From Tiny Shirts to Chest Waxing: Carnival Cruise ...

Key Facets:

• Carnival cruise director MarQ Anthony has added a small twist to St. Jude fundraising efforts with a enjoyable shirt measurement alternative.
• Cruise administrators typically go above and past to encourage donations for the fundraisers held on each crusing.
• Greater than $33 million has already been raised for St. Jude via varied occasions, with a objective of $50 million by 2030.

Carnival Cruise Line has been a charitable accomplice for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 2009. Enthusiasm for supporting the charity has solely grown, and Carnival’s cruise administrators are main on-the-deck efforts to encourage greater and crazier donations.

One of many fleet’s hottest cruise administrators, Marq “MarQ” Anthony, lately went in the wrong way, nevertheless. As an alternative of larger, he went smaller.

For a shirt measurement, that’s!

Throughout the onboard “Groove for St. Jude” occasions held on each Carnival crusing, friends donate to the charity and obtain a t-shirt for his or her participation. Normally, bigger shirt sizes are sometimes the preferred.

At the moment the cruise director for Carnival Vista, MarQ honored a problem for the smallest attainable shirts following a $2,000 visitor donation, and even took photographic proof to show it.

“After making a donation of $2,000, we determined to tackle the problem to squeeze into the smallest shirts attainable… How did we do?!” he requested.

Posing on the Lido Deck, MarQ and the visitor are styling shirt sizes I most likely haven’t worn since center faculty, if I’m being beneficiant (and people shirts definitely aren’t beneficiant).

What’s massive in regards to the picture, nevertheless, is the grins and the enjoyable, which is what Groove for St. Jude is all about. Not solely is the occasion meant as time for friends, however additionally it is to convey smiles and enjoyable to youngsters battling most cancers and different life-threatening illnesses.

At St. Jude, no household is ever turned away on account of monetary issues, and households by no means obtain payments for remedy, journey, housing, or meals.

The analysis hospital operates primarily via such beneficiant donations, together with via compassionate firms like Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival has pledged to raise $50 million for St. Jude by 2030.

To assist attain that objective, there are common “massive ticket” fundraisers. For instance, a pair of custom cowboy boots was auctioned off for Carnival Jubilee‘s inauguration in Texas in February 2024, in the end elevating $50,000.

One other notable fundraiser was when Carnival Cruise Line’s president, Christine Duffy, took on the problem to skydive over Tampa Bay in October 2024. More than $85,000 was raised for that particular occasion.

Some sentimental occasions have additionally inspired fundraising. When Carnival Ecstasy retired in October 2023, onboard memorabilia was auctioned and raised greater than $39,000.

To this point, Carnival has already raised $33 million towards the general $50 million donation objective.

Cruise Administrators’ Greatest St. Jude Fundraisers

Whereas headline-grabbing fundraisers can increase massive bucks, it’s the cruise line’s particular person cruise administrators who’re really making excellent efforts to extend contributions to St. Jude.

Totally different cruise administrators have taken additional particular steps for their very own Groove for St. Jude fundraisers, and friends step in to assist past simply their very own donations.

Learn Additionally: Carnival Cruise Director Schedule for 2025-2026

On the August 8, 2025 Carnival Jubilee crusing, the mixture of a donated John Heald-shaped duck and a Jubilee sea turtle, together with dozens of collaborating friends, raised greater than $10,000.

Many friends additionally donate blinged-out geese, customized tumblers, and different distinctive souvenirs to encourage even increased fundraising totals. Whether or not the gadgets are accepted is usually on the discretion of the cruise director.

Few cruise administrators have gone as far as Alex Siegler aboard Carnival Spirit, nevertheless.

In late January, he pledged to go totally clean-shaven for the first time in over 10 years if friends raised $5,000. Whereas the whole got here up barely brief at $4,700, Siegler nonetheless went via together with his pledge.

Three months later, Siegler upped his dedication to supporting St. Jude by providing to wax his chest hair if friends raised $10,000. As earlier than, the objective wasn’t fairly reached, however as a result of the $8,000 complete was nonetheless so excellent, he went through with the painful promise.

Have you ever joined in St. Jude fundraisers onboard? What distinctive twists have you ever seen? Share your experiences on the Cruise Hive boards!

From Tiny Shirts to Chest Waxing: Carnival Cruise Directors Boost Fundraising

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