Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line with headquarters in Doral, Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Its logo is a funnel shaped like a whale's tail, with a red, white, and blue color scheme. This trademark funnel design is built onto the line's ships. Carnival is ranked first on the list of largest cruise lines based on passengers carried annually.
As of, Carnival Cruise Line operates a fleet of 29 ships with five new ships set to join between 2027 and 2033.[2]
History
Carnival Cruise Line was founded in 1972 by Ted Arison. To finance the venture, Arison turned to his friend Meshulam Riklis, who owned Boston-based American International Travel Service (AITS). Arison and Riklis set up the new company as a subsidiary of AITS. AITS was to market and promote the new venture. In 1974, due to regulatory issues, Riklis sold AITS's interest in the company to Arison for $1, subject to Arison taking over the substantial company debts.[3] The split enabled Arison to enter into new relationships with independent travel agents. He also promoted his cruises to younger people. The format was very successful financially.[3]
1970s: Early years
In 1972, Carnival Cruise Line began sailing from Miami with its first ship, the Mardi Gras, a former transatlantic liner purchased from Canadian Pacific Line. Carnival adapted and evolved the green Canadian Pacific livery for their new logo, changing the colors to red, white and blue as seen today.[4]
In 1975, Carnival acquired another former Canadian Pacific Line ship, renaming it the Carnivale.[3] The success of the two ships led to the acquisition of their third ship in 1978, the TSS Festivale,[5] another former ocean liner. With the success of the three ships, Carnival decided to build new ships to be able to compete with the rival Miami cruise lines.[4]
Company structure
Carnival is one of ten cruise lines owned by the world's largest cruise ship operator, the American-British Carnival Corporation & plc.[56] In 2021, Carnival Cruise Line was estimated to hold a 7.6% share of cruise industry revenue and 18.2% of passengers.[57] It has 24 vessels and is the largest fleet in the Carnival group.[58] The ships fly flags of convenience: 17 of the ships fly the Panama flag and seven that of the Bahamas.
Its headquarters are in Doral, Florida, United States.[59] The North American division of Carnival Corporation has executive control over the corporation and is headquartered in Doral.[60][61]
Leadership
Carnival has had five presidents since its foundation in 1972.
Fleet
Current fleet
Future fleet
Former fleet
Accidents and incidents
On September 19, 1999, Tropicale's engine room caught fire en route from Cozumel to Tampa. While disabled in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship was struck by Tropical Storm Harvey. The Tropicale spent two days without propulsion.[148]
On November 8, 2010, a fire broke out in the generator room of Carnival Splendor and the ship lost power. The ship was adrift off the west coast of Mexico until she was towed to San Diego.[149]
On February 10, 2013, Carnival Triumph, with 3,143 passengers aboard, suffered an engine room fire, leaving the ship adrift for four days in the Gulf of Mexico.[150] The engine fire led to a power outage on the ship, which in turn caused raw sewage to back up. The media dubbed the ordeal "The Poop Cruise".[151] The ship was towed to Mobile, Alabama, docking on the evening of February 14, 2013.[152]
Controversies
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, three of the Carnival cruise ships were chartered by the United States government for six months to serve as temporary housing, until houses could be rebuilt. After being chartered for six months, their planned voyages were cancelled, and passengers were refunded. Holiday was originally docked in Mobile, Alabama, and later Pascagoula, Mississippi. 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.[177]
See also
- Carnival Air Lines, former charter and scheduled airline division
- Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc. v. Shute, a 1991 Supreme Court case about forum selection clauses
- Carnival Cruise Line Tycoon 2005: Island Hopping, video game
- Cruise Confidential, 2008 book
- Fiesta Marina Cruises, short-lived subsidiary of Carnival
- Private island
External links
References
- Carnival Magic's Arrival Marks Line's Restart in All 14 U.S. Homeports Carnival Cruise Line, 16 June 2022, retrieved 2022-06-27^
- Carnival Orders Three 8,000 Guest Cruise Ships, New Class cruiseradio.net, 2024-07-23, retrieved 2024-07-23^
- The Cruise Ship Phenomenon in North America