Carnival Cruise Line already has more than half of its fleet back sailing, which increases even more with the Carnival Valor becoming the second ship to restart operations from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Carnival Valor Returns to Service from New Orleans
Carnival Valor becomes the 15th ship in the fleet to be sailing since suspensions first started in March 2020. The vessel also becomes the second to resume from New Orleans. Guests are being welcomed back onboard today by the ship’s cruise director Marty Pitts, along with many happy crew members, who are bringing back the fun.
Also Read: Which Carnival Cruise Ships Have Resumed Operations?
The ship will depart later this afternoon from Port Nola on a five-day Western Caribbean itinerary which includes calls at Cozumel and Progreso, both located in Mexico. The Conquest-class vessel will then return to New Orleans on November 6, 2021.
Carnival Valor will continue to sail four- and five-day voyages from Louisiana for the remainder of 2021 and through 2022. There will also be a 6-day New Year’s cruise departing on December 31, 2021, with visits to Mexico.
Carnival Valor’s New Look!
The Carnival cruise ship has been waiting to restart cruises since first arriving back in the U.S. on September 1. The ship arrived in Miami, Florida, after completing a drydock upgrade that took place in Marseille, France, and was completed toward the end of July 2021.
During the dry dock, Carnival Valor received the new red, white a blue livery, a new hull artwork that’s rolling out across the fleet. So far, eight Carnival ships have received the new livery during dry dock along with the new Mardi Gras. Carnival Sunshine will become the ninth.
In addition to the new livery added to Carnival Valor, there was routine hotel maintenance and cosmetic changes. This includes updates to carpets, tiling, and minor updates in specific departments around the ship.
Two Carnival Ships from New Orleans
There will now be two Carnival cruise ships sailing from Port Nola as Carnival Glory was the first to resume operations from the port on September 19, 2021. It followed a one-week delay after the cruise line agreed with city officials to house first responders due to Hurricane Ida power recovery efforts.
With Carnival Valor and Glory sailing from New Orleans, the cruise line expects to carry 400,000 passengers annually, more than any other cruise operator. Carnival Cruise Line first started sailing from the city in 1994 and has since grown its capacity and operations from the port by carrying up to 4.5 million guests.
Worth Reading: Must-Know Things About the New Orleans Cruise Terminal
Port NOLA is the sixth largest for cruises in the U.S., and in the months to come, even more ships begin sailing from the Big Easy. Norwegian Breakaway will begin cruises from the city later this month, and Disney Cruise Line will return in February 2022.
