Carnival Cruise Lines President and CEO Gerry Cahill (right) and Porthole Magazine Editor-In-Chief Bill Panoff are shown here with a plaque listing Carnival’s nine 2008 Porthole Readers Choice.

Since the awards were established in 1999, Carnival has taken home an unprecedented 101 “Readers Choice Awards” – the most of any cruise line.

The presentation took place at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Miami convention, an annual gathering of top cruise line executives, vendors and suppliers.

The FlowRider is the newest attraction at the Grand Turk Cruise Center. 

The following video from the grand opening festivities highlights the first group of surfers to “catch a wave,” including Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill. 

The new FlowRider attraction is available to all cruise ship guests visiting Grand Turk Cruise Center, which serves as a gateway to what is fast becoming one of the Caribbean’s most popular cruise destinations.

           

        Who knew that Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill was also a surfer dude, too?  The leader of the “Fun Ship” fleet is shown here “hanging ten” at the new FlowRider attraction at the Grand Turk Cruise Center.  On the short board, not only did he “hang ten,” but “walked-the-nose” and pulled off a “spiner” before wiping out.

            The attraction — the only one of its kind at a cruise ship facility — offers participants a chance to catch some gnarly waves and experience some bodacious wipeouts while they enjoy both body boarding and stand-up surfing. 

            Part of a $5 million renovation to the island, the FlowRider is an artificial wave created by a pair of high-pressure water jets that produce a thin, two- to three-inch layer of water moving over a pre-formed and cushioned surface at high speed.

            Cahill was on the island of Grand Turk for the grand opening of the FlowRider* attraction, which is operated by Grand Turk’s Margaritaville restaurant and bar.

            Tickets to the FlowRider are sold on board through the shore excursion desk on ships calling at Grand Turk.  Carnival expects to offer FlowRider tickets online in the near future. Prices are $24 for body boarding for a half-hour on the ride and $34 for hour-long stand-up surfing sessions.

            The FlowRider attraction is currently available in conjunction with all cruise ship calls at Grand Turk, including Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Imagination, Carnival Liberty and Carnival Triumph.  Additional cruise lines that call at the island include Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, the Yachts of Seabourn, and Costa Cruises, among others.