At the grand opening of the Carnival Cruise Line’s Celebration Key, Shaquille O’Neal looked omnipresent.
The former NBA star and Carnival’s “Chief Fan Officer” was waving to the passengers of the carnival view boat before disembarking to enjoy the new exclusive destination. He joined the company leader, ceremonially unlocking Sandcastle Gates, officially opening the Celebration Key, and taking some selfies at the request of fans before the handler stolen him off.
The key to the carnival celebration begins at the Grand Bahama with sightings of shacks, colorful fanfares
He ran down the water slides at Sandcastle, throwing his first shot on the basketball court, throwing a huge handprint into the sand, and lifting a champagne glass with toast at Pearl Cove Beach Club.
How did the 19 career basketball player and four-time NBA champions – who played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics – intertwined on the carnival cruise line?
Richard Toribou, Orlando Sentinel
Shaquille O’Neal welcomed the Carnival Horizon to Miami’s new home port in the role of CFO for the “Chief Fan Officer” role of Carnival Cruise Line celebrity spokesman. (Richard Toribou/Orlando Sentinel)
It is worth noting that since his NBA years, Shaq has put his hands in many different cookie jars.
He once owned a restaurant of 155 people, then focused on his restaurant concept, Big Chicken, selling stocks. O’Neal has previously and current investments in Papa John’s, General Auto Insurance, Aunt Anne, 24-hour fitness, car washes, authentic brand group (Reebok, Forever 21, Jcpenny, Sports Illustrated) and one Krispy Kreme location in Atlanta.
Amy Harris / AP
Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neill, who plays here as DJ Diesel, will be showing off his Deejay skills at his private carnival-style event in Miami. (Amy Harris/Applications)
He also spends his time as an electronic music producer and tours DJs known as Diesel. His first rap album, Shaq Diesel, was released in 1993 and after shipping a million copies, it achieved platinum status within a year.
For all his business interests and opportunities, O’Neal looks for ways to repay him on every turn through the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation. His charity works with the American Boys & Girls Clubs and school communities.
Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel
From left to right, Shaquille O’Neal joins Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, to introduce a bolt roller coaster at the 2019 International Association of Entertainment Associations (IAAPA) conference and trade show. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
Christine Duffy, president of Cruise Line, says these types of values are the right kind of value that Shaq is suited to partner with Carnival.
“I couldn’t think of anyone better than Shaquille O’Neill to represent the fun brand of Carnival,” she said in an interview with the Sentinel. “Like Shaq, we are very aligned with doing important things in values like St. Jude partnership and military partnership.”
When Shaq was appointed Carnival’s “Chief Fan Officer” in early 2018, he had never been on a cruise ship. He soon took on the role of making the fish go to the water and joined a new co-branding campaign.
“Every time I say to them, ‘Look, we need to bring a lot of humor to the situation,'” he said. “We came up with a tagline together – choose fun and show people what’s actually going on on the ship.” “Average guy who works very hard and wants to take his family on a lovely cruise.
In the video where Carnival announced the new title for Shack, he noted that he played ducks, ducks and goose in the conference room, attended a game of tags, and turned the meeting room into a ball pit.
Later that year, the first “Big Chicken” restaurant opened on a cruise ship on a Carnival Radiance. The restaurant is currently located in the celebration Jubilee and Mardi Gras.
When it comes to opening the Celebration Key, Shack was lacking in words, but he gave his blessing to the new Bahamian hangout.
“It’s a very impressive asset,” he said in a video interview with Carnival sitting next to Duffy. “A compliment for the Carnival to invest in this place.”
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