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29th March 2018
09:47am BST
Carnival Cruise offered American Darian Lipscomb, 15, a free trip for him and his family in exchange for his Snapchat handle appropriately named @CarnivalCruise.
The company bombarded the town with advertising, featuring NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, asking "Hey Prospect, does anyone know Darian?" in an effort to find the teenager.
He accepted the offer, worth $5,000, to join the maiden voyage on Carnival's newest ship, the Horizon, and includes surprise extras.
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.
Darian used the app to document his holiday and show his mates, he's been on four Carnival cruises in total.
"When I was nine years old, I went on a cruise and got really excited and wanted to share it with my friends," he told the local paper.
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 onboard.
The 14-day trip will make stops in Lisbon, Portugal and Nova Scotia as well.Explore more on these topics:
