Lin Arison, wife of the late Ted Arison, founder of Carnival Cruise Lines, will serve as godmother of Carnival Sunshine, the former Carnival Destiny, which was renamed following a massive $155 million makeover earlier this year.
Arison will officially name Carnival Sunshine during an invitation-only ceremony held on board the completely transformed 102,853-ton ship at its new U.S. homeport of New Orleans, Nov. 17. During the event, Carnival will donate $25,000 each to the Miami-based National YoungArts Foundation and New World Symphony.
âCarnival Sunshineâs transformation was nothing short of spectacular and we wanted someone as special as Lin, who has a deep connection with Carnival Cruise Lines, to serve as godmother,â said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO. âProviding families with a memorable vacation experience is at the heart of our success and Linâs passion for fostering the artistic development of youth through her charitable endeavors made her the perfect choice.â
Linâs association with Carnival Cruise Lines dates back to the companyâs inception in 1972 when she named Mardi Gras, the lineâs first ship. She also served as godmother to Carnival Destiny â at that time the worldâs largest cruise ship â when it entered service in 1996. She is the only person to be godmother to three Carnival ships, having also named the Holiday in 1985.
Arison has dedicated her life to the advancement of the arts and the support of young and developing artists in Miami and around the world. Recently, she was awarded the 2012 National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama for her contributions as a philanthropist and arts education advocate.
In addition to her many philanthropic contributions, Arison is an accomplished author, having published a memoir titled âA Love Story in Mediterranean Israelâ and two books that blend travelogue, memoir and art history, âTravels with van Gogh and the Impressionists: Discovering the Connectionsâ and âA Feast for the Senses: A Musical Odyssey in Umbria.â She also is executive producer of the Emmy-nominated miniseries âYoungArtsâ MASTERCLASSâ on HBO, as well as executive producer of the Oscar-winning HBO documentary âStrangers No More.â