As Carnival Sunrise makes her debut following a $200-million transformation, Carnival Cruise Line announced that Kelly Arison, daughter of Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine, will serve as godmother for the ship at an invitation-only ceremony in New York on May 23.
Carnival Sunrise, formerly known as Carnival Triumph, is being completely rebuilt, with a new promenade, adding all of its Fun Ship 2.0 features. There is capacity for 2,945, an additional 115 guests. Highlights include two Captain’s Suites adjacent to the bridge featuring floor-to-ceiling windows. On the food and beverage side will include Seafood Shack, Bonsai Sushi and Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que.
In what is sure to be a touching moment, Kelly will step into the godmother role previously held by her mother when the ship first entered service as Carnival Triumph, in 1999. In an added stroke of family ties, Kelly’s grandmother Lin Arison served as godmother to Carnival Sunrise’s sister ship, Carnival Sunshine, in 2013.
The naming ceremony will take place aboard the ship at the Manhattan Cruise Passenger Terminal and will serve as a platform to heighten awareness of the work of the Ehlers-Danlos Society, an organization dedicated to serving those with joint hypermobility spectrum disorders, of which Kelly is a strong advocate. Carnival will be making a donation to the Ehlers-Danlos Society during the ceremony.
Carnival Sunrise will be sailing to Bermuda, the Caribbean and eastern Canada from Norfolk and New York in the summer before making Ft. Lauderdale her home in the fall of 2019.
Carnival Victory will receive the same rebuilding and upgrades in 2020, and will be renamed Carnival Radiance.
