As everyone seems to be jumping on the social media bandwagon, Carnival Cruises is taking now sailing in that direction.
Carnival's online program, Make a Connection, allows users to make the cruise planning and sharing process much easier. Among many things, users interested in a cruise can tune into the Carnival channel too see videos and read blogs that will help them decide which cruise it right for them. It also allows people to plan cruises for a group using invitations, interactive polls, and message boards to get input from the group on where they would prefer to go, who wants to room with who, etc.
The program also makes it easy for future cruisers to ask questions to experienced cruisers, which is always positive because people usually trust the opinions of other people more than anything they would find on a website. After taking a cruise users can upload photos to share with their family in an online interactive scrapbook.
I think that this is a great step for Carnival. I have taken two Carnival cruises and the website has been very helpful in planning and organizing the trip. I would have liked to have the opportunity to ask experienced cruisers questions before I went, and I think other people would too. This just illustrates the wide variety of corporations that social media can benefit.
