On April 10, 2025, the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) introduced that it recorded over 165,000 passenger actions in March of this 12 months.
Passenger actions are categorized because the variety of cruise passengers both boarding or disembarking from a ship.
The earlier report was set in March of 2023 when the port had simply over 155,000 cruise passenger strikes in the course of the month.
Beth Department, the President and CEO of Port NOLA, commented on the importance of the milestone, sharing that the demand for itineraries out of the port has made New Orleans a premier cruising vacation spot.
“This report momentum solidifies Port NOLA’s place because the sixth largest U.S. cruise port, providing vacationers a singular mix of ocean and river cruising experiences,” Department mentioned, sharing extra concerning the versatility of Louisiana’s cruise hub.
Whereas it will not be the most important port, it’s the just one in the US that provides each river and ocean cruising choices.
Port NOLA Director of Cruise Steven Gauthier additionally shared his pleasure concerning the improve in port calls, saying that company are having fun with the town and occasions like Mardi Gras.
“We look ahead to welcoming much more cruise company in 2025 and displaying them that one-of-a-kind Massive Simple hospitality,” added Gauthier.
NOLA is a metropolis that embraces and welcomes cruise tourism, because it continues to have a optimistic impression on the native economic system.
Port NOLA Continues to See Unprecedented Development
Cruisers carry upwards of $125 million in native spending yearly to New Orleans, as 70% of them select to increase their journeys both earlier than or after cruises by one to 2 days.
With 90% of passengers coming from out of state, inns across the port have seen about 300,000 nights of reserving yearly straight from cruisers.
Cruise strains similar to Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line each selected to increase their contracts with the port in 2024 because of the demand for cruises out of this port.
Whereas each Carnival Liberty and Carnival Valor are crusing year-round with NOLA as their homeport, one in every of these ships might be absent in the course of the spring.
Carnival Valor departs on a transatlantic voyage on April 24, which can disembark passengers in Barcelona, Spain, on Could 10.
This ship will then enter a month-long dry dock for repairs and upgrades, after which it will likely be on the identical transatlantic voyage heading from Barcelona again to NOLA starting on June 11.
Carnival Liberty, nevertheless, will nonetheless be obtainable throughout this time, crusing weekly to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Getaway disembarks passengers on April 13 following a 7-night itinerary, crusing simply two extra occasions this month out of NOLA earlier than heading to New York, which might be its homeport for a lot of the 12 months.
Norwegian Escape will take its place in Port NOLA beginning in October 2025, providing 7-night cruises with stops within the Caribbean and Mexico.
Learn Additionally: New Orleans Cruise Port – Terminals, Piers and Getting Round
Royal Caribbean additionally started sailings out of Port NOLA once more in November of 2024 — however Brilliance Of The Seas ended its season at this southern port earlier this month.
As of now, the subsequent Royal Caribbean ship to depart out of NOLA might be Mariner Of The Seas on November 1, 2026.
Whereas there are lots of cruise strains to select from, Carnival stays the one one with year-round choices at this particular port.
Issues are lastly catching as much as the best way they have been pre-pandemic for Port NOLA, because it was projected it will see 1.2 million passenger actions in 2020.
Whereas it didn’t occur then, it did in 2024 — and if this new report is any indicator, that quantity might be even increased by the top of 2025!
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