December 2012

Carnival Breeze received a special holiday gift when Saint Nick himself made a surprise visit to the line’s newest “Fun Ship” Christmas morning.  Without a chimney in sight, Santa made a dramatic entrance by climbing up a rope ladder and boarded the ship through the mooring observation door. Once on board, Santa was enthusiastically greeted by kids and adults alike who truly appreciated this unexpected holiday visit.   Alas, the visit was short lived as Santa had lots of other stops on Christmas day. Happy holidays to everyone from Carnival Cruise Lines!

Carnival Cruise Lines and Carnival Corporation & plc have given $54,000 to 12 South Florida nonprofit organizations through the Carnival Foundation. The monetary donations were used to purchase holiday gifts for underprivileged children in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. In addition to the organizations that received funds, Carnival Cruise Lines donated new toys to needy children through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program and the Toys for Tots Program. Altogether, the toy and monetary donations provide holiday gifts to more than 4,000 local children in need. Recipients of the holiday donations include: 4Kids of South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) is a South Florida foster care agency dedicated to finding a home for children in crisis. Amigos for Kids (Miami, Little Havana) is…

Carnival Cruise Lines’ parent company Carnival Corporation & plc is donating $2 million to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy that struck the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, and devastated New Jersey and New York. Carnival Corporation & plc’s Chairman and CEO Micky Arison made the donation on behalf of the company’s 90,000 global employees. The funds are being allocated for The Robin Hood Relief Fund, Habitat for Humanity International, Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City – Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts to help with relief efforts as well as rebuilding services and support. To read more about it please click here.

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES EXPANDS WEST COAST SHORT CRUISE PROGRAM  Carnival Imagination to Operate Three- and Four-Day Cruises from Long Beach Beginning in January 2014 Carnival Cruise Lines will expand capacity on the West Coast with the introduction of year-round three and four-day cruises on the 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination from Long Beach, Calif., beginning January 26, 2014.  The move will bring the total number of Carnival ships operating from Long Beach to three and further solidify the line’s position as Southern California’s largest cruise operator. Carnival Imagination will offer three-day cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, departing on Thursdays and four-day voyages to Catalina Island and Ensenada departing on Sundays.  The vessel’s sister ship, Carnival Inspiration, will continue to offer a similar program…

Carnival Cruise Lines will expand capacity on the West Coast with the introduction of year-round three and four-day cruises on the 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination from Long Beach, Calif., beginning January 26, 2014.  The move will bring the total number of Carnival ships operating from Long Beach to three and further solidify the line’s position as Southern California’s largest cruise operator. Carnival Imagination will offer three-day cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, departing on Thursdays and four-day voyages to Catalina Island and Ensenada departing on Sundays.  The vessel’s sister ship, Carnival Inspiration, will continue to offer a similar program from Long Beach with three-day cruises departing on Fridays and four-day cruises on Mondays.  Additionally, the seven-day Mexican Riviera and 15-day Hawaii programs from…

For the 13th consecutive year, Carnival Cruise Lines has earned the “Best Cruise Line Value” award in Recommend Magazine’s annual Readers Choice Awards. The awards are based on on-line surveys of Recommend readers who are asked to rate travel suppliers in a wide range of product- and service-related categories.  Carnival was recognized for providing superior value more than any other cruise line. Value is one of the core values of the Carnival brand, whose mission statement is “provide fun, memorable vacations at a great value.” Many components of the line’s groundbreaking Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement strategy – including entertainment options such as Playlist Productions, the Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez, and Hasbro, The Game Show and dining options…

Carnival Cruise Lines and its newest ship, Carnival Breeze, was a sponsor for the Miami Herald’s annual Herald Hunt, a unique and off-the-wall event held this year at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove, Fla. In addition to fun photo opportunities with mock-ups of signature elements of the Carnival Breeze such as a suspended ropes course, Guy’s Burger Joint, developed in tandem with Food Network personality Guy Fieri, and the Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez, Carnival employees took part in providing some of the intricate and purposely confusing clues that make the Herald Hunt so popular year after year.  For instance, at the Punchliner Comedy Club booth a comedian told jokes that contained hints about solving the puzzle, while…

CARNIVAL BREEZE OFFICIALLY NAMED DURING A FUN-FILLED CEREMONY AT PORTMIAMI Distinguished South Florida Philanthropist Tracy Wilson Mourning, Founder of Honey Shine Mentoring Program, Officially Named Ship During Invitation-Only Ceremony The official naming ceremony for Carnival Cruise Lines’ new Carnival Breeze took place Saturday, Dec. 8, at PortMiami. Serving as the ship’s godmother was Tracy Wilson Mourning, founder of the Miami-based Honey Shine mentoring program, who initiated the breaking of the traditional bottle of champagne on the ship’s hull during the invitation-only event. Following its inaugural season in Europe, the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze began sailing year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami Nov. 24, becoming the largest Carnival Cruise Lines ship ever based in South Florida. “Miami has been our home…

The official naming ceremony for Carnival Cruise Lines’ new Carnival Breeze took place Saturday, Dec. 8, at PortMiami. Serving as the ship’s godmother was Tracy Wilson Mourning, founder of the Miami-based Honey Shine mentoring program, who initiated the breaking of the traditional bottle of champagne on the ship’s hull during the invitation-only event. Following its inaugural season in Europe, the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze began sailing year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami Nov. 24, becoming the largest Carnival Cruise Lines ship ever based in South Florida. During the naming ceremony, Carnival presented a $25,000 donation to Honey Shine, which pairs young girls with female role models to empower young women and create future leaders in our communities through a…

Just in time for the holidays, Carnival Cruise Lines has launched its first-ever gift card program – a pre-paid card that can be used as payment toward a “Fun Ship” vacation or a variety of shipboard purchases. Available online at www.carnivalgiftcards.com or on board Carnival’s ships, the cards are ideal for any occasion – from weddings and graduations to birthdays and anniversaries – offering consumers flexibility and convenience in their vacation purchases.  The cards can be pre-loaded with funds ranging from a minimum of $10 to a maximum of $1,000. “What better gift for friends and family than the gift of fun and great memories?” said Gus Antorcha, Carnival’s senior vice president of guest commerce.  “These new gift cards are…