NEW ORLEANS – Carnival Cruise Line has launched the first wave of its 2027/28 cruise schedule, now open for booking and packed with ship moves that promise more vacation options for cruisers.
Carnival continues to be the only cruise line with two ships homeported year-round in New Orleans and is moving the larger Carnival Dream back to Port NOLA in May 2027, joining Carnival Liberty. Carnival Dream can accommodate more than 4,600 guests and offers a wide variety of signature Carnival experiences. To see the new sailings open for sale today, click here.
“More capacity with a larger ship means more tourism activity for Port NOLA and the region, where we’ve enjoyed a successful partnership for over three decades,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “As we roll out our deployment plans through the spring of 2028, we have great news to share with our homeport communities. Fun is on the move, and that means more options and more variety as guests book their future cruise vacations.”
Carnival Dream
Before relocating to her new homeport, Carnival Dream will offer two final sailings from Galveston in May 2027, including a week-long Western Caribbean itinerary featuring Belize, Cozumel and Isla Tropicale, followed by another week-long Bahamas cruise that visits Celebration Key, Key West and Nassau. On May 16, 2027, Carnival Dream will return to New Orleans for the first time since 2019. The ship will offer a series of four- and five-day voyages from Port NOLA to Mexico.
Carnival Dream delivers a vibrant, fun-filled vacation experience for Carnival guests of all ages. The ship offers guests a wide variety of spacious stateroom options, diverse dining choices, such as Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina and Bonsai Sushi, and entertainment ranging from the Punchliner Comedy Club to Broadway-style shows and movies under the stars.
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Liberty will continue sailing from New Orleans, extending a wide variety of seven-day Western Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries through April 2028. Several options visit Carnival’s exclusive new destination Celebration Key, as well as Key West, and Nassau. The ship will also sail voyages that feature calls in a wide variety of destinations, including Cozumel, Belize, Grand Cayman and Isla Tropicale. Special eight-day sailings over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays will feature stops at both Celebration Key and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. For travelers seeking longer adventures, Carnival Liberty will also offer a special 14-day Panama Canal Carnival Journeys cruise departing November 28, 2027, with stops in Aruba, Cartagena, Colon (Panama Canal), Curaçao, Cozumel, Limon, and Montego Bay, providing guests a unique opportunity to see the Panama Canal and experience vibrant destinations across the Caribbean and Central America.
Carnival Liberty returned to service in New Orleans after an extensive dry dock in Europe that added several new features to the ship, including a WaterWorks aqua park with new waterslides and a Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, which serves as a special place for active-duty military, veterans and their loved ones to gather. The ship is also home to award-winning live entertainment and youth programming as well as plenty of spaces to unwind, including the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat and a luxurious Cloud 9 Spa to the lively RedFrog Rum Bar and Alchemy Bar.
A Record-Breaking Year
The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA), the 6th largest U.S. cruise port and the only port in the country that offers both ocean-going and river cruising, in Feb. announced a record-breaking year with more than 1.2 million cruise passenger movements in 2024. Port NOLA’s two cruise terminals at Erato Street and Julia Street are located within the heart of the city.
“We are grateful to our cruise and hospitality partners, including New Orleans & Company, for their role in helping Port NOLA achieve a record-breaking number of passengers,” said Port NOLA President & CEO Beth Branch. “These valued partnerships continue to drive strong demand and promising growth projections for both ocean-going and river cruising from Port NOLA. We look forward to building on this momentum.”
Port NOLA’s cruise business contributes significantly to the state and local economy. Ninety percent of cruise guests travel from out-of-state – 70% of those guests spend one or two days in New Orleans either before or after their cruise – generating more than 300,000 hotel room nights and upward of $125 million in local spending each year.
“Our team at New Orleans & Company works daily to ensure New Orleans remains a highly popular cruise destination for both travelers and the cruise lines,” said Walt Leger, III, president and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the official destination marketing and sales organization for the New Orleans tourism industry. “We salute our partners at the Port of New Orleans for a second consecutive year of passenger growth. These results, like tourism, do not just happen. It is the result of innovative strategies and years of relationships. We work to ensure that New Orleans remains the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming city in the world, and we are pleased that visitors from around the world continue to honor us by choosing our city as their top destination for cruising, leisure visits, meetings, and major events.”
More Carnival Plans
Carnival will unveil more plans for its future itineraries, from May 2027 to April 2028, in the coming weeks, along with new homeports for several ships – adding variety and increasing options from several key cities. To view all sailings currently open for sale, click here.
For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line- Opens in new window and to book a cruise vacation, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, visit www.carnival.com- Opens in new window, or contact your favorite travel advisor or online travel site.
