MIAMI — Carnival Cruise Line and the Canaveral Port Authority hosted a special event earlier yesterday to celebrate the arrival of the Space Coast’s newest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, and mark the official grand opening of the ship’s new Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse designed by Food Network star Guy Fieri.

The invitation-only event was highlighted by the carving of a massive, six-foot-long pulled pork sandwich by officials from Carnival and the port to commemorate the debut of Fieri’s new BBQ venue which was installed during a multi-million-dollar dry dock last month.

Carnival Magic is the newest Carnival ship to sail from Port Canaveral, joining Carnival Victory and Carnival Valor on year-round departures from the Space Coast, as well as Carnival Sunshine which operates seasonal sailings. Together the four ships will carry more than 650,000 guests annually from Port Canaveral, more than any other cruise operator. Carnival operates more than 200 three- to eight-day cruises annually from the port.

The new Fieri-designed BBQ venue was among the many new features added during an extensive makeover that also incorporated the new cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar, the RedFrog Rum Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar, BlueIguana Cantina Mexican eatery and Guy’s Burger Joint, also designed by Fieri.

Carnival Magic offers a variety of family-friendly features as well, including a WaterWorks aqua park highlighted by a 312-foot-long Twister slide, supervised activities and play areas for kids in three age groups, and the Seuss at Sea program which includes the ever-popular Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with The Cat in The Hat and Friends and the Seuss-a-Palooza Story Time and Parade.
Carnival Magic set sail yesterday on its inaugural cruise with a three-day voyage to Nassau and will launch year-round seven-day sailings April 23. Carnival Magic will offer two different week-long itineraries from Port Canaveral: a western Caribbean route featuring Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan) and Costa Maya; and an eastern Caribbean option calling at St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Nassau or Amber Cove.