Carnival Dream Sails On Inaugural Cruise From The Big Easy

The 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream, the largest cruise ship to homeport in New Orleans year-round, departed on its inaugural 6-day cruise yesterday afternoon from the newly refurbished Erato Street Cruise Terminal, which underwent a $2.3 million upgrade to accommodate a ship as large as the 130,000-ton vessel. Solidifying the line's distinction as New Orleans' largest cruise operator, Carnival Cruise Lines now bases two ships carrying more than 400,000 passengers annually from the port. Carnival Dream joins Carnival Elation, which sails year-round 4- and 5-day cruises to Mexico from New Orleans, the sixth largest cruise port in the U.S. as ranked by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

The special inaugural voyage is set to visit Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan), and Cozumel. Carnival Dream's next move is to launch year-round 7-day service from New Orleans beginning April 20th by offering three distinctly different itineraries: western Caribbean cruises visiting Montego Bay, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman; or Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan), Belize and Cozumel; and a Bahamas/Florida route calling at Key West, Freeport, and Nassau.

"New Orleans is one of our most popular homeports and Carnival Dream provides vacationers with a spectacular 'Fun Ship' cruise option from the Big Easy offering an incredible array of on-board innovations," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival's president and CEO.

The 1,004-foot-long Carnival Dream offers a host of on-board features, including WaterWorks with a 303-foot-long Twister water slide, among the longest at sea, as well as a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, a half-mile outdoor promenade with whirlpools that extend out over the ship's sides, and more than two dozen bars, restaurants, and lounges, including the poolside RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar. Carnival Dream also includes an indoor/outdoor cafe/live entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza as well as the Seaside Theatre, a 270-square-foot LED screen displaying concerts, sporting events, and nightly Dive-In Movies.

Also featured is a Punchliner Comedy Club with nearly two dozen family-friendly and adult-oriented comedy shows per voyage. Carnival Dream also offers fun, supervised activities for children in three age groups and later this year will add Seuss at Sea, part of a fleetwide partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises featuring exciting youth, family, dining, and entertainment experiences inspired by the world of Dr. Seuss.

A variety of spacious accommodations are also available, with dozens of suites and a wide selection of balcony staterooms, including unique cove balconies located closer to the water that offer outstanding sea views. There are also ocean view staterooms with a full bath plus separate wash room and five-berth staterooms, which are ideal for families.

Image Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines