Carnival Names Miss USA Deshauna Barber Vista Godmother

Carnival Cruise Line recently announced Miss USA Deshauna Barber as the Carnival Vista Godmother. The Vista is the newest ship in the fleet weighing 133,500 tons and is currently sailing in Europe. Barber is the first woman serving in the United States military to carry the Miss USA title, making her a trail-blazing choice for this honor.

Barber’s official duties in naming Vista will happen as part of a shipboard ceremony during an Operation Homefront event featuring an invitation-only concert by GRAMMY-award winning country music star Carrie Underwood. The festivities will be inclusive of overnight accommodations, meals, activities and entertainment for many military families. More of Carnival’s official press release is below.

The concert and overnight gala event are the culmination of Honor. Family. Fun., Carnival’s year-long celebration designed to raise funds for Operation Homefront to help the organization fulfill its mission of building strong, stable, and secure military families.

“Deshauna is the ideal candidate to serve as Carnival Vista’s godmother, embodying the spirit of commitment and sacrifice to those who protect our freedom each and every day,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Carnival is a longtime supporter of the military carrying more active and retired Armed Forces personnel than any other cruise line so it’s our honor and privilege to have Deshauna serve as the godmother to our newest and largest ship.”

Barber is the daughter of a retired Army master sergeant who was a member of the Special Forces. She joined the Army Reserve as a quartermaster officer in 2011. After earning her bachelors in business management from Virginia State University, Barber went on to complete her masters in computer information systems from the University of Maryland University College. She currently serves as logistics commander for the 988^th Quartermaster Detachment Unit in Rockville, Md.

A passionate advocate for the U.S. military and a champion of gender equality, Barber will focus her efforts on PTSD treatment for soldiers returning from deployments and suicide prevention throughout the Armed Forces.

“It is truly an honor to be named the godmother of Carnival Vista and I’m very excited to represent the U.S. military and be a part of the ship’s official naming ceremony next month,” said Barber. “I love that Carnival carries more families, including military families, than any other cruise line and I’m looking forward to checking out all of the ship’s many innovative features when I’m on board next month.”

As the line’s newest ship, Carnival Vista has introduced a number of groundbreaking innovations including the first brewery on a North American-based cruise ship, the first IMAX Theatre at sea, the most elaborate water park in the fleet highlighted by the 455-foot-long Kaleid-o-slide, a groundbreaking bike-ride-in-the-sky attraction called SkyRide, and the new Family Harbor with specially designed staterooms for families, a family concierge and more.

Carnival Vista is currently sailing in Europe, and following that, she will reposition to the U.S. In November, she will begin operating a pair of 11-day sailings from New York before launching year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean service from Miami later in the month.

For additional information and reservations on Carnival Cruise Line, contact your local travel agent or visit www.carnival.com.

Photos and press release courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line (Andy Newman photos).