Carnival president Bob Dickinson said at the time:

"We felt it was important to take a conservative approach to ensure that we don't have a future problem. Other than this one technical problem, the ship was completely ready for delivery."

Since July 27, the 2,758 passenger Carnival Triumph has been sailing out of New York on highly popular four- and five-day cruises to Halifax, Nova Scotia and St John, New Brunswick. In fact, on its August 22 sailing to Halifax, the ship carried a maximum capacity of 3,413 passengers (3,473 is total guest capacity including uppers), breaking the previous record of 3,315 passengers set by the Carnival Destiny in March 1997 which earned the vessel and the company a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Said Dickinson on the record-setting voyage:

"Carnival has earned its distinction as the most popular cruise line in the world by providing a quality fun vacation at an affordable price, and the Carnival Triumph epitomizes this philosophy."

Built at the cost of approximately $410 million, the 893-foot-long vessel has a maximum draft of 27 feet and a cruising speed of 22.5 knots. The Panama-registered ship is powered by a diesel electric propulsion system that employs six medium-speed engines, developingapproximately 84,933 horsepower.

On board an international crew of about 1,150 is on hand to cater to passenger needs. To accomodate its nearly 3,000 guests, the ship was constructed with 1,379 cabins including eight penthouse suites on 13 passenger decks.

Most of the staterooms are decorated in muted browns and mauves and have tiled bathrooms, close-circuit television, and 24-hour room service..

The Triumph is the latest product of Carnival's 20 year-long shipbuilding program that produced a series of superliners in the 1980s. Then in 1990, the Fantasy was introduced as the first of a series of mega-liners. It was followed by the Ecstasy (1991); the Sensation (1993), the Fascination (1994); the Imagination (1995); the Inspiration (1996) and the Paradise (1998).

In 1996, Carnival introduced the 2,642 passenger MS Carnival Destiny which was the world's first cruise liner to exceed 100,000-gross registered tons. The Triumph is the second Destiny-class vessel to debut. Said Dickinson (pictured):

"It is the product of a process that began with the Tropicale design in in 1980. As we gain ship design and building experience we have gradually enhanced the features of the Fun Ship Fleet."

Changes can be seen on the ship's Lido Deck - an open-air recreation and entertainment complex where guests relax poolside. More deck chair space has been alloted and wading areas border the Continent and New World pools. The big stage adjoining the main Continent pool is bigger and has been reconfigured to allow more space for guests at deck parties.

In other areas flowing fountains and add elegant touches to the pool area as does a winding staircase leading to upper decks. Joe Farcus, Carnival's chief interior-design architect, said:

"Many of the enhancements on Carnival Triumph were made with the goal of creating a unique on board vacation experience."

Changes to the lounges and bars will provide guests with a wide choice of entertainment venues, from dance clubs to intimate gathering places. An offbeat example is the walnut-paneled Oxford Bar, designed to resemble a traditional British library (which it is not) and which sports a large dance floor.

Public areas throughout the vessel pay homage to key world cities while abstract works underlining the global theme by international artists decorate the stair landings and World's Way, the enclosed walkway that traverses the length of the ship on Promenade Deck.

Farcus continued:

"I took the world as the central theme of Carnival Triumph and named its public spaces after some of the most popular locations people enjoy visiting on vacation. The design of these rooms is intended not to recreate these cities but to capture their spirit."

Passengers coming on board get their first glimpse of the design on Deck 3 where a huge gold-leafed globe dominates a nine-deck-high atrium called the Capitol. The gilded globe is inlaid with twinkling fiber-optic lights that highlight the world's great cities. Around the globe are plush seating areas, a small stage for live music, amid four glass elevators that carry guests from Deck 2 up nine decks to Panorama Deck. The globe motif continues in other ship areas such as the stair rail endings, door handles, and in glass-door etchings.

A series of of partial globes that display both the Northern and Southern hemispheres with flashing lights illuminating various cities winds along the ceiling of the World's Way promenade where the majority of the ship’s 18 bars and lounges can be accessed. All have a global theme: The Vienna Cafe offers coffees and pastries, the Venezia Lounge recalls age-old Venice, the casino is named Club Monaco, and the Club Rio cabaret aft is patterned after Carnavale.

Forward on World's Way is the three-deck high Rome Lounge that was designed to recall the days of Imperial Rome and where Las Vegas-style revues are held.

America's presence is felt with a New Orleans jazz-style Big Easy piano bar where thousands of oyster shells (imported from New Orleans to the shipyard) line the walls; the California Wine Bar; the ultramodern Hollywood Dance Club, and the Washington Library decorated with presidential portraits and a mural of Washington D.C. (Here one can check out books and games.)

To feed nearly 3,000 passengers three or more times a day sounds daunting, but there are two two-tiered dining rooms located on Deck 3. The London Dining room is centrally positioned but I preferred the aft Paris dining room with its wide sea vistas.

Besides these somewhat formal restaurants which both offer American and Continental cuisines (heavy on the Italian), cruisers can opt for more casual dining at the South Beach Club (named after that “in’’ place outside Miami) on Lido Deck. While the Club becomes the Seaview Bistro at night, during the day it is open for breakfast and lunch as well .

Lunchers can choose from a variety of foods such as a corn beef and rye from the New York Deli, or a bowl of Asian noodles at the Hong Kong Noodle Factory, or just good old American beach food. There is also a 24-hour pizzeria.

My favourite spot on board was the 15,000 square-foot Club Nautica, a calming spacious health club on Spa Deck forward. Here in the two-level spa, those wishing to work off those calories have a choice of 40 pieces of exercise equiment, including 16 Keiser resistance machines as well as stationary bikes, stair-climbers, treadmills and rowing equipment.

Besides a choice of classes in the mirrored aerobics studio, the spa offers a variety of full scalp and body massages, mud packs and seaweed wraps.

Carnival has expanded its children's Camp Carnival program . And in line with that, many staterooms have interconnecting cabins for large families or family gatherings. There is a babysitting service while in the restaurants children's menus were expanded to include a wider variety of their favourite foods.

The enclosed 1,300 square-foot Children's World play area on Spa and Sun decks offers wading pools, an outside play area with playground equipment, arts and crafts, and an activity wall. And there is Underground Tokyo, a pseudocave next to the casino filled with high-tech video and arcade games for the older set. But despite the expansion I felt the ship - and the cruiselife - was more adult oriented.

Smoking is permitted in designated areas although it is banned from the two formal dining rooms and the Rome Lounge. I also noticed environmental moves by Carnival in the use of nondisposable products if possible, such as cloth napkins and plastic plates _ as opposed to paper - in the casual eateries.

In the loos there is also an effort to cut down on paper waste with the use of electric air dryers.

Triumph being a "Fun Ship" is designed - at least to this reviewer - to appeal to fun-loving adults wanting an activity-filled cruise. And so, a typical day could be as follows:

• Rise for breakfast, take a jog on the Jogging Track on Spa deck (8 times around equals a mile); or a workout in the health club.
• After lunch it's time for a facial or massage in the spa (try the de-stresser machine called the Noveau Yu Health Environment Capsule - but make sure you are not claustophobic ).
• Laze the rest of the afternoon at one of the four swimming pools (one has a 214-foot waterslide) or at one of seven whirlpools.
• As dinner approaches, there is a choice of one of 18 bars and lounges for a predinner drink.
• After dinner, its off to the Rome Lounge for the evening's show, or maybe a try of luck at the Club Monaco casino, or even dancing at the Hollywood Dance Club.
• Before calling it a day - and night - perhaps a stop at the Olympic Bar (the bar also offers live TV sporting events via satellite) for the day’s sports results - or a final nightcap at one of the watering holes missed earlier.

After such a nonstop, fun-filled, schedule, cruisers may just need a another vacation to recouperate from it all.

Beginning October 23, Triumph sails every Saturday from Miami on alternating eastern and western Caribbean seven-day cruises. The ports of call in the western Caribbean are Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios. In the eastern Caribbean, the ship will visit San Juan, Thomas and St Croix.