The new Carnival Executive Forum – comprised of some of the most influential travel executives throughout the U.S. and Canada, along with key Carnival Cruise Lines executives – held its first meeting earlier this week in at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

            The new forum is designed to provide travel agents and Carnival executives with a forum to discuss issues relevant to the cruise industry, including product, sales and marketing policies, and distribution.  The forum will meet twice a year during intensive two-day conferences with members serving two-year terms.

            The travel agent executive forum will also provide Carnival management with a vehicle for enhancing their understanding of unique challenges faced by travel agents while looking for best-practice solutions that will benefit all parties involved.

            “Travel agents are the largest and most vital part of our distribution system. And while Carnival has always enjoyed an excellent relationship with the travel agent community, this new executive forum offers an opportunity to enhance our dialogue with agents while seeking new ways to make them more successful and profitable in today’s marketplace,” said Lynn Torrent, Carnival’s senior vice president of sales and guest experience.

            The 19 travel agent members that comprise the Carnival Executive Forum were specifically chosen to represent a wide range of business models, including traditional “brick and mortar” agencies, home-based travel agents, consortia, and on-line retailers.           

           Additionally, the members represent agencies of different sizes and from various regions throughout the U.S. and Canada. The travel agent members include:

Representative                                     Travel Agency Name

Roberta Christman                               AAA Northern California – San Francisco

Brad Anderson                                    America’s Vacation Center – San Diego

Sandy Cleary                                      Cru Con Outlet – Boston

Anthony Hamawy                               Cruise.com – Fort Lauderdale

John Keen                                          Cruise consultant – Charlotte, N.C.

Vicky Garcia                                      Cruise Planners – Coral Springs, Fla.

Michael Drever                                   CruiseShipCenters – Vancouver, B.C.

Ross Spalding                                     Cruise Value Center – East Brunswick, N.J.

Koreen Mcknutt                                  Expedia – Seattle

Joyce Landry                                      Landry & Kling – Coral Gables, Fla.

Makis Xenatos                                    Liberty Travel – Ramsey, N.J.

Jackie Friedman                                  Nexion – South Lake, Texas

Ed Rudner                                          Online Vacation Center – Plantation, Fla.

Marcia Rowley                                   Our Vacation Center – Phoenix

Filomena Andre                                  Signature – Los Angeles

Mark Jacobs                                      The Cruise Line Limited – North Potomac, Md.

Ken Lorey                                         Travelocity – Boston

Emerson Hankamer                            Vacations to Go – Houston

David Crooks                                     World Travel Holdings – Boston

            Carnival executives participating in the forum include President and CEO Gerry Cahill, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Guest Experience Ruben Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Sales and Guest Experience Lynn Torrent, Vice President of Field Sales Joni Rein, and Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships Edie Bornstein. Other members of Carnival’s senior management team will be participating in this function, as well.

            Carnival is the world’s largest and most popular cruise line, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages of three to 18 days in length to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe and South America. 

            The line currently has two 130,000-ton ships on order — Carnival Dream, set to debut Sept. 21, 2009, and Carnival Magic, scheduled to enter service in June 2011.

In two separate ceremonies, Carnival Cruise Lines presented San Diego-based America’s Vacation Center and North Potomac, Md.-based The Cruise Line Ltd. with its Agency of the Year Awards.

For the first time, Carnival recognized two agencies for this award. Nominees were selected from more than 30,000 cruise-selling travel agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Both America’s Vacation Center and The Cruise Line Ltd. were recognized for having achieved a high level of success by employing distinctly different business models. While both agencies have developed a national network of home-based agents, America’s Vacation Center focuses on developing a worldwide network of home-based independently owned and operated affiliates, while The Cruise Line Ltd. takes a more traditional agency approach by encouraging local agents to concentrate on their local communities from virtual home-based offices.

Following the reception, representatives from the agency and the cruise line celebrated at a local restaurant, compliments of Carnival.

Pictured here at the America’s Vacation Center reception in San Diego are (from left to right): Carnival’s Vice President of Sales for the Western Region Vicki Tomasino; San Diego Business Development Director Lori Goldspiel; America’s Vacation Center President Brad Anderson; Vice President of Marketing Jeff Anderson; Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Guest Services Lynn Torrent; and Vice President of Business Development and National Accounts Edie Bornstein.

Pictured here at The Cruise Line Ltd. reception in North Potomac, Md., are (from left to right): Carnival’s Director of Business Development for Maryland and Delaware Tom Dougher; Regional Vice President of Sales for the Eastern Region Karen Viera; The Cruise Line, Ltd. Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jason Jacobs; Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Guest Services Lynn Torrent; The Cruise Line, Ltd.’s President Mark Jacobs; and Vice President of Operations Christina Jacobs.