Carnival Cruise Line has announced that Miss USA Deshauna Barber will be the godmother of the their newest and largest cruise ship, Carnival Vista. Earlier this year, Barber made history by being the first woman serving in the U.S. military to win the title of Miss USA.
The christening ceremony for Carnival Vista will take place in New York City in early November and will be a part of an overnight gala event honoring Operation Homefront. Seven time GRAMMY winner Carrie Underwood will also perform in an invitation only concert.
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.
Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, gave the following statement: “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. 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 honor and privilege to have Deshauna serve as the godmother to our newest and largest ship.”
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 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit in Rockville, Md.
A passionate advocate for the U.S. military and a champion of gender equality, Barber will focus her efforts on PTSD treatment for soldiers returning from deployments and suicide prevention throughout the Armed Forces.
Carnival Vista brought many exciting features to the cruise industry including the first IMAX at sea, the ground breaking Skride, new Family Harbor staterooms that are designed for families, and waterpark highlighted by a 455 foot long Kaleid-o-slide.
View Cruises on Carnival Vista
Carnival Vista is currently sailing a season in Europe before heading to her home port in Miami, Florida. Once in PortMiami, the cruise ship will sail six and eight night cruises to the Caribbean.
