MIAMI, Jan 10, 2001 -- Over the recent Jan. 5 - 8 cruise ship departure period, Carnival Corporation's (NYSE: CCL) brands embarked a record 27,578 guests on 16 voyages from its Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., homeports. Carnival Corporation is the largest user of both ports.

Carnival Corporation Vice President of Marketing Jack Anderson attributed the record passenger count to a variety of factors -- the rapid expansion of Carnival Corporation's brands over the past several months, which has added thousands of new berths to the company's fleet, the increasing popularity of cruise vacations, and an unprecedented number of ships wintering in South Florida.

"Historically, January has always been a very popular month for Caribbean cruising and this record passenger count reflects the growing number of consumers who are opting for a Carnival Corporation brand as their cruise vacation choice," Anderson said. "Last year, Carnival Corporation brands carried a record 2.66 million passengers and hopefully this record weekend is a harbinger for the year to come," he added.

Contributing to the unprecedented weekend were six Carnival Cruise Lines departures from Miami. On Friday, the 2,052-passenger SuperLiner Ecstasy sailed on a three-day Bahamas cruise, while three other "Fun Ships" -- the smoke-free 2,052-passenger Paradise and the 2,758-passenger Carnival Triumph and Carnival Victory departed on week-long voyages to the Caribbean on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the SuperLiners Ecstasy and Imagination departed on four- and five-day western Caribbean cruises, respectively.

Carnival Corporation's premium brand, Holland America Line, also operated five departures from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., over the weekend. On Saturday, the 1,440-passenger Volendam and Zaandam departed on 10-day Caribbean cruises, the 1,494-passenger Westerdam sailed on an eight-day Caribbean voyage and the 1,266-passenger Ryndam embarked on a 17-day voyage to South America. On Sunday, the 1,214-passenger Noordam returned to Fort Lauderdale from a 10-day Caribbean cruise then repositioned to Tampa to operate a series of voyages from that port.

Additionally, the 1,928-passenger Costa Victoria and 2,114-passenger Costa Atlantica of Carnival's Italian affiliate, Costa Cruises, both departed on week-long Caribbean voyages from Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.

Carnival Corporation's ultra-luxury brands, Cunard and Seabourn, also operated three voyages from Fort Lauderdale over the four-day period. On Saturday, the 208-passenger Seabourn Legend embarked on a 22-day Panama Canal cruise, while on Sunday, Cunard's 1,778-passenger Queen Elizabeth 2 continued her 104-day world cruise and the line's 665-passenger Caronia embarked on an 18-day cruise to South America from the popular South Florida port.

Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) is comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, the world's largest cruise line based on passengers carried, Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line and Costa Crociere. Carnival Corporation's various brands operate 44 ships in the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Mexican Riviera, South America and other worldwide destinations.

Additional information can be obtained via Carnival Corporation's Web site at www.carnivalcorp.com.