the nearly decrepit Azure Seas. Though I always enjoy a sailing, it was clear in those days that staff and crew wished they had been reassigned anywhere in the Caribbean, anywhere but doing short cruises on the West Coast. How the tables have turned!
But the question remains: What will happen when Holiday and Celebration -- both clearly in the sunset of their lives in the U.S. market -- are retired? Currently Carnival has no ships on the drawing board in the 50,000-ton range, and no current plans to develop any in the future.
 Read Complete Holiday Review
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