Page 35: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2001)

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Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 34, Feb 2001

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 35, Feb 2001

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 36, Feb 2001

Cruise Shin mi tii Amur at ty when demand is up. He stresses that the line is not building ships irresponsi- bly, in other words, every ship in the

Carnival fleet is purpose-built. "We don't build ships just for the sake of building them," Dickinson stresses. "We want a solid return on our investment - capacity should be in proportion to demand."

Contrary to popular belief, the cruise industry only captures two percent of the travel industry. Even more surprising is that only 13 percent of Americans have ever taken a cruise. While some would see these numbers as a reflection of an industry in trouble, Dickinson strongly disagrees, he cites that the remaining 87 percent are just "not sure if cruising is for them." Steadfastly trying to change this notion since assuming the top posi- tion at Carnival, Dickinson and the com- pany's sales and marketing team has marketed the line's ships to the specific wants of the customer. In fact, he cites that he strives to raise that two percent figure to 10 by the time he retires. "Cus- tomers have needs," Dickinson said. "They dictate vacation trends, therefore the product must change itself to meet these needs. The expression of the prod- uct 10 years ago was different than it is today." He's referring to how the line has evolved with today's constantly chang- ing technological arena, beginning with its newest "fun ship," Carnival Spirit, which will be fitted with Wartsila's smokeless engine technology. The new

EnviroEngine power system is the cul- mination of a yearlong project between the Finnish engine manufacturer and the line's parent company Carnival Corp.

The package — developed in response to demand from the many scenic and environmentally sensitive areas of the world in which ships cruise - is designed to be the most environmentally friendly power plant available in cruise ship engine technology.

Spirit, which is scheduled for an April 29, 2001 debut, will also house an Inter- net cafe. Provided by Marine Telecom- munications Network (MTN) and Digi- tal Seas International (DSI). The new service allows passengers to check e- mail, get news from around the world and surf the Web — all from the con- fines of a Carnival ship. It was reported that five of the line's operating ships have been refitted with the innovative workstations that feature "flat-panel" computer terminals.

In order to appeal more to the younger set, Dickinson said the line is strategiz- ing a way of getting kids into cruising with their families so that they will liter- ally become a legacy within the Carnival brand. "We want to expose them to the product as kids, which they will hope- fully carry into their adult life." And

Dickinson has most definitely hit the ball out of the park with the new "Camp

February, 2001

Carnival" program, which features a variety of planned activities to keep chil- dren occupied while their parents can enjoy some time alone. "Parents are lit- erally pulling their kids out of school, to take a Carnival cruise," he said.

Top of the Heap

In 1996, Dickinson established Carni- val's vacation guarantee policy, which is self-explanatory - if you don't like the cruise, you'll get your money back.

Since establishing this idea five years ago, Dickinson is surprised, as well as annoyed, that none of his competitors have followed suit — probably because they are not confident about their prod- uct — something that Carnival could never fathom, as confidence is the core of its operation.

Dickinson has even heard of an anony- mous operator that offers a bonus incen- tive to those who raise its operating level that comes within close reach of the Car- nival brand — a brand that is undoubt- edly the jewel in the Carnival Corp. crown.

Climate Control*

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