New 3,006-Passenger Vessel Scheduled to Enter Service in Spring 2008

MIAMI (Sept. 30, 2005) - Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced that it has assigned a previously ordered 112,000-ton cruise ship to its Carnival Cruise Lines brand.

The 3,006-passenger ship, to be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, is expected to enter service in spring 2008.

Representing a new design for Carnival Cruise Lines, the as-yet-unnamed vessel will offer a host of innovative on-board amenities, including the largest spa and children's facilities in the Carnival fleet.

The vessel was part of a five-ship agreement with Fincantieri announced in September 2004 that also included the 116,000-ton Emerald Princess for Princess Cruises, the 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom for Carnival Cruise Lines, and the 116,000-ton Ventura for P&O Cruises, and a significant redesign of Cunard Line's previously ordered Queen Victoria.

"Originally, we envisioned this ship would be designated for one of our European brands. However, Carnival Cruise Lines continues to perform at a very high level and based on the tremendous consumer demand for its products, we now believe that this specific tonnage would be best utilized for Carnival's North American market," said Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc chairman and CEO.

Arison noted that the new ship extends Carnival Cruise Lines' newbuilding program into 2008 and will build upon the line's distinction as the "Number One Choice for Caribbean Cruising."

Among the new vessel's highlights will be a 17,800-square-foot spa that will encompass two forward decks and include an elaborate thermal suite, a variety of health and beauty treatment rooms, and Carnival's first thalasso therapy pool. Encircling the upper level of the spa will be a winter garden that will include a ceremonial tea house.

A 5,500-square-foot children's playroom -- the largest in the Carnival fleet -- will be located mid-ship. Above the facility will be a new water play area - a first for the line.

The mid-ship pool - one of four on board - will be enclosed by two full decks of glass walls. The area will be covered with a two-deck-high retractable dome that can be closed during inclement weather. A large balcony will encircle the upper deck of the pool area.

A new sports deck will be located aft and feature bleacher-style seating for games and other events, while a reservations-only supper club will be located atop the poolside Lido restaurant, providing diners with magnificent ocean vistas.

The ship will also house 1,503 staterooms, 60 percent of which will offer an ocean view with 60 percent of those featuring private verandahs.

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in the world, with a portfolio of 12 cruise brands in North America, Europe and Australia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, Swan Hellenic, and P&O Cruises Australia.

Together, these brands operate 79 ships totaling more than 137,000 lower berths with 12 new ships scheduled for delivery between January 2006 and April 2009. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, Holland America Tours and Princess Tours. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

Just like the "Grand Class", this is another design (Destiny/Conquest Class) that needs to be retired. It's over 10 years old and they just keep modifying the hell out of it with every newbuild. Frankly I never thought it was a very good design even when it was new .... but there are a LOT of balcony cabins crammed in and that is what matters most.

quote:

---

Just like the "Grand Class", this is another design (Destiny/Conquest Class) that needs to be retired. It's over 10 years old and they just keep modifying the hell out of it with every newbuild. Frankly I never thought it was a very good design even when it was new .... but there are a LOT of balcony cabins crammed in and that is what matters most.

Ernie[/QB]

---

I agree 100% I detest this design of ship. Nothing more than a cattle call.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cruisincorey13:
Any naming ideas?

Carnival Tranquility
Carnival Integrity
Carnival Moment

---

Agreed 100%. What ever happened to lines trying to top each other with new, exciting designs? Cookie-cutter, 100,000-ton plus ships are the norm and, quite frankly, it makes me yawn. I remember being excited when Carnival introduced the Fantasy class,...45 Fantasy class ships later, I no longer care. Same for the Destiny and Conquest class.

I won't even get into Princess' Grand class ships,.....they don't make me yawn, they make me gag.

quote:

---

Originally posted by mec1:
Strange though that no-one seems to mind endless repeats of aircraft - boeing isn't chastised for its lack of new designs.

---

Well, you don't spend 7+ days on an airplane in one shot. Most people spend a few hours at a time, and it's basically a means of transportation. For many people, air travel is a necessity and not something they do for fun.

Cruise ships have a bit more pressure on them to be original. The competition is too great, and they are luxury item that everyone can live without.

quote:

---

Originally posted by mec1:
Strange though that no-one seems to mind endless repeats of aircraft - boeing isn't chastised for its lack of new designs.

---

Actually if you were part of the airliner enthusiast contingent, you would hear grumblings about the general sameness of airliners... The Cruise industry is much the same... Once you begin to define an optimal envelope, its only the interiors that change.

quote:

---

”Originally, we envisioned this ship would be designated for one of our European brands...”

---

Not surprising the 112,000gt newbuild from Fincantieri is headed to Carnival. At that tonnage we all knew she was going to be a Conquest-class vessel, and apart from Carnival, this class would only have suited Costa. So why mention European brands? Surely Carnival had no intention of deploying her with either, Aida, Cunard, Ocean Village, P&O or Swan Hellenic?

******

quote:

---

Originally posted by Atlcruiser:

Carnival Repeat.

---

Some other names:
Carnival Mirror
Carnival Clone
Carnival Boring

quote:

---

Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
[QB]It always strikes me as odd that Carnival are the No.1 cruise line yet their fleet in many people opinions is not very inspiring - unless you find Farcus's decor to be such.

QB]

---

Our small group of shiplovers here is more discriminating than the general public. It boils down to the on-board product, which Carnival does quite well for the market it serves.

How inspiring is a McDonald's restaurant, or a Walmart store? They certainly don't compare at all to their more upmarket counterparts, yet the products they offer satisfy their customers.

Carnival has usually implemented new policies, amenities, etc. over the years only after someone else has offered them first and proved them successful. In a way, Carnival has been quite conservative in this approach (I worked in their Operations Dept. for 8 years) yet they are perceived as being "cutting-edge" because of the publicity and marketing that they provide.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Linerrich:
Our small group of shiplovers here is more discriminating than the general public. It boils down to the on-board product, which Carnival does quite well for the market it serves.

---

Yes, I know that you are very right.

quote:

---

Originally posted by mec1:
Actually Carnival has seemed to upgrade its product significantly over the years.

I wish they'd drop the prefix of "Carnival" and just call her "Mardi Gras" - I've always loved it as a name for a cruise ship! Then we could have "Copacabana" and "Carnivale" and "Festivale" and "Kermesse" and "Fantasia" and "Fiesta" and so on.

---

Of course those names for the first ships in the fleet reflected the Line's party image. In later years, Carnival was trying to gain more respectability and get away from the frat-house image, giving their ships more ethereal names. It seems unlikely that they would go back to giving the party names to their ships in future.