Joyce Oliva

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…

Carnival Cruise Line has launched a new print advertising campaign developed in collaboration with SapientRazorfish aimed at travel trade publications serving the travel agent community. The ads emphasize what makes travel advisors special — the transformative guest experiences at sea that can only be delivered by travel advisors who know both their client and the Carnival product. The campaign blends the brand’s “Choose Fun” and “Travel Agents Rock” themes while highlighting Carnival’s latest product features. “Carnival is both a true advocate for travel agents and passionate about delivering fun, and this campaign really captures and combines those themes,” said Adolfo Perez, senior vice president of sales and trade marketing for Carnival. “The ads are playful, eye-catching and engaging, and we…

Roses are red … and white and blue … and all will adorn Carnival Cruise Line’s float in the 130th Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. Adolfo Perez, senior vice president of sales and trade marketing for Carnival, showed off his flower powers as he and 11 California-based travel advisors helped prepare the replica of Carnival Panorama during Decorating Week in the lead-up to the parade. Carnival Panorama is set to be the cruise line’s first new ship to debut on the West Coast in 20 years when it arrives at Long Beach, California, in December 2019. At the annual all-American pageant in Pasadena, California, the 55-foot-long float will have many of the familiar elements of Carnival ships, including the…

Captain Gaetano Gigliotti and the crew of the cruise ship Carnival Elation have been recognized with the Exceptional Bravery at Sea Certificate of Commendation from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations which serves as the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. Presented during the IMO’s annual conference in London, the certificate honors Captain Gigliotti and his team for their incredible courage in the rescue of a stranded fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Irma last year. The rescued mariner, Edward Potter of Tampa, Fla., was also in attendance and expressed his gratitude for Captain Gigliotti and the Carnival Elation team for their life-saving efforts…

Carnival Cruise Line today announced that for the first time, it will offer a series of cruises from San Francisco, with Carnival Miracle operating a diverse schedule that includes four- to 15-day voyages to Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico in 2020. Following strong reception to a previously announced program from San Diego in 2019, Carnival Miracle will also return to the port for a winter 2020-21 schedule of three- to 15-day voyages. These deployments further bolster Carnival Cruise Line’s position as the West Coast cruise leader, carrying more passengers than any other cruise operator. That number will continue to increase with the debut of Carnival Panorama from Long Beach in December 2019, the first new Carnival ship on the West Coast…

With its California debut now less than a year away, Carnival Panorama’s exterior completion was celebrated at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, during which a commemorative coin was welded to the ship’s mast in a time-honored maritime tradition. And just like the ship will take its guests on memorable journeys, the coin itself took a memorable journey throughout the state of California before winding up at the Fincantieri shipyard, as captured by the celebratory video released today by Carnival Cruise Line. The coin ceremony – whose origins can be traced back to the ancient Romans who believed that attaching coins to a ship provided divine protection – signifies the successful completion of Carnival Panorama’s exterior outfitting. Benoit Clement, Carnival’s…

Carnival Cruise Line was named Best Domestic Cruise Line and Best Family Cruise Line at the 16th annual Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards at a black-tie gala in New York City. This marks the third consecutive year that Carnival has earned the Best Domestic Cruise Line honors. Based on Travel Weekly reader surveys, the awards recognize the travel industry suppliers who were “the best of the best” in various product and service categories during 2018. “We are thrilled to receive this important recognition from the readers of Travel Weekly as both the best domestic cruise line and the best cruise line for families,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival Cruise Line President. “We truly appreciate the support of our valued travel partners…

We’ve all called on roadside assistance to come to our rescue, but how about seaside assistance? On Wednesday, Dec. 12, as the ship was at sea, Carnival Triumph responded to a request from a sailboat in the vicinity that was in need of oil. Keeping with maritime tradition and looking to provide a helpful hand, Carnival Triumph approached the vessel to assist as the sailors gleefully shouted, “Thank you, Carnival!” Captain Isidoro Renda and his team offered the sailors oil for their engine allowing them to successfully continue along their journey. Carnival Triumph was on a five-day Western Caribbean cruise that returned to her homeport of New Orleans today.

Get ready to ride!   In another cruise industry first, Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras™ will feature the first-ever roller coaster at sea when it debuts in 2020, providing an unforgettable and unique open-air thrill ride on the line’s newest and most innovative ship. Built by Munich-based Maurer Rides, BOLT™: Ultimate Sea Coaster™ is a heart-pounding rush of adrenaline offering nearly 800 feet of exhilarating twists, turns and drops with riders reaching speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour. Taking cruise industry innovation to new heights, BOLT is an all-electric roller coaster that allows two riders in a motorcycle-like vehicle to race along a track 187 feet above sea level, enabling guests to experience the sea in an exciting new way…

Carnival Cruise Line joined one of its most popular and fast-growing ports, the Port of Galveston, in welcoming the Port’s 10 millionth passenger, Mr. Yingtao Liu from Norman, Okla., who boarded Carnival Vista on Sunday, December 9. Carnival was the first cruise line to realize the potential of Galveston as a year-round cruise port in 2000 and since then, has carried millions of guests from Texas. Upon arrival at the port, to their surprise, Mr. Liu, his wife, parents and three children were warmly greeted by Rodger Rees, Port of Galveston CEO and Port Director; Pavol Drimaj, Carnival Vista Hotel Director; and other members of the Carnival Vista team before boarding the ship for a week-long voyage – the family’s…