Carnival Cruise Line named Carnival Sunrise this past week during a ceremony that took place in New York City. The cruise ship was transformed from Carnival Triumph into Carnival Sunrise during a $200 million renovation earlier this year.
Carnival Sunrise was officially named on Thursday by godmother Kelly Arison – daughter of Carnival Corporation & plc Chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine – in an elegant and memorable ceremony at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in New York City.
As a Carnival godmother, Kelly Arison carries on a family tradition – her mother, Madeleine was godmother to the ship when it first entered service in 1999, and her grandmother Lin Arison served as godmother to Carnival Sunrise’s sister ship, Carnival Sunshine, in 2013.
In a unique twist, the naming of Carnival Sunrise was commemorated with Arison “uncorking” a custom-made, four-foot-high confetti-filled champagne bottle sculpture designed by world-renowned and Miami-based artist Romero Britto. The one-of-a-kind bottle features Britto’s signature vibrant colors, bold patterns and elements of cubism, pop art and graffiti, as well as Carnival-inspired designs.
Smaller versions of the bottle will be sold onboard with proceeds benefiting the Ehlers-Danlos Society (EDS), an organization dedicated to serving those with joint hypermobility spectrum disorders, of which Arison is a strong advocate. Carnival also made a donation to the organization as part of the naming festivities.
Kathie Lee Gifford, who has had a longstanding 35-year relationship with Carnival Cruise Line, took a moment to address the crowd and extend her best wishes to Arison as godmother, a role that Gifford served for two Carnival cruise ships, Celebration in 1987 and Ecstasy in 1991.
The event included a video featuring players from the Miami Heat, of which Micky Arison is a managing general partner. In the video, Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning, as well as former Miami Heat player and Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal, congratulated Arison.
As part of a fleetwide $2 billion ship enhancement program, Carnival Sunrise features all of Carnival’s popular branded food, beverage and entertainment innovations with new offerings such as Guy’s Burger Joint and Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, in collaboration with Food Network star and longtime partner Guy Fieri; The Chef’s Table fine dining experience; cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar; a new WaterWorks aqua park; SportSquare recreation area; and a Serenity adults-only retreat, among many others.
Carnival Sunrise will spend the summer in New York operating four- to 14-day voyages before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a winter schedule of Caribbean and Bahamian cruises beginning in October. Carnival Sunrise then heads back to New York for another season of cruises beginning in spring 2020.
