Carnival Cruise Line recently deployed Carnival Liberty back to New Orleans after her extensive dry dock where she received several new features, including a WaterWorks aqua park and a Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge. She rejoined sister ship Carnival Valor which returned to Port NOLA just last month after her own similar dry dock.
Now the cruise line has announced its 2027-28 deployments and revealed a bigger ship will be sailing from New Orleans beginning May 2027. Carnival Cruise Line plans to continue to homeport two ships year round, but Carnival Dream will be replacing Carnival Valor increasing passenger capacity by about 700 guests per sailing.
“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.”
When Carnival Dream returns to the Big Easy, she will offer a series of 4- and 5-day sailings to Mexico. Carnival Liberty will continue to sail from New Orleans offering 7-day Western Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. She also will visit Carnival’s new exclusive destination, Celebration Key, as well as Key West and Nassau.
Carnival Liberty will also sail to destinations such as Cozumel, Belize, Grand Cayman and Isla Tropicale. Her 8-day holiday sailings over Thanksgiving and Christmas will not only call on Celebration Key, but also RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. Those looking for a longer sailing can book the 14-day Panama Canal Carnival Journeys cruise that sets sail on November 28, 2027. During that cruise, Carnival LIberty will call on Aruba, Cartagena, Colon, Curaçao, Cozumel, Limon and Montengo Bay.
In the coming weeks, Carnival Cruise Line will release more 2027-28 itineraries which will include new homeports for several ships.