July 21, 2026
For me, Thanksgiving 2012 began in May, when I was dispatched to Galveston, Texas, to escort a contractor onboard Carnival Dream. The contractor had been hired by Carnival Cruise Line to create a giant inflatable turkey for a planned Thanksgiving public relations stunt.
May 7, 2026
During the course of writing scores of press releases for new cruise ship introductions every year, one can get a little bored. While each new cruise ship brings some innovations and new twists, the process of informing the media about it is drearily repetitive. For instance, in 2002, Carnival Cruise Line introduced four new ships — its busiest year ever.
February 14, 2026
Carnival Cruise Line, which was NewmanPR’s second-biggest client after the Florida Keys Tourism Board (I was the lead on the Carnival account for 25 years), has long carefully crafted its corporate and product image as irrevocably tied to fun. After all, the fleet is called the “Fun Ships” and the line’s first national TV advertising campaign featured Kathie Lee Gifford singing “Ain’t We Got Fun.”
February 13, 2026
In my storied 30-year career in cruise line public relations, there were only a few times when I made an actual creative contribution of an idea for what turned out to be a highly effective PR stunt. That wasn’t for lack of trying — we spitballed events and ideas all the time — but this time all the elements lined up perfectly for an event aboard Carnival Paradise at Port of Tampa.