Carnival Cruise Line Thanks The Troops With The World's First Social Media Powered Barbecue At Marine Corps Air Station Miramar In San Diego

Using the hashtag #ThankYouBurger, Americans were encouraged to show their appreciation of the U.S. military by tweeting and posting messages of gratitude via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  More than 15,000 thank you messages were transmitted in real time to a tech-enabled grill at the base in San Diego, and then laser printed onto burger buns and served to military troops during a backyard barbecue themed event.

In recognition of the thousands of #ThankYouBurger tweets and posts received, Carnival donated $25,000 to help the organization fulfill its mission of building strong, stable and secure military families.

Deshauna Barber -- godmother to Carnival Vista and the first woman serving in the military to be named Miss USA -- joined Carnival Chief Maritime Officer William Burke and Operation Homefront president and CEO Brig. Gen. (ret) John I. Pray Jr.  to personally serve nearly 2,000 burgers to military personnel.

"We wanted to create a platform for Americans looking to connect with the military and show our gratitude for their service during the July 4^th holiday," said Burke.  "We all want the troops to know how grateful we –and our country – are for protecting our freedom and this unique social media-powered barbecue is a fantastic way to show our appreciation."

"As an American who serves in the military, I really appreciate that Carnival Cruise Line looks for meaningful ways to serve us and I'm honored to be a part of this fun event," said Barber.

"Thanks to the continuing commitment of amazing partners like Carnival Cruise Line, Operation Homefront is able to meet the critical needs of America's military families," added Pray.  "Since 2011, we have fulfilled over 35,000 requests for financial assistance.  I'm especially thankful to those on social media who helped make this $25,000 donation from Carnival Cruise Line possible as we will be able to deliver even more goodness to those that have done so much for all of us – our nation's military families."

This special event is part of a continuing partnership between Carnival and Operation Homefront. Last year, hundreds of military families were welcomed aboard the company's newest ship, Carnival Vista, prior to its inaugural sailing from the U.S. The festivities, were the culmination of a year-long campaign called Honor.Family.Fun which helped raise funds and awareness for Operation Homefront and its cause.

To learn more about Carnival Cruise Line, visit Carnival.com. For reservations, contact any travel agent or call 1-800-CARNIVAL.

Carnival can also be found on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Journalists also can visit Carnival's media site, carnival-news.com or follow the line's PR department on Twitter at twitter.com/CarnivalPR.

About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 25 ships operating three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Two 133,500-ton Vista class ships are currently scheduled for delivery - Carnival Horizon in 2018 and an as-yet-unnamed vessel in 2019. Additionally, two new 180,000-ton ships are scheduled to enter service in 2020 and 2022.

About Operation Homefront
Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America's military families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.

SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line

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