Carnival started in 1972 with the launch of the TSS Mardi Gras, which ran aground on an sand bar in the Port of Miami. Despite that setback, the company added two other ships in the 1970s: the TSS Carnivale in 1975 and The Festivale in 1978.
The 1980s brought a huge expansion to Carnival Cruises. It started with the construction of the Tropicale which was the first new cruise ship in many prior years. This started an industry wide building frenzy. Carnival followed this up with the release of the Holiday in 1985, the Jubilee in 1986 and the Celebration in 1987.
In 1989, Carnival purchased rival Holland America Cruise Lines, Windstar cruises, and Westours. This was the beginning of a massive acquisition period by Carnival. In 1992, they purchased a 25 percent stake in Seabourn Cruise line (later to be increased to 50 percent). Throughout the 1990s the purchased a 50 percent stake in Costa Cruises (later to be increased to 100 percent) and a 68 percent stake in Cunard lines (owners of the Queen Elizabeth 2)
The line continued to build ships, adding nine new ships in 10 years. The biggest of these was the 102,000-ton Carnival Triumph, launched in 1999.
Carnival has continued to expand in ships and size. In 2003, the company purchased P&O Cruise lines which gave the company control over five different lines and one tour operator. In 2009, the largest "Fun Ship" ever built, Carnival Dream, will be launched.
