Royal Caribbean Set to Return to New Orleans in 2011

Royal Caribbean International will return to New Orleans in 2011 after a three-year absence. New Orleans will be the homeport for the 142,000-ton, 3,114-guest Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship ever based in New Orleans. The deployment is expected to generate an additional 165,000 cruise guests per year for New Orleans. The Voyager of the Seas will offer seven-night Western Caribbean cruises from New Orleans departing on Saturdays.

The ship will make 24 departures from New Orleans between November 2011 and April 2012. The cruise line has committed to New Orleans for the 2012-13 winter cruise season as well, and it will have three one-year options to continue basing a ship at New Orleans into the future.

Royal Caribbean based a ship in New Orleans from 2002 until Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Following the storm, Royal Caribbean completed one winter cruise season in New Orleans from December 2006 to April 2007, but then decided to redeploy the ship. “We are pleased to be back,” said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International.

When Royal Caribbean returns, it will base its operations at a newly renovated Julia Street Cruise Terminal. A $12 million project to convert two smaller terminals at Julia Street into one large terminal is under design. The improvements also include the installation of a new, climate-controlled gangway. About $8.5 million of the construction project at the Julia Street Cruise Terminal comes from Louisiana’s Port Priority Program and the remainder will come from the port. The improvements to the cruise terminal are expected to be completed in summer 2011.

The move by Royal Caribbean is the latest in a series of cruise news developments from New Orleans. Norwegian Cruise Line recently announced that it would shift from seasonal cruises to year-round cruises from New Orleans starting in November. In November 2009, Carnival Cruise Lines replaced the Carnival Fantasy with the Carnival Triumph, which holds 34 percent more guests.

The Port of New Orleans operates two cruise terminals—the Julia Street Cruise Terminal and the Erato Street Cruise Terminal. Additionally, 1,000 parking spaces are available on the upper floors of the Erato terminal. Four-, five- and seven-day cruises to the Caribbean and seven-day cruises to the Bahamas sail from New Orleans on a regular basis.