On Tuesday night, Carnival Cruise traveled to Prospect, Va. to surprise 15-year-old Darian Lipscomb and exchange his Snapchat handle.
Described as a "Carnival Cruise superfan," the Prospect resident's Snapchat handle is @CarnivalCruise.
"When I was 9 years old, I went on a cruise and got really excited and wanted to share it with my friends," Darian said. He created the Snapchat handle @CarnivalCruise in 2012 and used it share snaps of his cruise experiences like tubing and zip-lining with his friends.
This week, Carnival Cruise came to his home town to take back the handle, with an epic proposal.
First, to build up to the surprise, the cruise line peppered the town of Prospect with signs featuring its newly appointed "chief fun officer," NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, asking, "Hey Prospect, does anyone know Darian?"
Then the cruise line surprised the 15-year-old at his home with the offer of a free trip for his family abroad its newest ship, Carnival Horizon, in exchange for his SnapChat handle.
"I answered the door, walked outside and saw my name on a big truck. I was really surprised," Darian said.
He accepted the offer and on March 31, he and his family are headed to Barcelona for the maiden voyage of the new ship the Carnival Horizon.
The net worth of the trips is $5,000, plus flights, hotels and other special surprises for Darian and his family.
They will be the first cruisers to board Carnival Horizon. According to organizers, Darian will receive customized surprises throughout his trip, making it a very special and unique experience.
At 15 years old, Darian has already been on four Carnival cruises.
"We thought this would be a fun way to claim our handle and reward a 'superfan' at the same time,” Robyn Fink, a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise, said. She described the trip as a "once in a lifetime" experience.
The Carnival Horizon will sail out of Barcelona on March 31 on a 14-day transatlantic crossing to New York with stops in Malaga, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal and Halifax, Nova Scotia. After it docks in New York, the Carnival Horizon will offer trips to the Caribbean.
Darian and his family's experiences will be captured on Carnival Cruise Line's social channels for fans to follow along.
As for his own new Snapchat handle, Darian said he hasn't decided yet what to choose.
"I’ll have to think up another name. Maybe another company name," he joked.