Carnival Corp. launching 3 TV shows about vacations, travel

NEW YORK (AP) — Carnival Corp. is launching three TV programs about travel, vacations and cruising that will air on ABC, NBC and The CW networks beginning Oct. 1.

The three half-hour series will air on Saturday mornings, the company said Monday. Each show will have its own real-life narrative exploring seaside destinations, in-port adventures or the vacation experiences of real travelers.

Carnival Corp. owns more than 100 ships across 10 different cruise line brands, including Holland America, Princess, Fathom and Cunard in addition to Carnival Cruise Line. The shows will feature ships from all of Carnival Corp.’s cruise brands over the course of various episodes.

Carnival does not consider the programs infomercials, and there won’t be explicit pitches for viewers to book cruises as the programs’ stories unfold. But the shows will break for regular ads, including ads for Carnival brands, and channels airing the shows plan to sell ads for other products during the half-hour.

The shows are:

— “Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin,” airing on ABC affiliate channels. The show will follow Corwin, the host, on adventurous excursions in various ports, including wildlife-watching, kayaking, zip-lining, diving, rappelling and mountain-climbing.

— “The Voyager with Josh Garcia,” airing on NBC stations. The show will follow Garcia, the host, as he meets locals in seaside destinations to explore history, culture, food and other stories.

— “Vacation Creation,” airing on The CW network. The show will be hosted by “In Living Color” star Tommy Davidson and YouTube celebrity Andrea Feczko as they create personalized dream vacations for individuals, couples and families who’ve weathered hardships or are in need of hope or quality time together.

Carnival Corp.’s CEO Arnold Donald said in a statement that the shows are designed to reach a broad consumer audience and will illustrate “how much fun people have traveling the world by ocean,” while helping to “dispel outdated myths about cruising.”

Surveys have shown that people who take a cruise often become repeat cruisers, but the majority of Americans have never set foot on a cruise ship. Getting those non-cruisers to consider a cruise vacation is a huge challenge for the cruise industry. While millions of people cruise safely each year around the world, isolated incidents on ships tend to garner outsize attention, whether they’re outbreaks of the norovirus or headlines about ships that become temporarily disabled at sea.

“Ocean Treks” and “The Voyager” are scheduled to air at 9 a.m. local time and “Vacation Creation” at 10:30 a.m. local time. Exact times in specific markets are subject to change.

The individuals and families featured on “Vacation Creation” are regular people, not actors or celebrities, who responded to a call to be considered for the show. Their trips are provided free other than paying taxes required by law.

ETH J. HARPAZ | AP Travel Editor