Recommend May2017 - 48

Celebrating 50 Years of Helping Travel Agents Sell Travel

Carnival Cruise Line
"They've done a great job
trying to connect with agents.
They seem to be ahead of
the curve dealing with
host agencies."
- Geoff Cox, Vice President of Sales,
KHM Travel Group

When your cruise clients think Carnival
Cruise Line, many might have flashbacks

to their first cruise experience, as
"Carnival is the place where people try
their first cruise, especially through the
various weekend options," points out
Christine Duffy, Carnival's president.
Geoff Cox, v.p. of sales for KHM
Travel Group, adds that, "because of
the price point, most people's first cruise
is a Carnival cruise. Carnival really
opens the door to the cruise industry.
"They benefit the entire industry
because people get on board for the first
time, they have a great time, and their
vacation needs, wants, and bucket lists
change; now cruising is something they
want to do," he says.
"Carnival's unique homeports across
the U.S., where 50 percent of the
population can drive to a Carnival
cruise vacation in a half-day or less,
that really makes us a convenient,
accessible and an affordable option,
particularly for middle-class families
today who often take a drive vacation,"
points out Duffy.

Firsts in Cruising

Duffy notes that Carnival has
influenced the cruising industry since
its inception 45 years ago. "I believe our
founder Ted Arison essentially created
what we know today as the modern-day
cruising industry, which really came
48 may 2017

from a commitment of shifting cruises
from only being affordable to the very
rich, to making cruising accessible
to everyone," she says. "I think that
Carnival really laid the foundation for
a lot of what the cruise industry has
become over time."
Carnival has also been the leader in
the industry with a few firsts under its
belt, such as the first ship to exceed
100,000 tons; the first to advertise on
TV; and now, on the brand's newest
ship, the Carnival Vista, the first ship
with a SkyRide and the first brewery on
a North America-based ship.

Looking Ahead

Looking to the future, Carnival
continues to be a pioneer in cruising.
"These are exciting times for the
cruise industry," says Duffy. Carnival
is introducing four new ships through
2022: the Carnival Horizon in 2018; a
Vista-class ship in late 2019; and two
new 180,000-gross-ton cruise ships in
2020 and 2022, which are set to be
the largest in the fleet and powered by
liquefied natural gas.
Additionally, the line's Carnival
Journeys enrichment programs have
expanded with 13 new 12- to 14-day
seagoing adventures departing from
homeports along the East and West
coasts and the Gulf of Mexico in 2018
and 2019. According to Duffy, the line

will also be moving larger ships into
shorter cruise itineraries and, in the
next two years, will complete a massive
enhancement program to the Fun Ship
2.0 features.
Additionally, the private Bahamian
destination of Princess Cays has been
added to the itineraries of six different
Carnival ships beginning this month,
and Carnival Splendor will offer weeklong Mexican Riviera cruises from Long
Beach, CA, starting next year.

Onboard Innovations

And with Carnival not one to rest
on its laurels, new partnerships are
always in the works, including the
Carnival Live concert series featuring
such artists as Tim McGraw and Carrie
Underwood. "We've leaned into music
to bring more live entertainment back
on the ship," she says.
As far as innovations in technology,
Duffy says, "We are excited about
our Carnival Hub app-a mobile app
available across the entire fleet that's
a great tool to know what's happening
across the ship." She notes that new
features on the app will be coming over
time. Duffy points out, though, that
"we use technology in a way to still
allow team members to engage with our
guests, but make it easier for guests to
know what's happening and share their
photos with social sharing.
"There are lots of new things coming
-there will be surprises along the way,"
she adds.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Carnival Cruise Line
Tel: Carnival's Travel Agent Support,
(800) 327-7276
Website: GoCCL.com
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