Carnival Cruise Lines is a cruise line operating a large number of cruise ships. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, it is now a branded division within Carnival Corporation & plc, a publicly traded company which owns a number of different cruise brands.
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.
New offices for Carnival will open in 2009 in Southampton, United Kingdom.
In 1996 the Carnival Destiny of 101,000 gross tons became the largest passenger ship in the world at the time. As of 2008, the latest and largest ship in the Carnival Fleet is the Carnival Splendor . Currently, a new 130,000 gross ton ship is under construction, the Carnival Dream . The Carnival Dream entered service on 21st September 2009. After several voyages in the Mediteranean 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.
John Heald is the senior cruise director of Carnival.
Current ships
Fantasy Class
Destiny Class
Spirit Class
Conquest Class
Splendor Class
Dream Class
Future ships
Former ships
- 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 of 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 it's scheduled drydock renovations 1/31/10-2/14/10.
- 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 don't 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 Mickey 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
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 — — 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, Fla. on July 19
- 2004 – Carnival Miracle , the fourth in the “Spirit-class,” begins a series of 12 voyages from Jacksonville, Fla. – 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 .
- 2011 - Carnival Magic , a 130,000-ton vessel, currently scheduled to enter service in June
The Carnival Triumph and the Carnival Victory are actually not classified as Destiny Class ships. They are classified as Triumph Class ships.
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 m
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