carnival cruises

Carnival Cruise Lines is a cruise line operating a large number of cruise ships. It originally was an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison. It is now a branded division within Carnival Corporation & plc, a publicly traded company with Micky Arison as the Chairman. Carnival Corporation & plc owns a number of different cruise lines and has become the largest corporation in the cruise industry. Carnival and its affiliates Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises, Windstar Cruises and the Yachts of Seabourn, are branded by the company as the World's Leading Cruise Lines.

Carnival was a pioneer in the concept of cheaper and shorter cruises. Its ships are known for their Las Vegas decor and entertainment. The line calls its ships The Fun Ships and there is a wide range of activities offered on board. Carnival is well-known for the towel animals it creates for its guests in their cabins. 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. As of 2006, the latest and largest ship in the Carnival Fleet is the Carnival Liberty, a Conquest Class ship and Carnival's first ship to be based in Europe. The company announced two new ships in early 2006: the Carnival Freedom, set to debut in 2007, and the Carnival Splendor, to debut in spring of 2008. At 112,000 gross tons, the Carnival Splendor will house a maximum of 3,000 passengers.

Ships

Here is the list of all Carnival cruise ships that either have been, are currently in, or will soon be in service, in the chronological order:

Holiday Class

• Holiday
• Jubilee (now Pacific Sun)
• Celebration

Fantasy Class

• Fantasy
• Ecstasy
• Sensation
• Fascination
• Imagination
• Inspiration
• Elation
• Paradise

Destiny Class

• Carnival Destiny
• Carnival Triumph
• Carnival Victory

Spirit Class

• Carnival Spirit
• Carnival Pride
• Carnival Legend
• Carnival Miracle

Conquest Class

• Carnival Conquest
• Carnival Glory
• Carnival Valor
• Carnival Liberty
• Carnival Freedom

Un-Named Class

• Carnival Splendor
• Un-Named Carnival Ship

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 docked in Mobile, Alabama, 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. [1] Carnival did not have the same fuel, entertainment, staffing, and other expenses they would have incurred had the ships been on their normal routes, but the line also did not receive revenues from on-board gambling, alcoholic beverages, and other product and service sales that would have been generated had the vessels been engaged in cruising.

See also

• Carnival Air Lines
• Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon

External links

• Reviews, Tips, and Forums
• Carnival Cruise Lines website
• Carnival Connections - Cruise Reviews, Tips, and Forums
• Carnival Cruise
• Carnival Cruise commercial Kathy Lee