Carnival tapped royalty to name its newest ship on Friday, December 28, as the queen of 2019 Rose Parade officially christened the cruise line's first Rose Parade float in a ceremony close to Pasadena CA parade route.
After the time-honored maritime tradition specially designed to bring good luck to vessels, Rose Queen Louise Siskel smashed the confetti-filled bottle across the colourful ship-shaped float's "bow", officially christening the float "Come Sail Away."
Following the event, guests had the chance to help decorate the float as well as put on the finishing touches to bring the unique floral masterpiece to life.
The float, that is due to debut in front of over 700,000 spectators along the parade route and an around 80 million TV viewers as it cruises down the 5-mile parade route on Tuesday, January 1, is a detailed replica of Carnival Panorama - company's first newbuild on the US West Coast in 20 years, scheduled to enter service December 2019.
Comprised of tens of thousands flower petals from over 100 countries representing Carnival Cruise Line's diverse team of employees, the float showcases a number of the line's signature features including the iconic funnel and water park, as well as Lido Deck party.