Carnival Cruise Line today announced the appointment of the senior officers for its newest and most innovative ship, Mardi Gras, currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and set to debut in summer 2020. “For a ship as special as Mardi Gras, we’ve assembled an equally impressive team that has been hand-selected to deliver this unique expression of the Carnival vacation experience,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Mardi Gras’ crew will be led by some of the most talented and experienced mariners in cruising who will oversee the final stages of construction and usher in this exciting chapter of Carnival Cruise Line’s history.” Mardi Gras’ senior officers will include: Captain Giuseppe Giusa: A 31-year…
Carnival Cruise Line is continuing to expand its yearlong “Why Use a Travel Advisor,” or WUATA, program that is dedicated to promoting the value of travel agents with the launch of WUATA.com, a WUATA brochure and an exclusive WUATA Facebook page. The new initiatives are the industry’s first consumer-focused efforts that are 100 percent dedicated to telling the story of the value of using a travel advisor. Carnival created these new communications tools for travel advisors, their clients and potential clients to share real-life experiences and to illustrate the many ways a travel agent can be an indispensable resource for travelers. The content on both sites and the brochure supports the sentiment of Why Use a Travel Advisor, which can…
Carnival Cruise Line and the Port of Baltimore celebrated a historic milestone with a “Decade of Fun” celebration aboard Carnival Pride to mark the 10-year anniversary of Carnival’s year-round cruising from the port. Carnival launched Baltimore’s first year-round cruise program in 2009 and over the past decade the line as carried more than 1 million guests. The festivities were highlighted by a reciprocal exchange of maritime gifts with Carnival President Christine Duffy presenting the Cruise Maryland’s General Manager Cynthia Burman with a ship’s bell while Burman presented Duffy with a maritime international clock. Carnival Pride offers a wide range of attractive cruise options from Baltimore including week-long voyages to tropical ports throughout the Bahamas and Bermuda as well as 14-day…
Carnival Cruise Line and Thrillist have teamed up to launch “Island Hoppers,” a first-of-its-kind comedy competition show at sea, aiming to find the cruise line’s next comedy star to perform at its shipboard Punchliner Comedy Clubs. The mobile-first series is hosted by award-winning actor James Van Der Beek and was filmed during a recent Caribbean cruise aboard Carnival Horizon. Over the course of seven episodes, Van Der Beek takes viewers on a journey as three up-and-coming comedians compete in entertaining challenges, judged by longtime Punchliner Comedy Club veterans Billy D. Washington, Jodi White and William Lee Martin. “Island Hoppers” will air June 11, on Thrillist’s Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter channels. Hilarity ensues as the challengers demonstrate their creative cocktail-making…
In honor of Mother’s Day, five travel advisors who posted the best stories about themselves or their mother on Carnival’s trade Facebook page will receive a cruise for two in a balcony stateroom on the newly reimagined Carnival Sunrise. The Mother’s Day contest ran on Facebook May 9-10 and the winners will be announced on Carnival’s trade Facebook page the week of May 20. Travel advisors were asked to tell Carnival what makes them a #CarnivalFunMom or to share a touching or funny story about their own mother in a post on Facebook. The winners were selected by Adolfo Perez, senior vice president of sales and trade relations for Carnival, and a panel of Carnival’s sales team members. “Carnival is…
Mixing business and fun, Carnival Cruise Line staged its first WUATA Party at The Orlando Science Center in Orlando, Florida on May 8, 2019. Nearly 300 travel advisors and their clients, who brought along potential clients, joined Carnival’s Florida sales team and executives, as well as industry leaders, for a gala evening focused around Why Use A Travel Advisor. The event was hosted by Adolfo Perez, senior vice president, sales and trade marketing for Carnival Cruise Line; Mike Julius, vice president, field sales for Carnival Cruise Line; John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador; and Carnival’s Florida business development manager team. Ann Chamberlin, senior vice president, membership and strategic partnerships for the American Society of Travel Advisors; and Charles Sylvia,…
For fashionistas and socially conscious travel advisors, Carnival Cruise Line’s WUATA T-shirts go on sale today, May8, 2019. A component of Carnival’s yearlong “Why Use A Travel Advisor” program, WUATA T-shirt sales will support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® with a minimum contribution of $10,000 to the cruise line’s longtime charity partner. The stylish Carnival-branded T-shirt has the colorful WUATA logo on the front, while the back showcases WUATA Word, the online word cloud created by travel advisors and their clients from one-word descriptions extolling why travel agents rock. WUATA T-shirts will be sold at all four WUATA Party events. The $25 shirts are available in three colors and a variety of sizes and can be purchased by any North…
Carnival Cruise Line has become the first major ocean cruise company to sponsor Cruise Lines International’s Accredited Cruise Counsellor certification for all of its business development managers. In mid-January Carnival BDMs completed the work required to earn the ACC through a combination of in-person coursework at the line’s recent sales team meeting and individual assignments. ACC coursework included topics such as “Building Client Loyalty,” “Power Selling Skills,” “Power Selling Techniques,” “Effective Presentation Skills” and “Better Listening for Better Business.” The BDMs will work throughout the year with agents in their territories to apply the lessons and tools acquired from their ACC certification as they collaborate to develop tailored sales, marketing, and support strategies. “Carnival is committed to having the best…
More than 300 travel professionals got to Choose Fun during Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ National Conference April 6-13, 2019, aboard Carnival Dream. Carnival Cruise Line hosted the Franchise Partners and Cruise Sales Managers on the weeklong cruise out of New Orleans, Louisiana, where they had an opportunity to experience the Carnival shipboard product and brand attributes. The event featured a series of workshops and seminars for travel advisors that ranged from business marketing strategies to maximizing agency tools and tech services. Matthew Eichhorst, global cruise leader, Expedia Group, and president, Expedia CruiseShipCenters, delivered a keynote address on the continued growth of the organization and its ongoing focus on developing sales centers across the North America market. During the cruise, Expedia CruiseShipCenters raised…
Is your travel agent an all-around rock star? To celebrate National Travel Advisor Day today, May 1, Carnival Cruise Line is launching a search for the best of the best in a new contest that supports the yearlong “Why Use a Travel Advisor” (WUATA) program dedicated to promoting the value of travel agents. With the launch of Carnival’s “Most Trusted Travel Advisor” contest, consumers can brag why their travel advisor is the best in the business in the quest for the title. Not only will the winning advisor be named Carnival’s “Most Trusted Advisor,” the agent and their client nominator will be awarded a cruise on Mardi Gras — debuting in August 2020 — and roundtrip airfare, and the agent…