To celebrate its commitment to the greater Charleston community and to mark National Ice Cream Month, Carnival Cruise Line hosted a “FunDay Sundae” celebration on board Carnival Ecstasy yesterday for kids from the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home in Charleston, South Carolina. The event, which was attended by 40 children between the ages of 11 and 16, included water park fun, lunch, a magic show and an ice cream sundae bar with almost endless toppings.

During the event, Randy McManus, campus director of Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, accepted Carnival’s charitable donation of $20,000 to support the organization’s mission of providing hope for South Carolina’s children and families in need since 1892.

“Charleston is a very important year-round embarkation port for Carnival, and we like to demonstrate our appreciation for our homeport communities by supporting vital local organizations,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “For 125 years, the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home has offered hope and healing to this community and it was our great pleasure to welcome the center’s children on board and provide them with an enjoyable day and special reason to celebrate.”

Participants enjoyed sliding and splashing throughout Carnival Ecstasy’s WaterWorks  aqua park complete with a 300-foot-long water slide. After lunch, the kids were treated to a FunDay Sundae Bar where they could create the ice cream sundae of their dreams with a boundless array of flavors and toppings while watching and learning magic tricks.

Carnival Cruise Line carries approximately 150,000 guests per year from the Port of Charleston with the 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy offering four- to 12-day cruises to The Bahamas, Caribbean and Bermuda.

Carnival Sunshine will also offer select voyages from Charleston later this year including four- to seven-day itineraries to the Bahamas and eastern Caribbean.