The Carnival Dream is schedule to set sail for the first time this Fall, and those sailing on its maiden voyage will get to experience Carnival’s new on-board social networking tool, the FunHub.
Carnival’s FunHub will allow passengers to access ship-board activities, ship information, and also connect with other passengers on-board.
One part of the FunHub program is called Funville at sea and is an electronic version of the Capers – Carnival’s daily resource with pertinent schedules and information, which is typically slid under guest’s doors overnight.
Another aspect of the intranet site will be the introduction of a social networking area called “The Funnel.” The concept is an industry first, and will allow passengers to interact with on-board friends, make new friends, and build a community similar to other networking sites on the Internet. The Funnel will allow guests to create their own profile, send private messages, and produce status updates.
The Carnival Dream will have 36 “Fun Hub” stationary access points around the ship, and 40 portable units (Fun Hub To-Go) which are small note-book computers that can be rented for the duration of the cruise.
The part that impressed us the most was that Carnival also made this service available FREE to anyone with a Wi-Fi enabled device such as a laptop. However, if passengers want to access the internet outside the FunHub, they will be charged – nothing new there.
The line’s largest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream is slated to debut Sept. 21, 2009, with the first of three 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises operating round-trip from Rome (Civitavecchia), followed by a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Rome (Civitavecchia) to New York Oct. 27 – Nov. 12.
You can check out the ship’s micro-site at carnival.com/dream
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