To celebrate the arrival of the new Long Beach-based Carnival Panorama later this year, Carnival Cruise Line kicked off 2019 with its first-ever float in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA.
Modeled after the new 133,500-ton Vista-class ship, the float cruised down the five-mile parade route for a crowd of 700,000 who jammed along with the float riders to a Carnival nine-piece band playing “Uptown Funk” and “I’ve Got a Feeling,” as well as the estimated 80 million television viewers watching at home.
Named “Come Sail Away,” the colorful, highly detailed 55-foot-long ship-shaped float included floral-inspired reproductions of signature Carnival features like the line's red and blue funnel, a water park and Lido Deck party, and the line’s newest attraction -- a trampoline park developed in partnership with Sky Zone with jumpers on a working trampoline built into the front portion of the float.
The float also included a replica of the Carnival AirShip flying overhead, just like the blimp that will embark on a month-long tour of California to promote Carnival’s continued expansion in Long Beach, as well as new cruise itineraries from San Diego and San Francisco.
Decorated with flowers, seeds and plants from 100-plus countries representing the global array of nations that Carnival employees hail from, the float also featured a BlueIguana and RedFrog from their namesake watering holes, with scuba divers at the water line blowing actual bubbles as the float sailed down the parade route.
In conjunction with West Coast debut of the Carnival AirShip, consumers can enter a sweepstakes at www.carnival.com/choosefun for a chance to win a free cruise as well as other prizes each week during the month of January. Additionally, 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.
Designed by Carnival’s in-house creative team and Fiesta Parade Floats, construction of the float began in mid-November and encompassed 10 designers collectively working hundreds of hours right up until parade time. Dozens of volunteers, including Carnival travel agent partners, joined the designers to decorate the float.
Carnival Panorama is set to debut with a special three-day cruise from Long Beach on December 11, 2019, followed by the launch of year-round, seven-day Mexican Riviera service on December 14, 2019. The ship joins Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration to carry upwards of 600,000 guests annually from the West Coast.
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