Carnival Cruise Line is an American/British owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States.

History

Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of nine cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc. The company has the largest fleet in the group, with 25 vessels currently in operation that account for 21.1% of the worldwide market share. Executive control of the company is provided by the North American division of Carnival Corporation, headquartered in Doral, Florida.

Carnival was a pioneer in the concept of shorter, less expensive cruises. Its ships are known for their Las Vegas-style decor and entertainment. The line calls its ships "The Fun Ships", and there are a wide range of activities offered on board. Its trademark is the funnel, which is red, white and blue and shaped like a whale's tail. The mascot for Carnival is Fun Ship Freddy, a character in the shape of Carnival's distinctive funnel.

In 1996 Carnival Destiny of 101,000 GT became the largest passenger ship in the world at the time and first to exceed 100,000 tons.

In 2001, Robert Dickinson, then CEO, participated in a BBC documentary, Back To The Floor. Dickinson went to work at the lowest crew levels on the Fun Ship MS Imagination on a Carnival cruise in the Caribbean, where he shadowed a Romanian cleaner, Alina.

In 2004, Carnival Corporation ordered for a development program for Carnival's new ships, the Pinnacle Project, calling for a 200,000 GT prototype, which would have been the world's largest cruise ship.

As of 2009, the latest and largest asset in the Carnival fleet was Carnival Dream, a new 128,000 GT ship. Carnival Dream entered service on 21 September 2009. After several voyages in the Mediterranean she was set to offer weekly Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral from 5 December 2009. A sister ship, Carnival Magic, debuted on 1 May 2011. On 1 December 2009 it was announced that Carnival placed an order for a third Dream-class vessel. It entered service in June 2012 and is homeported in Miami. On May 10, 2010, Carnival selected a name for their new Dream-class vessel in 2012; Carnival Breeze.

On 26 October 2012, it was announced that Carnival had ordered a brand new ship for their Carnival Cruise Line brand. This ship will be built by Fincantieri and will be the largest ship they have ever built. It sailed its maiden voyage on May 1, 2016, nearly four years after Carnival Breeze entered service. The new ship is named Carnival Vista.

Hurricane Katrina charters

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, three of the Carnival cruise ships were chartered by the United States government for six months to serve as temporary housing until the houses can be rebuilt. After being chartered for six months, their planned voyages were cancelled, and passengers were refunded. Holiday was originally docked in Mobile, Alabama, and later Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Ecstasy and Sensation were docked at New Orleans, Louisiana. The six-month contract cost $236 million. The contract was widely criticized, because the vessels were never fully utilized, and Carnival received more money than it would have earned by using the ships in their normal rotation.

Controversies

The company has reportedly been paying wages under $1.50 per hour to employees with low-to-nonexistent benefits, such as holidays or minimal vacations. Monthly salaries of the high paid workers is around $1,300. The crew wages are supplemented by gratuities, and one former Carnival crew member cited that crew receive up to 95% of their income from tips. Employees report strenuous working conditions such as 14-hour shifts with no days off. As of October 2013, they are also revoking retirement benefits.

On February 1, 2015, Carnival aired an advertisement during Super Bowl XLIX that invoked biological evolution, causing outrage among creationists.

Ships

Current fleet:
Carnival Vista, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Magic, Carnival Dream, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Valor, Carnival Glory, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Legend, Carnival Pride, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Victory, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Elation, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Fascination, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Fantasy

Notes

• Two more Destiny-class ships sail for Carnival's sister company Costa Cruises, Costa Fortuna and Costa Magica.
• Carnival Triumph and Carnival Victory are Modified-Destiny-class cruise ship because they were built with two more decks than the rest of the Destiny-class ships.
• Two more Spirit-class ships sail for Carnival's sister company Costa Cruises, Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea.
• Conquest-class is based on the overall design of the Destiny-class, but are longer. Because of the additional length, the Conquest class has expanded facilities compared to the Destiny class. Not all ships have a reservations-only restaurant. Carnival Conquest, Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor, Carnival Liberty and Carnival Freedom, slightly differ from the rest of the fleet because they have Carnival's Seaside Theater installed by the main pool on the lido deck. The Destiny-class ships, Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph and Carnival Victory also have one installed. Carnival Splendor and the Dream-class ships, Carnival Dream, Carnival Magic' and Carnival Breeze were built with the Seaside Theater.
• Carnival Splendor offers facilities other ships do not have. This is because the ship was originally designed and built for Carnival's sister company Costa Cruises. Costa Cruises had five sister ships to Carnival Splendor: Costa Concordia, Costa Serena, Costa Pacifica, Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa, until the Costa Concordia was grounded and wrecked in January 2012. The inaugural voyage for Carnival Splendor was on 2 July 2008 from Genoa, Italy to Dover, England.

Future fleet:
Unnamed (2018)
Carnival Corporation & plc announced on October 26, 2012, that Carnival had ordered a new ship for their Carnival Cruise Line brand. This ship, built by Fincantieri, will be the largest vessel in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. The ship has been named Carnival Vista, and it will be the first of a new class of cruise ships with a passenger capacity of 4,000 and a gross tonnage of 135,000. It is scheduled to be delivered in the spring of 2016.

Former fleet:
Mardi Gras, Carnivale, Festivale, Tropicale, Holiday, Jubilee, Celebration

Restaurants

Restaurants on board Carnival ships include Ji Ji Asian Kitchen, Carnival Steakhouses, Cucina Del Capitano, Mongolian Wok, Guy's Burger Joint, Pizza Stations, Tandoor Kitchen, Taste Bar, Chef's Kitchen, Dining Rooms, Red Frog Pub, BlueIguana Cantina, Carnival Deli, Java Blue, Shake Spot, Pig and Anchor, and Starbucks.