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Cruise NewsPort NOLA Sees Record Number of Cruise Passengers

Port NOLA Sees Record Number of Cruise Passengers

With cruise lines building more new cruise ships than ever before, cruise ports around the country are seeing a record number of passengers. The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) set a new record in 2018 with 1,182,111 cruise passenger movements, up 2.3 percent compared to a year ago.

A 23 percent surge in guests taking Mississippi River cruises helped buoy the total, with new and larger cruise ships set to sail from New Orleans both to the Caribbean (the world’s most popular cruise destination) and on the river in 2019.

In September, Disney Cruise Line announced it will sail from Port NOLA in early 2020. The 2,700-passenger Disney Wonder will embark on a variety of Caribbean and Bahamian cruises from New Orleans – marking the first time Disney Cruise Line will have a homeport in Louisiana.

In addition to Disney, Port NOLA’s most prolific cruise tenant – Carnival Cruise Line – will increase capacity in its four- and five-day cruise program, replacing Carnival Triumph on March 1 with the 2,980-passenger Carnival Glory. Carnival Glory will sail the four- and five-day itineraries until May 19 when it begins seven-day, year-round itineraries and the 2,980-passenger Carnival Valor arrives to sail year-round four- and five-day schedules.

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Port NOLA, the sixth-largest cruise port in the United States, also made headlines in November 2018 when it welcomed its largest cruise ship to date, the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway, which will sail seven-day cruises through April 2019.

In November 2019, Norwegian Cruise Line will replace Norwegian Breakaway with its newer sister ship, Norwegian Getaway. December 2018 also marked the return of Royal Caribbean International when 2,050-passenger Vision of the Seas arrived sailing seven-day itineraries through March 2019.

In addition to oceangoing ships, guests traveling along the Mississippi River on the five riverboats homeported in New Orleans also set a modern-day record at 30,298 passenger movements in 2018. The American Queen Steamboat Company homeports the 436-passenger American Queen and the 166-passenger American Duchess from New Orleans, while American Cruise Lines offers inland cruises on the 150-passenger Queen of the Mississippi and the 185-passenger America.

The company’s 184-passenger American Song, the first modern riverboat in the U.S. on the Mississippi River, debuted in 2018 and will be replaced this year by her new sister ship American Harmony.

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Ben Souza
Ben Souza
Ben is a world traveler who has visited 40+ countries, taken over 70 cruises. He is one of USA TODAY's experts for their 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. His writings have appeared and been cited in various media outlets such as Yahoo News, MSN, NPR, CNN, Fox, and ABC News. Ben currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. Follow Ben on Instagram. Visit Ben Souza on Linkedin. You may email Ben at [email protected].
Cruise NewsPort NOLA Sees Record Number of Cruise Passengers
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