Carnival made a bold announcement on Tuesday, Dec 1 – they’re ordering a new ship, a third in their new Dream class. To me, new ships are always good news, and this one is no exception. It shows quite a bit of faith in the economy’s rebound, the travel industry, the Dream class, and the current exchange rate. (Because we all know that’s what these negotiations boil down to at the end of the day: I know you’re gonna build it there, Fincantieri knows you’re gonna build it there, Carnival just wants a decent exchange rate when it’s ordered.) The new ship will be the same style as the recently launched Carnival Dream and Magic (2011) and is scheduled for spring 2012.
Honestly, I didn’t expect Carnival or any of its brands to order any more ships until at least mid 2010. Carnival CEO Arison famously declared back in 2008 that there would be no new ship orders in the immediate future, just finishing out remaining orders for the next few years. Amusingly, Arison was most recently quoted on this article at the Cruise Log blog in October “With the weaker dollar we are going to proceed cautiously,” and my personal favorite, “I would venture to say it’s unlikely that a contract (for a new ship) could be signed before the end of the year”. Yup, he said this in October. Poker face, anyone? Or just double talk? With the internet, quotes like this live forever and make you look a bit dumb.* All I have to say is LOL.
In other important news, my Carnival stock went up this week! Score!
Now, going along with my previous post, what will they name it? Hey, what did Disney name their newest ship again? < /rimshot> Yeah, cheap shot, I know. 
*Before anyone hates, I do respect Ted Arison’s rags to riches story and business savvy he employed in building his cruise empire. It’s fascinating and the cruise industry wouldn’t be where it is today with Carnival’s involvement. Yeah, I’ve read Devils on the Deep Blue Sea. I just think what Micky said was really dumb.
