Carnival's largest ship cruises into Port Canaveral

To see pictures of Dream, click here for a photo gallery.

Cape Canaveral, Florida - Carnival Cruise Lines' newest ship is also its biggest and it's ready to set sail from Cape Canaveral. The 130,000-ton Carnival Dream has room for 3,646 passengers and will begin year-round service to the Caribbean from Florida on December 3^rd.

Wednesday the Dream docked at Port Canaveral and officials held a plaque and key ceremony commemorating the ship.

"With some truly unique spaces and amazing entertainment options, Carnival Dream is dramatically different from any other ship we've introduced," Carnival's president and CEO Gerry Cahill said.

Dream cost $860-million to build and is roughly 15% bigger than any of Carnival's previous ships. Carnival says Dream will usher in a new era in "Fun Ship" cruising, offering a host of innovations. Officials say that includes WaterWorks, an aqua park featuring two water slides; Twister and Drainpipe. Twister is billed as the longest water slide at sea. It is 303-feet long and stands 4 decks high.

Other attractions on Dream include Ocean Plaza, an indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue, Cloud 9 Spa the cruise line's largest spa, Serenity is an adult's only area and The Lanai, an outdoor promenade with whirlpools that extend over the sides of the ship. Carnival is also introducing new family cabins on Dream, some of which have two bathrooms.

You can read USA Today Cruise blogger Gene Sloan's review of Dream by clicking here.