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The official naming ceremony for Carnival Cruise Lines’ new Carnival Breeze took place Saturday, Dec. 8, at PortMiami. Serving as the ship’s godmother was Tracy Wilson Mourning, founder of the Miami-based Honey Shine mentoring program, who initiated the breaking of the traditional bottle of champagne on the ship’s hull during the invitation-only event.

Following its inaugural season in Europe, the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze began sailing year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami Nov. 24, becoming the largest Carnival Cruise Lines ship ever based in South Florida.

During the naming ceremony, Carnival presented a $25,000 donation to Honey Shine, which pairs young girls with female role models to empower young women and create future leaders in our communities through a combination of classroom training, spiritual education and collaborative experiences.

Carnival Breeze features a variety of exciting innovations including the Thrill Theater, an immersive multidimensional experience that makes viewers feel like part of the movie, as well as spectacular exciting top-deck attractions like the WaterWorks water park and SportSquare, an open-air recreation area with a suspended ropes course, a two-level miniature golf course, and more. Delicious dining choices include Bonsai Sushi, the line’s first full-service sushi restaurant, a new outdoor barbecue venue called Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ, and Guy’s Burger Joint developed with Food Network personality Guy Fieri.

The ship operates year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami, visiting some of the region’s most popular and beautiful ports of call.  Six-day sailings feature Grand Turk, Ocho Rios, and Nassau. Three different eight-day itineraries are offered – an exotic southern Caribbean schedule visiting Grand Turk, La Romana (Dominican Republic), Curacao, and Aruba; an eastern Caribbean route featuring St. Thomas/St. John, Antigua, Tortola and Nassau; and an exotic eastern Caribbean program calling at Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten or Tortola.