Carnival Cruise Lines Earns Excellence in Employee Training Award from University of North Florida

MIAMI (December 18, 2006) – The employee training efforts of Carnival Cruise Lines have been recognized with the "Excellence in Employee Development Award" from the University of North Florida’s Department of Continuing Education.

The award, which was presented earlier this month in Jacksonville, Fla., acknowledges those companies that demonstrate outstanding effort in the continued pursuit of excellence in workplace learning and performance. Carnival was the only cruise line recognized in this year's awards.

Carnival was recognized for the utilization of innovative, company-wide training efforts designed to establish and maintain quality standards, achieve short- and long-term goals, and enhance guest satisfaction levels for the 3.3 million passengers who sail with the line each year.

"Training – be it required safety training or innovative hospitality management and team-building initiatives – is an important part of Carnival’s success. This award serves to validate our intensive and ongoing training efforts which enable our company to maintain its leadership position in the cruise industry and enhance guests’ enjoyment of the ‘Fun Ship’ vacation experience," said Roberta Jacoby, senior vice president of air/sea operations and corporate training who oversees Carnival’s training efforts.

Carnival’s training efforts are carried out by the line’s corporate training department which administers a wide variety of training programs for its 36,500 shipboard and shoreside employees aboard its 21-vessel fleet and at its Miami headquarters.

The department oversees a wide variety of company-wide training initiatives which range from the fleetwide crew training centers and the annual "Coaching the Champions" summer management retreat to required maritime safety training, as well as various in-house training videos and programming.