Trouble on the High Seas: Carnival Cruises Board of Directors
Topic Summary
In February 2013, the Carnival Triumph set sail from Galveston, Texas carrying over 4,200 passengers and crew on what was meant to be a routine Caribbean cruise. What followed became one of the most notorious disasters in the modern cruise industry. An engine room fire knocked out power across the ship, leaving thousands stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for five days without air conditioning, functioning toilets, or adequate food. Passengers endured sweltering heat, sewage-filled hallways, and mounting uncertainty as the vessel drifted before being slowly towed back to port. The incident, quickly dubbed the "poop cruise" by the media, became a national spectacle and a defining crisis for Carnival Corporation.
But the Triumph was not an isolated event. It exposed deeper, systemic issues within Carnival's operations: aging fleet maintenance, insufficient emergency protocols, and a corporate culture that had long prioritized rapid expansion and cost efficiency over passenger safety and experience. In the months that followed, Carnival faced congressional hearings, federal investigations, class-action lawsuits, and a severe erosion of consumer confidence.
Delegates will step into the boardroom at this critical inflection point. The committee will begin in the immediate aftermath of the Triumph disaster, where you will be tasked with managing the crisis in real time: coordinating emergency response, navigating a national media firestorm, and making the difficult decisions necessary to stabilize the company. As the committee evolves, the focus will shift from crisis management to long-term corporate strategy. With competitors like Royal Caribbean and MSC investing billions in record-breaking mega ships and next-generation guest experiences, Carnival must answer a fundamental question: how does it not only recover from one of the industry's most public failures, but reinvent itself to compete in a new era of the "Cruise Wars"? This committee challenges delegates to balance public relations, operational reform, and bold innovation in a fast-moving industry where perception is everything.
Dear Delegates,
It is my pleasure to welcome you aboard Harvard Model United Nations 2027 and the Carnival Cruise Lines Board of Directors Committee!
My name is Fabio Fabbiani, and I will be serving as your Director for this committee. I am a sophomore at Harvard from Maturín, Venezuela and Miami, Florida, currently pursuing a double concentration in Economics and Government with a certificate in Latin American Studies. I first became involved in Model UN in high school but have become much more involved since arriving at Harvard. I served as an Assistant Crisis Director during HMUN 2026 and an Assistant Operations Director for HNMUN 2026, and I am also a delegate on Harvard's competitive Model UN Travel Team (ICMUN). Outside of MUN, I am involved with the Harvard Undergraduate Consulting Group, the Finance Team of the International Relations Council, Harvard Latinos in Finance and Technology, Harvard Model Congress, and several initiatives at the Institute of Politics. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, traveling, and hanging out with friends.
In this committee, you will be asked to think critically about two major themes in the fast-paced and competitive hospitality industry: crisis response and product innovation. Drawing from the crises Carnival Cruise Lines faced in 2013 with the stranding of the Carnival Triumph, you will develop strategies to navigate the turbulent waters of severe operational disruptions, manage a national corporate PR crisis, and chart a course forward to regain public trust and recapture a larger share of the cruise industry. I will be placing equal emphasis on front room debate and backroom strategy, and I look forward to the creative solutions delegates bring to committee.
Throughout the course of the weekend, we will be looking for delegates who engage deeply with the substantive materials, work collaboratively with their peers, and demonstrate both diplomacy and creativity in problem-solving. Whether this is your first MUN conference or one of many, my main goal is to see you grow throughout the weekend.
I look forward to meeting each of you and seeing how you steer this committee through the storm!
All hands on deck,
Fabbio Fabbiani
Director, Carnival BoD
carnival@harvardmun.org
Harvard Model United Nations 2027
Dear Delegates,
My name is Anthony Wang from New York City. I am a sophomore studying Chemistry. Throughout my time being part of Harvard's Model UN team, I've been able to witness the excitement during committees and the brilliant ideas developed throughout each and every conference. Every conference is unique and I'm so excited to be able to welcome you all to another year of HMUN!
This year, I am equally excited to see the unique approaches to our challenges in committee. Whether this is our first ever conference or one of many, I hope you come ready to speak boldly about issues you care about while collaborating with the people around you. I cannot wait to meet you all and a reminder that HMUN has always been shaped by its delegates where you will bring all the fun.
Apart from HMUN, I enjoy playing chess and traveling around the world. I can also help with food recommendations around Boston
Sincerely,
Anthony Wang
Crisis Director, Carnival Bod
Harvard Model United Nations 2027
