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Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, arrived in Venice, Italy, in anticipation of its inaugural nine-day voyage departing tomorrow, May 1.

Prior to departure, the ship will be officially named in ceremonies presided over by Lindsey Wilkerson, a former patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who now serves as an employee and an ambassador of the organization.  The selection of Wilkerson as godmother is a tribute to Carnival’s ongoing partnership with St. Jude, one of the world’s premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

Tomorrow’s nine-day cruise from Venice ends in Barcelona May 10, positioning the vessel for a summer schedule of seven- to 12-day Mediterranean voyages through October 16.  Carnival Magic will then sail on a 16-day transatlantic crossing then launch seven-day Caribbean service from Galveston, Texas, becoming the port’s largest year-round ship.