A girl from New Jersey won an an online contest looking for a godchild to christen the water park on the Carnival Dream when the ship debuts in the U.S. next month.
Hailee Steberger of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., won Carnival Cruise Lines’ "Virtual Book of Dreams" online contest that asked children to share their "awesome dreams" with a short essay and hand-drawn illustration. Hailee turns 9 on Tuesday.
Hailee and her family will go to New York in November to christen the 130,000-ton Dream’s WaterWorks aqua park, which Carnival said has the longest water slide on any cruise ship. She and her family also received a free cruise.
In her entry, entitled "Wake Me When We Leave," Hailee talks about being excited about her first cruise, an upcoming sailing on the Carnival Dream.
"Hailee’s winning entry was certainly creative, and we’re delighted that she will be the official godchild of the magnificent water park aboard the new Carnival Dream," Jim Berra, Carnival’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
Carnival said it donated $1 per vote to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for a total contribution of $25,000.