Man takes same Carnival cruise 33 times in a row

Posted on 4 September, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

By Tom Stieghorst

A Mississippi man has departed the Carnival Elation after setting a record by taking the same four- and five-night itinerary to Mexico 33 times.

Mark Fosselman of Diamond Head, Miss., has been sailing on Elation since April. His five-month odyssey began after his wife Becky passed away. They had sailed together on the New Orleans-based Elation in the past, and the ship evoked good memories, Carnival said in a statement.

Fosselman said his wife loved sailing with Carnival and believed that the cruises contributed greatly to her quality of life despite her declining health. According to Carnival, Fosselman said he considered the voyages therapeutic following his wife’s death.

Carnival said Fosselman is notable because no one else is believed to have sailed as many consecutive Carnival cruises in the line’s 42-year history.

The Carnival Elation staff warmly greeted Fosselman him in the ship’s atrium and held a special farewell reception that included a banner created especially for the occasion when he finally left the ship.

Carnival does the Ice Bucket Challenge, fleet wide

Posted on 20 August, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

By Jerry Limone

Personnel on all 24 of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships, plus CEO Gerry Cahill, took the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” getting doused with ice water to create awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

John Heald, Carnival’s senior cruise director and well-known blogger, was the star of a three-minute video, getting drenched with a garbage can full of ice and water on the Carnival Miracle, then warbling “Let It Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen.”

Watch Carnival’s Ice Bucket Challenge.

Carnival is making a $100,000 donation to the ALS Association. Click to make a donation.

Ken Muskat of MSC Cruises has plans to take the Ice Bucket Challenge on the MSC Divina while the ship is in port in Miami on Friday.

The Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral on social media, and several celebrities and politicians have accepted the challenge.

Carnival most improved in brand ranking

Posted on 21 July, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

By Tom Stieghorst

Carnival Cruise Lines claimed the top spot in a brand research company’s list of most improved U.S. consumer brands at mid-year 2014.

The cruise line’s change in consumer perception score in the YouGov BrandIndex was double the improvement level achieved by Bank of America, which placed second on the list. Facebook ranked as the third most improved brand.

“Carnival not only brought its consumer perception back in line with the rest of industry, but their sales potential, indicated by consumers who say they would consider the brand for their next cruise, has rebounded above the rest of the cruise sector,” said Ted Marzilli, CEO of BrandIndex.

Hotwire ranked as the most improved brand in the travel agent category, although Priceline has the highest overall ranking in the segment.

Brands are rated using YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score which asks respondents, “If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?”