Carnival Cruise Lines continues to redefine contemporary cruising with "Today's Carnival," a term coined by the line to describe its commitment to enhancing all aspects of the "Fun Ship" vacation experience.

A "Fun Ship" cruise includes upgraded cuisine and new and expanded facilities, as well as a greater variety of onboard activities and shore excursions. On select ships, guests can enjoy a spectacular outdoor wrap-around promenade, a wedding chapel, and a reservations-only Steak House.

Carnival considers dining to be the highlight of any "Fun Ship" vacation. Carnival's Total Choice DiningSM is one of the cruise industry's most comprehensive dining programs, offering the widest variety of formal and casual options at sea, and includes lobster as an entree on every "Fun Ship."

In addition to the delightful lunch and dinner menus and expanded wine lists, Carnival ships feature such innovations as 24-hour pizzerias and the "Seaview Bistro" for alternative dinnertime service. Carnival's popular Lido-area eateries offer full breakfast and lunch buffets, now include meat-carving and pasta stations, expansive salad bars, and on some ships, a New York-style deli, plus Asian and Italian specialty venues.

Carnival's 24-hour room service menu has a variety of freshly made items delivered to guests' cabins at any time. Patisseries, offering specialty coffees and sweets, and sushi bars featuring authentic Asian delicacies, are now available on a number of ships, as well. Carnival's legendary midnight buffets have also incorporated lighter fare to complement the diversity of hot and cold items available each night.

Entertainment options have also become more varied, with dazzling Vegas-style revues featuring high-tech video projections, lasers, pyrotechnics, and elaborate sets and costumes presented in multi-decked show lounges, some of which can accommodate up to 1,500 guests.

Carnival's friendly casinos are among the largest at sea and feature the most popular games of chance. Drop a coin in a slot machine, bet your lucky number at Roulette, or beat the house in a game of Blackjack or Caribbean Stud Poker.

The Carnival fleet offers a multitude of themed lounges to suite the tastes of each guest. Cheer your favorite team at the sports bar, or perform your favorite song with the help of karaoke. The piano man and other dazzling entertainers will set the mood for a night of love, laughter, and relaxation.

Carnival's fleetwide "Spa Carnival" program features some of the largest and most elaborate health clubs at sea.

The Carnival fleet offers a full gym complete with the latest exercise equipment and free weights and weight circuit classes, which challenge participants on the various machines. The ships feature a wide variety of sophisticated Keiser progressive resistance exercise machines, whirlpools, saunas and steam rooms, and swimming pools. Also available are workout classes offered at different interest and activity levels, everything from high- and low-impact aerobics classes to step, aqua and senior aerobics or even specialized calisthenics, relaxation and stretching sessions. For guests who want to exercise in the fresh sea air, Carnival also offers organized mile-long walks on the ships' upper decks or on the one-eighth-mile jogging tracks on deck.

The spa facilities offer guests a variety of ways to pamper themselves, including several soothing "European-style" therapies. Treatments range from the conventional -- full-body massages, seaweed wraps and mud packs -- to the exotic, with therapies such as the Ionithermie Superdetoxification Treatment and the re-energizing La Therapie.

Some ships also feature virtual bicycles in which guests "tour" a variety of routes, including mountain pathways and snow-covered trails. Also available are hydrotherapy baths, which consist of a personal Jacuzzi-like tub where seaweed, aromatherapy, special oils and other ingredients create a soothing, rejuvenating sensation.

Continuing Carnival's commitment to healthier lifestyles is the line's "Carnival Spa Fare," designated by a special menu symbol indicating that the dish is lower in fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories. Poultry and meats are broiled or roasted, salads are prepared with low-fat or fat-free dressings and desserts with sugar substitutes. Vegetarian dishes are available at each meal, as well.

With the dramatic increase in family cruising Carnival continues to expand the myriad of activities, amenities and facilities of "Camp Carnival," the industry's top-rated children's program. The kids program is broken into Camp Carnival for ages 2-11, Circle C for ages 12-14, and Club O2 for teens aged 15-17. Children will make new friends while splashing in the wading pool and waterslide, and while watching a puppet show after the pizza party. Recent enhancements include high-tech play areas featuring computer labs and indoor climbing mazes, as well as updated children's menus and a new turn-down service providing kids with freshly baked cookies on the first and last night of their voyage.

Teens can also get to know and interact with one-another aboard the Carnival "Fun Ships." Activities created just for teens include talent shows, sports, and photography workshops. During the evening hours, teen activities include dances, pool parties, and movie nights. Teen-only shore excursions are also available.

Carnival's shore excursions are designed to keep pace with today's active lifestyles, with adventure-type tours such as kayaking, scuba diving, championship golf and flightseeing, as well as more traditional activities as nature walks and city tours. The golf excursion program includes magnificent courses in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico, Belize, Key West and Hawaii.

Carnival features a "Fountain Fun Card," providing unlimited soft drinks for children throughout the duration of their cruise. The adult "Fountain Fun Card," purchased once on board and valid at any bar, restaurant or lounge in the Carnival fleet, offers guests the convenience of purchasing sodas at one, all-inclusive price.

The "Fountain Fun Card" program is available on "Fun Ships" which operate voyages from three- to 17-days in length to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Bermuda, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and New England.

Carnival is dedicated to offering the finest cruising experience to its guests with disabilities and special needs.

Some of the features offered are accessible staterooms with wide entry doors, accessible closet rods, shelves, safe, telephones and desks; and bathrooms with roll-in showers and grab bars. (Additionally, when requested by guests prior to boarding, portable TTY kits are available for the stateroom.)

All showrooms, lounges and dining rooms have accessible seating areas. Carnival Spas offer accessible gym equipment and guests unable to access onboard spas, may request to have a spa representative render services in their cabin.

Carnival Cruise Lines holds the status of not only being the largest cruise line in the world, as it has 22 "Fun Ships" in operation (and more on the way), but one of the most popular. The line's fleet is one of the newest and most modern. The 130,000 ton and 3,974-passenger superliners, the Carnival Dream, Carnival Magic (May 2011), and Carnival Breeze (2012) are the largest in Carnival's "Fun Ship" fleet.