Carnival Cruise Line gave a heat welcome and large applause to the Litteral household as they stepped onto Carnival Valor on October 1, 2024.
Seems the household, touring from the homeport of New Orleans on a 5-night journey to the Caribbean, included the two,980-passenger ship’s seventh million visitors since Carnival started crusing year-round from the Louisiana port in 1994.
It was a major second as Carnival Cruise Line is now the primary cruise line in New Orleans to attain this peak.
The household, comprised of Thomas and Julie Litteral and their youngsters Zachary and Zoey, had been welcomed on board by Carnival Valor’s Captain Antonio Modaffari and the ship’s crew, who celebrated the event with an impromptu ceremony.
The Litteral household are loyal Carnival cruisers and celebrated another momentous event when 12-year-old Zachary achieved Diamond VIFP standing on the voyage, becoming a member of his dad and mom on the cruise line’s high loyalty stage.
Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy shared her pleasure in regards to the milestone, saying, “Sharing this landmark embarkation in New Orleans with loyal visitors, a household that clearly loves the enjoyable they fund once they sail with us, makes this second actually particular.”
In Could 2024, Carnival Cruise Line marked 30 years of year-round service from the Port of New Orleans with the arrival of the Carnival Liberty, a 2,974-passenger vessel.
At the moment, Carnival Liberty was greeted by iconic New Orleans Chef Emeril Lagasse, who additionally serves as Carnival’s Chief Culinary Officer.
“Simply after celebrating 30 years of year-round service right here this spring, we’re proud to proceed constructing on our necessary partnership with the New Orleans group,” mentioned Duffy.
She added, “Seven million visitors cruising with us from Port NOLA signifies our unwavering dedication because the market chief on this vibrant metropolis.”
Carnival’s dedication at the moment contains protecting each the 110,000-gross-ton Carnival Valor and Carnival Liberty in New Orleans, working a sequence of 4- to 10-day cruises to locations within the Caribbean and the Panama Canal.
Mixed, the cruise line carries roughly 400,000 passengers yearly from New Orleans, contributing to the town’s vibrant tourism business.
Port New Orleans Sees Sturdy Comeback and Cruise Commitments
The Port of New Orleans is having its second, having completed 2023 with almost 1.2 million cruise passengers, reflecting a powerful restoration from the pandemic and renewed confidence within the metropolis’s cruise market.
“The cruise enterprise has rebounded in New Orleans and cruise line companions are assured in our Port NOLA cruise market,” mentioned the port’s President and CEO Brandy D. Christian.
With 90 % of cruise visitors coming from out of state, New Orleans is a high pre- and post-cruise vacation spot. It generates greater than 300,000 resort room nights and contributes over $125 million to the native financial system every year.
Learn Additionally: New Orleans Cruise Port – Terminals, Piers and Getting Round
Christian continued, “We need to thank all our cruise line and hospitality companions as we work collectively to make cruising out of New Orleans two holidays in a single.”
Apart from Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line has a dedication to the town by 2028 with Norwegian Getaway, which may accommodate 3,963 visitors, set to exchange sister ship Norwegian Breakaway this month.
Disney Cruise Line additionally has a presence with Disney Magic, which returned to the town in January 2024, and Royal Caribbean’s 2,543-passenger Brilliance of the Seas, which is making its debut in November 2024.
