Content Section
Carnival Corporation & plc Orders Two New 71,000-Ton Cruise Ships for AIDA Cruises Brand; Increases Capacity of a Previously Ordered Vessel
Triples AIDA's Total Fleet Capacity to 16,384 Berths by May 2012
MIAMI, Dec. 13, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc(NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) has ordered two 71,000-ton cruise ships for itsAIDA Cruises brand, which caters exclusively to the German-speaking market.These two newbuilds mark six new ships that the German cruise operator hasordered in just the past three years.
The 2,174-passenger vessels, which will be built at Germany's Meyer Werftshipyard at an all-in cost of euro 380 million and euro 385 million, arescheduled to enter service in April 2011 and May 2012, respectively.
Additionally, the company announced that it has contracted with MeyerWerft to increase the size of the fourth vessel in the series, set to debut inApril 2010, to 71,000 tons with a passenger capacity of 2,174, making it asister to the two ships ordered today. The all-in cost for that vessel hasbeen increased from euro 335 million to euro 350 million.
All of these vessels will operate under AIDA Cruises' informal "clubresort" cruise concept which is marketed exclusively to German-speakingclientele and offers a product aimed at younger, more active guests who enjoya host of on-board amenities and facilities.
"With the interest in cruise vacations among Europeans continuing to growsignificantly, we are committed to investing in our European brands. Theaddition of these 71,000-ton 'club resort' newbuilds and the increase incapacity for the fourth in the series will help to ensure that we haveadequate capacity to meet growing demand, while further reinforcing AIDA'sposition as the leader in the German cruise industry," said Micky Arison,Carnival Corporation & plc chairman and CEO.
AIDA Cruises' President Michael Thamm added, "Our business has beenperforming very strongly and our parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc,shares our confidence in the potential of the German cruise business asdemonstrated by the more than euro 2 billion investment in six exciting newships."
These vessels will join the 68,500-ton AIDAbella, set to debut in April2008, and an as-yet-unnamed sister ship in April 2009. The first vessel inthe series, AIDAdiva, was introduced earlier this year.
AIDA Cruises revolutionized the German cruise market with the introductionof its first "club ships" in 1996. By 2012, a total of nine "club ships" willbe in service, operating voyages to the Mediterranean, the Canaries, the NorthSea, the Baltic, the Caribbean, the Arabian Gulf, Asia and Central America.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in theworld, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe andAustralia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, PrincessCruises, The Yachts of Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line,Iberocruceros, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia.
Together, these brands operate 85 ships totaling more than 158,000 lowerberths with 22 new ships scheduled to enter service between April 2008 and May2012. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Tours andPrincess Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon.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 & plc
CONTACT:
Media, US, Tim Gallagher, +1-305-599-2600, ext. 16000,
InvestorRelations (US/UK), Beth Roberts, +1-305-406-4832,
both of Carnival Corporation& plc;
or Sophie Fitton/Sophie Brand of Brunswick Group, +44 (0) 20 7404 5959
Web site: #
(CCL CUK)
Kaleidoscope powered