Carnival Cruise Line’s new eco-friendly Mardi Gras cruise ship finally has a godmother, and it was revealed during the Miss Universe 2021 that took place on Sunday evening. The cruise line’s president and CEO Christine Duffy served on the selection committee for the global competition.
It comes as Mardi Gras remains on hold in Barcelona, Spain, while the cruise line plans on resuming operations safely. Even though the new ship won’t be among the first to set sail in July, she is one of the most anticipated new ships in the fleet for years and features the first roller coaster at sea.
Mardi Gras Godmother
The ship’s godmother will be Miss Dominican Republic, Kimberly Jiménez. She was presented with the “Spirit of Carnival” award by Duffy for embodying the company’s values of fun, friendship, diversity, and inclusion during the MISS UNIVERSE broadcast.
Jiménez will officially name the Mardi Gras ship during a ceremony later in the year. She will also have the opportunity to be among the very first to sail on the new cruise ship once she begins sailings out of the new Terminal 3 at Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship will even be making a call at Jiménez’s home country of Dominican Republic at Carnival’s Amber Cove.
Duffy said:
“Kimberly is a role model for female empowerment and has a passion for so many worthwhile causes, particularly those that assist women, children and families. It is such an honor to present Kimberly with the ‘Spirit of Carnival’ award and an even bigger thrill to announce that she’s going to be the godmother of our newest ship, Mardi Gras.”
“Kimberly joins a group of esteemed women who have served in this time-honored role for Carnival.”
Jiménez was actually born in Puerto Rico but was brought up in the Dominican Republic, and she’s been involved in volunteering for the past three years at Los Niños de Cristo orphanage and serving as a founding member of the Dominican Republic Women’s Club.
Duffy, who was on the panel of eight, said that the competition reminded her of a Carnival cruise ship as they represent many nations around the world. Across the Carnival fleet, teams represent 120 countries.
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So now all eyes will be on Mardi Gras when she departs Spain for the U.S. it will be a sign that cruises could soon begin as Carnival Cruise Line prepares for its comeback this July. The new ship is fully powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and is over 180,000 gross tons.
