Carnival Cruise Line will celebrate Military Appreciation Day this week on all sailings in North America.
There will be special messaging presented on the Carnival Seaside Theatre screen, announcements from the cruise director and captain, and a large United States flag in the ship’s atrium on sailings of four days or more.
Carnival is also introducing a new beer, the Heroes American Pale Ale. It is created from Veterans Blend Hops, which combines citrus and tropical flavours. This beverage will be made exclusively onboard carnival ships with breweries, including Carnival Celebration, Mardi Gras, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Vista.
For each Heroes American Pale Ale purchased, the cruise line will donate a dollar to Operation Homefront, a non-profit organisation dedicated to building ‘strong, stable and secure’ military families. Carnival will also continue its current practice of donating one dollar to the non-profit when guests purchase a Heroes Tribute Lounge pint glass.
Passengers can also donate to Operation Homefront by swiping their Sail and Sign card and purchasing group photos from the gathering at a discounted rate.
Carnival’s Military Appreciation Day is an expansion of its Military Appreciation Gathering. All members of the military attending will receive a pin, and the longest-serving veteran will be awarded with a hero coin. They can win a free cruise and attend a Veterans Meet and Greet, too.
In 2023, the cruise line plans to hold 1,510 military gatherings on ships across the fleet (excluding Australia and Europe).
Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, said: “At Carnival, we’re intent on honouring 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. We are proud that our new Military Appreciation Day will serve as an incredible salute to military service members and their families.”
