Carnival Cruise Line is bringing the fun back to New Orleans with Carnival Glory restarting operations from the city on Sunday. The restart comes two cruises later than planned after the city was impacted by Hurricane Ida.
Carnival Glory Resumes Operations from New Orleans
The Miami-based cruise line can now add the Port of New Orleans into its cruise offerings as the first Carnival cruise ship resumes operations from the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in 18 months. Carnival Glory is welcoming guests back onboard today for its seven-day Western Caribbean cruise.
To celebrate the momentous occasion, a “Back to Fun” ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in the terminal attended by Carnival’s Vice President of Guest Operations Sarah Beth Reno, Carnival Glory Captain Nicola Iaccarino, and Port of New Orleans President and CEO Brandy D. Christian.
“Carnival Cruise Line has been a part of the New Orleans community for more than 25 years and we’re absolutely thrilled to provide our guests an opportunity to get Back to Fun, while supporting the local economy in one of our most popular homeports,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Carnival is the number one cruise operator from New Orleans with the greatest variety of cruise choices and itineraries and we are so happy to bring our unique brand of fun back to this fantastic city.”
Also Read: How to Get to the New Orleans Cruise Port
The itinerary includes three days at sea along with calls at Mahogany Bay in Islan Roatan, Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel in Mexico. Carnival Glory will then arrive in New Orleans to complete the first resumption cruise on Sunday, September 26.
Carnival Glory will be joined by sister ship Carnival Valor from November 1. The cruise line is offering six-, seven-and eight-day cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Bahamas. There are also four- and five-day cruises to Mexico and 14-day Carnival Journeys sailing with a partial transit through the Panama Canal.
“Carnival Cruise Line is a valued longtime partner and we are proud to welcome Carnival Glory back for the first oceangoing cruise from New Orleans since March 2020,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans President and CEO. “We applaud Carnival’s commitment to the New Orleans market and for exceeding health and safety requirements to protect guests, crew and the community. The return of Carnival cruises from Port NOLA will be a boost to our local economy as guests are once again able to experience our famous New Orleans hospitality when they sail from our vibrant city.”
Not Originally as Planned
Carnival Glory was originally scheduled to restart cruises from the Big Easy on September 5. However, Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana, including New Orleans, at the end of August and causing widespread damage. One of the long-term impacts was the power grid with over a million premises without power.
With the route towards the cruise terminal closed and the city under emergency management, the ship could not restart cruises on its planned date. The following September 12 departure was also cancelled after the cruise line agreed with FEMA and city authorities to house up to 2,600 first responders, hospital workers, utility workers, and various personnel involved in recovery efforts.
With the two first sailings canceled, the Carnival Glory has finally restarted operations as the city comes back to some normality and the much-needed fun resumes.
Almost Half the Fleet is Back!
Carnival Glory is not the cruise ship restarting today, September 19! Carnival Dream becomes the third Carnival cruise ship to resume operations out of Galveston, Texas.
With both ships sailing today, eleven Carnival cruise ships are now back in service, which is almost half the fleet. More vessels will continue to resume through the remainder of 2021 and into 2022. When it comes to New Orleans, it will just remain with Carnival Glory and Valor, with both expecting to carry 400,000 passengers annually, more than any other cruise operator from the city.
