Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning 2020

4 2 PL ANNER PERSPECTI VE Keeping Caribbean cruising fresh Rebecca Gibson asks Ugo Savino how Carnival Cruise Line’s destination partners have helped to keep the company’s Caribbean itineraries popular with guests for almost 50 years C ruising and the Caribbean have become synonymous over the past 50 years. “Whenever anyone thinks about a cruise vacation, they picture the white-sand beaches and pristine waters that are characteristic of the Caribbean’s beautiful islands,” says Ugo Savino, director of deployment and itinerary planning at Carnival Cruise Line. “It’s the world’s most popular cruise destination and a growing number of ships are being deployed in the region. Carnival has carried more guests to the Caribbean than any other cruise operator over the past five decades, and we still offer the largest portfolio of sailings from US ports to the Caribbean.” Some of Carnival’s most popular itineraries are short cruises from US ports like Miami, Port Canaveral, New Orleans, Galveston and Long Beach, which call at various destinations on the east and west coasts of the USA, Mexico and the Caribbean. “These itineraries offer Carnival’s signature ‘fun in the sun’ experience and they combine two key components: a short getaway and destinations that offer a wide variety of things to do,” explains Savino. “Seven destinations always top the polls when our guests vote for their favourite destinations including Aruba; Cozumel in Mexico; Curaçao; Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas; Mahogany Bay, Honduras; St. Maarten; and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.” According to Savino, there are several factors that make destinations stand out when Carnival is planning itineraries. Carnival’s guests are able to participate in a range of activities, such as snorkelling at Stingray City in Grand Cayman