Carnival Cruise Line Unveils America 250 Festivities

Carnival Cruise Line is sharing more details about how it plans to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.

The festivities include ship meetups with fireworks on both coasts, community homeport celebrations and fleetwide onboard activities. As an official America250 partner, Carnival is unveiling the lineup on the heels of the debut of its new “From Sea to Shining Sea” bow crest, starting with Carnival Magic and Carnival Legend.

“As America’s cruise line, we are bringing the fun from coast to coast so everyone can celebrate,” says Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “There is no better way to honor this milestone than by bringing people together to salute our nation and create unforgettable moments at sea and ashore.”

Here are some of the highlights of the celebrations: 

• Onboard Activities: Embarkation on select ships will feature 40-foot patriotic inflatables on deck, 250th birthday banners and decorations and host US YAY! Parties with balloon drops and patriotic appearances from Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat. Guests will attend Red, White and Blue Deck Parties and enjoy festive food and drinks including specialty cocktails, strawberry shortcake, limited-edition America250 souvenir Coke cans, “America’s Cruisin” beer and more. 
• Ship Meetups: On July 4, seven ships sailing from the East Coast will meet up near Carnival’s private destination on Grand Bahama, Celebration Key, for a fireworks show. Three ships will also meet up for a front row seat to the West Coast’s largest fireworks show, Port of San Diego’s Big Bay Boom, for which Carnival is the official cruise line sponsor.
• Military: One military family on each sailing the week of July 4 will receive an American flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol. All veterans and active-duty military personnel on those sailings will also receive a special-edition military pin.
• Homeport Celebrations: The tribute extends to several of Carnival’s homeport communities, with a series of celebrations on Carnival ships, where community partners and veterans will be invited. Celebrations will be held in Baltimore aboard Carnival Pride on June 28; Long Beach aboard Carnival Radiance on June 30; Jacksonville aboard Carnival Elation on July 2; and Tampa aboard Carnival Paradise on July 2.
• Community Celebrations: Carnival is also proudly supporting celebrations in Norfolk, Virginia, as the sponsor for the Virginia Sail250 Fireworks Show on June 20; San Diego, California, as the official sponsor of the Port of San Diego Bay Boom on July 4; and Miami-Dade County, Florida, as a sponsor of the Miami-Dade 250 Independence Day Celebration on July 4.

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