Finally Christened: New and Improved Carnival Sunshine

[Jason]

She christened the ship back in 1996 and did the honors again Sunday night in New Orleans.

Lin Arison, widow of Carnival Cruise Lines founder Ted Arison and mother of Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison, christened the Carnival Sunshine, formerly known as the Carnival Destiny when it debuted as the world’s largest ship at 101,000 gross tons 17 years ago.

The ship underwent a name change and rechristening after a $155 million transformation that added 182 new cabins, a partial new deck and the branded restaurants and bars found on newer Carnival ships. (The project increased the gross tonnage slightly, to about 102,000.)

The christening ceremony, attended by several hundred travel agents, was reminiscent of a New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration, with colorfully attired characters, glittery jewel-tone confetti and the marching band from Destrehan High School in Destrehan, La., winner of the line’s recent Battle of the High School Marching Bands contest.

The ceremony included a performance by members of YoungArts, an organization founded by Lin and Ted Arison to encourage young artists. Carnival made a donation of $25,000 each to YoungArts and the New World Symphony, also founded by the Arisons.

Though the Carnival Sunshine began sailing in May after the 10-week renovation, the line thinks of it as truly a new ship and so it was renamed and rechristened in its homeport until April, when it moves to Port Canaveral and Carnival Dream takes its place in New Orleans.

Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said executives were careful not to crowd the ship when it increased capacity by 14 percent to 3,006 passengers. To accommodate the additional 364 passengers, the line increased the number of deck chairs by 14 percent and the number of dining capacity.

He also noted that the number of bar seats increased by 19 percent and there’s 58 percent more fitness equipment.

“Our guests may be staying up all night, but they get up and work out in the morning,” Cahill quipped.

Jim Berra, Carnival’s chief marketing officer, also outlined marketing efforts now taking place to help the brand recover from a series of ship incidents earlier this year, most notably the Carnival Triumph, which lost power in the Gulf of Mexico for several days in February.

Carnival is spending about $25 million on a major advertising campaign this fall, when it usually spends about one-third that amount. Carnival will be an exclusive national advertiser during the Winter Olympics, which will be televised for 17 days in February.

Berra also discussed the Carnival Conversations travel agent outreach program, which has made several changes agents have sought, including printing brochures again, simplifying fare codes and more. Berra emphasized that the line cannot recover without the trade.

“This is not smoke and mirrors,” he said. “Without our partners’ support, we don’t have a prayer of recovery.”

By Theresa Norton Masek, Travel Pulse

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[DebbieandJerry]

One of the cruise magazines also featured the Sunshine this month. I love when ships are refurbished and come back with a different name and a different look.

[Karen55]

Can't wait until May... Cruising out of Port Canaveral on the Sunshine on an 8-day.... YIPPIE!!!!!