In celebration of Veterans Day, Carnival Cruise Line welcomed nearly 200 local Miami-Dade veterans for a special military tribute event and luncheon on the Carnival Horizon at PortMiami.

The cruise line’s President Christine Duffy presented a 15-passenger van to the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System to help with transportation for veterans participating in its programs and services.

“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,” said Duffy. “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.”

This marked the beginning of a week-long series of tributes 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), the company said in a press release.

“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.”