Carnival Corp. captures cruise spirit - Letters - Letter to the Editor

Cruise Travel, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Kenneth Eden

I was impressed with the insightful, well-researched article "Anatomy Of A Merger" by M.T. Schwartzman in the October 2003 issue of Cruise Travel, which detailed how Carnival Corp. and P&O/Princess came to join forces.

Carnival has made it very obvious that within its family of cruise lines, each is a separate entity with its own style and flair. All Carnival brands are listed on each line's brochures, referred to as "The World's l,eading Cruise Lines"--an impressive group that now includes Princess Cruises. On too many cruises I often hear people slamming Carnival Cruise Lines. Why slam the parent line, let's say, while enjoying a cruise on other Carnival Corp. lines like Holland America or Costa?

Carnival has very humble beginnings, dating back to 1972 and an old, secondhand liner. Today Carnival deserves a great deal of respect for building, sailing, and maintaining the very spirit of what draws us to the cruise vacation. After all, would there be a near-billion-dollar Queen Mary 2, or even Cunard Line for that matter, if not for Carnival's deep pockets?

Kenneth Eden, Hayes, VA