Carnival Corp

MIAMI, June 2, 2008 -- On April 23, 2008, Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.40 (U.S.) per share.

Sometimes a little knowledge is just confusing, but a recent flurry of unusual, financing-related press releases from Carnival Corp caught our attention and got us wondering about the implications....

MIAMI, April 30, 2008 -- Carnival Corp is paying out some $470 million to repurchase debentures from debt holders who exercised their option for repurchase of Senior Convertible Debentures due 2033. This represents slightly more than half of these debentures, and follows an interest payment increase announced April 25.

MIAMI, April 29, 2007 -- Carnival Corp today announced the appointment of Wayne Byers to the newly created position of SVP for Global Human Resources.

For as long as anyone can remember, cruising has been surprisingly resistant to inflation. Indeed, as HAL CEO Stein Kruse mused at the last Seatrade Miami:

MIAMI, April 25, 2008 -- With interest rates generally on the rise and a few CCL debt-holders recently exercising their option to cash out, Carnival Corp announced today it is enhancing the attractiveness of some of its debt, specifically $733M worth of Senior Convertible Debentures due 2033, which were originally priced in 2003.

MIAMI, April 16, 2008 -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) announced today that holders of $117,000 aggregate principal amount of its 2% Convertible Senior Debentures due 2021 had exercised their right to have the Company repurchase their 2% Convertible Senior Debentures pursuant to the Indenture.

MIAMI -- April 8, 2008 -- Starting April 20, guests booking cruises on Carnival, Costa, Princess, Holland America Line, Cunard and Seabourn will pay an increased fuel surcharge.

MIAMI, Sept. 5, 2007 -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise vacation company, and Orizonia Corporacion, Spain's largest travel company, today announced that they have finalized the agreements for a previously announced multi-ship cruise brand serving the Spanish market.

MIAMI, July 9, 2007 -- Carnival's long-serving President and CEO, Bob Dickinson, announced today that he will retire at the end of the year. Gerry Cahill, executive vice president and CFO of Carnival Corporation & plc, will assume Dickinson's responsibilities as president and CEO effective immediately so that there is an ample transition period.