Carnival Corp.’s Arnold Donald to Depart as President and CEO on August 1

Carnival Corp. on Monday announced that its longtime president and CEO, Arnold Donald, will no longer serve that role starting on Aug. 1. Donald, who joined Carnival as CEO in 2013, will then serve as vice-chair and member of the company’s board of directors.

Josh Weinstein, the current chief operations officer for Carnival, will then assume the role of president and CEO, taking over for Donald. Weinstein has spent two decades with Carnival Corp., including time in a number of senior-level roles, including serving as treasurer for Carnival Corp. for 10 years from 2007 to 2017.

Weinstein will now take over for Donald, one of the stalwarts of the cruise industry’s most recent history.

“Josh is a proven executive who is well-respected throughout the company, serving in key leadership roles, driving strong business results during his tenure, and playing an integral part in stewarding the company through the global pandemic,” Donald said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Josh’s thorough understanding of our industry, operations, and business strategy puts him in a tremendous position to lead the next phase of our company’s journey. With his vision, intensity, and core values truly aligned to those of our company, I cannot think of anyone better suited for this role than Josh,” he added.

In a statement, Weinstein said he was “humbled” to take over for Donald and looks forward to continuing to build upon the successes that Donald, and others before him, were able to achieve. 

“I am truly humbled to take up the role of CEO and am honored to lead such a talented team of over 100,000 ship and shoreside team members who do such an incredible job in delivering unforgettable, happy vacations to our guests, day in and day out,” Weinstein said. “I have benefitted tremendously from Arnold’s guidance and mentoring, and I would like to thank him, Micky Arison our Chairman and the entire Boards of Directors for their support. I look forward to building upon the company’s successes as we move forward.”

Donald’s nine-year tenure at Carnival saw the company achieve its highest profits ever, with an ever-expanding fleet that includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises, and Cunard.

His helm now ends as the COVID-19 pandemic, largely seen as one of the industry’s most consequential moments, continues to wind down, a period that saw Donald and Carnival Corp. move to protect travel advisor commission while doing what it could to keep the company healthy and ready for a return to service.

Carnival now expects each of its nine cruise line brand’s full fleets to operate guest cruises in 2022 and that monthly adjusted EBITDA will turn positive at the beginning of the summer season.