Mardi Gras in Fort Lauderdale displaying Carnival's early promotional banner. Carnival somehow acquired a reputation for embodying the tacky low end of the cruise market. Ted Arison was convinced that he could make an empire on first-time cruisers who would only cruise with Carnival once before "graduating" to other brands. He was right.

Carnival today remains focused on new cruisers, families and budget-conscious travelers. As time went on, the company purchased many of the brands their passengers were graduating to, including venerable Holland-America and Cunard.