St. John photographer Steve Simonsen stands in front of one of the 33 images taken by him which were recently installed on the cruise ship Carnival Breeze.
There are few venues in which to showcase artwork so that it will be seen by thousands of potential island visitors on a daily basis, yet that is exactly where 33 prints by renowned local photographer Steve Simonsen are now displayed.
That venue is the newest and largest of Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet, the Carnival Breeze.
The ship, all 1,004-feet of it with about 3,500 passengers and 1,500 crew members, docked on St. Thomas on Tuesday, December 11, for the very first time and Simonsen’s photographs were displayed throughout all three of the ship’s main concourse stairways.
Simonsen’s bio and photo are also displayed on board the cruise ship.
Simonsen gets close to one of his images aboard the Carnival Breeze.
Carnival Breeze was built in Italy just this summer to the tune of about $758 million. After taking control of her from the shipyard on June 1, she cruised the Mediterranean for several months before transferring to her home port of Miami. Carnival Breeze cruises on six and eight day trips through the Caribbean and Bahamas.
Last week was Carnival Breeze’s inaugural visit to St. Thomas and Simonsen, his wife Janet and several friends got a VIP tour of the ship and its beautiful photography.
Carnival Breeze boasts two large water slides as well as a miniature golf course, three theaters, a ropes course and several swimming pools. With a sprawling spa and adults-only sections, however, the ship caters to kids of all ages.
Food options on board abound. From a 24-hour New York style pizzeria, to a Mexican eatery, an Indian tandoori cafe and even a sushi restaurant, Carnival Breeze offers something for every taste.
The flagship of Carnival’s fleet, Carnival Breeze has been enjoying robust bookings, according to Carnival Hotel Director Pierre Camilleri.
“This is the biggest Carnival ship ever to be based in Miami,” said Camilleri. “It is our flagship of our fleet and she is always fully booked at premium price. There are discounts on other ships, but this one people pay premium price for and she is booked.”
Carnival used the services of European-based architecture firm Partner Ship Design for the first time to design this latest ship, Camilleri explained.
“This was the first time Carnival used PSD and they brought a whole new look,” he said. “The ship is lighter and fresher looking with a Caribbean feel. Our market area is like a small city, but it feels like an outdoor area because of the design with trees and bricks.”
“When you walk down the corridors there are Caribbean scenes where you feel like you are walking down the beach,” said the Carnival Breeze Hotel Director.
When guests walk down the main stairways, however, they feel like they are snorkeling below the boulders at the Baths off Virgin Gorda, which is just one of Simonsen’s photographs on board.
Other images of Simonsen’s displayed on Carnival Breeze show a woman horseback riding in the surf, a bright green kayak off Honeymoon Beach and children frolicking in the turquoise water at Maho Bay. Still other images are of beautiful flora, from frangipani to passion fruit blooms, and fauna, one is a triptych of a bright green tree frog and another shows conch shells on a sandy shore.
Simonsen’s images are a highlight for many guests, Camilleri explained.
“The images have been very well received by our guests,” he said. “They stop and take pictures in front of the photographs. They also blend well with our whole Caribbean feeling and our colors.”
The most impressive and best exposure for Simonsen is a photograph and a bio of the photographer which are displayed once in each of the main stairway areas. The biography tells a bit about Simonsen and his background and career, and will surely be seen by thousands of people every single day.
Simonsen was more than thrilled to tour the ship and see his images displayed on board for the first time last week.
“This is really amazing,” said the photographer. “It’s incredible to see my images here and see how they have displayed them.”
And Simonsen fans now have 33 more reasons to consider booking a cruise on board Carnival Breeze.
