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.

A new elevated chair lift – which will offer an exhilarating round-trip transfer between the new Mahogany Bay Cruise Center in Roatan and beautiful Mahogany Beach – will debut in conjunction with the cruise facility’s grand opening next month. 

Unique to the Caribbean, the “Magical Flying Beach Chair” will be the first chair lift that transports riders from a cruise ship terminal directly to the beach.

The new beach chair lift will be one of the marquis features of the modern $62 million Mahogany Bay Cruise Center, which will welcome its first cruise ship, Carnival Cruise Lines’ 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend, on Friday, November 20. 

The Mahogany Bay Cruise Center, which encompasses 20 acres of waterfront property and includes a two-berth cruise terminal, is a joint project of Carnival Corporation & plc and Roatan businessman Jerry Hynds.

Guests board the new beach chair lift system at the facility’s expansive Welcome Center and are dropped off directly on Mahogany Beach, a 10-acre private island featuring a gorgeous 825-foot-long white-sand  beach replete with lounge chairs, floats, a beach volleyball court and myriad watersports opportunities.  There are also eight exclusive cabanas for rent offering private beach access. 

Modeled after a traditional ski lift and incorporating the latest technological advancements, the new “Magical Flying Beach Chair” takes cruise ship guests on an exciting, fun-filled six-minute ride across nearly 1,200 feet of cables suspended 67 feet above a lush canopy of trees.

Accommodating four riders each, the galvanized steel beach lift chairs are available to cruise ship guests for a $5 fee which includes unlimited rides throughout the day.  Chair lift passes are also included in pre-sold beach activity on board the cruise ships calling at the port.   The chair-lift system has the capability of transporting up to 1,500 passengers per hour.

The “Magical Flying Beach Chair” was designed and installed by Rain Forest Trams, a company that owns and operates five world-class adventure parks in Central America and the Caribbean.  Rain Forest Trams also operates Mystic Mountain in Jamaica, one of the Caribbean’s top attractions.  The beach chair was manufactured by Salt Lake City-based Dopplemayer, a world leader in ropeway engineering.

The chair lift is an exciting feature of the expansive Mahogany Bay project, which includes two cruise ship piers and can accommodate up to 8,000 passengers daily.  The facility is expected to host more than 200 cruise ship calls and more than 500,000 passengers annually.

The Mahogany Bay Cruise Center also offers a wide range of retail outlets, including two themed bars, a restaurant and several shops. A transportation hub with the ability to accommodate taxis, rental cars and tour buses, along with a wide range of shore excursion opportunities, are also available. 

For more information on the new Mahogany Bay Cruise Center, visit www.mahoganybaycc.com.

The Carnival Dream is sailing on its last Mediterranean voyage before embarking on a trans-Atlantic crossing that departs Rome (Civitavecchia) Oct. 27 and arrives in New York Nov. 12.

During Carnival Dream’s final Mediterranean cruise, professional photographer Andy Newman is on board and snapped these dramatic shots of the ship docked in Dubrovnik, Croatia, as well as its expansive WaterWorks aqua park featuring the longest water slide at sea.

Following a series of voyages from New York, Carnival Dream will reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., to begin year-round Caribbean sailings Dec. 3.

Carnival Cruise Lines was the big winner at this year’s CruiseOne and Cruises, Inc. national conference held aboard the Carnival Pride.  During the event’s awards ceremony, Carnival took home honors for “Contemporary Cruise Partner of the Year,” “Best Outside Sales Force” and “Best Groups Department.”

 The awards were based on surveys of more than 1,000 CruiseOne franchise owners and cruises Inc. independent agents, who were asked to rate cruise lines on a variety of product- and service-related categories.

Pictured here with the “Best Contemporary Cruise Line” award are (from left):  CruiseOne and Cruises, Inc. Vice President of Marketing and Communications Steven Hattem; Carnival’s President and CEO Gerry Cahill and Senior Vice President of Sales and Guest Services Lynn Torrent; and Senior Vice President and General Manager of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. Dwain Wall. 

Cahill and Torrent were among several cruise industry executives who addressed the participants at the conference, which took place October 4-11, 2009 aboard the Carnival Pride from Baltimore.

Carnival Cruise Lines took top honors in four categories in Cruise Critic’s annual Editors’ Pick Awards, which recognizes the world’s top cruise lines in a variety of product- and service-related categories.

The winners were chosen by the professional editorial staff at Cruise Critic, an online consumer cruise Web site that attracts more than five million visitors a year and provides a variety of information, including ship reviews and the latest news in the cruise industry.

Carnival is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with a fleet of 23 “Fun Ships” operating three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England Europe and Bermuda.  The line will expand its fleet with the launch of the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic which is scheduled to enter service in June 2011.

Carnival Cruise Lines has modified the Carnival Miracle’s seasonal Caribbean cruise schedule to include a 10-hour stop in Aruba, one of the region’s most scenic and charming destinations with beautiful beaches and a distinctive Dutch ambiance. 

The island will be featured on the ship’s eight-day voyages from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., operating October 2010 to March 2011.  Other ports on the itinerary include Grand Turk, La Romana/Casa de Campo, and Curacao, each of which offers magnificent beaches and a diversity of landside experiences.

Carnival Miracle operates a seasonal schedule of eight-day Caribbean voyages from Fort Lauderdale in the winter and eight-day Caribbean voyages from New York in the summer.

In addition to informative presentations by cruise line executives and various cruise-related workshops and seminars, one of the highlights of CruiseOne/Cruises, Inc.’s national conference held last week aboard the Carnival Pride was a media panel featuring respected journalists from both trade and consumer outlets.

The panel consisted of Gene Sloan of USA Today’s Cruise Log (www.cruises.usatoday.com), Theresa Masek of Performance Media, publishers of Travel Pulse (www.travelpulse.com) and Vacation Agent Magazine (www.vacationagentmagazine.com), and Susan Young, a freelance writer who publishes her own cruise travel blog (www.southerncruising.com) and contributes to Travel Agent Magazine (www.travelagentcentral.com). 

Moderated by CruiseOne/Cruises, Inc.’s Vice President of Marketing Steven Hattem, the panel offered their own unique insight into the current state of the cruise industry and participated in a spirited discussion on various issues and challenges facing both travel agents and the cruise industry as a whole.  The journalists also offered a variety of helpful tips for travel agents to generate additional media exposure for their businesses.

Attracting more than 500 participants, the CruiseOne/Cruises, Inc. conference took place during a week-long cruise aboard the Carnival Pride from Baltimore.