Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Lines

File:Carnival Cruise Line.png
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Transportation
Founded	1972
Headquarters	Doral, Florida, United States
Key people	Gerald Cahill (President and CEO) John Heald (Senior Cruise Director)
Products	Cruise ship holidays
Number of employees	3,800 - Shoreside 33,500 - Shipboard
Parent	Carnival Corporation & plc
Website	www.carnival.com
Footnotes / references Largest cruise line in the world based on passengers carried

Carnival Cruise Lines headquarters in Doral, Florida

House flag of Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in the Doral suburb of Miami, Florida in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc. The company has the largest fleet in the group, with twenty one vessels currently in operation. Executive control of the company is provided by the North American division of Carnival Corporation, headquartered in Doral, Florida

Carnival was a pioneer in the concept of shorter, less expensive cruises. Its ships are known for their Las Vegas-style decor and entertainment. The line calls its ships The Fun Ships, and there are a wide range of activities offered on board. Its trademark is the smoke stack, or funnel, which is red, white and blue and shaped like a whale's tail. The mascot for Carnival is "Fun Ship Freddy", a character in the shape of Carnival's distinctive funnel.

In 1996 the Carnival Destiny of 101,000 gross tons became the largest passenger ship in the world at the time. In 2004, Carnival Corporation ordered for a development program for Carnival's new ships, which was called the Pinnacle Project, which calls for a 200,000-GT prototype, which would have been the world's largest cruise ship. As of 2009, the latest and largest ship in the Carnival fleet is the Carnival Dream, a new 130,000 gross ton ship. The Carnival Dream entered service on 21 September 2009. After several voyages in the Mediterranean she is set to offer weekly Caribbean cruises from Cape Canaveral from 5 December 2009. A sister ship, the Carnival Magic, is set to debut in June 2011. On December 1, 2009 it was announced that Carnival placed an order for a third Dream-class vessel. It will enter service in Spring 2012. In May 10th, 2010, Carnival selected a name for their new Dream-class vessel in 2012; the Carnival Breeze.

Current ships

Fantasy class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Fantasy	1990	1990–Present	70,367 GT	Panama
Ecstasy	1991	1991–Present	70,367 GT	Panama
Sensation	1993	1993–Present	70,367 GT	Bahamas
Fascination	1994	1994–Present	70,367 GT	Bahamas
Imagination	1995	1995–Present	70,367 GT	Bahamas
Inspiration	1996	1996–Present	70,367 GT	Bahamas
Elation	1998	1998–Present	70,367 GT	Panama
Paradise	1998	1998–Present	70,367 GT	Panama

Destiny class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Carnival Destiny	1996	1996–Present	101,353 GT	Bahamas	World's largest passenger ship (measured by gross tonnage), when built. First cruise ship over 100,000 GT.
Carnival Triumph	1999	1999–Present	101,509 GT	Bahamas	The ship was built with an additional deck.
Carnival Victory	2000	2000–Present	101,509 GT	Panama	Identical to the Carnival Triumph.

Spirit class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Carnival Spirit	2001	2001–Present	88,500 GT	Panama	Built to Panamax form factor
Carnival Pride	2001	2001–Present	88,500 GT	Panama	Built to Panamax form factor
Carnival Legend	2002	2002–Present	88,500 GT	Panama	Built to Panamax form factor
Carnival Miracle	2004	2004–Present	88,500 GT	Panama	Built to Panamax form factor

Conquest class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Carnival Conquest	2002	2002–Present	110,000 GT	Panama
Carnival Glory	2003	2003–Present	110,000 GT	Panama
Carnival Valor	2004	2004–Present	110,000 GT	Panama
Carnival Liberty	2005	2005–Present	110,000 GT	Panama
Carnival Freedom	2007	2007–Present	110,000 GT	Panama

Splendor class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Carnival Splendor	2008	2008–Present	113,300 GT	Panama	Referred as a Splendor-class ship but accurately belongs to Concordia-class

Dream class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Carnival Dream	2009	2009–Present	130,000 GT	Panama	Largest ship ever built by Fincantieri

Future ships

Ship	Class	Inaugural Run	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Carnival Magic	Dream	May 1, 2011	130,000 GT	Panama	Will be homeported in Galveston, TX
Carnival Breeze	Dream	Spring 2012	130,000 GT	Panama

Former ships

Ship	Class	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
Mardi Gras	former Ocean Liner	1961	1972–1993	27,284 GT	Panama	Also known as Empress of Canada, Olympic, Star of Texas, Lucky Star, Apollo, and Apollon. Sold for scrap in 2003.
Carnivale	former Ocean Liner	1956	1975–1994	31,500 GT	Panama	Also known as Empress of Britain, Queen Anna Maria, Fiesta Marina, Olympic, and The Topaz. Sold for scrap in 2008.
Festivale	former Ocean Liner	1962	1977–1998	32,697 GT	Panama	Also known as Transvaal Castle, S.A. Vaal, Island Breeze, and Big Red Boat III. Scrapped in 2003.
Tropicale	Tropicale	1982	1982–2001	36,674 GT	Liberia	Was Carnival's first purpose-built ship. Also known as Costa Tropicale, and Pacific Star. Now known as the Ocean Dream in May 2008.
Jubilee	Holiday class	1986	1986–2004	47,262 GT	Liberia	Now known as the Pacific Sun (ship) and operates with P&O Cruises Australia.
Celebration	Holiday class	1987	1987–2008	47,262 GT	Panama	Now sails for Iberocruceros as the Grand Celebration
Holiday	Holiday class	1985	1985–2009	46,051 GT	Bahamas	Now sails for Iberocruceros as the Grand Holiday

Notes

• Two more Destiny-class ships sail for Carnival's sister company Costa Cruises, the Costa Fortuna and the Costa Magica.
• The Carnival Destiny was built with one deck less than the rest of the Destiny-class ships.
• Two more Spirit-class ships sail for Carnival's sister company Costa Cruises, the Costa Atlantica and the Costa Mediterranea.
• The Conquest-class is based on the overall design of the Destiny-class, but are longer. Because of the additional length, the Conquest class has expanded facilities compared to the Destiny class. All ships have a reservations-only restaurant. The Carnival Conquest, Carnival Valor, Carnival Liberty and the Carnival Freedom, slightly differ from the rest of the fleet because they have Carnival's Seaside Theater installed by the main pool on the lido deck. The Destiny-class ships, Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph and Carnival Victory also have one installed. The remaining Conquest-class vessel, the Carnival Glory, will have the Seaside Theater installed during its scheduled drydock renovations which begin on 31 January 2010 and conclude on 14 February 2010.
• The Carnival Splendor will be the first of the newest class of ships. This ship is quite unique in the Carnival fleet, offering facilities other ships do not have. This is due to the fact that the ship was originally designed for Carnival's sister company Costa Cruises. Costa Cruises currently operates three sister ships to the Carnival Splendor, the Costa Concordia, the Costa Serena, and the Costa Pacifica. The inaugural voyage for the Carnival Splendor was on 2 July 2008 from Genoa, Italy to Dover, England.
• On 3 April 2008 Micky Arison, the chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc, stated that due to the low value of the US dollar, inflation and high shipbuilding costs, the company would not be ordering any new ships for their US-based brands (Carnival, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line) until the economic situation improves.

Timeline

The Carnival Elation docked at Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands

1970s

• 1972 – Purchase of the Empress of Canada
• 1972 - Maiden voyage of Carnival’s first ship, the TSS Mardi Gras, which runs aground on sandbar outside the Port of Miami.
• 1975 – Carnival purchases Empress of Britain, enters service as the TSS Carnivale.
• 1978 – The Festivale, formerly the S.A. Vaal, undergoes $30 million refurbishment, begins service for Carnival as the largest and fastest vessel sailing from Miami to the Caribbean.

1980s

• 1982 – Debut of the Tropicale, the first new cruise ship the cruise industry had seen in many years; ship marks the beginning of an industry-wide multi-billion-dollar shipbuilding boom.
• 1984 – Carnival becomes first cruise line to advertise on network television with the premiere of new advertising campaign starring company spokesperson Kathie Lee Gifford (then Kathie Lee Johnson).
• 1985 – Debut of 46,052-ton Holiday
• 1986 – Launch of 47,262-ton Jubilee
• 1987 – The 47,262-ton Celebration enters service
• Carnival earns distinction as “Most Popular Cruise Line in the World,” carrying more passengers than any other.
• Carnival Cruise Lines undertakes its initial public offering on Wall Street, raising approximately $400 million to fuel future expansion; entity later becomes Carnival Corporation & plc, a multi-line worldwide cruise conglomerate.

1990s

• 1990 – The 70,367-ton Fantasy – the first and namesake vessel in the highly successful Fantasy-class—enters service as first new ship ever placed on three- and four-day Bahamas cruise program from Miami. Eventually, Carnival would construct eight Fantasy-class vessels, the most cruise ships in a single class.
• 1991 – Launch of 70,367-ton Ecstasy
• 1993 – Introduces its third 70,367-ton , Sensation
• 1994 – Debut of 70,367-ton Fascination
• Parent company renamed Carnival Corporation to distinguish between it and its flagship brand, Carnival Cruise Lines. Company is later renamed Carnival Corp. & plc following the combination with P&O Princess Cruises, creating the world’s largest cruise vacation group.
• 1995 – 70,367-ton Imagination enters service
• 1996 – Launch of sixth Fantasy-class vessel, the Inspiration
• Launches the first passenger vessel to exceed 100,000 tons, the 101,353-ton Carnival Destiny, at the time the world’s largest cruise ship
• 1998 – Introduces seventh Fantasy-class vessel, the Elation, the first new cruise ship deployed on the West Coast
• The eighth and last in the Fantasy-class series, the Paradise, enters service. Paradise was the only non-smoking cruise ship in the world.
• 1999 – Debut of the 102,000-ton Carnival Triumph, the second Destiny-class vessel

2000s

• 2000 – A third Destiny-class vessel, the 102,000-ton Carnival Victory, is launched.
• 2001 – Introduces a new class of vessel with the launch of the 88,500-ton Carnival Spirit, the first new “Fun Ship” ever positioned in the Alaska and Hawaii markets. Also, Supermarket Sweep begins the Carnival Cruise Week. The catchphrase was: "Next time you're an ocean liner and you hear their beep — [a foghorn sounds] — think of all the fun you can have on Supermarket Sweep!".
• 2002 – A second Spirit-class vessel, the Carnival Pride, is launched
• Carnival’s third Spirit-class ship, Carnival Legend, enters service
• Debut of the 110,000-ton Carnival Conquest, the largest “Fun Ship” ever constructed at that time.
• 2003- Second 110,000-ton Conquest-class ship, the Carnival Glory, begins year-round seven-day cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida on July 19
• 2004 – Carnival Miracle, the fourth in the Spirit-class, begins a series of 12 voyages from Jacksonville, Florida – the first “Fun Ship” sailings from that port – February 27
• A third 110,000-ton Conquest-class ship, the Carnival Valor, begins year-round seven-day service from Miami December 19, becoming the largest "Fun Ship" ever based at that port.
• 2005 – A fourth 110,000-ton Conquest-class vessel, Carnival Liberty, debuts July 20, operating the line's first-ever Mediterranean cruises.
• 2007 - Carnival Freedom, the fifth 110,000-ton vessel, debuts March 4
• 2008 - The 112,000-ton Carnival Splendor debuts July 2
• 2009 - Carnival Dream, a 130,000-ton vessel, the largest "Fun Ship" ever constructed - entered service on September 21 and is the largest ship ever built by the ship builder Fincantieri..

2010s

• 2011 - Carnival Magic, a 130,000-ton vessel, currently scheduled to enter service in June
• 2012 - Carnival Breeze, a 130,000-ton vessel, currently scheduled to enter service in the Spring

Hurricane Katrina charters

Three of the Carnival cruise ships were chartered by the United States government for six months to serve as temporary housing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Holiday was originally docked in Mobile, Alabama and later Pascagoula, MS, and the Ecstasy and Sensation were docked at New Orleans, Louisiana. The six-month contract cost $236 million. The contract was widely criticized because the vessels were never fully utilized, and Carnival received more money than it would have earned by using the ships in their normal rotation.

See also

• Carnival Air Lines
• Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon
• Fiesta Marina Cruises - Short lived subsidiary of Carnival

External links

• Carnival Cruise Lines website