MIAMI (07/28/00) - Carnival Cruise
Lines, a unit of Carnival
Corporation (NYSE: CCL), earlier today took delivery of its new $440
million cruise ship, the 102,000-ton Carnival Victory, during the
traditional “hand-over” ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in
Monfalcone, Italy, where the 2,758-passenger vessel was built. The
delivery of Carnival Corporation’s 10th vessel from the Italian
shipbuilder will be commemorated with a reception and luncheon
tomorrow for Italian dignitaries and European press. Carnival will
then host a dinner and party for Fincantieri’s shipyard workers who
spent the better part of the past two years constructing the massive,
state-of-the-art cruise ship.
The Carnival Victory, the 15th vessel in the “Fun Ship” fleet
and the third in Carnival’s highly successful “Destiny-class,”
will depart Monfalcone Wednesday, Aug. 2 on its transatlantic crossing
and is expected to arrive in New York on Monday, Aug. 14. From there,
the Carnival Victory will sail on its inaugural voyage - a sold-out
two-night cruise-to-nowhere departing Aug. 18, followed by three
additional sold-out two-night cruises, an overnight voyage and various
travel agent and fund-raising functions. The ship will then launch a
program of four- and five-day cruises from New York to the Canadian
Maritimes Aug. 31.
One of the largest cruise ships ever constructed, the 893-foot-long
Carnival Victory features a wide variety of on-board amenities and
facilities, including a nine-deck-high atrium offering easy and
convenient access to the vessel’s 18 bars and lounges, which range
from an intimate piano bar to a spectacular three-deck-high show
lounge housing lavish Las Vegas-style productions. The ship also
features 13 passenger decks and 1,379 staterooms, 62 percent of which
offer an ocean view with 60 percent of those including private
balconies. Also included are three two-deck-high restaurants - two
full-service main dining rooms and a casual poolside eatery offering a
24-hour pizzeria, a New York-style deli, specialty areas serving Asian
and American favorites, full breakfast and lunch buffets and a
“Seaview Bistro” alternative dinner-time service. A
15,000-square-foot “Nautica Spa” health and fitness facility, a
1,300-square-foot “Children’s World” play area, part of the
line’s top-rated “Camp Carnival” children’s program, and an
Internet café, are included, as well.
Following its New York voyages, the Carnival Victory will sail on a
series of one- to five-night voyages from Newport News, Va., and
Charleston, S.C., before repositioning to Miami to operate a three-day
Bahamas voyage and a program of week-long Caribbean cruises beginning
Oct. 15. Carnival Cruises currently has six other “Fun Ships” with an
estimated value of $2.6 billion scheduled for delivery over the next
four years. Included in the company’s order book are three
2,794-passenger vessels under contract with Fincantieri - the Carnival
Conquest in 2002, the Carnival Glory in 2003 and an as-yet-unnamed
vessel in 2004. At 952 feet long and 110,000 gross registered tons,
these three cruise ships represent longer, larger versions of the company’s
popular “Destiny-class” vessels.
