Carnival Updates Online Booking

Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line, now offers “live” online booking for customers--an industry first, it said. The system lets you pick the ship, the date and the cabin number and immediately book the berth. Previously, online visitors had to fill out a reservation form, e-mail it and then wait a day or so to get an e-mail answer from the company, said spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz. Online bookings require an immediate credit-card deposit of $100 to $300, and you cannot book millennium trips, she added. The Internet site is https://www.carnival.com.