Cruise

Miss USA Named Carnival Godmother

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Miss USA Deshauna Barber has been named godmother of Carnival Cruise Line’s newest and largest ship, Carnival Vista.

Barber made history earlier this year when she became the first woman serving in the US military to win the title of Miss USA.

Barber will officially name the 133,500-ton vessel during a shipboard ceremony that is part of an overnight gala event honouring Operation Homefront and featuring an exclusive invitation-only concert by seven-time Grammy-award winning artist Carrie Underwood. The festivities will include overnight accommodations, meals, activities and entertainment for hundreds of military families.

The concert and overnight gala event are the culmination of “Honor. Family. Fun.,” Carnival’s year-long celebration designed to raise funds for Operation Homefront to help the organization fulfill its mission of building strong, stable, and secure military families.

“Deshauna is the ideal candidate to serve as Carnival Vista’s godmother, embodying the spirit of commitment and sacrifice to those who protect our freedom each and every day,” said Carnival president Christine Duffy. “Carnival is a longtime supporter of the military carrying more active and retired Armed Forces personnel than any other cruise line so it’s our honour and privilege to have Deshauna serve as the godmother to our newest and largest ship.”

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

Currently sailing its inaugural season in Europe, Vista will reposition to the US in November operating a pair of 11-day sailings from New York before launching year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean service from Miami later that month.

(http://www.carnival.com)

Guests onboard Carnival Vista participate in SkyRide, an opportunity to pedal hanging recumbent-like bikes around an 800-foot-long suspended track some 150 feet above the sea. The largest and most innovative cruise vessel in Carnival Cruise Line's fleet, Carnival Vista measures 133,500 tons, 1,055 feet long and has a guest capacity of almost 4,000 passengers. Photo by Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Photo by Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line