In a darkened room, dancers twirl among flower petals, costumed in shimmery, diaphanous gowns on a stage dressed with fanciful carnival masks and movable set pieces - a garden swing, giant teacups and picture frames tilted askew - all in a color palette of white.

If you feel like you've just walked into a Garden of Eden, rejoice: It's "Celestial Strings," a fantasy in white aboard Carnival Cruise Line's newest ship, the Horizon.

Billed as a "breathtaking performance beyond your wildest dreams," the show is a fantasy foray into an enchanted garden that seamlessly transports the audience from one season to the next.

"We wanted to look at a show like "Alice in Wonderland," a trip down a rabbit hole where there is curiosity, wonder, enchantment, anticipation, mystery, and surprise," said Carnival's Creative Director, Kerry Stables. The show directed and choreographed by impresario Paul Roberts, who also chose the color palette.

Think "Amadeus" meets "Moulin Rouge" meets fairy tale against a backdrop constantly shifting in color and content and a sweeping musical score of contemporary songs - Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life," Sting's "Fields Of Gold" and "Seal's "Kiss From A Rose" - given a philharmonic boost with lots of strings.

"There is something about the string instrument; it feels emotion and moves you," said Stables. "What is special about this show is what isn't obvious. It isn't predictable."

What is obvious is the visually stunning quality of the show. It is truly a multi-sensory symphony for the soul, one fully worth the price of admission. In this case, admission comes with a Carnival cruise, which includes not only all the outstanding entertainment, but stateroom, meals and munchies, and activities an arm long.

"Celestial Strings," a Carnival Playlist Production combining live performances of various musical genres and special effects, is one of several new shows that debuted with the arrival of Horizon in April.

"Soulbound" is another. This high-energy show features R&B hits - "Superstitious," "Soul Man," "Born Under a Bad Sign" - that weave together a soundtrack for a gothic-inspired journey through New Orleans. A third, "Vintage Pop," pulls the audience into the Great Gatsby and Cotton Club era through contemporary songs like "All About that Bass," "That's What I Like" and "Work" - each transformed into a classic jazz interpretation.

The show, "Amor Cubano: A Caribbean Dance Romance," proved to be such a hit when it debuted on Vista in 2017 that it was also added to Horizon's lineup. Blending classic Latin songs with contemporary chart-toppers by musicians like Gloria Estefan and Celia Cruz, it features an authentic reproduction of the Carnival Horizon Havana Bar and a seven-piece Cuban-inspired band.

The shows are among a number of enhancements on the cruise ship as Carnival upgrading and expanding various shipboard experiences. This includes a more sophisticated steakhouse and the relocation of the piano bar so that diners cutting into their steaks in Fahrenheit 555 can now enjoy a melodic background, at least until 10 p.m. when the doors between the two spaces close. The steakhouse also has a dessert that is nothing short of an edible masterpiece.

Called Art at the Table, this confectionary throw-down is created tableside by the pastry chef who paints fruit and white chocolate sauces onto a cutting board canvas that is then filled in with caramel fudge, spiced cookies, Turkish Delight candies, meringues and almond crumbles. This is followed by the piece de resistance: white chocolate domes placed atop the crumbles and cracked open to reveal scoops of ice cream and other sweet treats.

Horizon is the 26th ship in the Carnival fleet, the sister ship of the two-year-old Vista, which promptly earned it the nickname of Vista's sista. Like Vista, Carnival Horizon has the suspended, open-air SkyRide; three-deck-high IMAX Theatre; multidimensional Thrill Theater that includes getting sprayed with water and bubbles; onboard brewery; expanded water park; New England-inspired Seafood Shack; a Havana-themed section with Cuban coffee, private swimming pool and Latin-inspired courtyard for sipping classic Cuban cocktails; and Family Harbor with extra-roomy accommodations and Family Harbor Lounge.

In addition to the new shows and enhancements (which also include smart elevators designed to zip you to your chosen floor with no stops in between and fun, swishy handwashing stations - there can never be too many of these!), the Carnival Horizon also claims a number of firsts, including the first Dr. Seuss WaterWorks aqua park and the line's first Bonsai teppanyaki dining venue and Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse-Brewhouse. This latest foodie fix pairs a succulent barbecue menu created by the Food Network's Fieri with four sublimely designed craft beers brewed at the ship's onboard brewery. Additionally, Victoria's Secret has open the doors to its first full-blown boutique at the ship's mall-style atrium.

INFORMATION

Following its summer schedule of four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean departures from New York, Carnival Horizon will shift to Miami and kick off a year-round schedule of six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning Sept. 22, 2018. The ship will also offer a special two-day cruise to Nassau from Miami Sept. 20-22, 2018.

Carnival Cruise Line: 800-764-7419, www.carnival.com.

(Author and travel and lifestyle writer Kathy Witt feels you should never get to the end of your bucket list; there's just too much to see and do in the world. Contact her at KathyWitt24@gmail.com, @KathyWitt.)

(c)2018 Kathy Witt

Visit Kathy Witt at www.kathywitt.com

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