Carnival Cruise Line is marking Veterans Day with Operation Homefront celebration in Norfolk and support for military organizations in its U.S. homeports.
The cruise line announced $300,000 in support for military members, veterans and their families across seven U.S. homeport communities.
Veterans Day week kicked off by sponsoring Operation Homefront’s “Homefront Celebration” on Sunday, Nov. 8, which brought 150 military families to Norfolk.
As part of the celebration, Carnival welcomed 50 new and expectant military couples aboard the Carnival Sunshine while the ship was docked for photos with Seuss at Sea characters, a military appreciation program, lunch and a special military-themed Build-A-Bear experience.
To further support the organization’s fundraising efforts, the company is also offering a $50,000 match for Operation Homefront’s annual year-end holiday mail campaign.
“The military community has always had a special connection to Carnival. We are proud to welcome more active-duty military members and veterans than any other cruise line, and military families are an important part of so many of the communities we sail from,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“Honoring those who serve is part of who we are, on every ship and every sailing. Veterans Day gives us another opportunity to say thank you and extend that commitment into the communities we’re proud to call home.”
In addition, contributions have been announced to several national and community organizations serving veterans and military families across seven homeport cities, including:
- National Medal of Honor Museum
- Gary Sinise Foundation
- K9s For Warriors
- Military Family Advisory Network
- Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare Systems serving Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville/North Florida, New Orleans, Long Beach and Houston/Galveston
Military Appreciation Day are held on every North American sailing across Carnival’s fleet, recognizing service members throughout the day-long program.
The cruise line noted that its support of veterans in homeport communities has also included donations of passenger vans to local Veteran Affairs facilities to help veterans attend appointments, as well as and Veterans Day celebrations honoring local service members.
