February 2019

Last week Carnival’s Sales and Trade Marketing team kicked off its 2019 Carnival Conversations series with nearly 100 travel agents in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Held at the La Concha Hotel & Resort, El Condado, the event marked the first time one of the Q&A sessions was held on the island. 2019 marks the sixth year of the popular series that features Carnival executives engaging in an open question-and-answer session with travel advisors in various locations. Participating executives included Adolfo Perez, senior vice president, sales and trade marketing; Kirk Neal, regional vice president, eastern U.S. and Caribbean; Ines Alvarez, senior manager, trade marketing; Sheila LeBlanc, senior director, Carnival Independent Agent Team; and Calvin Rodriguez, business development manager for Puerto Rico.…

In the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that affected California in November of last year, Carnival Cruise Line joined breweries nationwide to raise funds for the relief efforts, serving a special beer from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company that was brewed and sold on board Carnival Horizon and Carnival Vista. Looking for a unique way to raise money for the relief efforts, Sierra Nevada created Butte County Resilience IPA and offered the recipe to breweries around the country with one stipulation – 100% of the profits would be given to those affected by the Camp Fires. Led by Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon Brewmasters Ron Zeiber and Colin Presby along with Carnival’s Vice President of Beverage Operations Edward Allen, Carnival sold…

Carnival Cruise Line bartender Sanja Cvijetic won the 2019 BACARDÍ® Legacy Cruise Competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico, competing against more than 2,000 entries from major cruise lines’ top bartenders worldwide. This marks the fourth time in the past eight years that a Carnival mixologist has earned the coveted award. The BACARDÍ® Legacy Cruise Competition is an annual global search to find the best bartender in the cruise industry with a cocktail that can stand among Bacardí’s heritage classics. This was Cvijetic’s first bartender competition. Cvijetic, a 31-year-old from Bosnia who is currently aboard Carnival Conquest, took home the gold for her custom-created libation, “Purple Sunset,” a signature cocktail mix of Bacardí Superior, Monin® Lavender Syrup, lemonade, fresh lime juice,…

Carnival Cruise Line celebrated two vow renewal firsts in honor of Valentine’s Day. The company set a record for the largest vow renewal at sea with nearly 2,000 couples saying “I do” all over again across its fleet of ships. Carnival cruise directors hosted the heart-warming ceremonies in the ships’ atrium lobbies encouraging their vacation goers to embrace love and happiness. A festive balloon drop and celebratory toast followed the fleet wide ceremonies. In conjunction with the record-breaking vow renewals at sea, Carnival’s #ChooseFun AirShip hosted its first-ever vow renewal ceremony in the skies celebrating the 15-year marriage of Carnival fans and clients of Expedia CruiseShipCenters Cathy and Jim Skoglund during a special Phoenix flyover. The AirShip’s Chief Pilot Terry…

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Carnival Cruise Line is hosting the biggest Vow Renewal At Sea, with more than 1,000 couples expected to say “I do” in evening festivities across its fleet. Carnival’s cruise directors aboard ships in the Caribbean, Mexico and other destinations will host ceremonies in the ships’ atrium lobbies followed by a celebratory balloon drop and special toasts to matrimonial happiness and love. Photos of the festivities will be posted through Friday on Carnival’s social media feeds. Participating couples will be eligible for a variety of prizes on board, including spa gift packages, steakhouse dinners, bottles of wine, and chocolates and other confections from Cherry on Top sweets shop. During the cruises, couples can enjoy some “we” time…

Early Wednesday morning as it was sailing from Amber Cove toward Grand Turk, Carnival Sunshine deviated its course to come to the aid of a cargo ship, Tropic Scout, in distress with seven people aboard. The ship had listed due to cargo shifting during bad weather which almost sunk the ship, caused an engine issue and the lost use of its lifeboats. In order to assist and ensure the safety of the mariners onboard, Carnival Sunshine proceeded to escort the cargo ship to Grand Turk. At approximately 10 a.m. that morning, the cargo ship was able to reduce the list and resolve its engine issue and therefore could proceed on its own to Grand Turk. Carnival Sunshine then continued to…

Tapping into the momentum of Wave Season, Carnival Cruise Line has launched an interactive “Carnival Word Search Contest” for travel advisors. The online game, designed to keep agents up to date on Carnival’s ships and itineraries, will run for 18 days, from Feb. 11 through Feb. 28, 2019. Every day of the contest travel advisors who visit Facebook.com/carnivaltrade can play along and find three ship- or port-related terms in a word-search puzzle. Each time participants find a word, a fun fact pops up with relevant information. For example, finding the word “PANORAMA” yields “The all-new Carnival Panorama will take your clients on a picturesque cruise through Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta starting December 2019.” Completing the three-word challenge…

Love is in the air, indeed! Taking advantage of an “only in Vegas moment,” Carnival Cruise Line’s #ChooseFun AirShip hosted its first-ever wedding for Amanda Robertson, 32, and Jason Gerken, 37, from Las Vegas who tied the knot aside the colorful, 128-foot-long blimp. With close family and friends in attendance, Las Vegas’ own Henry Sneed of Lucky Little Wedding Chapel officiated the memorable ceremony with an appearance by “Elvis Presley” who sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as Amanda, her father and son walked down the aisle and “Viva Las Vegas” after the two shared their first kiss as a married couple. After all, it couldn’t be a true Las Vegas wedding without “the King.” And since there’s no better…

The Carnival Cruise Line Hub App is already the most popular consumer app in the cruise industry, and with enhancements announced today, it’s sure to only grow in popularity with the launch of pre-cruise purchasing functionality and online check-in for its North American-based ships.  The app’s popular “Pizza Anywhere” on board function is now available on 11 ships with a fleetwide rollout expected to be completed later this year. “At Carnival, we want to help our guests Choose Fun from the moment they book their cruise.  The new features on the Hub App bring their vacation planning to the palm of their hand in ways that consumers have come to expect from great technology,” said Ron Dillehay, vice president of…

Carnival Cruise Line, the world’s most popular cruise line, and Michaels, the largest arts and craft retail chain in North America, are bringing arts and crafts fun to guests’ sailing aboard all 26 of the line’s ships. As Carnival’s exclusive arts and crafts provider, guests of all ages sailing will have the opportunity to engage and create together through the interactive “Make It With Michaels” experience. Adults and kids can participate in seasonally-rotating crafts and create nostalgic mementos and keepsakes, including key chains, bracelets, picture frames and more. As part of the partnership, guests can also sign up for Carnival-themed in-store classes this spring across Michaels’ 1,200 stores nationwide. These classes have successfully entertained and inspired creativity in more than…