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Hello friends and business colleagues! This is our first official newsletter in 2010. On behalf of the entire Group Business Development Team, I’d like to extend our appreciation for your continued support and for the vital partnerships that we have forged together.
As many of you know, our team has received recognition for their exceptional handling of a variety of highly successful large groups, incentives and full ship charters. We look forward to working closely with you to create new and exciting programs. Our extensive experience in handling a wide range of groups from meeting, incentive and corporate business to fitness, religious and musical groups ensures that working with Carnival is the best option for you and your clients.
We are proud of our outstanding product and the value that Carnival offers your clients. As you may know, value has always been a key element of the Carnival brand. The concept of value isn’t limited to offering affordable prices --- it means providing guests with a fun, quality vacation that exceeds their expectations in every respect. With your
choice of 22 ships, meeting facilities, three- to 12-day itineraries to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England and Europe, chances are you just found your next successful venue.
We welcome the opportunity to work with you to develop and build group business. We are dedicated to executing programs that will become memorable experiences for your clients.
Let us know how we can assist you.
Best personal regards,
Joan Levicoff Sanchez, CTC
V.P. Large Group Sales and Operations
CARNIVAL’S NEWEST YEAR-ROUND HOMEPORT: CHARLESTON, S.C.
With its convenient location, wide range of historical sites and attractions and gracious Southern hospitality, Charleston was an obvious choice as Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest year-round homeport.
Starting May 18, the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy will introduce the first year-round cruise schedule from Charleston with five-, six- and seven-day cruises to the tropical ports of Nassau and Freeport, The Bahamas, the private island of Half Moon Cay, beautiful Grand Turk in the Turks & Caicos and laid-back Key West, Fla. The Carnival Fantasy underwent a multi-million-dollar refurbishment and emerged with an expansive Carnival WaterWorks aquatic park, a relaxing Serenity adult-only retreat, a remodeled resort-style pool, multi-functional conference facilities and a host of other features.
You’ll love visiting Charleston before or after your "Fun Ship" cruise and taking in the local sites such as White Point Gardens with views of Charleston Harbor, Ft. Sumter, the Audubon Center or Charles Towne Landing. Don’t miss historic downtown Charleston which is filled with exciting shopping and dining opportunities. Or try a Harbor Tour departing from the Charleston Maritime Center. When you visit this magical city with its cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, Colonial Row Houses, Antebellum Mansions and beautiful parks and gardens, you will feel its rich history come alive.
Make sure your clients know about this fabulous opportunity to cruise aboard the Carnival Fantasy from historic Charleston to these most popular destinations.
Click here for more information.
CARNIVAL CUSTOMIZES
Did you know that Carnival can provide you with a number of great options to help customize your program? For example, we can set up a private hotel check-in, a hospitality desk onboard, welcome letters from the captain and personalized stateroom gifts. Onboard meetings can be set up and we include most audio-visual equipment free of charge. Or perhaps the group would like a private cocktail reception, an ice sculpture depicting your company logo, a group photo or customized desserts. For something really special, how about a private shore tour, customized beach tours or even a private golf tournament? These options can make a great experience even more memorable for a group.
For more information on customizing your group, please contact Carnival’s Group Business Development Department at 1-800-438-6744, extension 70007.
MAHOGANY BAY
Five years in development and two years under construction, the new $62 million Mahogany Bay Cruise Center in Roatan is now open and welcoming cruise ships. Encompassing 20 acres of waterfront property, the modern, two-berth cruise terminal can easily accommodate 8,000 cruise guests daily. Offering a welcome center with a variety of retail outlets, a restaurant, two themed bars, and a transportation hub for taxis and tour buses, the cruise center is expected to host more than 500,000 cruise guests a year.
Unique to Mahogany Bay is a new chair-lift system called the “Magical Flying Beach Chair” that takes guests on a relaxing six-minute, 1,200 foot long ride from the welcome center to beautiful Mahogany Beach, a 10-acre private island featuring an gorgeous 825-foot white-sand beach with lounge chairs, floats, beach volleyball court and a variety of watersports opportunities.
And for cruise guests that want to venture a bit further, a wide range of shore tour excursion opportunities are also available. For more information about this new and exciting port of call, please visit www.mahoganybaycc.com.
NO NEED TO FLY, HAVE YOUR MEETING AT SEA
Did you know that over 50% of the U.S. population is within a five-hour drive of a Carnival homeport? With 15 convenient home ports in the U.S., your clients will enjoy the ease and cost savings of their next meeting-at-sea! Plus, the savings from not buying airline tickets can be used for customizing onboard programs. All the fun of a Carnival cruise plus meals, onboard activities and entertainment, meeting space and A/V equipment is included in your cruise fare. Carnival makes meetings-at-sea affordable and the experience of a lifetime as your clients visit beautiful destinations in the Caribbean, The Bahamas, Alaska, Hawaii and Europe. Please click here for more information on Carnival Meetings.
PREFERRED AWARDS - THE PERFECT AWARD FOR THE VERY BEST
If you’re looking to reward top employees or customers, we’ve got the perfect product for you. Our Preferred Awards cruise certificates will not only acknowledge those that deserve it, but will also create long-lasting wonderful memories for the award recipients. These cruise certificates cover two guests and provide the freedom to choose from various itineraries and dates among our 22 ships. As the one awarding the cruise, your company will enjoy the ease of purchasing the certificates and the satisfaction of knowing your gift is valued and appreciated.
We offer various certificate levels along with competitive pricing that is valid for 18 months. For details please call 1-800-906-7603, or email us at corporatesales@carnival.com.
KEEPING UP WITH CARNIVAL
From the start, we’ve built our ships with one goal in mind: to make sure that every time you walk up that gangway, you feel like you’re boarding the U.S.S. Fun.
Almost 40 years later, our ships have grown into a massive “Fun Ship” fleet, dedicated to helping millions of people chill out, jump for joy, and generally go back home smiling from an incredible vacation. What’s our secret? An onboard experience so packed with good times, you can’t help but have the time of your life. A Carnival cruise is everything you want and everywhere you want to be.
But you don’t have to take our word for it. Carnival provides award-wining services and programs, and we’re proud to let these awards speak for themselves.
Click here for more details.
FUN TRIVIA:
Question:Cunard’s R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth at 83,673 gross tons held the title of the largest passenger ship ever built from the time of her launch in 1938 until 1996. Which Carnival “Fun Ship” took the title of world’s largest from the Queen?
Answer: Carnival Destiny, which entered service in November 1996, was not only the first passenger ship in nearly 60 years to be larger than the Queen Elizabeth, but was also the first to surpass 100,000 gross tons. The beautiful Carnival Destiny sails year-round from Miami on 4 and 5-day cruises to The Bahamas and the Western Caribbean. Please click here for details.
