Carnival Shares the Tropics with New York City

Carnival Cruise Line has delivered the Caribbean to New York by way of vending machine.

It's all part of the brand's creative initiative to put warmer sailing destinations and its upcoming new Carnival Horizon on people's minds.

"As winter is fast approaching, now is the time to start thinking about your next vacation," said Stephanie Esposito, director of digital marketing for Carnival Cruise Line, in a press release.

"Our #OpenFun campaign is designed to promote travel to the Caribbean - the world's most popular cruising region - by encouraging consumers to stop and smell the tropics, get a 'scents' of what a cruise experience might be like, and maybe win a cruise vacation."

The pop-up experience in Manhattan's Greeley Square Park consisted of a heated tent, a steel drum band and island smells.

The "scent-sational" centerpiece was a vending machine filled with complimentary cans of genuine island air infused with natural scents from each destination as well as the chance to win a free cruise.

Among the varieties were Wild Banana Orchid from Grand Cayman, Puerto Rican Coffee from San Juan, Sugarcane Rum from St. Kitts, Island Coconut from Cozumel and Ocean Breeze from the sea-all five representative of future Carnival Horizon locales.

Carnival is also hosting a national sweepstakes on its Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts through December 16, asking which scent inspires people during vacation. Participants can use the hashtag #OpenFun for the opportunity to win a cruise on the new ship.

It's well known that the olfactory sense is the one associated most with memory, so centering a marketing campaign around smell is a very wise choice. After all, a recent Carnival survey showed that 95 percent of Americans believe scent triggers memories of vacations while 56 percent think a certain scent led them to schedule a vacation.

Currently, the Horizon is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. While it will be a similar sister-ship to the Carnival Vista, it will also exclusively feature a Dr. Seuss-themed water park, a teppanyaki dining venue and Smokehouse Brewhouse with traditional BBQ fare from Food Network star Guy Fieri, plus brewed-on-board craft beers.

Carried over from the Vista will be favorites like the SkyRide suspended cycling ride, IMAX Theatre and SportSquare with ropes course. Accommodations include spacious Family Harbor staterooms, as well as spa cabins, Havana staterooms and suites-each with their own exclusive access to the Cloud 9 Spa and Cuban-themed bar and pool respectively.

After it spends a season in Europe, Carnival Horizon will embark on four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean summer cruises from New York. By September 2018, it will reposition to Miami year-round for six- and eight-day Caribbean sailings.

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