Carnival Cruise Lines hosted more than 200 community leaders, travel agents and VIPs during a reception aboard its newest and largest ship, the new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, to mark the vessel’s first-ever visit to Port Canaveral, Fla.  The 3,646-passenger ship stopped in Port Canaveral as part of an eight-day cruise from New York and will launch year-round Caribbean service from Port Canaveral Dec. 3.

During the festivities, a series of traditional maritime plaque exchanges took place between representatives from Carnival and local officials.

Photo at left: Carnival Dream Captain Queirolo (second from right) is pictured with members of the Canaveral Port Authority Board, including Secretary/Treasurer Malcolm ‘Mac’ McLouth (far left), Chairman Tom Goodson (second from right) and Commissioner Ray Sharkey. 

Photo at right:  Carnival Dream Captain Carlo Queirolo (center) and Carnival’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales Joni Rein (right) are presented with a plaque from Canaveral Port Authority Board Secretary/Treasurer Malcolm ‘Mac’ McLouth.

With the Carnival Dream operating year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral, combined with the Carnival Sensation’s year-round three- and four-day Bahamas departures, Carnival is expected to carry more than 450,000 passengers annually from the port.

Representing a new class for the line, Carnival Dream offers a host of innovations, including 19,000 square feet of space catering to children and families, an expansive WaterWorks aqua park featuring the longest water slide at sea, a half-mile wrap-around outdoor promenade with whirlpools that extend over the ship’s sides and a stunning indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza. 

Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise operator, took top honors in eight categories, including Best Value, Entertainment and Best Children’s Programs, in the annual Readers Choice Awards sponsored by Porthole Cruise Magazine, the leading consumer cruise magazine.

The awards are based on surveys of Porthole readers who rated their favorite cruise line in a wide variety of product- and service-related categories.

Since the awards were established in 1999, Carnival Cruise Lines has garnered 109 individual honors – the most of any cruise line during this period.

            Carnival’s 2009 Porthole Readers Choice Awards include:

• Best Value for the Money Line
• Best Children’s Programs
• Best Entertainment
• Best Shore Excursions
• Best Megaship (Carnival Splendor)
• Best Mexican Riviera Itineraries
• Best Theme Cruises
• Best Web Site

“To be recognized by consumers as the top cruise choice in so many different categories, particularly in areas such as children’s programming, entertainment and value, which are core elements of the Carnival vacation experience, is a truly wonderful honor,” said Ruben Rodriguez, Carnival’s executive vice president of marketing and guest experience.

Added Bill Panoff, publisher and editor-in-chief of Porthole Cruise Magazine, “Carnival Cruise Lines appeals to many different cruisers for many different reasons, which is why our readers continually vote them the best in several categories. From ships to onboard amenities to itineraries, the line continues to be a market leader and I congratulate them on their wins.”

A new video offering viewers a look at the many spectacular and exciting events and activities surrounding the launch of the new Carnival Dream is now available online.  To view the video, click here.

From the Book of Dreams event in Rockefeller Center to the ship’s official naming ceremony with Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden serving as godmother, the debut of the Carnival Dream was certainly memorable. 

Carnival Dream also features the cruise industry’s first water slide godchild, nine-year-old Hailee Steberger of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., who inaugurated the 303-foot-long Twister slide during a fun ceremony on board.

Carnival Dream is currently sailing from in New York but will reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., for year-round Caribbean cruising beginning Dec. 3.

Hailee Steberger, 9, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., inaugurated the Twister waterslide on the new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, the line’s largest ship, during a shipboard ceremony held on Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, in New York City.

Steberger was selected from more than 500 contest entrants who created a drawing and essay that focused on their favorite dream.

Following a pair of eight-day voyages from New York, Carnival Dream will launch year-round Caribbean service from Port Canaveral, Fla., Dec. 3.

Academy Award and Tony Award winning actress Marcia Gay Harden offiically named Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest and largest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, during a shipboard ceremony in New York on Thursday. 

Harden presided over the naming ceremony for the new 3,646-passenger vessel, which following a pair of eight-day voyages from New York, will launch year-round Caribbean service from Port Canaveral, Fla., December 3.

The official naming ceremony of Carnival Cruise Lines’ new cruise ship Carnival Dream featuring Academy Award- and Tony Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden in the role of ship’s godmother will be broadcast live on the company’s web site, www.carnival.com/dream, beginning at 4 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 12. 

Live streaming video of the invitation-only event will include an exhilarating dance performance, a nearly six-foot-tall champagne bottle and some other unexpected surprises. The ceremony will be hosted by Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald while the 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream is docked in New York City. 

A live chat offering viewers an opportunity to ask questions about the Carnival Dream and comment on the festivities will take place during the webcast, as well.

The Carnival Dream web portal, www.carnival.com/dream, also features exclusive photos and videos of the ship’s wide-ranging facilities and features. Interviews on the site include various shipboard personnel, as well as Carnival’s interior architect Joe Farcus who describes his thought process in designing the line’s largest ship.

The 130,000-ton Carnival Dream ushers in an exciting new era in “Fun Ship” cruising, offering a host of innovations. These include Carnival WaterWorks, an expansive aqua park featuring the longest water slide at sea; Ocean Plaza, a stunning indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue; more than 19,000 square feet of space dedicated to children and families; and a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, the largest in the line’s fleet.

Carnival Dream debuted in Europe Sept. 21 and will operate a series of voyages from New York before repositioning to Port Canaveral, Fla., to begin year-round Caribbean service Dec. 3.

Additional information on the Carnival Dream is available at www.carnival.com/dream.

For additional information on the “Fun Ship” vacation experience, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

During Carnival’s “Big Book of Dream’s Event” in New York’s Rockefeller Center, Academy Award winning actress Marcia Gay Harden read from “The Dream Plucker of Perrysport,” which is claimed to be the world’s largest children’s book, to students from Brooklyn’s PS23.

The 15 1/2-foot tall by 20-foot wide book was created by Carnival to celebrate the U.S. debut of its newest and largest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, which will operate a series of voyages from the Big Apple later this month. 

Harden will officially name the ship during festivities in New York Nov. 12.

Following its New York cruises, Carnival Dream repositions to Port Canaveral, Fla., for year-round Caribbean departures beginning Dec. 3.

In celebration of the launch of its newest, largest and most family-friendly “Fun Ship” ever, Carnival Cruise Lines announces that Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden will serve as godmother of the new Carnival Dream and will unveil the world’s largest children’s book in New York City today, along with a major, multi-year partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

New Yorker and mother of three, Harden will officially name the new ship when it makes its North American debut in New York on November 12, 2009. In honor of Carnival Dream’s much-anticipated arrival, the Tony Award-winning actress will unveil Carnival’s Big Book of Dreams – measuring 15.5 feet high by 20 feet wide – in New York City’s Rockefeller Center today and will conduct a special reading of the larger-than-life story to dozens of schoolchildren. Inspired by the imaginative dreams of children who sailed on Carnival Cruise Lines this spring, “The Dream Plucker of Perrysport” tells the tale of a group of young friends who find themselves on a unique adventure after they encounter a furry orange monster in a quest to remember their dreams. The book will remain on display at Rockefeller Center November 6 and 7 as part of a series of free, activity-filled Carnival “Dream Big” events for the whole family.

“As a mother and actress driven by the idea of dreaming big, I’m honored to take on this new role as godmother of Carnival’s largest-ever ship and to help bring the Big Book of Dreams to life for local children,” said Marcia Gay Harden. “I’m also inspired by Carnival’s dedication to support and encourage all kids to dream big through its partnership with St. Jude.”

During the three-year partnership with St. Jude, Carnival Cruise Lines’ goal is to raise $3 million to help achieve the hospital’s mission of finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic illnesses. To support the hospital, under the theme “Care to Play,” Carnival is creating a number of fun, interactive on-board fundraising activities that will involve guest participation. Carnival will also donate hundreds of kid-sized copies of “The Dream Plucker of Perrysport” to the hospital.

“We’re excited to have a dream-worthy lineup of activities to celebrate the launch of the Carnival Dream, including the talented Marcia Gay Harden as godmother, and to bring kid’s dreams to life in the biggest children’s book ever,” said Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill. “We are also very proud and honored to work with St. Jude to further support its wonderful work and inspire the children and families of St. Jude to never lose sight of their dreams.”

“We are so fortunate to work with compassionate companies like Carnival,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., Chief Executive Officer of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude. “Every dollar donated by Carnival and its guests through the Care to Play fundraising activities will help St. Jude continue its efforts in finding the cures and providing the treatments that will save children’s lives. On behalf of everyone at St. Jude, thank you.”

To learn more about Carnival Dream and the Carnival Book of Dreams, visit www.BigBookofDreams.com.

 About Carnival Dream
Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest and largest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, is a new class of vessel for the line and ushers in an exciting new era in “Fun Ship” cruising. On September 21, the Dream began its inaugural voyages in Europe and will make its North American debut in New York on Thursday, November 12. The 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream offers a host of innovations including more than 19,000 square feet of space dedicated to children and families, as well as an expansive WaterWorks aqua park featuring the longest water slide at sea. The ship also offers a stunning indoor/outdoor café and entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza, a two-level Serenity adults-only retreat, a wrap-around promenade encircling the ship and a 23,750-square-foot health spa.

About Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:  CCL; NYSE:  CUK), is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 16 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Europe and Bermuda.  In addition to the recent delivery of the Carnival Dream, the line has one new ship on order, the Carnival Magic, which is scheduled for delivery in 2011.  For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 800-CARNIVAL or visit www.carnival.com.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more information, please visit www.stjude.org.

William Filomena, a longtime fan of the “Fun Ships,” is currently sailing on the trans-Atlantic crossing of the new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, putting him that much closer to his goal of sailing on all 23 Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships in a single year.

 After his Carnival Dream voyage, Filomena will sail on the Carnival Pride and Carnival Victory in November and Carnival Miracle in December, thereby making him the first person to achieve this distinction.

During the Carnival Dream crossing, which ends in New York on Nov. 12, Filomena (center) took time out for a photo with Captain Carlo Queirolo (left) and Hotel Director Donato Becce.

Filomena’s love of all things Carnival won’t end with his next three voyages – he already has 12 “Fun Ship” cruises booked for 2010!

Later today, the 1,452-passenger Holiday will sail on its final voyage for Carnival Cruise Lines when it departs on a five-day western Caribbean cruise from Mobile, Ala.

For the past 24 years, the 46,052-ton vessel has operated a wide variety of itineraries for the line, playing a critical role in the company’s rise to world’s largest cruise operator. 

Launched in 1985, the Holiday was revolutionary for its enclosed double width promenade and inventive interior design, which included a1930s-era bus that sat along the promenade.

The Holiday also played an important role in pioneering the short cruise market, introducing three- and four-day service from Southern California and, most recently, four- and five-day voyages from Mobile.

Upon returning from its final Carnival voyage, the Holiday will undergo a refurbishment and be transferred to IberoCruises, Carnival’s Spanish cruise operator.  The 2,056-passenger Fantasy will replace the Holiday in Mobile beginning Nov. 10.