Diverted Carnival Cruise Ships To Leave New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Two of the three Carnival cruise ships that were diverted this week to New Orleans due to Hurricane Harvey are departing today and heading toward the Port of Galveston, officials said. The third ship, Carnival Breeze, will remain overnight in New Orleans and make its way to Galveston Thursday evening.

Extreme flooding in Texas caused by the massive storm closed the Galveston port causing the three Galveston-based ships, Freedom, Valor and Breeze, to change course to New Orleans, Carnival officials said.

In New Orleans, passengers were permitted to disembark and make arrangements to return home or could stay on board the ships. On Freedom, about half of the guests stayed on board, with slightly more than half electing to remain on Breeze and Valor, a company spokesperson said.

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Providing that Port of Galveston reopens this week, Freedom and Valor will dock Friday, with Breeze arriving Saturday.

The Aug. 31 sailing of Carnival Valor was canceled with refunds provided to scheduled passengers. Other sailings are expected to proceed on schedule, company officials said. Guests scheduled to depart on Carnival cruises from Galveston this weekend are asked to sign up for text alerts by texting the codes below to CRUISE (278473).

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