Over its 41 years, Carnival Cruise Line has had a checkered past. In its heyday, Carnival was the cruise brand known for innovation, but more recently it has become known as the brand with PR disasters to deal with.
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Last week, Carnival's 'Triumph' ship was towed into Mobile, Alabama after almost a week stuck at sea due to an engine fire.
The testimonies from the passengers are truly disgusting: Hallways were flooded with human waste, there was no A/C or running water, and passengers were left to survive on limited food and water. The Triumph was given the nickname "poop cruise" because passengers were forced to use the bathroom in bags.
But do these PR crises have a lasting effect? According to Jaunted, trips aboard 'Triumph' can already be booked for as early as April of this year. That's only two months after passengers said that the floors were"flooded with sewer water."
This type of disaster is not new for Carnival. It experienced very similar situations in 1998, 1999, and 2010. And let's not forget about the Costa Concordia disaster in Italy last year in which the ship capsized, killing 32 passengers. (Carnival owns Costa Concordia).
It has also had to deal with circumstances of passengers jumping overboard to their deaths.
But with every PR disaster in Carnival's history, it has also experienced record-breaking good moments.
Carnival was the original brand to pioneer the concept of shorter, less expensive cruises. It built the first ship to weigh more than 100,000 tons, as well as the world's first non-smoking ship.
The cruise company's on-board service has won numerous awards, including three Cruise Critic Editor's Picks —best new ship, best bar, and best value in 2012.
Carnival Cruise Lines was founded by Ted Arison in 1972.
Ted Arison, the son of a multi-millionaire shipping magnate, was born in Israel in 1924. He immigrated to the U.S. in the early 50s and co-founded Norwegian Cruise Lines in 1966.
He then went on to found his own cruise company, Carnival Cruise Lines, six years later.
Carnival was originally a subsidiary of American International Travel Service (AI TS), but in 1974, Arison bought Carnival for $1, along with $5 million in assumed AITS debt.
By the late 1980s, Arison was reportedly one of the world's richest men, with a personal fortune estimated to be between $6 and $10 billion.
His owns the Miami Heat, and was responsible for bringing the team to South Florida.
Carnival's first-ever voyage got off to a bad a start.
According to Carnival's website, in 1972 "the company’s first cruise ship, the TSS Mardi Gras, runs aground on a sandbar during its inaugural voyage."
But by the early 80's, things started improving.
In 1984, Carnival became the first cruise line to advertise on network television. Kathie Lee Gifford, then Kathie Lee Johnson, was the company's first spokesperson.
The 1980s was a great time for Carnival.
In 1982, the 'Tropic ale' ship debuted, representing the first new ship the industry had seen in years.
Two years later, Carnival launched the first network-wide advertising campaign in the industry.
This video is one of the original commercials Carnival ran. It features Kathie Lee Johnson, aka Kathie Lee Gifford.
In the late 80s, Carnival was carrying more passengers than any other cruise line, making it "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line." The brand still uses this phrase as its tagline.
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