Carnival Cruise Lines

South Florida CEO, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Barbara Perkins

With 3,595 shore-side employees, Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines is one of Miami-Dade's largest employers. In 2004, the company added 280 employees and took delivery of two 110,000-ton ships. "If you build it they will come," jokes Carnival Cruise Line CEO Bob Dickinson. "We introduced two new ships and they were both very well received."

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The company's 19 "Fun Ships" offer three- to 16-day cruises worldwide. Parent company Carnival Corp., also based in Miami, is the world's top cruise operator, with 12 cruise lines, and a total of 75 ships. It was a record-breaking year for sales and profits in 2004, Dickinson says: "We had an extraordinary year. The corporation posted profits of $1.8 billion."

The biggest challenge for Carnival continues to be attracting more first-time cruisers. "Last year, 48 percent of our guests were first-timers, yet only 16 percent of the public has ever been on a cruise before." In 2005, Carnival will launch Liberty, its third new super-liner in two years, boosting capacity by an additional 3,250 passengers.

Dickinson's growing workforce comes from schools such as St. Thomas, Barry, Nova Southeastern and Florida International universities, as well as Miami-Dade College and the University of Miami. "They have all helped us get well-educated talent. Having these good educational institutions here is something I don't take for granted," he says.