Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC. The company has the largest fleet in the group, with 23 vessels currently in operation that account for 21.1% of the worldwide market share [2]. Executive control of the company is provided by the North American division of Carnival Corporation, headquartered in Doral, Florida[3][4]
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 the Carnival Destiny of 101,000 gross tons became the largest passenger ship in the world at the time. In 2004, Carnival Corporation ordered for a development program for Carnival's new ships, which was called the Pinnacle Project, which calls for a 200,000-GT prototype, which would have been the world's largest cruise ship.[5] As of 2009, the latest and largest ship in the Carnival fleet is the Carnival Dream, a new 128,000 gross ton ship. The Carnival Dream entered service on 21 September 2009. After several voyages in the Mediterranean she is set to offer weekly Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral from 5 December 2009. A sister ship, the Carnival Magic, debuted on May 1, 2011. On December 1, 2009 it was announced that Carnival placed an order for a third Dream-class vessel.[6] It will enter service in June 2012 and will be homeported in Miami.[7] On May 10, 2010, Carnival selected a name for their new Dream-class vessel in 2012; the Carnival Breeze.[8]
