Carnival Celebrates America’s 250th Birthday in Four Homeport Cities
As people across America begin to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country this weekend, Carnival Cruise Line has revealed details on some of its own onboard celebrations for the occasion.
Shipboard celebrations were held in Long Beach, California; Baltimore, Maryland; and Tampa and Jacksonville, Florida, complete with military tributes, massive inflatables, and even a special character appearance.
Baltimore
On June 28, Carnival hosted a patriotic celebration aboard Carnival Pride at the Port of Baltimore. This event was the first of the shipboard events, kicking off a series of America250 homeport community celebrations.
Local community partners, veterans, business leaders, and government officials gathered to celebrate the milestone, and were greeted with a 40-foot-tall inflatable Uncle Sam hat on the top deck. Celebrations on board included a military tribute recognizing active-duty service members, local veterans, and first responders. Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat even made an appearance, donning a patriotic outfit to celebrate America’s big milestone.
Long Beach
The second of Carnival’s America250 shipboard celebrations took place aboard Carnival Radiance at the Port of Long Beach on June 30. Here too, local community partners, veterans, business leaders, and government officials gathered, and were greeted with a different 40-foot-tall inflatable: a red, white, and blue star. This ship also hosted a special tribute for service members, veterans, and first responders, with another appearance by the Cat in the Hat.. he sure gets around!
Jacksonville and Tampa
The final homeport cities in Carnival’s lineup of America250 celebrations were both in Florida — Jacksonville and Tampa — on July 2. Similar events were held in these homeports as in the cities before them, taking place aboard Carnival Elation at the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal and aboard Carnival Paradise at Port Tampa Bay.
Of course, inflatables were once again present on the top decks to welcome guests during the embarkation process, and in these cities they were the same: a 40-foot-tall patriotic bald eagle.
The celebration included a dedicated military tribute recognizing service members, local veterans, and first responders, and each member of the military was presented with a specially-designed, limited-edition America250 challenge coin. This coin was presented at the tributes aboard all four ships. And of course, the Cat in the Hat couldn’t miss these celebrations, either!
As the celebration continues this weekend, several ships in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet will meet up to watch spectacular fireworks shows on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. And we think a ship is one of the very best places you can possibly enjoy a fireworks show. No looking for parking, enduring huge crowds, finding a good spot for viewing, and then fighting traffic on the way home? Sign us up!
