Carnival Cruise Line and Brisbane Bullets launch Partnership onboard Carnival Luminosa

BRISBANE, 15 December 2023 – Yesterday, Carnival Cruise Line and the Brisbane Bullets hosted a once-in-a-lifetime basketball clinic onboard Carnival Luminosa to celebrate the start of their official partnership and inspire the next generation of Aussie basketball stars.

Kicking off the partnership with their first co-hosted event, Carnival and the Bullets invited a group of excited Queensland kids onboard to get up close and personal with their sporting heroes. The kids learned basketball skills, such as how to avoid travelling with the ball, and got their first taste of what it’s like travelling on a cruise ship.

Following a Basketball themed lunch, the group of budding ballers, aged 5-12 years old, had the opportunity to train one-on-one with the entire Bullets team including captain Nathan Sobey and 7-foot-3 Rocco Zikarsky. Then, they faced off against the team for a special ‘Beat the Bullets’ game on the Lido Deck, where they had the chance to shoot some hoops against the Bullets’ star players in a free throw-style competition with a twist to even the playing field, the Bullets players were blindfolded.

The lucky group of young basketball fans are students from Ipswich East State School. The students are part of a school group that participates in Brisbane Bullets grassroots community programs, which are run throughout Queensland with the aim of growing participation in basketball and encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle for Queenslanders.

The brand new ‘Brisbane Bullets Zone’ was also unveiled at Carnival Luminosa’s onboard basketball court, which cruisers can enjoy on all sailings from Brisbane where the ship is homeported seasonally until April. The ‘Brisbane Bullets Zone’ is dedicated to the partnership between CCL and The Brisbane Bullets and features life-size player decals of key players and co-branding. Off the ship, Queenslanders can experience the Carnival FUN Zone on land, which is an area for kids to play and explore on a 6m high inflatable obstacle course at the Bullets’ home arena.

The event also featured a dazzling performance by the Bullets’ official dance-cheer team, the Silver Bullets, and an appearance from mascot Boom, who was in good company alongside Carnival’s resident Dr. Seuss characters Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting our first event alongside the Brisbane Bullets on the beautiful Carnival Luminosa. It’s been wonderful to be able to bring these young students onboard today for a unique experience with the Bullets team and, of course, some of Carnival’s signature FUN,” said Carnival Cruise Line Vice President Kara Glamore.

“For us, this partnership is all about engaging with the local community and returning the love that Queensland has shown us since we first homeported Luminosa here in 2022. In addition to the Brisbane Bullets Zone, which will be a permanent part of our ship’s basketball court this Australian season, we’re looking forward to bringing more FUN to Queenslanders through this partnership in the years to come.”

Brisbane Bullets CEO Malcolm Watts said, “We’re excited to be here onboard Carnival Luminosa and celebrate our new partnership with Carnival Cruise Line. Engaging with the South-East Queensland community is so important to us as an elite sporting organisation. What a unique and fantastic experience for our Brisbane Bullets team to have the opportunity to run a basketball clinic on board Luminosa with the kids from Ipswich East State School. We look forward to working with Carnival Cruise Line on innovative and fun initiatives for all our members and fans to enjoy.”

Carnival Cruise Line is the Official Premier Partner of the Brisbane Bullets from this season until 2025.

For more information on Carnival Cruise Line and bookings call 13 31 94, see your travel agent or visit https://www.carnival.com.au/.