Carnival Mardi Gras Raises Record Amount For St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Carnival Cruise Line continues to celebrate its newest ship Carnival Mardi Gras’ inaugural sailing.

While at sea, the ship’s Godmother Kimberly Jiménez, along with Miss Universe Andrea Meza and other Miss Universe titleholders, joined Cruise Director Mike Pack and Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy for the Groove for St. Jude, an onboard fundraiser.

“Along with welcoming our guests back on board, our restart allows us to get back to meeting our goal of raising $30 million by 2025 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We are proud to support such a worthy cause and even more proud of guests for opening their hearts and raising close to $22,000 for St. Jude in one day.”

Carnival celebrated the Mardi Gras with “Universe of Fun” on October 23, 2021, in Port Canaveral, Florida, and the ship is currently sailing the Caribbean for its inaugural cruise.

It is a ship full of firsts, becoming the first ship in the Americas to use eco-friendly Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and the first ship with a roller coaster at sea, the BOLT.