Carnival to Celebrate New Year’s Eve Across the Fleet and Ashore

Carnival Cruise Line certainly knows how to party, and there’s no better time to party than New Year’s Eve. While every ship in the fleet will have festivities onboard to ring in 2024, guests who aren’t sailing a New Year’s cruise can also enjoy Carnival fun from the iconic Times Square New Year’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast.

Millions of people will be able to enjoy Carnival Cruise Line’s special party style with New Year’s Eve festivities from Times Square in New York City as 2023 ends and 2024 begins. This year, America’s Cruise Line is not only lighting the iconic ball, but is the official cruise line sponsor for Times Square New Year’s Eve for the third year in a row.

Furthermore, Carnival is a musical sponsor for the ever-popular “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024” on ABC, a live broadcast of the festivities that will start at 8 p.m. on Sunday, December 31, 2023 and continue into 2024 until 2 a.m. iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app will also broadcast the celebration.

“We’re bringing the signature Carnival fun back to Times Square in celebration of our remarkable achievements this year,” said Josh Weinstein, President & CEO and Chief Climate Officer of Carnival Corporation & plc.

“Looking back on 2023, we delivered stellar vacations to millions of people and saw record bookings and unprecedented growth from several of our brands, including Carnival Cruise Line. We have raised the bar, so now it’s time to raise the Ball! We have plenty to be proud about and we’re confident that 2024 is set to be another record-breaking year across our company.”

While the ball has already been tested to be sure it functions properly, the official lighting for this year’s party will be at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, when the ball will be raised to the top of One Times Square for all to see.

The iconic New Year’s Eve Ball is a geodesic sphere 12 feet in diameter, weighs 11,875 pounds, and is covered with 2,688 triangular crystals. A total of 32,256 LEDS illuminate the ball.

For more than 30 years, the ABC special has been the top viewing choice for New Year’s Eve celebrations, with more than 17.9 million viewers at the peak moment when midnight is reached.

During the celebration, several LED billboards in Times Square will also display Carnival Cruise Line’s new “No One Does Fun Like Carnival” advertising campaign.

New Year’s Eve at Sea

While the Times Square New Year’s Eve party is well-known worldwide, it is at sea that end-of-year parties are truly global. Carnival Cruise Line’s 26 ships will all be holding their own celebrations to ring in the new year, at destinations around the world.

Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor are sailing in Australia and will be the first ships to ring in the new year, while the new Carnival Jubilee will be enjoying her second-ever sailing from Galveston for the new year festivities. From New York to New Orleans and Baltimore to Mobile to all the Florida homeports, Carnival ships are ready to sail into 2024.

Onboard celebrations will include deck parties, countdowns, balloon drops, champagne toasts, and more, including the New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner with special treats as well as themed activities throughout New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

All of these festivities are to ring in the new year with Carnival’s signature fun, leading to what should be a fantastic 2024 for the cruise line.

“We start off 2024 with gratitude for our great guests, team members, travel advisors and business partners who have helped make our brand such a success and position us for a great year ahead,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival Cruise Line President.

“Now, as we ring in 2024, we’re also set to share more plans for our new exclusive destination, Celebration Key, which opens in 2025 and will truly be a game-changing addition to Carnival cruises.”

Another thing to look forward to with Carnival Cruise Line in 2024 will be the addition of Carnival Firenze to the fleet in late April, sailing from the West Coast and bringing a distinctive Italian flair to new Carnival itineraries.

What else might be coming for Carnival Cruise Line in the new year? Stay tuned to Cruise Hive to find out!