CCL-Carnival Cruise Line announced it had achieved a major milestone for the industry as the first line to embark 100 million passengers since its first sailing.
Carnival President Christine Duffy visited the Carnival Sunrise ship on Thursday, March 16th, as guests boarded at PortMiami Florida USA, where the company was founded, to thank them "for choosing fun since 1972 and making Carnival the world’s most popular cruise line."
The milestone was commemorated as Debi and David Clifford, vacationing from Ohio and representing Carnival passengers everywhere as the 100-millionth, boarded the liner with their family. They were recognized with fanfare by Duffy and the ship’s team members, led by Capt. Luca Cherchi. Other passengers embarking on the voyage were able to take part in the festivities and take special photos that signified how each was “One in 100 Million.”
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line said they were the first cruise line to meet the incredible mark of 100M guests and she believed that was a testament to the fun, inclusive atmosphere their valued guests and extraordinary team members had created together onboard their ships for the past 51 years.
“There is certainly much more fun to come. We’re continuing to grow our operations at a rapid pace – with three ships joining our fleet by the spring of next year.”
The new Carnival Celebration is proving popular with vacationers in her first few months of sailing from PortMiami, and now CCL is preparing for another vessel to debut in May 2023. Carnival Venezia is expected to expand Carnival’s New York City offerings from seasonal to year-round and offer new “Carnival Fun Italian Style” experiences.
Later in 2023, Carnival Jubilee (sistership of Mardi Gras and Celebration) joins the fleet and starts homeporting in Galveston Texas. In spring 2024, Carnival Firenze (sistership of Venezia) starts year-round homeporting in Los Angeles (Long Beach).