Early November 2013 saw a flurry of announcements of partnerships between several Royal Holiday-affiliated cruise lines and professional sports teams. These joint ventures are sure to give cruisers many additional opportunities for vacation enjoyment.
Carnival and the New Orleans Saints
Carnival Cruise Lines is now the Official Cruise Partner of the New Orleans Saints football team. This is a natural match for the two organizations, as Carnival has had a strong relationship with the Big Easy for nearly two decades. Today, the company bases two ships out of New Orleans, from which it takes more than 300,000 passengers on Caribbean cruises every year.
The partnership is Carnival’s first such collaboration with an NFL franchise. The November 17 game between the Saints and San Francisco 49ers coincided with the arrival of the completely rebuilt Carnival Sunshine. The celebration included a free-cruise giveaway to a lucky spectator at the football game. In coming years, the two companies hope to aim their shared devotion to exciting entertainment toward enhancing economic development in the New Orleans region.
Celebrity and the New York Rangers
In a similar arrangement, Celebrity was named Official Cruise Line of the New York Rangers ice hockey team. This marketing association will give Rangers fans special access to Celebrity perks, while the cruise line will be featured during hockey games at Madison Square Garden.
A centerpiece of this partnership will be The Rangers Legends Cruise aboard the Celebrity Summit. Debuting in August 2014, this seven-night theme cruise to Bermuda will give fans the chance to mingle with Rangers superstars Stephane Matteau, Ron Duguay, Adam Graves, and Ron Greschner.
Norwegian and the Miami Dolphins
The christening of Norwegian Cruise Lines’ newest ship promises to be a little unusual. Recently, Norwegian announced that the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders would be the official godmothers of the brand new Norwegian Getaway. The christening ceremony in February 2014 will also mark the start of a partnership in which Norwegian will officially be named the official cruise line of the Miami Dolphins football franchise. The affiliation will include promotions and cruise giveaways at football games.