Carnival Set to Welcome Second Carnival Fun
Italian Ship to Long Beach on
April 24
MIAMI, April 5,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Having conquered the big screen
("Mean Girls"), the small screen ("Hallmark Channel") and Broadway
("Spamalot"), actor Jonathan Bennett
is ready to take on his next big role: the godfather of
Carnival Cruise Line's new 135,000 gross ton ship featuring
Carnival Fun Italian Style.
Carnival Cruise Line today named Bennett as the godfather for
its next ship, Carnival Firenze,
which is inspired by the city of Florence, Italy and is the second Carnival
ship to sail with the Carnival Fun Italian Style theme. Carnival
President Christine Duffy surprised
Bennett with the news captured in this video. To make it an even
easier for Bennett to sail, the ship will be homeported in his
backyard in Long Beach, Calif.,
where it will be christened on April
24 and embark on its first sailing on April 25.
"Jonathan is a true brand ambassador for Carnival. He cruises
with us, honeymooned with us and tells his friends and family to
vacation with Carnival. He is friendly and welcoming to everyone
and embodies the Carnival style of fun. After he sailed on the
first voyage of Carnival Firenze's sister ship Carnival Venezia
last May, he told me it would be his dream to be the godfather of
one of our ships, so how could I turn down such a request for such
a terrific friend to Carnival," said Duffy. "While he's not
Italian, he is proof positive that anyone can have Italian Style
fun when you sail on our Italian-themed ships, and we are thrilled
to have him help us welcome our newest addition to the Carnival
fleet."
Following his first professional acting role on the soap opera
"All My Children," Bennett appeared in a number of television
series before his breakout role as Aaron
Samuels in the hit movie "Mean Girls." He has gone on to
star in multiple feature films, Hallmark Channel movies and hosted
programs for the Food Network. He's also the host for the New York
Times Square New Year's Eve celebration where Carnival has
sponsored the ball drop for the past three years. He is currently
completing his first Broadway appearance in the hit revival of the
musical, "Spamalot."
"This is an amazing honor and I'm so proud to know that I'll
always be a part of the Carnival Firenze family," said
Bennett. "When I told Christine that I'd love to be a Carnival
cruise ship godfather, I never thought she'd take my request
seriously. I have so much respect for the Carnival team and how
they're dedicated to taking care of their guests, the ocean and
each other. When I say Carnival is a great company and a great
way to vacation, I mean it! I'm so excited to not only be the
ship's godfather, but to also get to cruise on Carnival Firenze as
a guest now that Carnival fun Italian style is coming to the west
coast."
Bennett will join Duffy at the Carnival Firenze naming celebration on Wednesday, April 24 in Long Beach. The ceremony will be livestreamed
on Carnival's Facebook page.
Carnival Fun Italian Style combines Italian theming with
Carnival's signature fun. Built in 2020, Carnival Firenze
accommodates more than 5,000 guests and will sail year-round from
Long Beach, offering three- to
seven-day Baja Mexico and Mexican
Riviera cruises. To see all Carnival Firenze sailings currently
open for sail, click here.
For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and
to book a cruise vacation, call 1-800-CARNIVAL,
visit www.carnival.com, or contact your favorite travel
advisor or online travel site.
ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE
Carnival Cruise Line, part
of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is
the first cruise line to sail over 100 million guests and is proud
to be known as America's Cruise Line, for carrying more Americans
and serving more U.S. homeports than any other. Since its founding
in 1972, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise
industry and popularized the cruise vacation as an affordable and
fun travel option. Carnival operates from 14 U.S. and two
Australian homeports as well as seasonally from Europe and employs more than 48,000 team
members representing 120 nationalities. Carnival's fleet of 27
ships reflects an exciting, continued period of growth with two new
additional Excel-class ships scheduled to be delivered in 2027 and
2028. Carnival's next new guest offering will be the all-new
exclusive destination, Celebration Key, set to debut on
Grand Bahama in summer 2025.
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SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line