NOVEMBER 9, 2026 – America’s Cruise Line is marking Veterans Day with $300,000 in support for military members, veterans and their families across seven U.S. homeport communities. Carnival Cruise Line’s commitment includes a special celebration with longtime partner Operation Homefront® in Norfolk, Virginia, along with contributions to organizations serving veterans and military families. As the cruise line that welcomes more active-duty military members and veterans than any other, Carnival’s connection to the military community extends from its ships to the homeport communities it serves.
Carnival kicked off Veterans Day week by sponsoring Operation Homefront’s “Homefront Celebration” on Sunday, Nov. 8, which brought 150 military families to Norfolk for a day focused on connection, appreciation and support. As part of the celebration, Carnival welcomed 50 new and expectant military couples aboard Carnival Sunshine while the ship was docked. Guests enjoyed photos with Seuss at Sea characters, a military appreciation program, lunch prepared by Carnival’s culinary team and a special military-themed Build-A-Bear experience. To further support the organization’s fundraising efforts, Carnival 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 to its support of Operation Homefront, Carnival is making contributions 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
Carnival has proudly supported Operation Homefront since 2015 through financial and in-kind contributions, helping advance its mission to build strong, stable and secure military families. Across its fleet, Carnival holds a Military Appreciation Day on every North American sailing recognizing service members throughout the day-long program. Carnival’s 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 Veterans Day celebrations honoring local service members.
ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL), the world’s largest cruise company with a portfolio of cruise lines operating in over 800 ports & destinations worldwide – and is proud to be known as America’s Cruise Line and for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports than any other. Carnival sails more than six million guests annually and in 2023 was the first cruise line to sail more than 100 million guests in total. Operating from 13 U.S. and two Australian homeports, as well as seasonally from Europe, Carnival hosts more than 95,000 guests on its ships every day of the year and employs more than 50,000 team members, representing 120 nationalities.
Since its founding in 1972, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise industry and popularized the cruise vacation as an affordable and fun travel option. Carnival’s fleet of 29 ships reflects an exciting period of growth that continues with the addition of five ships through 2033: a fourth and fifth Excel class ship scheduled for 2027 and 2028 respectively; followed by three additional new ships from an innovative new class currently under development. Carnival’s newest guest offering is its all-new exclusive destination, Celebration Key on Grand Bahama, which debuted in 2025 to join the company’s Paradise Collection of Caribbean gems.