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Applause for the godmothers (five ships, between two women)

Between them, Madeleine Arison and Kathie Lee Gifford are the godmothers of five cruise ships—or six, counting the renaming of one of the vessels.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

November 8, 2016

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Madeleine Arison, the wife of Carnival Corp. & plc chairman Micky Arison, served as godmother for Tropicale (1982), Ryndam (1994) and Carnival Triumph (1999). She also presided over Tropicale's renaming as Costa Tropicale (2001).

Kathie Lee Gifford was the godmother of Celebration (1987) and Ecstasy (1991).

Arison and Gifford hung out during the naming festivities for Carnival Vista in New York on Friday, where Gifford got lots of attention from attendees and was acknowledged by Carnival president Christine Duffy.

Gifford was Carnival Cruise Line's original spokesperson and the face of the brand for many years, appearing in the cruise industry's first national television campaign singing the the catchy 'If You Could See Me Now' and 'Ain’t We Got Fun?' ads.

Gifford's GIFF Wine Collection has been featured on Carnival Cruise Line ships since 2015.

 

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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