Carnival Fleetwide Reliability Program

Does the Ship Make Its Own Power?


If you've cruised on Carnival before, your Cruise Director probably answered this question in one of his talks.  Of course everyone knows that the ship has a long extension cord that runs all the way back to Miami.


Carnival in the News

Even if you've never cruised before, you've recently heard news stories about various operational issues onboard Carnival Cruise Lines' ships. While these situations are rare, it does afford the opportunity for review of the fleet operations and to learn ways to improve. Carnival Cruise Lines has done just that, and has announced an ambitious fleetwide program.

Watch this video to see President and CEO Gerry Cahill explain the improvements and then read about the highlights below.


CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES ANNOUNCES FLEETWIDE $300 MILLION PROGRAM TO ENHANCE OPERATING RELIABILITY AND GUEST COMFORT


This enhancement program will cost more than $300 million, and rapid upgrades have already begun. It will focus on the following areas:

• Increased Emergency Generator Power
• Increased Fire Prevention, Detection and Suppression Systems  
• Enhanced Operating Redundancies
• Company to Form New Safety & Reliability Review Board

The actions by Carnival Cruise Lines will expand the availability of hotel services for the comfort of its guests in the rare instance of a shipboard event that involves the loss of main power. In addition, the plan will reinforce key shipboard operating systems to further prevent a potential loss of primary power. The improvement plan is the result of a comprehensive operational review, overseen by parent company Carnival Corporation & plc, initiated immediately after the Carnival Triumph fire in February 2013.

“All of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships operate safely today. Each vessel already has effective systems in place to prevent, detect and respond to emergency situations, and we meet or exceed all regulatory requirements,” said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. “However, by applying lessons learned through our fleet-wide operational review after the Carnival Triumph fire and by taking advantage of new technologies, we have identified areas for enhancement across our operations. These initiatives reflect our commitment to safe and reliable operations and an enjoyable cruising experience for the nearly 4.5 million guests who sail with Carnival Cruise Lines each year.” 

“Our fleet already operates at a high standard of reliability. The investments announced today for Carnival Cruise

Lines, and those we will continue to make, will reinforce our ability to consistently deliver the customer experience that 10 million people every year have come to expect from us across our fleet of 101 ships. Absolutely nothing is more important than the safety and comfort of our guests and crew, and we will use the full resources of our company to meet that commitment,” said Micky Arison, Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

We applaud Carnival for taking these steps to further demonstrate their commitment to safety of their guests, crew, and ships.  Even in the wake of these events, the overall Cruise Industry still remains the safest means of travel.     

Carnival Triumph & Sunshine Returns Delayed

Carnival Triumph & 

Carnival Sunshine 

Mechanical Improvements

Carnival Cruise Lines' President and CEO Gerry Cahill announced that Carnival Destiny and Carnival Sunshine will extend their time in drydock in order to complete some extensive mechanical improvements in the wake of the Carnival Triumph fire and subsequent operational review.

The ships will remain out of service longer than expected so the line can increase operating redundancies, emergency power and fire prevention, detection and suppression systems. Cahill had announced the fleetwide operational review at announced during last week's Cruise Shipping Miami tradeshow and this announcement comes right on its heels and the mechanical problem on Carnival Liberty which caused the ship to limp back to port.

Carnival Triumph - 10 Additional Cruises Cancelled
Return to Service now June 3rd

Carnival Triumph now will return to service on June 3, with 10 additional cruises being canceled.

The changes they are implementing are focused primarily on improvements to better support continued power and hotel services should unexpected issues arise. In addition, we are applying new learnings and making enhancements in the area of fire suppression and extinguishing.

For more information about the Carnival Triumph fire and subsequent cancellations, see the following article:
Carnival Triumph Additional Cancellations & Compensation

Carnival Sunshine - 2 Cruises Cancelled Return to Service now May 5th

Carnival Sunshine will now complete the full-ship makeover from the former Carnival Destiny, and will enter service May 5, following the cancellation of two European cruises. For more information about the makeover, see Destiny + 49 Days = Sunshine.

In a news release, Cahill apologized for the additional cancellations but said the line is "fully committed to applying the recommendations stemming from our fleetwide review and to make whatever investments are needed despite the difficult position to impact people's vacations."

“Our team of experts has worked virtually around the clock to determine the best set of solutions and rapidly develop an effective implementation plan for both of these ships,” he continued. “Moving forward, we will have the ability to source materials and schedule improvements much more expediently, thus minimizing the scheduling impact on other vessels. I would like to provide continued assurances that all of our vessels have fully effective safety systems, equipment and training in place. Additionally, our ships receive regular inspections from the U.S. Coast Guard and other regulatory authorities.

Compensation Plan

Guests on the canceled voyages will receive a full refund, reimbursement of non-refundable travel costs, and a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.

“Going forward, the review will focus on the balance of our fleet. While this process will take time, it is our highest priority and has the full support and resources of Carnival Cruise Lines and Carnival Corporation,” Cahill said.