The boom in cruising out of New Orleans continues today with the first sailing of a new, bigger ship in town, the recently revamped Carnival Sunshine.
The 3,006-passenger vessel is taking the place of the slightly smaller Carnival Conquest, which is moving to Miami.
The number of cruisers departing from the Big Easy last year soared by 32% to a record 977,703 and is expected to surpass 1 million this year.
Passenger totals for 2014 are expected to be even higher as the Carnival Sunshine, in turn, is replaced in April by the even larger, 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream.
New Orleans is now the USA's sixth-busiest cruise port, up from ninth-busiest as recently as 2011, according to a report by the Cruise Lines International Association, an industry trade group.
Formerly known as the Carnival Destiny, the 17-year-old Carnival Sunshine was almost completely gutted and rebuilt earlier this year in a massive, months-long makeover that brought almost all-new deck-top areas, a major expansion of dining options and re-imagined entertainment spaces. Five things to love about the revamped Carnival Sunshine
Billing it as essentially an all-new ship, Carnival on Sunday re-christened the vessel in New Orleans.
The Carnival Sunshine joins the smaller, 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation in New Orleans. The Carnival Sunshine will sail seven-night cruises to the Caribbean out of the city, while the Carnival Elation will continue offering four- and five-night voyages. Also sailing out of New Orleans on a seasonal basis are ships operated by Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
By Gene Sloan, USA Today
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