The Jacksonville, Fla.-based Carnival Elation welcomed some special visitors last week — 20 “bigs” and “littles” who participate in the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program from the Jacksonville Port Authority.

The group enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by a tour the 70,000-ton vessel which operates year-round four- and five-day cruises from Jaxport.  The day also included a comprehensive Q&A session with members of the shipboard team who provided valuable insight into Carnival Elation’s day-to-day operations.

rnival Cruise Line is very familiar with mentoring as for the last 10 years the company has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami to create the Scholarship and Mentoring Program which matches 100 students from Miami-Dade County high schools and also has provided four-year scholarships with an estimated value of $2.5 million.