Carnival Cruise Lines

Title: Carnival Cruise Lines Category: C Clicks: 3 Listing added: Mar 1, 2009 PageRank: 0/10

Carnival Cruise Lines has been operating for more than a quarter of a century and was instrumental in the changes that have incurred in the cruise industry. The company was founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, a Florida-based businessman who wanted to make a vacation experience available for the average person. Together with a Boston travel agency, they bought the TSS Mardi Gras (the former Empress of Canada) and launched her when on her maiden voyage, she promptly ran aground. Eventually Arison took over the debt-ridden company, assumed its multimillion debt, bought The Empress of Britain for a pittance (renamed her the TSS Carnivale), and created the “fun ship’’ logo-moves, which boosted sales and turned a profit in Arison’s first year as sole owner.

Over the next two decades, the company added more ships and introduced trend-setting superliners-Celebration, Holiday and Jubilee. In 1990, the first of the six new Fantasy class vessels, the 70,367-ton Fantasy, made her debut By 1996, with six Fantasy-Class ships added to the fleet, the company introduced the first Destiny Class passenger vessel to exceed 100,00 tons, the Carnival Destiny, which at the time became the world’s largest cruise ship. By 2002, the company had added two more Fantasy-Class vessels and two more Destiny-Class ships.

In 2001, the first of the new Spirit Class vessels, the Carnival Spirit made her debut. By spring 2004, three more Spirit-Class vessels were launched.

In 2002, Carnival introduced the Conquest Class with its largest ship to date, Carnival Conquest, at 110,000 gross and passenger capacity at 2,974. A year later Carnival Glory made its debut. By spring of 2005, two more Conquest-class ships will have been added: Carnival Valor and Cardinal Liberty. Both the Spirit and Conquest class of ship are not able to transport the Panama Canal.

Along the way, cruise lines were added and Ted Arison’s son Micky Arison came on board working his way up to president of Carnival in 1979. In 1990 he was appointed chairman of the line. When the parent company, Carnival Corporation, was formed in 1994, Arison assumed the chairmanship.) Micky Arison engineered the acquisition in 1989 of Holland American Line and Windstar Cruises, and partial ownership in Seabourn Cruise Line in 1992; four years later Carnival owned 50 percent of the company.

In 1997, Carnival bought part ownership in Airtours, a European tour company, and together the companies bought Costa Cruises. The following year Carnival acquired a majority interest in Cunard from the line’s parent company Kvaerner ASA and purchased the remaining shares in fall 1998. In 2000, Carnival bought out Airtours’ shares of Costa and took 100 percent ownership of the Italian line. On April 17, 2003, agreements were finalized to combine Carnival Corporation with P & O Princess Cruises plc, creating a dually merged company.

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise - vacation group in the world, with a portfolio of 12 cruise brands in North America, Europe and Australia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, AIDA, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, Swan Hellenic, and P&O Cruises Australia. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates the leading tour companies in Alaskan and the Canadian Yukon, Holland America Tours and Princess Tours.

SHIPS:
Holiday Class (three ships):

Holiday 1,452 p Bahamas Registry
Jubilee, 1,486 p Bahamas Registry
Celebration 1,486 p Panama Registry

Fantasy Class (eight ships):

Fantasy 2,056 p Panama Registry
Ecstasy, 2,052 p Panama Registry
Sensation 2,052 p Bahamas Registry
Fascination 2,052 p Bahamas Registry
Imagination 2,052 p Bahamas Registry
Inspiration 2,052 p Bahamas Registry
Elation 2,052 p Panama Registry
Paradise 2,052 p Panama Registry

Destiny Class (3 ships)

Carnival Destiny 2,642 p; Bahamas Registry
Carnival Triumph 2,758 p Bahamas Registry
Carnival Victory 2,758 p Panama Registry

Spirit Class (4 ships):

Carnival Spirit 2,124 p Panama Registry
Carnival Pride - 2,124 p Panama Registry
Carnival Legend 2,124 p Panama Registry
Carnival Miracle 2,974 p Panama Registry

Conquest Class:

Carnival Conquest 2,976 p Panama Registry
Carnival Glory 1,976 p Panama Registry

Address:
3655 N.W. 87 Avenue
Miami, Florida 33178
Tel: 1-305-599-2600
Fax: 1-630-954-3324
1-800-CARNIVAL
Fax: 1-305-599-8630