Almost three months after her maiden cruise, Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras was christened in Port Canaveral at the weekend (23 October) at a “Universe of Fun” celebration.
In the first ship naming ceremony in the US since the cruise industry’s restart this summer, Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer, Shaquille O’Neal, cut the ribbon of his first Big Chicken restaurant at sea that debuted when Mardi Gras began cruise operations on 31 July.
In a ceremony akin to a beauty pageant, Miss Dominican Republic, Kimberly Jimenez, served as the ship’s godmother and officially named the ship, joined by Miss Universe, Andrea Meza, and Miss USA, Asya Branch, who sang the national anthem.
The event featured a “World of Nations” flag procession to highlight the diversity of the 120 nationalities of Carnival crew members, and Mardi Gras parade with a Second Line Band.
“Today’s naming ceremony of our flagship Mardi Gras signifies excitement and optimism as we look to bring our entire fleet back into guest service by spring 2022,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“This ship has been amazing guests during her pre-inaugural season and the celebration today with our Chief Fun Officer Shaq, our Godmother Kimberly, and so many special guests, was extremely gratifying and emotional.”
Godmother Jimenez blessed the ship in both English and her native Spanish and activated the traditional champagne bottle break, officially naming the ship.
The 180,000-ton Mardi Gras is the first cruise ship in the Americas to be powered by eco-friendly Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and the first to feature a roller coaster.