Cruise Ship Design by Bigtime
Bigtime designs cruise ship venues the way we design hotels and restaurants on land: with a story first and a hospitality designer’s hand on every detail. Our work sails aboard Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Vista.
How we design for a ship
The room looks like 1929 and performs like a ship. The Golden Mermaid on Carnival Jubilee is a 1920s jazz room in gold leaf, dark wood and velvet, with a marble bar wrapped in a golden coil. It meets the weight limits and the fire codes. Guests only see the glamour.
Every venue gets a story. Dr. Inks Ph.D Bar asks whether an octopus can enjoy a cocktail underwater, and answers with color-changing drinks and a wink. The Jazz Bar on Carnival Celebration is 1920s New Orleans meets the Art Deco ocean liner. Guy Fieri’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse is a honky-tonk smokehouse with a working brewery, aboard Carnival Horizon and Carnival Celebration.
Corridors count. The Gateway on Carnival Celebration turns a corridor into a journey of light, motion and sound, drawing on train stations, ocean liners and grand terminals. On a ship, the way between places is a place.
Dining works like a good restaurant. Horizons Restaurant on Carnival Vista runs like a modern urban restaurant: open, full of natural light, zoned for big parties and quiet corners, with an ocean view from every seat.
What we do for cruise lines
- Concept and storytelling for bars, restaurants and public spaces
- Interior design built to ship weight, fire and life-safety requirements
- Custom furniture and lighting
- Graphics and naming
Cruise ship venues we’ve designed
The Golden Mermaid, Carnival Jubilee. A 1920s jazz bar in gold leaf, velvet and marble.
Dr. Inks Ph.D Bar, Carnival Jubilee. Color-changing cocktails from the cleverest octopus at sea.
The Gateway, Carnival Celebration. A corridor made into the show.
Jazz Bar, Carnival Celebration. Indigo, brass and gramophone lights.
Guy Fieri’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Celebration. BBQ and a working brewery.
Horizons Restaurant, Carnival Vista. Cruise dining with an ocean at every seat.
The proof
- Repeat work for Carnival Cruise Line across four ships: Jubilee, Celebration, Horizon and Vista.
- Carnival Jubilee is Carnival’s flagship, and two of its most talked-about rooms are ours.
- Five-time NEWH TopID firm: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2026.
Questions we hear
What is different about designing for a cruise ship?
Weight, fire codes and life-safety rules shape every decision, and they do not bend for a beautiful idea. The design has to meet them without the guest ever noticing.
What kinds of venues do you design?
Bars, restaurants and public spaces, including corridors. Our ship work ranges from a 1920s jazz room to a working brewery.
Do you design whole ships?
We design the venues: the bars, lounges, restaurants, and public rooms that give a ship its personality, working inside the line’s program and the shipyard’s schedule.
Do you design for cruise lines other than Carnival?
Our cruise work to date is for Carnival Cruise Line. If you operate ships and want a hospitality designer’s hand, tell us about your project.
Why would a cruise line hire a hospitality design firm?
Guests compare a ship’s bar or restaurant with the best ones on land. We design the best ones on land.
More of what we design
Let’s talk about your ship
Tell us the vessel, the venue and the timeline. We reply fast.