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Carnival Corporation & plc to Transfer AIDA Cruises' AIDAblu Cruise Ship to U.K.'s Ocean Village in Spring 2007
MIAMI, Aug. 4, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc(NYSE: CCL; LSE) (NYSE: CUK) today announced that AIDA Cruises' AIDAblu cruiseship will be transferred to its Ocean Village brand in spring 2007. Thetransfer follows recent orders for three new 68,500-ton cruise ships for theGerman brand to be delivered in spring 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Additionally, Princess Cruises' Regal Princess, which was originallyscheduled to be transferred to Ocean Village, will now remain within thePrincess Cruises fleet.
"This is an excellent opportunity not only to expand Ocean Village'spresence in the U.K. market but also enhance the brand identity of AIDACruises. With the addition of these new 68,500-ton cruise ships, AIDA Cruiseswill be comprised of six modern 'club ships' that cater exclusively to theGerman-speaking market," said Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc'schairman and CEO.
Because the AIDAblu and Ocean Village's current vessel are sister shipsand designed to provide an informal, contemporary cruise experience, minimalmodifications will be required to convert the AIDAblu to reflect thecharacteristics of Ocean Village's product.
At the same time, Arison noted that retaining the Regal Princess under thePrincess Cruises umbrella will enable the brand to maximize its earningspotential. "The strength of the North American cruise market is a compellingreason to keep the Regal Princess within Princess Cruises' fleet. It is oneof the world's most successful and recognizable cruise brands and marketconditions dictate a need for more capacity, not less," he said.
He noted that the multi-brand philosophy uniquely positions CarnivalCorporation & plc to take advantage of the synergies that exist within thecompany's various brands. "The transfer of the AIDAblu to Ocean Village isyet another example of optimizing asset utilization to benefit our brands andmaximize returns for the group and we will continue to explore thoseopportunities," Arison said.
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 79 ships totaling more than 137,000 lowerberths with 12 new ships scheduled for delivery between January 2006 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 & plc
CONTACT: U.S. Media, Tim Gallagher of Carnival Corporation & plc,
+1-305-599-2600, ext. 16000; or U.K. Media, Sophie Fitton of Brunswick,
+011-44-20-7404-5959, for Carnival; or Investors Relations, Beth Roberts of
Carnival Corporation & plc, +1-305-406-4832
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