Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Mr. Ted Arizon, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc. The company has the largest fleet in the group, with 24 vessels currently in operation that account for 21.1% of the worldwide market share. Executive control of the company is provided by the North American division of Carnival Corporation, headquartered in Doral, Florida.
Carnival was a pioneer in the concept of shorter, less expensive cruises. Its ships are known for their Las Vegas-style decor and entertainment. The line calls its ships The Fun Ships, and there are a wide range of activities offered on board. Its trademark is the funnel, which is red, white and blue and shaped like a whale's tail. The mascot for Carnival is "Fun Ship Freddy", a character in the shape of Carnival's distinctive funnel.
In 1996 the Carnival Destiny of 101,000 Gross Tonnage became the largest passenger ship in the world at the time. In 2004, Carnival Corporation ordered for a development program for Carnival's new ships, which was called the Pinnacle Project, which calls for a 200,000-GT prototype, which would have been the world's largest cruise ship.
As of 2009, the latest and largest ship in the Carnival fleet was the Carnival Dream, a new 128,251 GT ship. The Carnival Dream entered service on 21 September 2009. After several voyages in the Mediterranean she was set to offer weekly Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral from 5 December 2009. A sister ship, the Carnival Magic, debuted on 1 May 2011. On 1 December 2009 it was announced that Carnival placed an order for a third Dream-class vessel. It entered service in June 2012 and is homeported in Miami. On May 10, 2010, Carnival selected a name for their new Dream-class vessel in 2012; the Carnival Breeze.
On 26 October 2012, it was announced that Carnival had ordered a brand new ship for their Carnival Cruise Lines brand. This ship will be built by Fincantieri, Monfalcone, in Trieste, Italy and will be the largest ship they have ever built. It will also be the first of a brand new class of ship with a passenger capacity of 4000 and a displacement of 135,000 tons. It is scheduled to be delivered in the Winter of 2016, nearly four years after the Carnival Breeze entered service.

Current ships

Fantasy class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Homeport	Flag	Notes	Image
Carnival Fantasy	1990	1990–Present	70,367 GT	Charleston, South Carolina	Panama	originally, the Fantasy
Carnival Ecstasy	1991	1991–Present	70,526 GT	Port Canaveral, Florida until January 2014 Miami, Florida starting January 2014 replacing the Carnival Imagination[10]	Panama	originally, the Ecstasy
Carnival Sensation	1993	1993–Present	70,538 GT	Port Canaveral, Florida	Bahamas	originally, the Sensation
Carnival Fascination	1994	1994–Present	70,538 GT	Jacksonville, Florida (JAXPORT)	Bahamas	originally, the Fascination
Carnival Imagination	1995	1995–Present	70,367 GT	Miami, Florida until January 2014 Long Beach, California starting end of January 2014[10]	Bahamas	originally, the Imagination
Carnival Inspiration	1996	1996–Present	70,367 GT	Long Beach, California	Bahamas	originally, the Inspiration
Carnival Elation	1998	1998–Present	70,390 GT	New Orleans, Louisiana	Panama	originally, the Elation
Carnival Paradise	1998	1998–Present	70,390 GT	Tampa, Florida	Panama	originally, the Paradise

Destiny class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Homeport	Flag	Notes	Image
Carnival Sunshine	1996	1996- Present	102,853 GT	(Europe) starting in April 2013 to October 2013 '[11] New Orleans starting November 2013	Bahamas	World's largest passenger ship (measured by gross tonnage), when built. First cruise ship over 100,000 GT. Originally sailed as the Carnival Destiny from 1996 to 2013

Triumph class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Homeport	Flag	Notes	Image
Carnival Triumph	1999	1999-Present	101,509 GT	Galveston, Texas	Bahamas	Similar to Carnival Destiny, but with an additional deck. On February 14, 2013 the ship was towed to Mobile, Alabama for repairs after an engine room fire and is scheduled to resume service on June 13, 2013, almost 4 months after being out of service.[12]
Carnival Victory	2000	2000–Present	101,509 GT	Miami, Florida	Panama	Identical to the Carnival Triumph.

Spirit class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Homeport	Flag	Notes	Image
Carnival Spirit	2001	2001–Present	85,920 GT	Sydney, Australia	Malta	Built to Panamax form factor
Carnival Pride	2001	2002–Present	85,920 GT	Baltimore, Maryland	Panama	Built to Panamax form factor, former flagship of Carnival
Carnival Legend	2002	2002–Present	85,942 GT	Tampa, Florida Dover, England & Venice, Italy & Barcelona, Spain from April 22, 2013 - October 31, 2013 to Norway/Western Europe, the British Isles and the Baltics as well as the Mediterranean.	Panama	Built to Panamax form factor
Carnival Miracle	2004	2004–Present	85,942 GT	Long Beach, California and San Diego, California during the winter months (Mexican Riviera and Hawaii itinerary starting in 2013.[13] Seattle, Washington during the summer months (Alaska and Hawaii itinerary) starting in 2013.[13]	Panama	Built to Panamax form factor

Conquest class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Homeport	Flag	Notes	Image
Carnival Conquest	2002	2002–Present	110,239 GT	New Orleans, Louisiana until November 2013 Miami, Florida being replaced by the Carnival Destiny/Sunshine after her maiden European season[14] November 2013-onward	Panama
Carnival Glory	2003	2003–Present	110,239 GT	Miami, Florida during the winter months (~October–April). Norfolk, Virginia May 14–31, 2013 and October 13–25,2013. Boston, Massachusetts June 4, 2013 - July 21, 2013. New York, New York July 29, 2013 - October 5, 2013	Panama
Carnival Valor	2004	2004–Present	110,239 GT	San Juan, Puerto Rico	Panama
Carnival Liberty	2005	2005–Present	110,320 GT	Miami, Florida	Panama
Carnival Freedom	2007	2007–Present	110,320 GT	Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Florida	Panama

Concordia class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Homeport	Flag	Notes	Image
Carnival Splendor	2008	2008–Present	113,323 GT	New York, New York (Year-round).[13]	Panama	Referred to as a Concordia-class ship, but is essentially a modified version of the Destiny-class ships.

Dream class

Ship	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Homeport	Flag	Notes	Image
Carnival Dream	2009	2009–Present	128,251 GT	Port Canaveral, Florida	Panama	The largest ship ever built by Fincantieri until the Carnival Magic
Carnival Magic	2011	2011–Present	128,251 GT	Galveston, Texas	Panama	Ther largest ship ever built by Fincantieri until the Carnival Breeze
Carnival Breeze	2012	2012–Present	128,251 GT	Miami, Florida	Panama	Currently the largest ship built for Carnival Cruise Lines

Future Ships

On October 26 2012, it was announced that Carnival had ordered a brand new ship for their Carnival Cruise Lines brand. This ship will be built by Fincantieri and will be the largest ship they have ever built. It will also be the first of a brand new class of ship with a passenger capacity of 4000 and a displacement of 135,000 tons. It is scheduled to be delivered in the Winter of 2016, nearly four years after the Carnival Breeze entered service.

Ship	Year Built	Gross Tonnage	Homeport	Planned Flag	Notes
TBA	Winter 2016	135,000 GT	TBA	Panama	Largest ship to be built for Carnival.[15]

Former ships

Ship	Class	Year Built	Sailed for Carnival	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes	Image
Mardi Gras	Former Ocean Liner	1961	1972–1993	27,284 GT	Panama	Also known as Empress of Canada, Olympic, Star of Texas, Lucky Star, Apollo, and Apollon. Sold for scrap in 2003.
Carnivale	Former Ocean Liner	1956	1975–1994	31,500 GT	Panama	Also known as Empress of Britain, Queen Anna Maria, Fiesta Marina, Olympic, and The Topaz. Sold for scrap in 2008.
Festivale	Former Ocean Liner	1962	1977–1996	32,697 GT	Panama	Also known as Transvaal Castle, S.A. Vaal, Island Breeze, and Big Red Boat III. Scrapped in 2003.
Tropicale	Tropicale	1982	1982–2001	36,674 GT	Liberia	Was Carnival's first purpose-built ship. Also known as Costa Tropicale, and Pacific Star. Now known as the Ocean Dream in May 2008.
Jubilee	Holiday class	1986	1986–2004	47,262 GT	Liberia	in 2004 became the Pacific Sun of P&O Cruises Australia.
Celebration	Holiday class	1987	1987–2008	47,262 GT	Madeira,  Portugal	Now sails for Iberocruceros as the Grand Celebration
Holiday	Holiday class	1985	1985–2009	46,051 GT	Madeira,  Portugal	Now sails for Iberocruceros as the Grand Holiday

Material Courtesy: Wikipedia.org