Honor.Family.Fun. Theme Continues As Carnival Cruise Line Introduces Next Generation Ship

Celebrating the arrival of Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, an overnight gala was held in New York City.  Continuing Carnival’s support of Operation Homefront, invited military families enjoyed a concert by seven-time GRAMMY award-winning country music super star Carrie Underwood.  Also at the event: the ship’s official naming ceremony by godmother Deshauna Barber, the first U.S. military member to be named Miss USA.

At the ship’s official naming ceremony, Miss USA Deshauna Barber, the first woman serving in the U.S. military to hold the title, presided over the ceremonies as godmother and released the ceremonial bottle of champagne that smashed over the hull of the massive 133,500-ton ship. In addition to the concert, the festivities included overnight accommodations, meals, activities and entertainment for hundreds of military families.

”Carnival Cruise Line carries more active and retired military personnel and I couldn’t think of a better way to introduce this spectacular vessel than by honoring and celebrating the sacrifices of our Armed Forces personnel,” -Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

The festivities represent the culmination of Honor.Family.Fun., Carnival’s year-long celebration to support Operation Homefront and help the organization fulfill its mission of building strong, stable, and secure military families.

Underwood performed an hour-long set for hundreds of military personnel and their families, many of whom were given the chance of a lifetime to meet the artist during various meet and greet opportunities during stops along her Storyteller Tour, and were invited to attend the festivities aboard Carnival Vista.

The daughter of a retired Army master sergeant who was a member of the Special Forces, Barber joined the Army Reserve as a quartermaster officer in 2011. After earning her bachelors in business management from Virginia State University, Barber went on to complete her masters in computer information systems from the University of Maryland University College. She currently serves as logistics commander for the 988^th Quartermaster Detachment Unit in Rockville, Md.

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“I’m honored to serve as godmother of the brand new Carnival Vista and join a long line of strong, successful women who have fulfilled this time-honored role,” said Barber. “In addition to serving as godmother, today was extra special as I had the opportunity to meet several Operation Homefront families and hear their stories. It is a day I’ll never forget.”

“We’re thrilled Carnival Cruise Line has honored those that do so much for the freedoms we enjoy daily – our service members and their families – with a truly memorable day onboard their newest ship,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., president and CEO of Operation Homefront. “Like-minded partners, like Carnival and Carrie Underwood, clearly demonstrate, through their actions, their steadfast commitment to our men and women in uniform.”

 

As the line’s newest ship, Carnival Vista introduced a number of groundbreaking innovations including the first brewery on a North American-based cruise ship, the first IMAX Theatre at sea, the most elaborate water park in the fleet highlighted by the 455-foot-long Kaleid-o-slide, a groundbreaking bike-ride-in-the-sky aerial attraction called SkyRide, and the new Family Harbor with specially designed staterooms for families, a family concierge and more.

Carnival Vista will operate a pair of 11-day sailings from New York before launching year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean service from Miami beginning Nov. 27.

Honor.Family.Fun. Theme A Consistent Focus With Carnival Corporation Brands

Of particular interest to us here, the ongoing support of the military by the Carnival Corporation family of cruise brands.  When Carnival Freedom began sailing year-round from Galveston, Carnival Cruise Line was host to a celebration that honored U.S. military families featuring a special outdoor Carnival LIVE performance by country superstar Martina McBride.