Carnival Cruise offers Virginia teen a luxurious trip in exchange for his Snapchat handle
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Darian Lipscomb received a free cruise from Carnival Cruise Line in exchange for his Snapchat handle. (Carnival Cruise Line)
Carnival Cruise traveled to Virginia Tuesday to make a deal that a teenager could not refuse.
The cruise line offered Darian Lipscomb, 15, of Prospect, Virginia, a free trip for him and his family in exchange for his Snapchat handle appropriately named @CarnivalCruise.
Lipscomb, who dubbed himself a “Carnival Cruise superfan,” said he made the handle in 2012 when he was 9 years-old, Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"When I was nine years old, I went on a cruise and got really excited and wanted to share it with my friends," Darian told Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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Darian, who has been on four Carnival cruises, said he used the Snapchat handle to capture his activities while on his trip.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The cruise line made a grand entrance into Prospect Tuesday night by putting up signs around the town of NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. The former basketball player is the company’s “chief fun officer.” The signs read, “Hey Prospect, does anyone know Darian?”
The proposal did not end there. The cruise line showed up to Lipscomb’s home offering him and his family a trip worth $5,000 on their latest vessel, the Carnival Horizon. The cruise line only asked for Lipscomb’s Snapchat handle in return.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I answered the door, walked outside and saw my name on a big truck. I was really surprised," the teenager said.
Lipscomb said he accepted the proposal and on Saturday, March 31, his family is going to Barcelona, Spain, on the liner. The cruise company also threw in flights, hotels and “surprises” for Lipscomb’s family once they board. The family will also be the first passengers on the new ship.
Darian Lipscomb will take his free cruise from Carnival on Saturday, March 31, 2018. (Carnival Cruise Line)
A Carnival Cruise spokesperson said the proposal was supposed to be a “fun way to claim our handle and reward a ‘superfan’ at the same time.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 14-day trip will make stops in Lisbon, Portugal and Nova Scotia as well.
The teenager just has one more thing to do: figure out a new handle for his Snapchat.
"I’ll have to think up another name. Maybe another company name," Lipscomb said.