Carnival to Introduce Military Appreciation Day on All Sailings 

Carnival Cruise Line has announced that it will introduce a Military Appreciation Day on all sailings in North America. This day is an extension of the cruise line’s Military Appreciation Gathering held on each voyage. 

The new Military Appreciation Day will be held on each ship, beginning the week of July 24, 2023. Military Appreciation Day will feature special messaging presented in the Carnival Seaside Theater screen and announcements from the Cruise Director and Captain. On sailings of four nights and longer, a large United States flag will be displayed in the ship’s atrium for the day.

“At Carnival, where we’re proudly known as America’s Cruise Line, we’re intent on honoring our military heroes and expanding our Military Appreciation Gathering into a full day is a wonderful tribute to the sacrifices our Armed Services personnel and their families have made,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Carnival already carries more active and retired military service members than any other cruise line, and we are proud that our new Military Appreciation Day will serve as an incredible salute to military service members and their families.”

Every Carnival cruise since 2016 has featured a Military Appreciation Gathering. These tribute events will remain a part of the new Military Appreciation Day, with several additions. All members of the military attending the gathering receive a special pin, with the longest-serving veteran receiving a special hero coin. Each month, Carnival will give away a free cruise to one member of the military (plus one guest). Participants can enter the raffle by simply swiping their Sail & Sign card at the Military Appreciation Gathering.

Carnival will offer opportunities to learn about their partner Operation Homefront, a nonprofit dedicated to building strong, stable and secure military families. Carnival will offer guests the option to donate to Operation Homefront, with a swipe of their Sail & Sign card. In addition, Carnival will offer guests the option to purchase group photos from the Military Appreciation Gathering at a discounted rate, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Operation Homefront. 

On all Carnival sailings, guests in the military will have the opportunity to attend a Veterans Meet and Greet. On Carnival Celebration, Mardi Gras, Carnival Venezia, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Radiance and Carnival Pride, this event will be held in the Heroes Tribute Lounge. This special venue is on several Carnival ships and was created to salute members of the military. These sailings will also include the Veteran’s Table, a reserved table in the dining room for veterans during Tea Time dining service.

In addition to the special gatherings and day events, the cruise line is introducing a new beer to be served onboard the Carnival ships with breweries (Carnival Celebration, Mardi Gras, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Horizon, and Carnival Vista). The beer, named the Heroes American Pale Ale, is created from Veterans Blend Hops which combines citrus and tropical flavors. For each pale ale purchased, Carnival will donate a dollar to Operation Homefront. Carnival will also continue its current practice of donating one dollar to the nonprofit when guests purchase a Heroes Tribute Lounge pint glass.

According to Carnival in 2023, the cruise line will host a total of 1,510 military gatherings on the ships across the fleet (excluding ships sailing in Australia/Europe).

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