Miscellaneous12 Things You Didn't Know About Carnival Cruise Line

12 Things You Didn’t Know About Carnival Cruise Line

1. Carnival Cruise Line was founded by Ted Arison, an entrepreneur who took a converted transatlantic ocean liner and started his dream of making a cruise vacation accessible and affordable for everyone.

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2. The very first cruise on a Carnival cruise ship began with the ship running aground on a sandbar just outside of Miami, Florida in 1972. The ship was Mardi Gras and future sailings went much more smoothly.

3. Carnival next and currently under construction cruise ship, Carnival Horizon, will be approximately 5 times larger than Carnival’s first ship Mardi Gras (27,284 gross tons).

4. The first ship that was custom built for Carnival was Tropicale.  The construction of the ship kicked off the beginning of a multi billion dollar shipbuilding boom that helped propel the cruise industry into what it is today.

5. More passengers sail with Carnival Cruise Line than any other cruise line in the world.

6. Carnival was the very first cruise line to run commercials on network TV. Kathie Lee Gifford (then Johnson) starred in the commercials that ran in 1984.

7. Carnival was the first cruise line to build a cruise ship (Carnival Destiny) over 100,000 gross tons in size.  The ship has now been rebranded as Carnival Sunshine.

8. No other cruise line in the world has more cruise ships (25) in service than Carnival Cruise Line.

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9. There are currently 36,500 crew members working on board Carnival Fun Ships.

10. Within 15 years of Carnival’s first voyage, the cruise line earned the distinction as “Most Popular Cruise Line in the World”, a title that Carnival still carries in 2017.

11. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Carnival Holiday, Carnival Ecstasy, and Carnival Sensation were chartered by the U.S. government for six months to serve as temporary housing.

12. In 2004, Carnival Cruise Line called for the development of the “Pinnacle Project”, a 180,000 gross ton prototype that at the time would have been the largest cruise ship in the world.  The project never came to fruition.

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Ben Souza
Ben Souza
Ben is a world traveler who has visited 40+ countries, taken over 70 cruises. He is one of USA TODAY's experts for their 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. His writings have appeared and been cited in various media outlets such as Yahoo News, MSN, NPR, CNN, Fox, and ABC News. Ben currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. Follow Ben on Instagram. Visit Ben Souza on Linkedin. You may email Ben at [email protected].
Miscellaneous12 Things You Didn't Know About Carnival Cruise Line
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24 COMMENTS

  1. Travelled on Carnival for 4 cruises and 1 on Seaborne…loved them all. I fly overseas at least twice a year and would not dream of traveling without insurance…that’s just commonsense!
    More than one family member has my full itinerary, and I purchase a global calling plan ($45 for month from Verizon). My phone is set up with 4 ICE numbers (in case of emergency).

  2. I have enjoyed many cruises with Carnival Cruise line. I haven’t counted how many. Living near Port canaveral and Miami it’s easy to enjoy their wonderful ships. From Mardis Gras to my last trip on Victory there is always something FUN to remember.
    Always purchase travel insurance and be responsible for your own heath and safety as best you can. Enjoy! Fellow cruisers.

  3. My husband and I went 2 years ago out of Baltimore on the Carnival Pride. We had a great time and will be going again in May with our kids.. we are so excited! The staff were so friendly we loved our little guy who took care of our room. We had a extended balcony and the view was Great!

  4. Been on Carnival for 17 cruise’s, 18th next month, have not had a bad one, some better than others but not a bad one

  5. Carnival cruise was a cruise from hell and I have told everyone about it they thought I had a stroke took me and my granddaughter to a hospital in Mexico my children were trying to find me carnival did not know the name of the hospital nor a phone number all my kids knew I was somewhere in Mexico with a stroke the next day two men came with carnival written on their shirts to take to ambulance carnival said do not go with them we do not know who they are . Does that sound like a great cruise. I had to pay 1100 to get out of hospital that I can’t get back sound like fun

    • if you have travel medical insurance , it would be covered for medical issues. why blame the ship for something the did not cause?

    • they could have handled this womans situation a little more thorough and followed through with hospital she was taken to and a phone number The unknown for the family must have been horrific Who knows if same thing would happen with insurance once you are off the ship She was in a foreign country Put yourself in her place and stop being so harsh

    • Yes it was unfortunately, but your issue could have been prevented with travel insurance..Carnival can not force anyone to have it, that is a decision you made, not them…you could have saved possibly several thousand dollars,($1100 it cost to get out of hospital plus all the airfare for around $100, the cost of a policy )… Never leave home without it!…

    • That is a choice you made not carnival how can you blame them for you not taking the ins. And going with unknown crew bad choices made by you are on you. Love me some crushing looking to September on the sunshine out of NYC

    • Sorry your trip was so bad, however, as the veteran of 28 cruises, I can tell you that had you taken out the proper travel medical insurance, you would have not had such a terrible experience. Hope that you are feeling better.

  6. Our first cruise was on the Festival and we’re still sailing with Carnival. Our next cruise is 12-24-16 out of Galveston.

  7. My Wife and I love cruising and next year in May we will be on Carnivals Voyeure out of Orlando, Fla. And we only cruise with a balcony suite for We enjoy waking up to the sounds of the Ocean against the hull of the ship
    Looking forward to sailing with you Carnival for this will be our first Carnival cruise.

    • give it a rest please. just because you had a bad experience doesn’t mean everyone will i have done 2 fantastic cruises with carnival.

    • Hi shirley mctire,
      just cause you had a bad experience doesn’t mean they are a bad cruise line. many people who book carnival don’t get a ‘stroke’ and end up in mexico. carnival may have handed your situation badly but that was a one time. at least they took you to a hospital so you didn’t die from the stroke.

      sorry if i sound rude but i find your comment frustrating. 🙂

    • Let it go Shirley! As you can see, your poor comments towards CCL are very much over-showded by the POSITIVE comments being left by others. I have sailed Carnival 5 times of my last 13 cruises and NEVER had a bad cruise. Your poor planning and lack of communication with your family members led to your disappointment. The crew on the ship felt you were having a medical emergency and reacted just as they were supposed to. If you had cruise insurance, your medical bills AND relocation home would have been covered. Just don’t cruise anymore ! The rest of us seem to be OK with it.

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