Join The Festivities Of A Cruise Self-Contained Vacation Land Has Something To Offer Any Age Or Relaxation Style

It’s day four and waiters, with platters of fire perched precariously on their heads, are doing the limbo through the aisles of the restaurant.

Busboys are dancing in the corners to Caribbean soul music. Diners join right along in the festivities, some clapping, some cutting a rug.

Back in the stateroom, our cabin steward is secretly crafting an iguana out of my oversized T-shirt that previously had served as a swimsuit coverup. The nighttime chocolates, usually left on our pillows, are being cleverly placed in the open mouth of the incredibly realistic T-shirt art, which is left in a crawling position on the bed.

No doubt about it. We have landed on one of those fun-ship cruises Kathie Lee Gifford is always singing about on the tube.

OK, I confess. I’ve sailed the seven seas but never, ever considered hopping aboard one of these mega-ships that have more vacationers than my home town has residents. Hanging around with a couple of thousand frolicking, rollicking tourists has never been my idea of getting away from it all. But I changed my opinion recently while cruising the Caribbean Sea on Carnival Cruise Line’s Holiday.

Sure, there are more folks here than you can shake a stick at. And getting that many people checked in and then checked out through customs turned into a nightmare.

But overall, I had surprisingly few tourist overload encounters on a seven-day jaunt to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. The trip went off with only a few hitches.

Because the ship is the size of a floating city, there is so much space available that you always can find dozens of places to go: a well-stocked library, a gymnasium, a deck chair next to the pool (where, believe me, there’s always lots of action) or even an out-of-the-way corner where you can get away from those who prefer to party hardy. The latter is exactly what I did during the recent excursion.

That’s because, collectively, our fellow passengers consumed more alcohol than any other cruise in the previous seven months. I could probably pick out a dozen passengers whose bar tab totaled half of what was consumed. Take for instance, the dark-haired young gentleman on the deck overlooking the larger of three swimming pools. Every day, he could be seen leaning over the railing, ogling bikini-clad women while drinking a beer and hoisting a jam box above his head.

I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t witnessed the same scene every day. From 10 a.m. until about 5:30 p.m., he stood transfixed with a jam box over his head, music blaring, guzzling beer. His attitude, and the musicians playing reggae at the pool, fueled the constant party atmosphere.

It was obvious this would be an informal social group from day one when a passenger, dressed only in a pair of colorful Bermuda shorts and flip-flops, checked in with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

Carnival is known for providing an atmosphere for non-stop partying. But that’s not the whole story, says Jennifer de la Cruz, spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines.

People tend to think of Carnival as a cruise line for young people, she says. But the whole `fun-ship’ concept is the idea of offering enough activities and facilities that, regardless of whether passengers are young or senior citizens, have children or are childless, are extroverted or introverted, there will be certain aspects that they will find appealing.

Our passenger makeup reflects that. On average, 30 percent of the passengers cruising on Carnival ships are under 35. Forty percent are 35 to 55 and 30 percent are 55 and older. On our particular cruise, 70 couples were honeymooners, including one couple that was 91 and 93 years old. And every year, 86,000 children join their parents on Carnival cruises.

We have a very good passenger mix, says de la Cruz.

Another advantage of a mega-ship is the size of the larger-than-usual staterooms and number of facilities available. Even lower-priced rooms have bathrooms with separate shower stalls, telephones and televisions with movie channels. Passengers have access to three swimming pools (including a children’s wading pool), a casino that seats 250 with 100 slot machines, 21 blackjack and two roulette tables and three craps tables. There is a barbershop and beauty salon, a boutique, drugstore and wellequipped gymnasium. The jogging track, volleyball court and shuffleboard area are always busy. Nightly entertainment is provided in a variety of small lounges and a large, multilevel nightclub with a stage big enough for Las Vegas-type productions.

I still enjoy the intimacy of some of the smaller ships. But I found that being one of the masses can provide anonymity to do your own thing. If you want to sleep in and skip breakfast, no one notices. If you prefer reading a book and watching the ocean glide by instead of joining the pillow fights or hairy chest contests around the pool, no one cares. And the ship is large enough to accommodate all the different tastes of the passengers.

Carnival sails almost exclusively in the Caribbean, although the company is adding new itineraries, like a series of five-night cruises from New York to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and six two-night minicruises this summer. The Cozumel/Grand Cayman/Jamaica itinerary is one of the more popular, in part because it offers a taste of three different cultures, says de la Cruz. It also allows active passengers the chance to snorkel and scuba dive at two very popular destinations.

Cozumel, just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and sometimes called Mexico’s Hawaii, has shops specializing in Mexican clothing, handicrafts and jewelry imported from the mainland. There are also Mayan ruins scattered in various parts of the island. But its top drawing card is water sports; its reefs provide some of the finest snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean.

In Georgetown, Grand Cayman, visitors are greeted by endless, cool powdery sand and sheer coral reefs along an area called Seven Mile Beach. More than 100 species of birds reside in this crown colony, as well as spectacular sea life, flora and fauna.

And climbing up Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica, where transparent waters plunge through rocky gorges, was one of the more exciting excursions of the cruise. Jamaica’s lush green rain forest and tropical scenery is a relaxing backdrop for the island’s reggae rhythm.

One drawback for me aboard ship: dining room seating. Only a handful of two-person tables are available. Personally, I prefer an intimate setting rather than sitting with 10 strangers, which can be like Russian roulette. Then again, lots of people enjoy making new friends on vacation, and there’s no better way to break the ice than by breaking bread together each day.

Some passengers were also upset that, on formal night, some of their tablemates wore tank tops and sandals. (That’s why I prefer to sit at tables with folks I already know.)

MEMO: This is a sidebar which appeared with story: IF YOU GO Carnival Cruise Lines offers three-, four-, seven-, 10- and 11- day cruises throughout the Caribbean, including the Panama Canal, and one seven-day cruise along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The Holiday sails weekly from Miami to the Western Caribbean ports of Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Published fares begin at $1,349, including airfare. However, if your traveling plans are flexible, rates can drop substantially for rooms still available close to departure dates. For information, call your travel agent or (800) 327-9501. Many other cruise lines sail in the Caribbean, with a wide range of cruises and prices available. A travel agent, again, is a good place to start gathering information.