Carnival Cruise Line celebrated the Jacksonville community today, recognizing its 20th anniversary of year-round cruising from the city by highlighting a strong partnership with JAXPORT and the three million Carnival guests who have sailed from the port.

The cruise line welcomed local leaders aboard Carnival Elation for a commemorative event, which included a tribute to military service in honor of the upcoming Veterans Day holiday.

Among the special guests was Jackson, a canine companion for a local veteran, adopted through Carnival’s donation to K9s for Warriors, a non-profit organization that provides highly-trained service dogs to military veterans. Jackson was introduced by K9s for Warriors CEO Daniel Bean. Carnival Elation‘s team then delivered a special tribute for active and retired military, recognizing each branch of the armed forces. As America’s cruise line, Carnival carries more active and retired military than any other cruise line.

“Carnival Elation is the perfect backdrop for this celebration because we’re elated to recognize the true success of this 20-year partnership. We greatly appreciate the tremendous relationships we’ve built together over the years throughout the Jacksonville community,” Candib said. “Delivering memorable cruise vacations to three million guests from JAXPORT is proof enough that the potential our company saw in this homeport in 2004 has been a great benefit to our cruise line, our loyal guests and this community and we’re committed to continue building upon our partnership for years to come.”

Earlier this year, Carnival strengthened its commitment to cruising from JAXPORT by signing a new agreement through 2026 that includes renewal options through 2030.

“More than three million people have set sail from JAXPORT aboard a Carnival ship over the last two decades and on behalf of those families, thank you, Carnival, for the memories and the fun,” said Hamilton. “And even more importantly, thank you for supporting the veterans who have given so much for all of us.”

“One of the great things about Carnival is their desire and willingness to give back to the communities where they operate,” added Green. “We join our partners in thanking all veterans for their service and recognizing K9s for Warriors for their lifesaving work.”

Carnival Elation is homeported in Jacksonville year-round and operates four to seven-day cruises to the Bahamas and eastern Caribbean. Next year, sailings from Jacksonville will take guests to Carnival’s upcoming destination Celebration Key, which opens in July 2025.

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