Jacksonville Navy Veteran of 23 Years and 7 Deployments Wins a Free Margaritaville Cruise for His Family at Daytona on Veterans Day

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Jacksonville Navy family that spent more than two decades moving with deployments got a surprise of its own on Veterans Day. Margaritaville at Sea gave retired sailor Angel Velez, his wife and their three sons a free cruise during the Ford Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic at Daytona International Speedway on Nov. 11, the cruise line said in a news release. The family will sail on Beachcomber, the line's newest ship, which begins sailing from PortMiami in January 2027.

The cruise line's chief executive, Christopher Ivy, and its vice president of marketing, Matt Ratliff, handed the family an oversized "VIP Cruise Experience" boarding pass at the speedway, according to the release. The release calls the family a Blue Star Family, the term for military families with a loved one who served. It did not say which sailing the family will take or when.

23 years and seven deployments

Angel Velez served in the U.S. Navy for 23 years, from November 2002 until he retired in November 2025, according to the release. His career included seven deployments aboard the amphibious ships USS Ponce, USS Essex, USS Denver and USS Bonhomme Richard. Three of those deployments were to the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the release said.

Velez and his wife, Malvy, have three sons: Miguel, 16, Daniel, 11, and Marco, 9. The family lives in Jacksonville and continues to give back to the community, according to the release. The release refers to them as the Javier/Velez family.

A race built around the military

The Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic was a first-time exhibition race organized by Ford with NASCAR, Blue Star Families and the sports car groups IMSA and HSR, according to Ford and racing trade reports. Six teams, each representing a branch of the military, raced Ford Mustang Dark Horse R cars on the speedway's 3.6-mile road course. The event was held three days after the end of the NASCAR Cup Series season and was not a points race.

Ford said it would give 1,000 free tickets to eligible military and veteran families, Ford Authority reported. Part of the ticket money was set to benefit Blue Star Families, and the event's charity partners included DAV, TAPS, Team Rubicon, the Travis Manion Foundation and Camp Southern Ground. Zac Brown Band was among the performers announced for the night.

The ship the family will sail

Beachcomber is the former Costa Fortuna, which Margaritaville at Sea bought from Costa Cruises in 2025, according to cruise industry reports. The ship measures about 105,000 gross tons and carries about 3,450 guests, the reports say. Its first published sailing from PortMiami is a seven-night Eastern Caribbean trip departing Jan. 9, 2027.

The ship is scheduled to move to Galveston, Texas, later in 2027, Cruise Industry News reported in September. Margaritaville at Sea also sails two other ships, Paradise and Islander, according to the release. The line has planned a gathering of all three ships in Nassau, Bahamas, on Jan. 28, 2027, trade reports say.

What the cruise line offers veterans

Margaritaville at Sea started a limited-time Veterans Day offer on Nov. 9 that doubles its standard military discount to 40% off cruises, according to the release. The offer also includes up to $1,000 in onboard credit for eligible guests, the cruise line said. Cruise Industry News reported that the line's year-round discount for military members and other "Heroes" is 20%, and neither the release nor the report gave an end date for the larger offer.

The cruise line said it has helped raise more than $20,000 for Hire Heroes USA, a nonprofit that helps veterans find jobs, through the GOVX Gives Back program. It holds a "Heroes Salute" on every sailing, the release said. The company said the effort was inspired by the late Jimmy Buffett's longtime admiration for the military.

Veterans and military families can find the terms of the current offer on the cruise line's website, margaritavilleatsea.com. Buyers should check which sailings qualify, the final price and the booking deadline before paying. The release did not list the deadline for the Veterans Day offer.