Skip to Content

Carnival Cruise Line President Will Light New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square

Carnival Cruise Line President Will Light New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square

Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy and chef Emeril Lagasse will light the 2023 New Year’s Eve Ball in New York City’s Times Square.

Listen to this article

On December 23, 2022, Carnival announced that Christine Duffy, the cruise line’s president, will have the honor of lighting the famous New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square. Duffy will be joined by celebrity chef and Carnival partner Emeril Lagasse—the creator of Emeril’s Bistro on Carnival’s Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration ships.

Related: Emeril Lagasse Named Carnival Cruise Line’s Chief Culinary Officer

Carnival’s part in the Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities

Carnival Cruise Line is the official cruise line sponsor of Times Square New Year’s Eve, as well as musical sponsor and countdown clock sponsor for “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” which will air on the ABC network.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, at the Times Square ball drop last year (image courtesy of Carnival)

Duffy will flip the giant switch to light the iconic ball and invite everyone celebrating to “Choose Fun Together”—the theme of Carnival’s new 2023 ad campaign. In addition to those watching in person and at home, nearly 100,000 guests sailing on Carnival’s 24 ships will be able to join in the celebration to welcome in the new year.

“As we head into 2023, we have even more reasons to celebrate and so it’s appropriate that America’s cruise line be part of America’s most iconic New Year’s celebration,” said Duffy.

“We’ve got two new ships joining the fleet next year, including the start of year-round service from New York in June on Carnival Venezia, which will offer our upcoming Carnival Fun Italian Style experience, and then we’ll end the year with Carnival Jubilee arriving in Galveston. We’re looking forward to continuing this exciting period of growth and building on the success of the past year,” she continued.

Duffy and Lagasse will flip the switch at 6 PM EST, then the ball will be raised atop One Times Square to prepare for the evening’s celebration.

Celebrity chef and Carnival partner Emeril Lagasse will join Duffy at the New Year’s Eve ball drop (Image courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line)

Leading up to the countdown to midnight, Duffy will join the Times Square New Year’s Eve host on the Countdown Stage during the 10 PM hour. She’ll share details about what guests sailing from NYC can expect aboard the new Carnival Venezia. The ship will homeport at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, just a few blocks from Times Square, beginning in June 2023.

Read more: Carnival Cruise Line Releases New Details About Carnival Venezia

Carnival’s “Choose Fun Together” Campaign

Times Square’s massive billboards will showcase Carnival Cruise Line’s new “Choose Fun Together” tagline, launched on December 25th, with ads highlighting special moments of fun when people come together on a Carnival cruise.

The cruise line’s new campaign—a continuation of the “Choose Fun” marketing the company first debuted in 2018—underscores Carnival’s appeal across all age groups, whether sailing with family or a group of friends.

Carnival’s new advertising campaign’s launch coincides with the cruise industry’s 2023 wave season, the annual kick-off to cruise planning for millions of vacationers and travel advisors.


Ready to book your dream Carnival cruise? Find the best Carnival prices and exclusive bonus offers when you book through CruiseDirect. Plus, they never charge a booking fee!


Will you be watching Christine and Emeril as they flip the switch to light the famous New Year’s Eve ball this year? Let me know in the comments below!

Carrie Ann Karstunen