Press Releases

Following an extensive $200 million renovation that added a variety of food, beverage and entertainment innovations as well as stateroom upgrades, Carnival Sunrise is making her debut today at Norfolk’s Decker Half Moone Cruise Center. Carnival Sunrise is kicking off an exciting inaugural season of four- to 14-day voyages that visit destinations in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Bahamas, the Panama Canal, New England and Canada with the first four cruises from Norfolk. “The introduction of Carnival Sunrise brings an incredibly enhanced ship to our guests with all of the popular features from across our fleet,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  “We couldn’t be more proud to introduce Carnival Sunrise in Norfolk.” “To be the first port in the…

Carnival Cruise Line expands its onboard youth programming with an exclusive partnership with Zumbini offering high-energy early childhood activities and classes that combine singing, dancing and playing. Created by Zumba and BabyFirst, Zumbini’s mixed-age music and movement curriculum features group sing-alongs, activities and musical instruments to keep children engaged and energized while learning. Led by Carnival’s trained youth staff and aimed at Carnival’s youngest cruisers, the fleetwide onboard Zumbini program, which will be free of charge, will encompass two class options taking place within the Camp Ocean children’s play areas and other lounges: All voyages: 30-minute drop-off class for Carnival Penguins age group (two-to-five years old); Voyages of six days or longer: 30-to-45-minute family class for children up to six…

Carnival Cruise Line today unveiled more details on the numerous accommodation choices guests will have on its highly-anticipated new ship, Mardi Gras, which will feature more than 180 suites across 11 styles, including the new premium category Carnival Excel suites with select amenities and access to a new resort-style, open-air enclave called Loft 19. Link to a video of the suites can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/KdQWBKZJNBg “As we continue to announce details on Mardi Gras, guests will see that this ship is going to have more choices to stay and more choices to play,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “All of our accommodations have been designed to exceed our guests’ expectations, and the suite offerings will kick…

Let’s play Family Feud Live!™ Carnival Cruise Line today announced it will debut the seagoing version of the iconic TV game show Family Feud™ as part of the entertainment lineup on the highly anticipated Mardi Gras, when it enters service in 2020. An exclusive partnership with Fremantle, Family Feud Live aboard Mardi Gras will feature the same format and signature set as the TV show. Two five-person teams will battle it out in rounds including Face Off and Fast Money by naming the most popular answers to survey questions for a chance to win a host of prizes in a high-energy gameplay. “Carnival Cruise Line is all about fun, family and friends just like Family Feud,” said Christine Duffy, president…

As Carnival Sunrise makes her debut following her $200 million transformation, Carnival Cruise Line announced today that Kelly Arison, daughter of Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine, will serve as godmother for the ship at an invitation-only ceremony in New York on May 23. In what is sure to be a touching moment, Kelly will step into the godmother role previously held by her mother when the ship first entered service as Carnival Triumph, in 1999. In an added stroke of family ties, Kelly’s grandmother Lin Arison served as godmother to Carnival Sunrise’s sister ship, Carnival Sunshine, in 2013. Carnival Sunrise’s naming ceremony will take place aboard the ship at the Manhattan Cruise Passenger Terminal and will…

At a space-themed ceremony today, the Canaveral Port Authority and longtime cruise partner Carnival Cruise Line officially broke ground for construction of Port Canaveral’s new Cruise Terminal 3 complex. The new terminal, dubbed the Launch Pad, will be the home of Mardi Gras, the cruise line’s newest and most innovative ship, beginning in 2020. Port Authority Commissioners and the Port’s leadership team joined Carnival Cruise Line executives for the ceremonial groundbreaking at the project site as NASA’s “Spaceman” planted a Carnival Cruise Line flag on a simulated lunar landscape. The event theme, “Go for Launch,” was a nod to the Port’s key role with the U.S. space program and the terminal’s futuristic design, which was inspired by nearby Kennedy Space…

Capitalizing on the success of its shipboard breweries, Carnival Cruise Line has partnered with Lakeland, Fla.-based Brew Hub to become the first cruise line to can and keg its own private label beers crafted by its in-house brewery team aboard Carnival Horizon and Carnival Vista. The agreement – the first of its kind between a craft beer manufacturer and a major cruise line – was announced Sunday, March 17, at an event aboard Carnival Magic at PortMiami. “With the success of our breweries on Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon the obvious next step was to let all of our guests fleetwide enjoy our refreshing craft beers and that’s where our partnership with Brew Hub began,” said Edward Allen, Carnival’s vice…

Cruise lovers who sail on Carnival Cruise Line’s newest and most innovative ship, Mardi Gras, set to debut in late summer 2020, will enjoy an array of architectural features and designs that will enhance many aspects of its balcony, ocean view and interior staterooms. The staterooms were developed in partnership with DCA Design International, a leading product design firm based in Warwick, England, that works across consumer goods, travel and transportation, commercial, and science and technology sectors.  The staterooms will reflect new and innovative design practices that are ergonomically-friendly and maximize visual space, clean lines, surfaces and storage. “We took a unique approach to our stateroom design with Mardi Gras, utilizing DCA’s design experts who are well known for innovative…

Carnival Freedom has undergone a multi-million-dollar renovation added a variety of exciting experiences, including an expansive new WaterWorks aqua park, enhanced dining options such as a re-branded Deli and Bonsai Sushi Express, expanded retail spaces, a new miniature golf course and more. Part of the line’s industry-leading $2 billion ship enhancement program that has added popular Fun Ship 2.0 innovations across the fleet, the updated spaces were added during a three-week dry dock that took place in Freeport, The Bahamas.   The new and enhanced experiences include: WaterWorks: Featuring a 203-foot-long AquaTunnel slide and Carnival’s signature 212-foot-long Twister slide along with a 75-gallon PowerDrencher tipping bucket and SplashZone area for kids. Bonsai Express: the success of the full-service Bonsai Sushi restaurants…

Continuing to build excitement around next month’s debut of the totally transformed Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Cruise Line has announced that Christopher Williams will serve as cruise director and Katie Romitz as entertainment director for the ship’s inaugural season when it launches in April following an extensive dry dock. Previously sailing as Carnival Triumph, the ship is currently undergoing a $200 million bow-to-stern transformation in Cadiz, Spain, and will re-emerge as Carnival Sunrise featuring all of the line’s popular, branded food, beverage and entertainment experiences. Williams and Romitz will lead Carnival Sunrise’s vast array of entertainment offerings from legendary deck parties and hilarious shows at Punchliner Comedy Club to trivia games and audience favorites such as Hasbro, The Game Show; CLUE:…