Carnival Cruise AirShip Takes Flight; Kicks Off Month-Long Tour Of California

Carnival Launches Sweepstakes and #ChooseFun AirShip Sighting Social Media Campaign to Benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®

News provided by

Carnival Cruise Line

Dec 31, 2018, 13:15 ET

MIAMI, Dec. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kicking off a year-long celebration welcoming the new Carnival Panorama to the West Coast, Carnival Cruise Line is going to extreme heights today – literally – as its popular Carnival AirShip makes its aerial debut in Southern California.

Inviting everyone to "Choose Fun," the 120-foot-long AirShip will fly over and visit culture and entertainment locations across the state throughout January including The Rose Parade: A Showcase of Floats on Jan. 2 as well as sporting events; local schools; Carnival's homeports in Long Beach on Jan. 5, San Diego on Jan. 13 and San Francisco on Jan. 25; travel agent viewing parties; and select Sky Zone trampoline park locations, Carnival Panorama's newest all-ages attraction, starting with the Anaheim location on Jan 11.

In conjunction with the AirShip's California tour, consumers have a chance to win a free cruise as well as additional prizes each week throughout the month of January that give them a taste of Carnival fun when they enter the AirShip Sweepstakes at carnival.com/choosefun.

The AirShip also creates the opportunity to raise money for a great cause. For anyone who takes a picture of the AirShip and posts it on social media with the hashtag #ChooseFun, Carnival will make a $2 donation to its longtime charity partner St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® up to a maximum donation of $20,000.

This past summer, the AirShip made its inaugural journey in the southeast U.S. to celebrate the arrival of new ships in multiple homeports. It proved to be popular on social and news media channels as well as with thousands of cruise fans who posted photos on their own social media platforms.

"The Carnival AirShip was so well received when she debuted earlier this year, and we're delighted to bring her back to the West Coast to kick start our year-long celebration of Carnival Panorama. It's officially go-time!" said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "Carnival is the number one cruise line from Southern California. Our AirShip is a great way to let everyone know about the many exciting choices for guests to Choose Fun from the West Coast."

Carnival Panorama will debut with a special three-day inaugural cruise from Long Beach on Dec. 11, 2019, followed by the launch of year-round, seven-day Mexican Riviera sailings on Dec. 14, 2019. The ship joins Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration to carry upwards of 600,000 guests annually from the West Coast – more than any other cruise operator.

To learn more about Carnival Cruise Line, visit Carnival.com. For reservations, contact any travel agent or call 1-800-CARNIVAL. Carnival can also be found on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Journalists also can visit Carnival's media site, carnival-news.com or follow the line's PR department on Twitter at twitter.com/CarnivalPR.

About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 26 ships operating three- to 24-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Cuba, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. The line currently has three new ships scheduled for delivery – Carnival Panorama set to debut in 2019, Mardi Gras in 2020 and an as-yet-unnamed ship in 2022.