Miss USA, Deshauna Barber, to Serve as Godmother of Carnival Vista

Miss USA, Deshauna Barber, to Serve as Godmother of Carnival Vista

Cruise News – October 5, 2016

Miss USA, Deshauna Barber, has been named godmother of Carnival Cruise Line’s newest and largest ship, Carnival Vista. Barber made history earlier this year when she became the first woman serving in the U.S. military to win the title of Miss USA.

Barber will officially name the 133,500-ton ship during a shipboard ceremony that is part of an overnight gala event honoring Operation Homefront and featuring an exclusive invitation-only concert by seven-time GRAMMY award– winning country music super star Carrie Underwood. In addition to the concert, the festivities will include overnight accommodations, meals, activities, and entertainment for hundreds of military families.

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.”

The daughter of a retired Army master sergeant who was a member of the Special Forces, Barber 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, Maryland.

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’m looking forward to checking out all of the ship’s many innovative features when I’m on board.”

Carnival Vista repositions to the United States in November operating a pair of 11-day sailings from New York before launching year-round 6- and 8-day Caribbean cruises from Miami later that month.

^{Photos: Carnival Cruise Line, Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line}