Carnival Cruise Line said its second Excel-class ship will be named the Carnival Celebration a name that, like that of its sister ship the Mardi Gras, is a throwback to one of the line's earliest vessels.
Carnival partners unboxing their letters, from left: Shaquille O’Neal, Kathie Lee Gifford, Lindsey Alsup, Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri, Alonzo Mourning, Romero Britto, Deshauna Barber, Rudi Sodamin, Micky Arison (the company's chairman) and Vanna White.
The line said that the name also reflects that the ship's 2022 arrival will coincide with Carnival's 50th birthday celebration.
Carnival promoted the new ship, the name and its upcoming anniversary by sending many of its celebrity partners boxes revealing the letters of the ship's name, which they opened in an "unboxing" video announcement across Carnival's social media channels. Recipients included celebrity chef Guy Fieri, Shaquille O'Neal (Carnival's
current "chief fun officer") and godmother Vanna White and, of course,
Kathie Lee Gifford, the godmother of the original Celebration and the star of the line's first national television ads.
The upcoming Celebration will make its debut from PortMiami in November 2022. Its sister ship, the Mardi Gras, will be the first in the Excel series, entering service next February from Port Canaveral, Fla. The Celebration will include many of the features on the Mardi Gras such as the Bolt, the first roller coaster at sea. Its itineraries will be announced over the coming weeks and will open for sale in October, Carnival said.
The original Celebration, which debuted in 1987, now sails for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line as the Grand Celebration.