10 years! That’s how long Christine Duffy has been bringing the fun as President of Carnival Cruise Line. She took over the helm of the world’s most popular cruise line in February 2015 and is still moving forward.
Duffy made the career move to President of Carnival Cruise Line from CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which was her introduction to the cruise business. Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald saw her leadership potential and skills that would make cruising accessible, affordable and fun for millions. Duffy has since become an iconic leader for Carnival Cruise Line and the travel industry as a whole.
Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador, John Heald, had this to say of Duffy on his popular social media page, “Today is our President Christine Duffy’s 10th anniversary of being part of your Carnival Cruise Line family. During these brilliant 10 years her dedication to making sure your Fun continues has been incomparable. There is no other Cruise Line President like Christine…….there just isn’t.”
Carnival released a fun video to celebrate the “Duffy Decade” highlighting her impressive numbers and accomplishments. Since 2015, Duffy has added nine ships to the Carnival fleet beginning with Carnival Vista in 2016 and currently ending with Carnival Firenze in 2024 with more to come. 13,500 cruises have sailed which hosted 42.5 million guests. She has visited Carnival ships 253 times, and taken 672 plane rides totaling 1.7 million miles flown. Under her leadership, 70 ships have been refurbished while dry docked and 15,780 new team members have been hired.
Duffy has been recognized in various ways for her leadership including:
- Inducted into the CLIA Hall of Fame,
- Honored by Forbes magazine on their 50 over 50 list,
- Chaired the US Travel Association,
- Served on the US Department of Commerce’s Travel & Tourism Advisory Board,
- Named one of the 100 most powerful people in hospitality, and
- Received the Broadway Dreams Founder’s Award.
As one of St. Jude’s biggest supporters, Duffy was named the St. Jude Corporate Partner of the Year in 2018 and has helped raise $27.3 million for the Children’s Hospital Research. She has championed fundraising efforts for veterans including Operation Homefront, and led hurricane relief efforts in October 2024 when she raised more than $85,000 by jumping out of an airplane.
Still to come is Carnival’s new exclusive destination opening July 2025, Celebration Key; expansions throughout other destinations; five new shipbuilds through 2033; as well as the absorption of P&O Australia making Carnival the biggest cruise operator in the region. No doubt this is just the beginning and there will be more to come.