All posts tagged: Carnival

Carnival Cruise Line cancels bookings after ultra-low pricing glitch

Carnival Cruise Line cancels bookings after ultra-low pricing glitch

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get Travel Insider with Simon Calder. A newsletter packed with tips, deals, inspiration, and the latest travel news Get the Travel Insider newsletter with Simon Calder Get the Travel Insider newsletter with Simon Calder Carnival Cruise Line has canceled some reservations that were accidentally offered at a much lower-than-usual price due to a tech glitch. Earlier this week, Reddit users pointed out an anomaly on the company’s website showing a solo balcony room on a six-day cruise being offered for only $300. Customers who purchased the trip were thrilled by the steep discount, as a five to seven-day trip usually costs between $600 to $1,500 per person, depending on the destination. However, Carnival caught the error and sent an email to passengers about their reservations being canceled as a result, according to a screenshot of the message shared by a Reddit user. “Following a planned IT maintenance project this past weekend, some guests saw a random display of prices that were far below any reasonable promotional fare,” the email reads. “The reservation you made was …

Woman given 14 shots of tequila on Carnival cruise awarded £220,000 in damages

Woman given 14 shots of tequila on Carnival cruise awarded £220,000 in damages

Published by Sam Flores

A cruise passenger who was overserved alcohol and suffered a possible traumatic brain injury after falling down some stairs has been awarded £220,000 in damages. Diana Sanders was given at least 14 shots of tequila over a nine-hour period in January 2024 while aboard the Carnival Radiance. Soon after leaving one of the ship’s bars she fell, leaving her with a concussion, headaches, back injuries and bruising. The 45-year-old was later found unconscious in a crew-only area, with missing surveillance video from the night shown in court. A jury in Miami has now ruled in the 45-year-old nurse’s favour after concluding that the company has acted negligently. Her attorney Spencer Aronfeld said: “Taking on a corporate giant like Carnival is a massive undertaking, and I have enormous respect for my client’s resilience. “This case highlights the inherent danger of all-inclusive drink packages, which encourage excessive consumption and pressure underpaid servers to prioritise tips over safety.” During the trial, Mr Aronfeld had argued the cruise ship’s bartenders should have stopped serving her once she became visibility …

At Brazil’s Carnival, the country’s religions fight for respect on a global stage

At Brazil’s Carnival, the country’s religions fight for respect on a global stage

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Rio de Janeiro’s lavish Carnival parades, which burst to life in the days before Lent begins, are famous for their colorful costumes, giant floats and the driving rhythm of samba that is a hallmark of Brazilian culture and a magnet for tourists from around the globe. Each parade is produced by one of Rio’s samba schools, which work year-round to prepare them, and each has its own “plot” — enredo in Brazilian Portuguese — that guides its aesthetic. Themes range from tributes to historical figures or artists to pop culture to social and political critique. These parades all compete on craftsmanship, choreography, rhythmic precision, narrative coherence and the poetic quality of their original song lyrics. They are broadcast nationwide and make headlines around the world. What is less known about the samba communities behind the parades is their Afro-Catholic religiosity — Afro-Brazilian spirituality that coexists with popular Catholicism: Each school has an orixá — an African deity and a catholic saint of devotion — and at the altars found in the rehearsal halls, …

New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras, the indulgent conclusion of Carnival season

New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras, the indulgent conclusion of Carnival season

Published by Sam Flores

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — People leaned out of wrought iron balconies, hollering the iconic phrase “Throw me something, Mister” as a massive Mardi Gras parade rolled down New Orleans’ historic St. Charles Avenue on Tuesday. Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, marks the climax and end of the weekslong Carnival season and a final chance for indulgence, feasting and revelry before the Christian Lent period of sacrifice and reflection. The joyous goodbye to Carnival always falls the day before Ash Wednesday. In Louisiana’s most populous city, which is world-famous for its Mardi Gras bash, people donned green, gold and purple outfits, with some opting for an abundance of sequins and others showing off homemade costumes. The revelers began lining the streets as the sun rose. They set up chairs, coolers, grills and ladders — offering a higher vantage point. As marching bands and floats filled with women wearing massive feathered headdresses passed by, the music echoing through the city streets, people danced and cheered. Others sipped drinks, with many opting for adult concoctions …

Brazil: 6 million expected at Rio Carnival

Brazil: 6 million expected at Rio Carnival

Published by Sam Flores

Friday evening marked the opening of the annual carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, with an estimated six million revelers expected to flood the city’s exuberant street parties, where troupes of musicians, percussionists, and stilt performers attract vast crowds of glitter-covered, often scantily clad partygoers, as this year’s festivities also pay tribute to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, honored with a towering 22-meter metal figure, symbolizing the three-time leader’s enduring presence over both Brazil’s political life and the streets of Rio. Gabrielle Nadler reports. Keywords for this article Source link

Rio Mayor Hands City’s Key to King Momo as Carnival Kicks Off

Rio Mayor Hands City’s Key to King Momo as Carnival Kicks Off

Published by Sam Flores

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The mayor of Rio de Janeiro gave King Momo the key to the Brazilian city on Friday, ushering in the symbolic Carnival monarch’s five-day reign over the festivities. Until Wednesday, Momo is charged with presiding over the revelry, participating in the parades and promoting the joy of partygoers. His ruling over the metropolis in the South American country symbolizes society being turned upside down during Carnival. This year’s Momo is 30-year-old Danilo Vieira, a Rio native who will be taking charge of the celebrations. “The rules still apply, of course,” Vieira told The Associated Press before his symbolic coronation. “We have to follow the rules of our city, our country, but Carnival is run by me.” In 2024, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes issued a decree making the key ceremony an annual official event, obliging his successors to participate. Rio City Hall expects about 6 million revelers to participate in the raucous street parties, where groups made up of musicians, percussionists and stilt artists draw thousands of partygoers, many …

Photos of the Week: Plum Blossoms, Iron Fireworks, Carnival Queen

Photos of the Week: Plum Blossoms, Iron Fireworks, Carnival Queen

Published by José Betancourt

Andres Gutierrez / Anadolu / Getty A view of the Gala of the Queens of the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, seen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on February 11, 2026. Candidates parade across a stage wearing monumental costumes—elaborate creations of feathers, sequins, and vibrant fabrics—created over months of meticulous work. Source link

Sex workers to be honored during annual Rio Carnival parade

Sex workers to be honored during annual Rio Carnival parade

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Six decades after fleeing her home in Brazil’s northeastern state of Paraiba, a move that led her into sex work and a lifetime of activism, Lourdes Barreto never imagined a Rio de Janeiro samba school would pay tribute to her journey. This weekend, Porto da Pedra will do just that at Rio’s famed Sambodrome, as annual Carnival celebrations commence, honoring Barreto and sex workers of all genders in an effort to dismantle the profession’s pervasive stigma. The samba school, based in the low-income city of São Gonçalo, across the bay from Rio, will dedicate its elaborate parade to this cause. Mauro Quintaes, Porto da Pedra’s creative director, has a history of focusing on marginalized groups, having previously curated parades centered on thieves and individuals with severe mental health issues. This year’s parade, titled “From life’s oldest times, the sweet and bitter …