Carnival Postpones Sending Second Ship to New Orleans

While the city of New Orleans may be rebounding from the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina, the cruise industry there is not. Carnival Cruise Lines has decided against sending the Carnival Triumph to New Orleans for year-round seven-day cruises in August as it had previously proposed, citing "lingering misconceptions by the vacationing public as to the recovery of New Orleans' tourism infrastructure." Carnival says that the Triumph will now remain in Miami, at least through April 2008, offering seven-day Exotic Eastern Caribbean sailings beginning August 25 with stops in Half Moon Cay, Carnival's private Bahamian island, St. Thomas, Grand Turk and San Juan. Carnival's 2,056-guest Fantasy will remain operating four- and five-day cruises out of New Orleans, and Carnival's president and CEO, Bob Dickinson, says the company remains committed to the city. "We will continue our efforts to build consumer interest in cruising from New Orleans and to counter some of the erroneous perceptions of the city that are currently posing a challenge."