WRTA Member Carnival earns top cruise awards

CARNIVAL’S OUTSIDE SALES FORCE EARNS TOP HONORS IN ANNUAL
CRUISE ONE/CRUISES INC AWARDS
‘Fun Ships’ Also Named ‘Most Improved Cruise Line’

MIAMI (November 8, 2007) – Carnival Cruise Lines was named “Best Outside Sales Force” and “Most Improved Cruise Line” by Cruise One/Cruises Inc., a national travel consortium consisting of top travel agents throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The awards were presented during the recent Cruise One/Cruises Inc. 2007 annual conference and are based on a survey of hundreds of the organization’s field sales representatives who were asked to rate cruise lines in a variety of product- and service-related categories.
“Carnival places tremendous emphasis on maintaining the highest standards of service and quality and to receive this recognition is a validation of Carnival’s efforts to meet the needs of both our guests and travel agent partners,” said Maurice Zarmati, Carnival Cruise Lines’ vice president of sales.
Carnival received its “Best Outside Sales Force” award for its outstanding service provided to travel agents, who are served by a team of 77 business development managers (BDMs) responsible for strategic planning, marketing direction and sales training to help agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada increase sales and maximize profits. BDMs are supported by a staff of 50 business development specialists located at the company’s Miami headquarters.
Carnival’s “Most Improved Cruise Line” award is based on the line’s many recent product enhancements that have resulted in significant upgrades to the “Fun Ship” vacation experience.
Among these is the $250 million “Evolutions of Fun” ship refurbishment program which recently debuted on the Carnival Inspiration and will be incorporated into the line’s other Fantasy-class vessels over the next few years.
“Evolutions of Fun” upgrades include the Serenity adults-only areas, redesigned mid-ship resort style-pool areas, and Carnival Waterworks- an elaborate water park encompassing a four-deck-high, 300-foot-long spiraling tube water slide, a separate 82-foot-long double-lane racing waterslide, and an expansive spray park that offers multiple and varied water spray apparatus.
Other fleetwide enhancements include the Carnival Comfort Bed sleep system, Wi-Fi and cellular phone service. Carnival’s family friendly upgrades include new activities and facilities for its top-rated “Camp Carnival” children’s program, and expanded programming and attractive teen clubs for its “Club O2” teen program. The line will also debut new custom-designed facilities geared towards 12- to 14-year olds which will offer activities and programming specifically for pre-teens.
Carnival is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 "Fun Ships" operating voyages ranging from three to 18 days in length to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, New England, Canada, Bermuda, Europe, the Greek Isles and South America.
The line currently has three new ships on order, including the 113,300-ton Carnival Splendor, set to launch Carnival’s first Northern European cruise program July 13, 2008, and the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic – to be the largest “Fun Ships” ever constructed when they enter service in June 2009 and October 2011, respectively.
For additional information and reservations, call 1-800-327-9501 (individual) or 1-800-327-5782 (groups) or visit the line’s travel agent Internet portal, bookccl.com.
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Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is a proud member of the exclusive World’s Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises, and The Yachts of Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each guest, and a commitment to quality and value, our member lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. Together, we offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world’s most desirable destinations.