There’s always something new on the horizon when it comes to cruising, and this summer, that some thing new IS the Horizon!

Carnival’s brand new ship was christened in New York City on May 23rd by the ship’s godmother, Queen Latifah. KHM Travel Group’s Director of Agent Development and Engagement Marie Smith and I were on-hand for the celebration.

After the christening ceremony, Queen Latifah drew on her background as a performer in a “Queen vs. Champ” lip-sync battle with Jake Elliot, a kicker on the Superbowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles.

As a cruising enthusiast and supporter of travel agents, Latifah was an obvious choice for godmother.

“I use a travel agent to book all my trips,” she said in a media briefing prior to the ceremony. “I’m not into scavenging the internet to find the best price. I have one person who is the master of that and I let her do her thing.”

The Grammy-award winning singer easily won the lip-sync battle by popular vote, with a high-energy rendition of “It’s Raining Men.”

This Vista-class ship features some new crowd-pleasers, including a Dr. Seuss-themed water park, Carnival’s first shipboard Teppanyaki restaurant, and Guy Fieri’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse and Brewhouse.

The BBQ offerings at Pig & Anchor are smoked each morning on board, and the restaurant’s line of Parched Pig craft brews can only be found on the Horizon. My favorite was the hoppy West Coast IPA!

The Carnival Horizon’s decor is bright and modern with vibrant colors throughout the ship that relay Carnival’s “Choose Fun” initiative, while still feeling fresh and updated. Cruisers will definitely take notice of the three-deck high Dreamscape, which acts as the centerpiece for the ship’s atrium. During the christening event, the Dreamscape displayed 33 different drawings from patients of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, one of Carnival’s primary charitable partners.

Celebrity selfie moment with Guy Fieri

The Horizon also features another innovative first for Carnival in its smart elevators. Before entering the elevator, guests choose the deck they want to go to on a smart screen. They screen then directs them to a specific elevator to use (indicated by the letters A,B,C, and D). Once inside, passengers can not switch their direction to another deck because the elevators don’t have a panel of buttons.

While it does take time to get used to this system, the overall goal is to cut down on wait times, and prevent elevators from stopping at every single deck. For a short trip like ours, we didn’t have enough time to adjust, but over time, travelers should be able to easily adapt to this feature.

Thanks to our awesome Carnival BDM, Chris, for this opportunity!

Overall, the Horizon christening and the ship itself embodied what cruisers love most about Carnival: the ships and staff are committed to fun. Marie and I would like to thank our Business Development Manager from Carnival, Chris Schutz, for making KHM Travel Group part of this historic event.

The Horizon will be spending its summer sailing from New York to Bermuda and the Caribbean. In the fall, it will make its home in Miami and continue to cruise the Caribbean.

View more photos from the Carnival Horizon christening event in our Flickr album.

If you’re interested in selling memorable getaways, request our free Travel Agent Information Guide about becoming a travel agent by filling out the form on the right or by calling 1-888-611-1220. Our experienced team is here to support your goals for your travel business!