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MARITIME SECURITY, IMPORTANT TWO-DAY CONFERENCE WASHINGTON MARRIOTT, WASHINGTON, DC January 30 & 31, 2002 January 16, 2002 Carnival sets reservations record Carnival Cruise Lines experienced a record reservations day Monday, January 14, booking 28,061 individual guests. Also, based on current "wave period" phone volume, the company will keep its reservations department open 24 hours a day seven days a week indefinitely, effective Thursday, January 17. The new one-day reservations record eclipses the previous record set January 22, 2001, when the company booked 27,389 individual guests. The "wave period," which is underway right now, is traditionally the cruise lines' busiest booking period, It's as significant to the cruise industry as the pre-Christmas period is to retailers. "We saw indicators last week that we were moving into a solid booking wave and the reservations activity so far this week further supports that view," said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president. "The heightened reservations volume we're experiencing at this time is encouraging and has prompted us to convert to a 24/7 operations schedule in our Miami and Colorado Springs call centers," he added. Dickinson noted that "attractive pricing and cabin availability are creating an enticing draw for consumers" In fact, all the signs are that Carnival is attracting passengers the old-fashioned way--by cutting prices. Evidence of this is that parent Carnival Corporation and Walmart.com, a unit of discounter Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., have entered into an exclusive marketing and sales agreement to "provide dream cruises at every day low prices -- prices so low, in fact, that customers will be refunded the difference if they find a better deal on an identical cruise vacation within 14 days of booking." Specials offered by Walmart.com range from a three- day Bahamas getaway for $247 to a seven-day Mediterranean package for $3,749. HOME