Carnival Brings Magic to Times Square for New Year’s Eve

The New Year is a time of reflection filled will hopes and dreams for the future. I love to make wishes and dream about things that are wonderful and amazing. When it’s my birthday, I blow out the candles with a wish for an unbelievable year. When I see a shooting star I take a deep breath and wish for such good things to happen. Yes, I also grab one of the kids whenever deboning a chicken or turkey and we grab the wishbone hoping our own wishes and dreams come true.

One annual New Year’s tradition in New York City’s Times Square is the Wishing Wall , the chance for visitors from all over the world to write their dreams and wishes on official Times Square New Years Eve confetti. The wishes are placed on the Carnival New Year’s Eve Wishing Wall located in the Times Square Visitor Center on 7th Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets. If you’re in NYC, get a cup of hot chocolate in NYC and stop by the Wishing Wall. At the end of the year, the wishes are collected and placed with the confetti that flutters down on Times Square at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Be sure to check out our tips for New Year’s Eve in Times Square, if you decide to brave the New York City crowds and watch the ball drop at midnight.

In 2010 my New Year’s Resolution and wish was to experience things I’ve never done before and to see places I’ve always dreamed of. That hope is carrying over to 2011, but this next year I hope to be able to provide these experiences to friends and loved ones, as well. I’ve always had this dream of hosting a travel show where people get to experience a dream trip or a family that has never been on a vacation before gets to go on one. Well, I don’t have my own travel show, but I’m slowly being able to provide these first time travel experiences and man does it make me feel so good inside!

Some of the first time experiences slated for 2011 include visiting the Island of Lanai for the first time and bringing my husband along for his first experience of Hawaii. Another amazing opportunity includes providing my parents with a travel dream they’ve been putting off their entire lives – a cruise through Europe. Carnival has invited me to cruise on their inaugural cruise of the Carnival Magic through Europe – and I get to bring my parents along for the experience! Fortunately, I really enjoy my parents’ company and I know it will be absolutely amazing to share their first cruise with them. If their first cruise experience is anything like mine was, they’ll become cruise addicts. 2011 is going to be a fantastic year and my New Year’s wish is already coming true.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to Times Square in New York City before New Year’s Eve – you can visit Carnival’s FaceBook page to learn how to submit your wish online. That’s what I did.

The Carnival Magic launches May 1, 2011 from Venice, Italy and will offer European itineraries through the first part of November 2011. After the last European cruise in 2011, the Carnival Magic will sail out of Galveston with Caribbean itineraries through 2012. Follow the finishing touches of the Carnival Magic online and explore the ship virtually.

To celebrate dreams and wishes for 2011 and the launch of the Carnival Magic, I’m not only celebrating New Year’s Eve with a Carnival Celebration pack, but giving one reader the chance to celebrate with one as well. The giveaway consists of a bottle of sparkling cider, champagne flutes, New Year’s themed hats and party favors, Carnival Beach towel and a Towel pal. We will also include a book by celebrity life coach and best-selling author Robert Mack called Happiness From the Inside Out: The Art and Science of Fulfillment.

To enter, make sure you “like” Carnival on Facebook and submit your wish online. Then, come back here to leave a comment either sharing your wish (if you want to) or just let us know you made a wish through Carnival’s online form. This giveaway will end Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 11:59 PM CST so that the winner can get their celebration pack in time for the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City. Bonus entry: Tweet this and leave a different comment with link to your tweet for another entry.

Prize is provided by Carnival Cruise Line.