Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.
3655 N.W. 87th Avenue
Miami, FL 33178-2428 Phone: (305) 599-2600 or (800) 438-6744 Website:www.carnivalcruises.com
COMPANY OVERVIEW: Carnival's successful formula is to offer well-priced cruises to the Caribbean, Bahamas and Alaska on glitzy ships that have lots of activities and comprehensive, year-round children's programs. In November, 1998, the last of the eight successful "Fantasy"-class ships entered the market, the Paradise. The "Fantasy"-class ships, which first entered the market in 1990, are all 70,000 tons, accommodate 2,040 passengers and comprise the most cruise ships ever built of a single design. The "Destiny"-class ships weigh in at 102,000 tons and have a passenger capacity of 2,758. The first of the class, Carnival Destiny, entered the market in 1996 and the second, Carnival Triumph, is set to sail in July, 1999, offering 3 and 4-night cruises to Canada from New York City. Carnival's Paradise is the world's first smoke-free ship.
KIDS/FAMILY PROGRAMS: Carnival offers "Camp Carnival," a children's program, on-board every ship and every sailing year-round.
Camp Carnival has separate activity groups for ages two to four; five to eight; nine to 12; and 13 to 17 year-olds. The program, is also one of the few at sea whose counselors will change diapers for campers age two and older.
The Carnival Destiny and Carnival Triumph have playrooms of 1,300 square feet each while Children's World on the newest ships, the Elation, the Paradise and the Triumph, measure a huge 2,500 square feet. The room has an arts and crafts area with spin and sand art machines, a computer lab, a multi-tiered indoor climbing maze, an "activity wall" filled with toys, games and puzzles plus a 16-monitor video wall displaying kids' favorite movies and cartoons
YOUTH COUNSELORS: All ships carry nine counselors year-round with an additional staff member put on board in the summer, except for the slightly smaller ships including the Jubilee, Holiday, Celebration, and Tropicale which carry seven or eight counselors. All youth staff must have a bachelor's degree in an education-related field, experience in child care, and pass a security check prior to employment.
HOURS OF OPERATION: On sea days Camp Carnival operates from 9:00 A.M. to 10 P.M. except for a dinner break from 5:30 P.M. to 7 P.M. On the two formal nights counselors take the children to a supervised dinner at the Lido café.
IN-PORT KIDS PROGRAMS: Camp Carnival is open on port days. On Port days the youth staff will babysit for tots under two from 8am to noon for $5 an hour.
TEEN FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS: Generally there are about six to seven hours a day of teens activities offered, mostly in the afternoon and evening. Typical teen activities include: Ping-Pong tournaments, a pool party, pizza party, and a lip-synch contest. Many older teens find the activities boring, but and more appropriate for younger kids, but Carnival rallies this group with teen-only shore excursions in Alaskan ports.
For more information about Carnival cruises, give them a call at:(800) 438-6744 or visit them online at: www.carnivalcruises.com
