Carnival Cruise Lines and Maroon 5 to Rock Texas for Carnival Magic's U.S. Debut

MIAMI, Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Everything is bigger in Texas, including Carnival Cruise Lines' celebration for the U.S. debut of its newest ship, Carnival Magic. Today Carnival announced it has teamed up with three-time GRAMMY Award-winning band Maroon 5 to perform an exclusive concert to welcome the line's newest "Fun Ship" to its year-round homeport of Galveston, Texas. On Sunday, November, 13, 2011, set to the backdrop of the spectacular new Carnival Magic from Pier 21, thousands of fans of Maroon 5 and Carnival will be treated to a free, ticketed concert by the multi-platinum group the day before the new vessel sets sail on its inaugural U.S. voyage.

Carnival Magic, which entered service in May in Europe, will make its transatlantic voyage to arrive in Galveston on November 13.  That afternoon, lucky invited guests will enjoy a fantastic performance from the globally recognized group known for hits like "Moves Like Jagger," "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," "Wake Up Call" and "Makes Me Wonder."  Free tickets for the performance will be distributed through various channels, including Carnival's Facebook page, which will feature a contest that asks fans to record a video of their best dance moves for a chance to win two tickets to the concert, along with round-trip airfare, hotel, ground transportation and spending money.  Carnival's Facebook fans in Texas, along with readers of the popular blog written by Carnival's Senior Cruise Director John Heald, will have additional opportunities to win, and tickets will also be given away through select Texas radio stations.

"We wanted to do something big and memorable to mark Carnival Magic's U.S. debut and what better way to celebrate than to bring together fans of music and fans of Carnival, along with our partners in Galveston, for an exceptional afternoon of fun and entertainment," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines' president and CEO. "We're thrilled to kick off year-round Caribbean cruising on the newest and most spectacular ship sailing from Texas."

Adam Levine, Maroon 5 frontman and coach on the hit NBC series "The Voice," said, "We've played every kind of venue imaginable across the world, but we've never helped to launch a new cruise ship. We're excited to work with Carnival and to be part of the Carnival Magic celebration for fans in Texas."

Following the concert, Carnival will host several thousand travel agent partners on board Carnival Magic for an evening of dining and entertainment.  On November 14, the ship will launch its Caribbean cruise program which will feature two different week-long itineraries from Galveston, including seven-day western Caribbean voyages to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and week-long eastern Caribbean cruises to Nassau, Freeport, and Key West.  

As the line's newest ship, Carnival Magic offers a host of innovations, including the RedFrog Pub, a colorful Caribbean-inspired watering hole featuring its own private label draught beer; Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian restaurant that brings the heritage of Carnival's captains to the table; and SportSquare, an expansive open-air recreation complex with the first ropes course and outdoor fitness area at sea. Other features include a WaterWorks aqua park with a 312-foot-long spiral water slide and other attractions; The Lanai, a wraparound promenade with an outdoor barbeque area and whirlpools that extend out over the ship's sides; and Ocean Plaza, a stunning indoor/outdoor cafe and live entertainment venue.

For additional information and reservations on Carnival's "Fun Ship" cruises, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

Carnival also can be found on:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/carnivalcruise 
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/carnival 
Flickr:  www.flickr.com/photos/carnivalcruiselines/ 
Journalists also can visit Carnival's media site, www.carnivalpressroom.com.

About Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®," with 23 "Fun Ships" operating three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, the Pacific Islands and New Zealand.  In addition to the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, which debuted in Europe May 1, 2011, the new 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze is scheduled to enter service June 3, 2012. 

Carnival is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises and Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, World's Leading Cruise Lines inspires people to discover their best vacation experience. Together, we offer a variety of exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.  Visit us at www.worldsleadingcruiselines.com

About Maroon 5

Capturing their first of three GRAMMY Awards as "Best New Artist" of 2005 and going on to sell more than 15 million albums worldwide, Maroon 5 won over fans and critics alike with their hybrid rock/R&B sound. The band recently released their third studio album Hands All Over, which was produced by studio legend Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Met by critical praise, with Rolling Stone stating it's their "brightest sounding and poppiest album yet," the album notched a #2 debut on the Billboard Top 200 Albums' chart. Earlier this year, Maroon 5 received a GRAMMY Award nomination for "Misery," the debut single off Hands All Over, in the category of "Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals." The nod marks the group's seventh GRAMMY nomination overall and 4th in that category. Most recently, Maroon 5 hit #1 on the iTunes Top Songs Chart with the release of their new song "Moves Like Jagger," featuring Christina Aguilera. The track is currently the #1 song in America holding the top spot on the Top 40, Hot AC and Billboard Top 100 charts. Maroon 5's releases have gone gold and platinum in over 35 countries around the world, including Hands All Over, which was certified gold by the RIAA in December 2010. In addition, frontman Adam Levine joined the lineup of celebrity coaches on NBC's hit series The Voice, eventually coaching team member Javier Colon to victory when America voted him the winner of the show. The Voice will return for the second season in Winter 2011.

SOURCE Carnival Cruise Lines