By
Laura Hyde |
Carnival Cruise Line has marked 30 years of sailing from the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) in Louisiana by hosting a ceremony onboard Carnival Liberty, which has now started homeporting in the US city.
The cruise line’s chief culinary officer Emeril Lagasse, famous for his New Orleans cuisine, marked the milestone onboard Carnival Liberty as the ship sailed into its year-round homeport for the first time. He was joined by local community leaders, as well as Chris Chiames, Carnival’s chief communications officer, and Arnold Donald, a New Orleans native and former Carnival Corporation CEO.
“It’s an honour to share this great milestone and build on our successful partnership with the city and the Port of New Orleans,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We sail more than 400,000 guests from Port NOLA annually and for every one of them, our goal is the same: providing a fun and memorable vacation. That’s certainly a shared objective with the City of New Orleans, for all its visitors, which drives our partnership’s continued success.”
Lagasse cut a special anniversary cake created by Carnival Liberty’s culinary team
Carnival began sailing the first year-round cruise service from the city in 1994. Since then, nearly seven million guests have cruised from Port NOLA on a Carnival ship. In 2024, the brand will continue to base two ships in the port year-round – Carnival Liberty, which will mostly offer week-long itineraries to The Bahamas, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and Carnival Valor, which sails four- to seven-day cruises around the Caribbean.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this monumental milestone with our valued partner, Carnival Cruise Line,” said Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO of Port NOLA and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “For 30 years, Carnival has shown an unwavering commitment to the New Orleans cruise market, and we are most grateful. Our cruise industry is thriving – and on track to exceed pre-pandemic numbers with the support of Carnival’s two year-round homeported vessels. We look forward to many more years of partnership and successes.”
In celebration of its 30th year sailing from Port NOLA, Carnival has donated $30,000 to the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, which supports New Orleans’ education and culinary programmes for youths.
Lagasse led a group of children from the Belle Chasse Academy on a tour of Carnival Liberty