Carnival Magic debuted yesterday at the Port of Galveston in Texas. This you know. We’ve been covering the event featuring a celebrity send off from GRAMMY award-winning band Maroon 5 for weeks. It was a whirlwind tour of Galveston and one night stay on Carnival Magic that brought us to town but one that wouldn’t pass without reminding me of what Carnival Cruise Lines is all about.
Fun.
They’ve had a corner on the market for decades now, starting with the simple mantra of being “The Fun Ships” and building on that simple foundation the largest cruise line in the world. But there is more to it than that. They didn’t just get lucky and pick three simple words to describe all they do. It’s a living, breathing way of life for those involved with the most popular cruise line in the world and a whole lot of hard work from a whole lot of very talented people go into what they do.
Starting at the top, President Gerry Cahill automatically gives credit to “his people” and all they do from day-to-day operations to the complex design and management of intricate, focused events. The Maroon 5 concert we witnessed last night on the dock at the Port of Galveston with Carnival Magic as a backdrop is one clear example of just how good these people are.
Hundreds of journalists and thousands of spectators vied for the “hottest ticket in town” I was told by Leah Vast of the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. Throughout our stay in Galveston, local business leaders and the otherwise well-connected in Galveston tried to get the coveted wrist-bands that would allow attendance. Pre-event excitement for the arrival of Carnival Magic was high for months as a very pro-cruise business Galveston population anticipated the ships arrival. That excitement reached a fevered pitch as the Maroon 5 event drew closer with reports of those bands going for up to $200 on ebay and Craigs List.
It was no mistake, no accident and surely no coincidence that those thousands of fans snapping photos of the performance also captured the dynamic image of Carnival Magic parked directly behind the stage. It was planning at a level that few companies are capable. This is the level the big boys play at and no detail was left forgotten.
Guests, travel agents and journalists who had checked in on the ship earlier in the day, prior to the concert, followed a sea of Carnival employees, strategically positioned from the ship to the event. With shirts that said “I’m a GPS” in Carnival’s red and blue colors and signature font finding the venue was easy and fun. Veteran cruise director John Heald, a new face to most in the crowd, had them eating out of the palm of his hand in minutes as only the talented crowd-pleaser could do. And that’s just this one event.
The Carnival on-board experience also follows a carefully choreographed sequence. This is where the real magic happens. A wide variety of onboard ingredients, not published as a feature, option or even listed as an event in the ships “FunTimes” daily newsletter work as familiar, fun elements of the experience. It’s a recipe Carnival has perfected over the years with a keen sense of who their guests are and what they want. Consistently delivering that experience while constantly working to streamline, upgrade and refine by using highly talented people in every position makes the difference.
The rollout of Carnival’s Funship 2.0 incentive, in progress right now across the fleet, will position the line for several more decades of successfully creating a fun experience for their guests. We hope to be along for the ride.
Related articles
- Carnival Rocks Galveston Island with live performance (chriscruises.net)
- Cruise event prep: Carnival Magic arrives in Galveston this weekend (chriscruises.net)
- Cruise traffic heavy in Texas this weekend as Magic arrives (chriscruises.net)
- Carnival Magic arrives inTexas this week (chriscruises.net)
Got to give a hand to Carnival. True professionals. Hat tip to Micky Arison. Thanks for sharing Chris!
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