Carnival Cruise Lines has created a new micro site (www.carnival.com/dream) highlighting the many on-board innovations of its newest and largest “Fun Ship,” the new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, set to debut in September.

Featured within the informative site are exclusive images, video, interviews and blogs which showcase Carnival Dream’s wide-ranging facilities and features, including just-released details on a new concept in shipboard technology, the FunHub, a comprehensive Web portal and on-board social network exclusive to the 3,646-passenger vessel.  

Other areas highlighted include the Carnival Dream’s youth programs, stateroom categories and entertainment options.

The Carnival Dream micro site will be updated as new features are announced – so be sure to check back often!

 William Filomena has his sights set on what certainly is a unique goal – sailing on all 22 Carnival “Fun Ships” over the course of a year.

Thus far, Filomena, is more than half way to his goal, sailing on 14 different vessels since his quest began in fall 2008.

The Washington state resident has been on 29 Carnival cruises in total since June 2008, his first being a seven-day Carnival Spirit voyage to Alaska, which remains his favorite destination.

Filomena, who will sail on the trans-Atlantic voyage of the new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream later this year, expects to reach his goal when he embarks on an eight-day Carnival Miracle cruise in December.

Filomena (second from left) is pictured here during his most recent cruise on the Carnival Legend with the ship’s Captain Vincenzo Alcaras and Hotel Director Guna Chellam (far left and far right, respectively) and Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill, who was on board for a meeting of the line’s Quality Assurance Committee.

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The 113,300-ton Carnival Splendor – Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest ship – is shown here docked at Astoria, Oregon, one of the ports featured on its modified seven-day Canada/Pacific cruise schedule from Long Beach, Calif., which runs through June 14.  Other destinations on the three-port itinerary include Victoria and Vancouver.

 The oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, Astoria is a quaint seaside village offering a host of shopping and dining opportunities and a variety of historical sites and attractions.  

Carnival Splendor resumes its regular seven-day Mexican Riviera schedule with the departure of June 21.  Featured ports include Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

                Carnival Cruise Lines will resume visits to Mexican ports of call based on the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, which is no longer recommending against non-essential travel to Mexico. Once all voyages with previously modified itineraries are completed, those vessels will revert to their original routes featuring stops in Mexico.  Most itineraries were modified through mid-June with the exception of the Holiday which was modified through late May. A ship-by-ship listing including dates for when each vessel will resume its original itinerary is available at http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/cruise_control/itinerary_updates.aspx.

            “We are very pleased to resume our previous itineraries to Mexico, one of the cruise industry’s most popular destinations, and we thank those guests who were impacted by the modified schedules in recent weeks for their understanding and patience,” said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. 

          Cahill added, “The health and well being of our guests and crew is our highest priority and we are returning to Mexico after careful evaluation and consultation with the CDC.  It is important to note that the concentration of H1N1 flu cases in Mexico has been inland rather than in the coastal resort areas where our ships visit.”  

            Cahill also noted that the cruise industry works closely with U.S. public health officials in the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program in developing and complying with extensive policies and procedures that are effective in mitigating illness aboard cruise ships.  Carnival will continue to follow CDC guidelines for cruise ships which include pre-boarding health questionnaires for all guests and crew, along with secondary screening by shipboard medical professionals as necessary.  Additionally, all Carnival ships stock influenza test kits and anti-viral medications for treating type A influenzas.

            “Mexico has so many wonderful sites and attractions and feedback from our customers suggests that the majority support a resumption of port calls in Mexico. We know that they and our port destination partners are very much looking forward to our return,” he added.

            Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:  CCL; NYSE:  CUK), is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 16 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Europe and Bermuda.  The line currently has two new ships scheduled for delivery between now and 2011.  The first of those, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, is set to debut Sept. 21, 2009.

            For additional information or reservations on the “Fun Ship” vacation experience, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

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           Last Friday, at approximately 9 a.m., Carnival Cruise Lines’ 2,052-passenger cruise ship, Carnival Imagination, rescued three boaters whose vessel capsized approximately 14 miles north of the sea buoy off the coast of Miami.

            Carnival Imagination was en route to its homeport of Miami when officers on the ship’s bridge saw the capsized vessel.  Captain Candeloro Donato immediately initiated rescue operations, positioning the vessel toward the capsized boat and lowering one of the Carnival Imagination’s rescue boats.  The U.S. Coast Guard was notified, as well.

            The three boaters were safely brought onto the Carnival Imagination’s rescue boat as it stood by under instructions from the U.S. Coast Guard, which dispatched a 33-foot Special Purpose Craft to take them to Miami.

            The 70,000-ton Carnival Imagination operates year-round three- and four-day cruises from Miami.

Carnival Cruise Lines’ Photo Coordinator Neil Hernandez certainly has a unique way of expressing his appreciation for the company.

 He has created a Carnival-themed “Cooler Mobile” which is made entirely of electric scooter parts and two commercial grade ice coolers and achieves a top speed of 13 miles per hour.  Neil says it’s a real conversation starter and he can often be found riding around on the vehicle in parks and beaches throughout South Florida.

 Neil says that some people are so impressed, they’ve offered to buy his creation – one person was willing to give him $500.  But Neil isn’t selling.  “For one, it’s my own creation and plus, it’s too much fun to drive!” he said.

 Neil Hernandez pictured here is in front of Carnival’s Miami headquarters.

               Carnival Pride’s inaugural cruise from Baltimore that departed April 27 was extra special for one family, the Sherrards from Martinsburg, W.V., who were the guests of honor compliments of Carnival Cruise Lines and the Casey Cares Foundation, which provides uplifting programs with a special touch to enhance the lives of critically ill children and their families throughout the Mid-Atlantic states.

            This was the first vacation for the family since their daughter passed away from a brain tumor a year ago, providing a much-needed respite from a very challenging time in their lives. 

             Parents Jima and Steven Sherrard and their son Ryan – who celebrated his ninth birthday on board — truly enjoyed their vacation aboard the Carnival Pride and the ship’s employees went “all out” to make sure that their six-day getaway was special, relaxing and memorable.          

            The family is pictured here with Carnival’s mascot, “Fun Ship” Freddy, during Ryan’s birthday celebration on board.

            The 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride debuted from Baltimore April 27, becoming the first cruise ship to sail from the port on a year-round basis.

For National Volunteer Week, Carnival Cruise Lines and its employees participated in a wide range of community service initiatives, from collecting food and clothing for the homeless to assembling care packages for U.S. armed services personnel.  

Other efforts included a pet food drive benefiting Miami Pet Rescue and collecting toys, games and other items for children with cancer.

 The National Volunteer Week activities were coordinated through Carnival’s volunteer service group, the Friends Uniting Neighbors (F.U.N.) Team, which works with a variety of social service and charitable organizations throughout South Florida.

Miami, FL – Monday, May 4, 2009 – 3pm

Carnival Cruise Lines has cancelled all port of call visits in Mexico for 16 of its ships that were previously scheduled to stop in that country.  

Itineraries for vessels departing between now and June 15, 2009 that included stops in Mexico have been modified. In many instances, the modification simply involved substituting an alternate port.  Full details on the modified itineraries are available at www.carnival.com/cms/fun/cruise_control/itinerary_updates.aspx

Guests who do not wish to sail on a modified itinerary may opt to receive a refund in the form of a future cruise credit equal to the full amount paid for the voyage.  The credit may be applied to an alternate sailing departing through the end of 2010.  Compensation for missed ports/altered itineraries (where applicable) for guests who sail varies by itinerary.  With four and five-day cruises from Galveston and New Orleans that are being converted to seven-day voyages, those guests may opt to receive their refund in the form of a future cruise credit or money back.  Please visit www.carnival.com for additional details.

          Executives from Carnival Cruise Lines presented Montrose Travel with its Agency of the Year award during a champagne reception held at the agency’s headquarters in Montrose, Calif., last week. 

            Montrose Travel, which was selected from more than 30,000 cruise-selling travel agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada, was recognized for its professionalism, enthusiasm and innovation in sales and marketing techniques.

           The agency was presented with a grandfather clock as a permanent reminder of their achievement.  Pictured here at the reception are (from left):  Carnival’s Vice President of Business Development for the Western Region Vicki Tomasino; Montrose Travel’s Julie and Joe McClure and Andi McClure-Myza; and Carnival’s Business Development Manager Jennifer Ramirez. 

            Following the reception, representatives from the agency and the cruise line traveled via limousine to a local restaurant for dinner compliments of Carnival.