Carnival Company is, genuinely, an enormous cruise operator and is named the world’s largest journey leisure firm. Altogether, Carnival Company owns 9 totally different cruise traces, with a group of greater than 100 cruise ships.
So, what cruise traces does Carnival personal? And who owns the overarching Carnival model? How did Carnival even handle to amass such an enormous assortment of cruise traces?
We’re right here to reply all your questions on Carnival Company and all of the cruise traces owned by Carnival.
Carnival Cruise Line
First up, the model that began all of it. Should you’re asking your self ‘who owns Carnival cruise line,’ then look no additional, as a result of the reply is correct in entrance of you.
Carnival Cruise Line was the very begin of Carnival Company. Established in 1972, the corporate focused a youthful cruising market on the lookout for a enjoyable vibe, one thing that the road remains to be identified for right this moment.
The primary ship was Mardi Gras, launched in 1972 as nicely, and recreated right this moment in Carnival Cruise Line’s new Mardi Gras ship. Carnival Cruise Line continued to develop its fleet all through the Nineteen Seventies and Eighties, till, it was determined the corporate ought to go public on Wall Avenue, in 1987.
Additionally Learn: Royal Caribbean vs. Carnival Cruise Line – What Are the Variations?
Virtually instantly after going public on the New York Inventory Trade, Carnival Cruise Line began buying different cruise traces and, in 1993, administration determined to alter the overarching firm’s title to Carnival Company, leaving Carnival Cruise Line because the title for the cruise line that began all of it solely.
At present, Carnival Cruise Line encompasses 27 ships throughout its fleet, with the latest being the third Excel-class cruise ship, Carnival Jubilee. The big vessel joined the fleet on the finish of 2023 and have become the twenty sixth vessel within the fleet.
Carnival acquired the Carnival Firenze from its sister line, Costa Cruises, which makes the fleet dimension 27. That may enhance to twenty-eight when a fourth Excel class ship arrives from the Meyer Werft shipyard in 2027.
Holland America Line
Holland America Line was certainly one of Carnival’s first acquisitions and certainly one of Carnival’s cruise traces with the longest historical past. Holland America Line was shaped within the late nineteenth century, in 1873.
The Dutch firm operated not solely passenger ships, but in addition delivery routes, ferrying passengers and items between Europe and the Americas. In 1895, although, Holland America Line branched out into trip cruises, and certainly one of its first leisure cruises was from New York to Palestine.
In fact, like many traces in the course of the two World Wars, Holland America Line pitched in to move army personnel all through the Thirties and Forties.
Nonetheless, as transatlantic air journey turned extra well-liked, Holland America Line ceased its transportation companies and targeted on its cargo delivery, till that facet of the enterprise was offered within the Nineteen Seventies. Leisure journey was all that remained and Carnival Company got here in and scooped up the road in 1989.
At present, Carnival makes use of Holland America Line to supply upper-class cruising experiences each in Europe and throughout the Atlantic. The road is made up of 11 cruise ships, with some of the latest being the MS Rotterdam.
Seabourn
Seabourn is one other cruise line that was one of many first that Carnival Company bought after going public. Nonetheless, in contrast to Holland America Line, Seabourn doesn’t boast hardly as lengthy a historical past. As an alternative, Seabourn was based just a few years earlier than Carnival’s acquisition, as the primary Seabourn ship entered service in 1988.
The Norwegian-owned line didn’t see success early on as, by 1990, future ships had been being delayed because of monetary constraints, and property had been being offered off.
Carnival Company swooped in at the moment and bought a 25% stake within the firm, adopted by a 50% stake in 1996. The consequence was rising success for the model, which was starting to be often known as a luxurious cruise line. In 1998, Carnival went forward and bought the remaining 50% of the corporate.
A smaller line, Seabourn’s fleet at present solely consists of 5 ships, with two ships below building, Seabourn Enterprise and Seabourn Pursuit.
At present, Seabourn remains to be often known as an ultra-luxury, small-ship cruise line and persistently receives accolades from journey publications corresponding to Conde Nast Traveler and Journey & Leisure.
Costa Cruises
One other fast acquisition throughout Carnival Company’s early days, Costa Cruises was acquired in 2000. Nonetheless, very like Holland America, Costa boasts a wealthy historical past stretching again to the 1800s. The truth is, Costa is even older than Holland America, based in 1854.
Associated: Costa Cruises Rebrands With New Emblem and Experiences
Based in Italy, Costa Cruises initially targeted solely on cargo delivery, primarily olives and textiles. It wasn’t till the mid-1900s that Costa launched passenger companies between Europe and South America.
A decade after passenger companies started, Costa delved into the cruising market, with leisure journeys supplied all through the Mediterranean and Caribbean. By the point that Carnival bought 50% of the road, in 1997, Costa was the main cruise line in Europe. Carnival would go on to amass the road absolutely in 2000.
At present, the Costa Cruises line nonetheless primarily companies the European market. There are a dozen ships in Costa’s fleet, with one different within the works, Costa Toscana.
Cunard Line
However Cunard is even older than Costa Cruises, making it Carnival’s second-oldest cruise line with one of many richest histories.
Based by Samuel Cunard in 1839, Cunard Line obtained its begin when Samuel acquired a contract to move mail for Britain throughout the Atlantic. Collectively, with companions from Glasgow, he expanded his companies to move mail between Liverpool, Halifax and Boston.
Finally, Cunard broke into passenger journey, at which level it constructed a few of its most well-known ships, such because the Lusitania, which was tragically sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915, at first of World Warfare I.
Within the Thirties, Cunard constructed the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, making use of presidency loans awarded on the situation that Cunard would merge with the British White Star Line.
However as transatlantic passenger ship journey declined, Cunard tried to raised meet market wants by creating an airline (that was unsuccessful). It then turned its consideration to cruising and launched Queen Elizabeth 2 to complement the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. In 1998, Carnival bought 62% of the road, buying the remaining share in 1999.
Carnival shortly started to rebuild Cunard’s model as a luxurious transatlantic curse line. At present, Cunard’s fleet remains to be small and nonetheless serving transatlantic cruise passengers, with the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2.
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises, which was the second-largest cruise line by internet income as of some years in the past, is far youthful than the above cruise traces. Based in 1965 to serve the Mexican Riviera, Princess Cruises quickly expanded to providing Alaskan cruises.
Nonetheless, Princess Cruises was acquired lower than a decade after its formation, in 1974 — however not by Carnival. As an alternative, Princess Cruises’ first new proprietor was the British-based P&O, which grew the model by leaps and bounds.
P&O Cruises and P&O Australia
Properly, P&O was one other long-standing cruise line. P&O is unquestionably Carnival’s oldest cruise line, shaped in 1822. Based as a delivery and logistics firm, it began providing passenger companies and luxurious cruises as early as 1844, crusing from Southampton to the Mediterranean, after which on to much more unique places, corresponding to Alexandria and Constantinople.
Over the course of its lengthy life, the model absorbed and purchased various different related companies, together with Princess Cruises. Finally, in 2000, P&O would type P&O Princess Cruises, after which that might be what Carnival would merge with in 2003, forming Carnival Company & plc.
On the time of that merger, Carnival Company additionally absorbed P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia and AIDA Cruises. All advised, this merger and acquisition pushed Carnival Company to turn out to be the most important cruise firm on the earth.
At present, Princess Cruises has greater than a dozen cruise ships and three cruise ships within the works. P&O Cruises at present consists of six ships, with the P&O Iona and P&O Arvia set to debut quickly.
P&O Cruises Australia operates three ships, all of which had been beforehand Princess Cruises ships and all of that are on the older facet, with the most recent relationship again to 2002.
AIDA Cruises
Lastly, however definitely not least, as P&O was making its means the world over, choosing up cruise traces, it stopped in Germany to choose up AIDA Cruises, a line based within the Sixties, very like Princess Cruises.
Marketed towards younger party-centric vacationers, AIDA Cruises was an excellent match for its portfolio after which a good higher match for Carnival’s portfolio later.
P&O acquired AIDA comparatively near its merger with Carnival, buying 51% of AIDA in 2000 after which buying the remaining 49% in 2001. Simply two years later, in 2003, Carnival’s merger with P&O led to AIDA turning into yet one more Carnival cruise line.
At present, AIDA operates greater than a dozen cruise ships, with AIDAcosma being the latest.
Different Carnival Acquisitions
However whereas the above cruise traces are people who Carnival owns at present, the company has put apart an excellent bit of cash towards buying different cruise traces over its historical past as nicely, cruise traces that it didn’t maintain on to for good.
For instance, Carnival acquired Windstar Sail Cruises, the small luxurious yacht line, on the similar time that it acquired Windstar’s father or mother firm of the second, Holland America Line, in 1989.
Nonetheless, in 2007, Carnival offered the cruise line to Ambassadors Worldwide (an academic journey firm that not exists, because it filed for chapter in 2011) for $100 million. A subsidiary personal holding firm now owns Windstar.
Carnival has additionally offered off or liquidated a few of P&O Princess’s manufacturers through the years, following the large merger. These embrace A’Rosa Cruises, a German river cruise model that Carnival offered in 2003; Ocean Village, liquidated in 2010; and Swan Hellenic, which specialised in cultural and historic cruises, liquidated in 2007.
Carnival’s additionally based and deserted a few of its cruise traces over the past 50 years. Carnival Company, for instance, established Fathom, a social influence cruise line, in 2015, solely to finish service in 2018.
Value Studying: Titanic vs. Trendy Cruise Ship – How Do They Examine?
Fiesta Marina Cruises was a cruise line geared towards the Spanish-speaking market, solely to be liquidated a 12 months after its founding within the early Nineties. Ibero Cruises was equally marketed towards Spanish audio system, solely this trip of Madrid, although it lasted a bit of longer than Fiesta Marina, about 11 years earlier than liquidation.
What Does This Imply for You?
Mainly, for you, which means Carnival has a lot of expertise within the cruising business, so irrespective of which of the above cruise traces you find yourself cruising with, you need to really feel secure and safe crusing with them. Moreover, it means when you’re not terribly eager on how Carnival works, you then would possibly steer clear from the above.
No matter your cruising preferences, although, one factor’s for positive: As Carnival Company goes into its fiftieth 12 months of enterprise, it doesn’t seem to be it’ll be going anyplace quickly.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Carnival Company owns Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.
With 27 ships in its fleet, the Carnival Cruise Line is the most important Carnival Company line.
Carnival Company is predicated in Miami, with a number of regional headquarters across the globe.
