In celebration of Veterans Day yesterday (November 05), Carnival Cruise Line welcomed approximately 200 local Miami-Dade veterans for a special military tribute event and appreciation luncheon aboard Carnival Horizon at PortMiami. Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy presented a 15-passenger van to the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System to assist with transportation of veterans participating in its programs and services.

The tribute in Miami kicked off a week-long series of events honoring veterans and active-duty military members in six of Carnival’s homeport cities in partnership with local offices of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

“As America’s cruise line, Carnival is privileged to have more active and retired military service members choosing to sail with us than any other cruise line for their much-deserved cruise vacations,” Duffy said. “It is an honor for us to partner with the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System to show our appreciation to these brave men and women and donate a passenger van to help the center provide convenient transportation to local resources and support services for our military heroes.”

“We are dedicated to improving the lives of our veterans and their families every day,” said Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System Executive Director Kalautie JangDhari. “I know our veterans appreciate this special event hosted by Carnival Cruise Line. And their generous donation of a passenger van is going to help us to ensure that they can get to their medical appointments easily.”

Carnival has a long-standing relationship with Operation Homefront to support military families and has held a Military Appreciation Gathering on every cruise since 2016. In 2023, the fleet will host more than 1,500 military gatherings attended by thousands of military service members and their families. Recently, Carnival expanded the popular gathering into a full Military Appreciation Day on all sailings in North America to incorporate the Military Appreciation Gathering, a flag raising in the atrium and other signage and recognition moments during the course of the day. Many ships in the fleet also now feature the Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge – a popular bar that serves as ongoing recognition of sacrifices made by Armed Services personnel and their families.