Carnival gives new ships whimsical names

Carnival

has set aside its patriotic ship names—such as the

Carnival Liberty

and

Carnival Freedom

—to return to its whimsical names of old. In October 2009 and June 2011, the

Carnival Dream

and

Carnival Magic

will join ships like the

Fantasy

and the

Imagination

in Carnival's fleet.

The two 3,652-passenger ships will head up a new class of vessels for Carnival. They'll be the largest in the fleet, and you can expect that they'll introduce new amenities and activities for the cruise line.

You'll have to wait a few years to see what this new class of ship will offer. In the meantime, guests can ooh and ahh over the

Carnival Freedom

, which debuts on March 5, 2007, and the

Carnival Splendour

, which arrives on the scene in July 2008.