Carnival Cruise Line christened its newest ship, the Mardi Gras, last week at Port Canaveral, Fla. at a celebration marking the first ship naming ceremony held in the US since the cruise industry’s restart this summer.

Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal attended the “Universe of Fun” festivities and cut the ribbon of his first Big Chicken restaurant at sea that debuted on Mardi Gras when she began cruise operations on July 31.

Miss Universe, Dominican Republic, Kimberly Jimenez served as the ship’s Godmother and officially named the ship and was joined by Miss Universe Mexico, Andrea Meza, and Miss USA Asya Branch, who sang the national anthem. The event featured a “World of Nations” flag procession to highlight the diversity of the 120 nationalities of Carnival crew members, and, of course, a Mardi Gras parade with a Second Line Band.

“Today’s naming ceremony of our flagship ‘Mardi Gras,’ the first in the industry since our restart of operations, signifies excitement and optimism as we look to bring our entire fleet back into guest service by spring 2022,” said Carnival Cruise Line president of Carnival Cruise Line Christine Duffy. “This ship has been amazing guests during her pre-inaugural season and the celebration today with our Chief Fun Officer, Shaq, our Godmother Kimberly, and so many special guests, was extremely gratifying and emotional.”

Following remarks by Duffy and Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald, Carnival friends and partners Romero Britto, Emeril Lagasse, Kathie Lee Gifford, Vanna White, and Guy Fieri provided their congratulations on the ship’s naming and helped bring the champagne bottle to the ship.

Godmother Jimenez blessed the ship in both English and her native Spanish and activated the traditional champagne bottle break, officially naming the ship. In a celebration of the ship’s name, a special Mardi Gras parade with Duffy, Donald and O’Neal leading it, capped off the festivities.

The 180,000-ton Mardi Gras boasts six distinct themed zones with a variety of food, beverage, and entertainment options, including dining venues from Lagasse, Fieri, O’Neal and Rudi Sodamin. It is also the first cruise ship in the Americas to be powered by eco-friendly Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and the first to feature a roller coaster.

Mardi Gras sails weekly from Port Canaveral on alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.