With 50% more sales than the busiest Cyber Monday to date in 2019, Carnival Cruise Line is setting itself up for the best cruise season to date in 2023.
The introduction of Carnival Celebration from Miami, Carnival Luminosa in Australia, and the upcoming three new ships to the fleet in the next year-and-a-half is providing Carnival Cruise Line the boost it needed after two sparse years.
Cyber Monday Breaks All Records
Carnival Cruise Line experienced a very positive couple of days as sales on Cyber Monday exceeded all expectations. The much-discussed pent-up demand has been manifest for several months now, even increasing after the cruise line relaxed its health protocols, but they reached a fever pitch on Monday, November 28.
The Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally when cruise lines see increased bookings spurred on by various discounts. However, this year, Carnival Cruise Line broke all records, as Cyber Monday 2022 saw 50% more bookings than what has always been the best year so far, 2019.
Those bookings were driven by the various new ships that Carnival has introduced in recent months, an additional three ships that will be added to the fleet in the coming 18 months, and new programs that have been developed in the US and abroad, particularly Australia.
“The Cyber Monday sale activity showed consumer demand across the fleet, and we were particularly pleased with the booking activity for Carnival Venezia’s new year-round service from New York and our new extended six-month program for Carnival Magic out of Norfolk,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Earlier this year, Carnival saw the busiest one-week booking period in its history in March and April, following the return of its entire fleet to service. The arrival of Carnival Celebration in Miami also spurred a lot of interest in the US, causing a lot of media attention that certainly didn’t hurt Carnival Cruise Line.
“Our very successful naming ceremony for Carnival Celebration on November 20 and all the media coverage it generated clearly kept Carnival top of mind as vacationers got started on their holiday shopping yesterday,” Duffy continued.
26 Cruise Ships Open for Bookings
Carnival already had the most extensive cruise ship fleet in the United States, but the various additions confirm Carnival Cruise line as America’s cruise line.
Currently, 24 Carnival cruise ships are operational in the United States and Australia, while 26 ships are currently open for booking. According to Carnival, one of the most popular is Carnival Venezia, sailing from New York City in June of 2023.
“Our summer season in New York has been extremely popular, so increasing our offerings with a larger, newer ship that sails year-round provides the opportunity for more guests in the tri-state area and beyond to enjoy the convenience of sailing right from Manhattan,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Carnival Luminosa joined the Carnival fleet earlier this year and set sail from Brisbane, Australia, in November 2022. Carnival Celebration joined the fleet last month, sailing a maiden Transatlantic cruise from Southampton before beginning her maiden Caribbean season from PortMiami.
Next year will see the arrival of Carnival Jubilee, the third Excel-class cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line, and in 2024, Carnival Cruise Line will welcome a second ‘Carnival Fun Italian Style’ ship. Carnival Firenze joins the fleet to sail year-round from Long Beach, California.
