Carnival Cruise Lines latest Funship, Carnival Magic is coming to its new homeport of Galveston, Texas November 13 to sail alternating Caribbean itineraries. That’s big news for America’s biggest state. Sticking with the big Texas feel of the event, Carnival announced it has teamed up with award-winning band Maroon 5 to perform an exclusive free concert, welcoming the ship to her new home.
“We wanted to do something big and memorable to mark Carnival Magic’s U.S. debut and what better way to celebrate than to bring together fans of music and fans of Carnival, along with our partners in Galveston, for an exceptional afternoon of fun and entertainment,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines’ president and CEO. “We’re thrilled to kick off year-round Caribbean cruising on the newest and most spectacular ship sailing from Texas.”
On Sunday, November, 13, 2011, set to the backdrop of the spectacular new Carnival Magic from the Port of Galveston’s Pier 21, fans of Maroon 5 and Carnival will be treated to a free, ticketed concert by the multi-platinum group the day before the new vessel sets sail on its inaugural U.S. voyage.
Adam Levine, Maroon 5 frontman and coach on the hit NBC series “The Voice,” said, “We’ve played every kind of venue imaginable across the world, but we’ve never helped to launch a new cruise ship. We’re excited to work with Carnival and to be part of the Carnival Magic celebration for fans in Texas.”
We sailed the Mediterranean on Carnival Magic last May when the ship entered service and raised the bar for the Funship cruise experience. New features on Carnival Magic include the wildly popular RedFrog Pub, a colorful Caribbean-inspired watering hole featuring its own private label draught beer; Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian restaurant that brings the heritage of Carnival’s captains to the table; and SportSquare, an expansive open-air recreation complex with the first ropes course and outdoor fitness area at sea.
Carnival Magic is loaded with other features as well. WaterWorks aqua park has a 312-foot-long spiral water slide and other attractions. The Lanai, is a wraparound promenade with an outdoor barbeque area and whirlpools that extend out over the ship’s sides. Ocean Plaza, a stunning indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue.
Not long ago, Carnival announced their new Funship 2.0 initiative that takes many of the new elements of Fun introduced on Carnival Magic to the rest of the Carnival fleet.
Carnival Magic is the ship where it all began and Carnival Magic heads to Texas now, making its transatlantic voyage to arrive in Galveston on November 13. That afternoon, lucky invited guests will enjoy a fantastic performance from the globally recognized group known for hits like “Moves Like Jagger,” “This Love,” “She Will Be Loved,” “Wake Up Call” and “Makes Me Wonder.”
Free tickets for the performance will be distributed a number of ways including a contest on Carnival’s Facebook page that asks fans to record a video of their best dance moves for a chance to win two tickets to the concert, along with round-trip airfare, hotel, ground transportation and spending money. Carnival’s Facebook fans in Texas, along with readers of the popular blog written by Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald, will have additional opportunities to win, and tickets will also be given away through select Texas radio stations.
Following the concert, Carnival will host several thousand travel agent partners on board Carnival Magic for an evening of dining and entertainment. On November 14, the ship will launch its Caribbean cruise program which will feature two different week-long itineraries from Galveston, including seven-day western Caribbean voyages to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and week-long eastern Caribbean cruises to Nassau, Freeport, and Key West.
We will be along for that live event too so stay tuned as we get inside Carnival Magic leading up to the new ship’s Texas debut. We’ll review what we know and explore what we don’t as we continue to take you inside cruise vacations with all the latest information.
Related articles
- New cruise video: The stars of Carnival’s Funship2 speak out (chriscruises.net)
- Cruise ship homeports: One city in love, another not so much (chriscruises.net)
- Galveston Celebrates a Decade of Carnival Cruises (prweb.com)
- Carnival Breeze one step closer (chriscruises.net)
