Carnival selects fans favourites to lead fun aboard Carnival Celebration
Carnival Celebration will offer a long list of highly anticipated features taking cruise vacations to the next level, from her BOLT rollercoaster to her unique new zones and dining venues, and now guests have two more reasons to be excited about the next new ship from Carnival Cruise Line: Lee Mason as Carnival Celebration’s cruise director and Calvyn Martens as the ship’s entertainment director.
Mason and Martens are both popular with Carnival guests and bring a combined quarter-century of Carnival fun and experience to lead the team responsible for the cruise line’s quintessential atmosphere, activities and entertainment aboard its new ship.
“Not only will Carnival Celebration arrive as the ship marking our 50th birthday, but it will build upon the stellar entertainment offerings which our guests have already come to love since the debut of Mardi Gras. Lee and Calvyn are the perfect team to take on this responsibility and help our guests make great memories while having lots of fun,” said Chris Nelson, Carnival’s vice president of entertainment.
Mason, currently serving as cruise director on Mardi Gras, is from Cumbria, England, and has served as cruise director on several ships across Carnival’s fleet over the past six years, including the return to service of Carnival Panorama in Long Beach. Having trained at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York City, Mason’s talent for showmanship is matched only by his boundless energy and love for life. His proudest achievement to date is helping to set Carnival Splendor’s $40,000 St. Jude fundraising record.
Martens, from Vancouver, Canada, has been entertaining Carnival guests for nearly 20 years, having joined the company as part of the team on Carnival Holiday. He has helped bring to life much of the entertainment programming Carnival fans enjoy today and is a mentor to many entertainers across the fleet. Calvyn’s Carnival journey has had many highlights, but some of his fondest memories include being selected as part of the inaugural team for Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze, leading the Carnival Legend for its inaugural Baltic season, becoming known to guests as the “Morning Show” co-host and serving as Executive Assistant to John Heald, Carnival’s brand ambassador.
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Carnival Celebration is part of the cruise line’s new Excel-class and the sister ship to Mardi Gras, which entered service last year as the first ship in North America to run on an Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion system. Carnival Corp. pioneered the introduction of LNG fuel in the passenger cruise sector as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and emissions reduction.
Carnival Celebration will arrive to its homeport, Miami, in November and will debut along with the redesigned Terminal F at PortMiami. The new terminal will be among the first at PortMiami to be shore-power ready in 2023.
Carnival Cruise Line is nominated as Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line 2022 by World Travel Awards.