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Carnival Corporation & plc Orders New 68,500-Ton Cruise Ship for AIDA Cruises Brand
Third New 2,030-Passenger Vessel to Serve the Rapidly Expanding German Cruise Market Beginning in Spring 2008
MIAMI, July 13, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc(NYSE: CCL; LSE) (NYSE: CUK) has ordered a 68,500-ton cruise ship for its AIDACruises brand, which caters exclusively to the German-speaking market, markingthe third new ship order placed for its German cruise line in the past ninemonths.
The 2,030-passenger vessel, which will be constructed by Germany's MeyerWerft shipyard at an all-in cost of euro 315 million, is scheduled to enterservice in April 2008.
It will be a sister ship to AIDA's two previously announced 68,500-toncruise ships which will be built at Meyer Werft and are expected to enterservice in April 2007 and April 2009.
Like its sister ships, the new vessel will operate under AIDA's informal"club resort" cruise concept which is aimed at younger, more activevacationers and offers a host of on-board amenities and facilities.
"With an expected passenger base of approximately one million by 2010, theGerman market is expanding at a very rapid pace. Ordering a third 68,500-ton'club resort' newbuild for AIDA continues our European strategy of developingthis fast-growing market by offering cruises with the most exciting, modernships available for German vacationers," said Micky Arison, CarnivalCorporation & plc chairman and CEO.
AIDA Cruises revolutionized the German cruise market with the introductionof its first club ships in 1996. By 2009, a total of seven club ships will bein service, operating voyages to the Mediterranean, the Canaries, North Sea,the Baltic, the Caribbean and Central America.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in theworld, with a portfolio of 12 cruise brands in North America, Europe andAustralia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, PrincessCruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises,Cunard Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, Swan Hellenic, and P&O CruisesAustralia.
Together, these brands operate 78 ships totaling more than 134,000 lowerberths with 13 new ships scheduled for delivery between July 2005 and April2009. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates the leading tour companies inAlaska and the Canadian Yukon, Holland America Tours and Princess Tours.Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation &plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and theFTSE 100 indices.
SOURCE Carnival Corporation
CONTACT: Media, U.S., Tim Gallagher, Carnival Corporation, +1-305-599-
2600, ext. 16000; or UK, Sophie Fitton or Sarah Tovey, both of Brunswick
group, +011-44-20-7404-5959, for Carnival Corporation; or Investors, U.S. and
UK, Beth Roberts, Carnival Corporation, +1-305-406-4832
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