VetFamily: Christine Duffy

It is impressive to find a President of a major travel company who is not only personally passionate about supporting the military and their families, but also embeds that value into the heart of their global brand. Christine Duffy does just that at Carnival Cruise Line. The leader of the world's largest cruise company comes from a strong military family and her son served in the Army.

“The opportunity and experience they get in the military is invaluable,” she expressed in an exclusive interview with WeSalute. “It was for my son Sean. We could see the growth and change in him from the time that he served to when he came home.”

Sean went to law school and joined the Army during COVID, moving to Fort Bragg, NC for training soon after getting married. He deployed to Kuwait at the end of the Afghanistan withdrawal and had his first child while enlisted. After serving three years, he was medically discharged at the rank of Captain and is now a lawyer. 

”He was always patriotic and always wanted to join the military. It was no surprise that he joined and we were proud,” said the mother of two. Her daughter Danielle lives in Manhattan. She underlined the sacrifice of military family members, recognizing the uncertainty of where they may need to move to or be deployed to.

“It’s very emotional when you’re not together. It can get lonely,” she said, pointing to her daughter-in-law’s experience with a new baby in a place with no family nearby. (Family photo, above.) 

Duffy’s familiarity with those feelings came as early as her childhood. Her father, Peter DeVone, served in the Army and her three uncles served, one each in the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. Her step-father was a Green Beret. (DeVone is on the far right with his three brothers in the photo below)

”It was a point of pride that they served,” she said, remembering a newspaper article about her family members in their blue collar neighborhood of Philadelphia. Her husband grew up in the same neighborhood and his brother spent 20 years in the Air Force. 

She remembers the different feelings, however, after the Vietnam War.

“It was a sad state, the way they were received and the suicides I remember from friends with older brothers. Having lived through those experiences leaves a mark.”

Since 2015, Duffy has led Carnival Cruise Line as President after a successful tenure as president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents the $120 billion global cruise industry. Carnival is proud to be known as “America’s Cruise Line,” as it carries more Americans and serves more U.S. home ports than any other line. With approximately 6 million annual passengers, their cruises last between 3-31 days. She’s led Carnival’s 27-ship fleet and Miami headquarters with the military in mind.

“The families are what I focus on a lot as I meet with so many of the military members that sail with Carnival. Our sacrifice was relative to so many that I met, who are in for 20+ years and have been deployed multiple times. The families that have been left behind when the person is deployed. You can’t really appreciate it until it happens to you.”

The Military Experience

Many of Carnival’s 14 United States home ports are within driving distance from military bases. Some of the home ports like Tampa and Jacksonville operate year-round, unlike their competitors. The cruises welcome service members between deployments, after coming home, and onward into their veteran years.

”It is an opportunity to, yes, have a great vacation with family and friends, but it’s also a brand where we surround you with a lot of appreciation and recognition of your service and sacrifice,” Duffy says, noting the extra effort Carnival makes to deliver an “experience” that caters to military and veterans. 

“It’s woven into the experience at Carnival beyond a military discount,” she explains. WeSalute Members receive exclusive savings on Carnival sailings through its VIFP Club loyalty program, as well as other premium experiences like priority boarding and upgrades.

Once the cruise is underway, Carnival continues to recognize the service of its passengers with military-themed experiences like the Military Appreciation Day. Several of the ships have the “Hero’s Tribute Lounge,” a sports bar converted with military memorabilia, which is expanding to more ships soon. 

The Miami headquarters of Carnival also has several veterans as employees, notably from the U.S. Coast Guard. Numerous crew members on board have also served in their home country militaries, so the military connections run deep throughout the company. 

Since 2017, Carnival has also partnered with Operation Homefront, through which they donated vans to transport veterans to VA medical appointments last Veterans Day. Operation Homefront, whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, has an annual program called “Military Child of the Year” that selects a young family member of someone from each branch of the military for scholarships. This year was its 16th celebration.

The company is expanding its presence in Australia and new ships are on the way through 2028.