CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES PRESIDENT AND CEO BOB DICKINSON MARKS 35TH ANNIVERSARY WITH COMPANY
MIAMI (February 15, 2007) – The 35th anniversary of Carnival Cruise Lines President and CEO Bob Dickinson was marked yesterday with a surprise celebration at the company’s Miami headquarters.
During the festivities, attended by hundreds of Carnival employees, as well as his friends and family members, Dickinson received a number of mementos, including a 35-year diamond-and-ruby anniversary pin, acknowledging his professional achievements.
Dickinson joined Carnival Cruise Lines on February 14, 1972, as executive vice president – just three weeks prior to the inaugural sailing of the line’s first ship, the TSS Mardi Gras, on March 9, 1972. He was named president in 1993 and CEO was added to his title 10 years later.
Dickinson has overall responsibility for the world’s largest cruise line and has overseen the company’s growth from a fledgling one-ship company to a fleet of 21 “floating resorts” carrying 3.6 million passengers annually – the most in cruising.
A pioneer in the cruise industry, Dickinson is widely credited with transforming cruising from an elitist experience to a popular mainstream vacation choice through his groundbreaking concept of promoting the ship as the destination – employed by Carnival under the “Fun Ship” marketing banner.
He continues to oversee the evolution of the “Fun Ship” vacation experience through a wide range of product enhancement initiatives that have resulted in significant upgrades in every facet of the line’s product.
Active in a wide range of charitable, philanthropic and arts-related organizations throughout South Florida, Dickinson currently serves as chairman of the board of directors for Camillus House, which provides a wide range of services to South Florida’s homeless population, and sits on the board of directors for Miami’s St. Thomas University. He is also vice chairman of the Florida International University Foundation’s board of directors.
Dickinson co-authored the books “Selling the Sea: An Inside Look at the Cruise Industry” – the second edition of which is scheduled to be published later this year – and "The Complete 21st Century Travel and Hospitality Marketing Handbook.”
He has received scores of honors for his contributions to the cruise industry. Most recently, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Travel Weekly magazine. The award is given to those individuals “who have profoundly changed, for the better, not only their own company, but also the broader industry in which they work.”
Carnival is the most popular cruise line in the world with 21 “Fun Ships” operating three- to 16-day voyages to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe and the Greek Isles.
The line currently has four new ships on order – the 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom, slated to debut in Europe March 5; the 112,000-ton Carnival Splendor, scheduled to enter service in July 2008; and the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic – to be the largest “Fun Ships” ever constructed -- scheduled for delivery in October 2009 and June 2011, respectively.
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