15 Starting in autumn 2027, the brand will complete the refits ship by ship, incorporating bars, restaurants and suite and stateroom categories found on its latest Pinnacle-class vessels, while also introducing experiences and venues that are new to the fleet. Oosterdam will be the first to be revitalised and feature 76 additional staterooms and suites, including 30 purpose-built for travellers, two Bridgeview Suites positioned above the bridge with forward-facing wraparound windows, and a 1,550-squarefoot Pinnacle Suite. “These refurbishment programmes will significantly enhance the guest experience and the ships’ operational performance,” says Weinstein. “They also allow us to moderately grow capacity for brands that are bursting at the seams with demand, but without the massive capital expenditure and time associated with building new vessels. More of our brands will be announcing similar projects in the coming months.” Weinstein witnessed the success of these efforts first-hand when he joined investors onboard the newly renovated AIDAdiva when it docked in New York, USA, as part of its world cruise. “Everyone said it looked and felt like a completely new ship, not an 18-year-old vessel, and that’s exactly the reaction we were hoping for!” Carnival Corporation is making similar high-impact upgrades to its private islands. For example, it has added the expansive Mangrove Bay area to Isla Tropicale (formerly Mahogany Bay) in Roatán, Honduras, and doubled pier capacity at Celebration Key in Grand Bahama, allowing the island to accommodate four cruise ships simultaneously. RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay now features a new beach club, shops, pickleball courts and food trucks, as well as refreshed dining venues and beach facilities. The corporation has also allocated $70 million for a two-year project to update riverside trails, revamp public spaces, remodel existing guest rooms and construct a new accommodation building at Holland America Denali Lodge, which is located just outside of Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. “Just as with our ships, creating new exciting experiences at our existing destinations is a good way to quickly improve the guest experience,” says Weinstein. Carnival Corporation is also “aggressively investing” in technologies and solutions to boost operational efficiency and reduce organisationwide energy consumption as part of its pathway to PROPEL. “We don’t yet have the ultimate solution for decarbonising our operations – and if someone says they have, they’re lying to you!” says Weinstein. “In fact, I don’t think we’ll ever have one solution that can be used on every cruise ship; we’ll likely use a combination of technologies to help us to reach net zero.” For now, Carnival Corporation is centring its efforts on fleet transformation and making incremental improvements, says Weinstein. “Anything we can do to operate more thoughtfully and lower our carbon footprint goes into the mix, but our main objective is to consume fewer resources – whether that be energy, fuel, water, food, single-use plastic, or something else. The fewer resources we use, the less waste we produce, which is better for both the planet and our bottom line.” Around 80 per cent of the fleet now features Power Saver Packs – LED lighting and advanced HVAC and Photo: Carnival Cruise Line The Stay Awhile beach shack is one of multiple new venues that have been added to the corporation’s exclusive Bahamian island, RelaxAway Half Moon Cay KEYNOTE “ Our people are our most powerful asset”
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