Second Annual World’s Leading Cruise Lines Excellence Awards Recognized Top Travel Partners of Five Carnival Corporation Cruise Lines
North American brands bestowed 35 awards in seven categories
MIAMI (Aug. 21, 2019) — Five Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) brands — Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn — gathered in Miami Beach Aug. 19-21 to recognize the contributions of their top travel partners at the second annual World's Leading Cruise Line Excellence Awards. In all, 35 awards in seven categories were bestowed during the three-day celebration.
First presented in 2018, the original World's Leading Cruise Lines Excellence Awards recognized the travel partners of Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. The 2019 awards were expanded to include all five North American cruise brands of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest leisure-travel company.
"Travel professionals have been an extraordinarily important partner in our business from when we began cruising in 1972, and nearly 50 years later they continue to be a great partner and every bit as important, and this awards program is one more way for us to acknowledge the key role they play in explaining what we do and guiding veteran cruisers and people who have never cruised before to the cruise vacation that's right for them," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "We are thrilled to honor our winning travel partners, while also using the occasion to recognize that all of our travel partners are winners in our eyes. We deeply appreciate their loyalty, commitment and enthusiasm for our world-leading cruise line brands and, together, we look forward to continuing to share our collective business success."
Executives from the winning travel partners were hosted at the W South Beach and had opportunities to meet and network with other agency community leaders and executives and sales teams from all five World's Leading Cruise Lines brands. The highlight of the event was last night's gala awards ceremony at the Temple House on South Beach. Carnival Corporation's Donald gave the welcoming address and Charles Sylvia, ECC, vice president of membership and trade relations for Cruise Lines International Association, served as the gala's master of ceremonies.
The most prestigious of the 35 awards included Carnival Cruise Line's Ted Arison Founder's Award, which went to Expedia Group; Cunard's Samuel Cunard Founder's Award, bestowed on Vacations To Go; Holland America Line's Chairman's Award, presented to Expedia CruiseShipCenters; Princess Cruises' Stanley McDonald Founder's Award, given to AAA Travel and CAA Travel; and Seabourn's Warren Titus Award, conferred on Valerie Wilson Travel Inc.
Each of the five lines also presented Excellence Awards in these categories:
· President's Award: Dream Vacations, CruiseOne, Cruises Inc. (CCL); Avoya Travel (CUN); Vacations To Go (HAL); Ensemble Travel Group (PCL); Vacations To Go (SBN).
· Consortia Partner Excellence Award: TRAVELSAVERS NEST (CCL); Ensemble Travel Group (CUN); Travel Leaders Network (HAL); Travel Leaders Network (PCL); Virtuoso (SBN).
· Franchise Agency Network Excellence Award: Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative (CCL); Expedia CruiseShipCenters (CUN); Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative (HAL); Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative (PCL); Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative (SBN).
· Online Travel Partner Excellence Award: International Voyager (CCL); WMPH (CUN); Cruises-N-More (HAL); Vacations To Go (PCL); World Travel Holdings (SBN).
· Retail Travel Partner Excellence Award: Travel Planners; Expedia CentrodeCruceros, Puerto Rico (CCL); FROSCH International Travel (CUN); Auto Club Enterprise (HAL); Expedia CruiseShipCenters (PCL); FROSCH International Travel (SBN).
· Host Agency Network Excellence Award: Travel Planners International (CCL); Cruises & Tours Unlimited (CUN); Cruises & Tours Unlimited (HAL); KHM Travel Group (PCL); Travel Experts Inc. (SBN).
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About World's Leading Cruise Lines
World's Leading Cruise Lines is a part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest cruise vacation company in the world. Our goal is to help guests experience the best vacation possible by visiting the most desirable destinations at an outstanding value across all 10 brands. Those brands include AIDA, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, P&O Cruises UK and Seabourn. www.worldsleadingcruiselines.com
About Carnival Corporation
Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest leisure travel company, provides travelers around the globe with extraordinary vacations at an exceptional value. The company's portfolio of global cruise line brands includes Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn in North America; P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard in Southampton, England; AIDA Cruises in Rostock, Germany; Costa Cruises in Genoa, Italy; and P&O Cruises (Australia) in Sydney. Additionally, Carnival Corporation owns a tour company that complements its cruise operations: Holland America Princess Alaska Tours which operates in Alaska and the Yukon.
Together, these brands comprise the world's largest cruise company with a fleet of 102 ships visiting more than 700 ports around the world. A total of 19 new ships are scheduled to be delivered to Carnival Corporation between 2017 and 2022.
Carnival Corporation employs over 120,000 people worldwide and its 10 cruise line brands attract nearly 11.5 million guests annually, which is about 50 percent of the global cruise market. Combining more than 225,000 daily cruise guests and 100,000 shipboard employees, more than 325,000 people are sailing aboard the Carnival Corporation fleet every single day, totaling about 85 million passenger cruise days a year.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Carnival Cruise Line
Joyce Oliva
+1 305-599-2600 ext. 16000
Cunard (North America)
Jackie Chase
+1 661-753-1035
Holland America Line
Sally Andrews
+1 206-626-9890
Princess Cruises
Brian O'Connor
+1 661-753-1530
Seabourn
Irene Lui
+1 206-626-9122
