Carnival Cruise Line offers teenager free trip in exchange for his Snapchat handle
Carnival Cruise Line has convinced a US teenager to exchange his Snapchat handle for a free family cruise.
The company surprised 15-year-old Darian Lipscomb at his home in Prospect, Virginia, on the hunt for his @CarnivalCruise handle.
They located the teenager after putting up signs across the small town.
The signs featured “chief fun officer,” retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, asking, “Hey Prospect, does anyone know Darian?”
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper, he and his family were offered a trip to Barcelona on board the company's newest ship, the Carnival Horizon.
The offer was said to be worth over $5,000 (£3,500).
Darian - who has already been on four Carnival cruises - created his Snapchat handle in 2012 to share images during one of these trips.
"When I was 9-years-old, I went on a cruise and got really excited and wanted to share it with my friends," Darian told the newspaper.
The company said Darian and his family can expect more surprises throughout the journey.
Robyn Fink, a spokesperson for Carnival told the Richmond Times-Dispatch it would be a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.
“We thought this would be a fun way to claim our handle and reward a ‘superfan’ at the same time,” she said.