Cruise ship guests driving to New Orleans for a cruise will need to find a place to park. This post is a guide to New Orleans cruise parking and discusses the cruise parking options available through the Port of New Orleans, offsite lots, veteran parking, and more. 
                New Orleans is a cruise homeport for Carnival Cruise Line ships year-round. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line sail from New Orleans seasonally. Additionally, New Orleans is home to numerous river cruises, but this post does not focus on river cruise parking. 

Erato Street Cruise Terminal Parking
​Carnival Valor & Carnival Liberty Cruise Parking Information
The Port of New Orleans has parking available at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal for Carnival Cruise Line guests only. Guests sailing on the Carnival Liberty or Carnival Valor can park in the Erato Street Cruise Terminal's garage which is located on the upper floors of the cruise terminal building. An overflow parking lot is available with shuttle service provided if the Erato Street Cruise Terminal's garage is available, but instructions for this will be given once capacity in the garage is reached.

Price To Park: As of 3/29/2024, the Port of New Orleans charges $25 per day to park in the Erato Street Cruise Terminal garage. 
Oversized Vehicles: The Erato Street Cruise Terminal's garage is entered through a circular winding ramp. Due to the garage's size there are vehicle size restrictions that include 8 feet 4 inches on the 3rd floor, 7 feet 6 inches on all other floors, and maximum of 22 feet in length for a vehicle. Oversized vehicles should use the Port of New Orleans' contact information for more details (see link to Port website below to find more information)
How does parking in the Erato Street Cruise Terminal's garage work?  After you go up the winding ramp, you will have an opportunity for a porter to take your luggage that is being checked. Please note, you will have to show your boarding pass in order to enter the garage. Once you have had a chance to drop off your luggage it is time to find a parking spot. After parking you will ride the elevator down to the first floor and will be directed to where you need to go in order to check-in.

Julia Street Cruise Terminal Parking
Royal Caribbean & Norwegian Cruise Line New Orleans Parking
The Port of New Orleans advertises that cruises using the Julia Street cruise terminal will use the 100 Poydras Garage. Royal Caribbean guests and Norwegian Cruise Line guests can use this garage. According to the Port of New Orleans there are 500 parking spots available.

Price To Park: As of 3/29/2024, the price to park at the 100 Poydras Garage is $25 per day plus a $1.00 per day fee for reservations. 
Oversized Vehicles: The maximum height is 6 feet 4 inches and length is 22 feet. ​Oversized vehicles should use the Port of New Orleans' contact information for more details (see link to Port website below to find more information). 
In summary, how does parking at the 100 Poydras garage work? Guests cruising from the Julia Street cruise terminal that decide to use this garage will arrive at the garage and park. Shuttle service will be provided to the Julia Street Cruise Terminal and guests will have their luggage transported with them. Cruisers will need to make sure to have their boarding pass ready to show at all times, including when entering the garage. 

Other Parking Lots
There are parking lots outside of what the Port of New Orleans shares that cruisers can book their parking. The lots can vary in terms of services & amenities offered so you will want to do your research to see if shuttle service is offered, what type of security the lot says it has, etc. 
​I plan to do a future post with some research on parking lots outside. 

New Orleans Hotels With Cruise Parking Packages
Some hotels offer cruisers packages that allow the cruiser to park at the hotel as part of their stay. If you are staying the night in New Orleans, you should consider seeing if your hotel has a cruise parking package. 

Free New Orleans Cruise Parking
Is there anywhere that you can park for free when cruising from New Orleans? Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any free parking opportunities for cruising out of New Orleans. 

Veterans Parking Discount With Port of New Orleans
Does the Port of New Orleans offer discounted or free Veterans cruise parking?
Yes, the Port of New Orleans does offer veterans free cruise parking up to 7 nights. I won't get into all the rules, but essentially veterans have to prove their status and the disability must be at least 50% service-connected. Riverboat cruises are not included for free disabled veteran parking since the Port of New Orleans does not handle riverboat cruise parking areas. This page of the Port of New Orleans' website contains the full details about how free veteran cruise parking works: click here to view (link will take you away to the Port of New Orleans' website)

Tips For New Orleans Cruise Parking
1. Research how to get to your parking garage or lot in advance
Do not wait until the day of your cruise to locate where you need to go. 
2. Research your options! 
While this post shares some information on cruise parking, it does not include everything you need to know about cruise parking from New Orleans. There are privately owned parking lot options that can be booked, but I do not share many details on those at this time as I need to do further research. Check for prices of all your options, know the amenities available at each option, and read some reviews from prior cruise guests to get an idea as to whether a particular place is somewhere you want to park.

For the information shared by the Port of New Orleans on cruise parking please click here (link will take you away to the Port of New Orleans' cruise parking information page). 

             Carnival Corporation has ordered its 5th Excel Class ship for Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival finalized an agreement with the Meyer Werft shipyard that schedules the ship's delivery for 2028. 
             The new 2028 ship is not yet named and Carnival has not released homeport details yet. This ship will be designed to carry 1,800 crew and 6,400 guests. Similar to the other Excel class ships, the ship will have liquified natural gas (LNG) power. 
​           Carnival Cruise Line currently has 3 Excel class ships in service - the Mardi Gras launched in 2021, Carnival Celebration in 2022, and Carnival Jubilee in 2023. A 4th Excel class ship is scheduled to launch for Carnival Cruise Line in 2027. In total the 2028 newbuild will mark the 11th Excel class ship for Carnival Corporation when combining the ships that sail for sister brands of Carnival Cruise Line.

2028 New Carnival Ship Homeport
This is not announced as of the time of writing. Carnival has not yet released the 2024 Excel class ship's homeport either as of this time so I expect we will know that ship's homeport before the 2028 newbuild's homeport.

2028 New Carnival Ship Itineraries
The 2028 new Carnival Cruise Line ship itineraries are not yet announced either.

For More Information:
Please click here for Carnival's press release (link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide to Carnival's news website). 

        The Carnival Freedom's funnel caught fire on Saturday, March 23, 2024 as the ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas. At the time of the fire the Carnival Freedom was on its way to Freeport, Bahamas for a port of call stop due to a stop in Princess Cay being cancelled.

The Fire Is Out! However, there is damage to the ship. Carnival has announced some cancellations due to the fire as of 3/24/2024. See picture from Carnival included below.



​
Timeline of Events
Saturday, March 23, 2024: 
According to Carnival the ship reported a fire at 3:15pm EDT on the port side of the ship's exhaust funnel. Carnival told RyG's Cruise Guide that the ship's fire response team was activated and the captain onboard positioned the ship towards heavy rain to help with the efforts to put out the flames. Additionally, Carnival noted there are reports from eyewitness onboard that lightening strike could be the cause, but this is not confirmed.

As of 5:20pm EDT the ship's fire is fully extinguished. Guests have been asked to stay away from the balconies and open decks. A portion of the funnel did fall into Deck 10 and the Carnival Freedom's fire team has put out the associated flames. 

According to a letter Carnival sent Carnival Freedom guests embarking on the next cruise, the current guests of the Carnival Freedom were able to enjoy the Cruise Elegant evening dinner as planned. The ship's systems are fully functioning, except the outside decks are closed. 

​Carnival reported there are no injuries to guests and two firefighting team members are being treated for minor smoke inhalation. 

Sunday, March 24, 2024:
As of 3/24/2024 in the afternoon, the Carnival Freedom's March 25 and March 29, 2024 cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida have been cancelled. This was posted on Facebook by Carnival's brand ambassador, John Heald. Guests on these cruises should check the communication sent by Carnival regarding refund & future credits.

The Carnival Freedom's teams used the time the ship spent in Freeport on 3/24/2024 to assess the ship. The funnel has been stabilized to allow the ship to sail back to Port Canaveral to debark the current cruise on 3/25/2024. However, Carnival found the damage was worse than initially thought and will require immediate repair. Carnival is sailing the Carnival Freedom to Freeport after the ship drops off the debarking guests to begin needed repairs.

Cruise Cancellations or Future Dry-Dock
As of March 24, 2024, the Carnival Freedom's cruises that were scheduled for Monday, March 25th and Friday, March 29th are cancelled. The damage to the funnel was worse than initially thought and Carnival mentioned immediate repairs are needed.

Guests on these cancelled cruises should check their communications from Carnival. Additionally, guests on any future sailings should monitor for communications from Carnival in-case plans to future cruises change.

Picture of Fire After Extinguishment
Carnival Cruise's Public Relations department has generously shared the below image with RyG's Cruise Guide that shows the flames are extinguished. This image was provided to RyG's Cruise Guide at 6:22pm EDT. 

Past Funnel Fire
The Carnival Freedom suffered a funnel fire in 2022. The ship's funnel had to be modified after the fire, but the Carnival Freedom was repaired in an October 2023 dry-dock to fix this fire. 

       If you are going on a Carnival Cruise during March Madness and want to watch the basketball games you should be in luck. This post will take a look at what Carnival says about showing the March Madness games on their cruise ships. This post discusses some of the information Carnival has posted for the 2024 March Madness. 

Will the March Madness basketball games be shown on Carnival Cruise ships? 
            Yes, according to Carnival's website the March Madness games will be televised in select locations. Carnival's website was updated for 2024 to indicate that guests should check the location of game(s) on the Carnival Hub App. Locations could include bars, lounges, or the Seaside Theater depending on the other programming being offered at the time of the games. 
Not every game may be shown onboard so be prepared for the chance that you may not get to watch your favorite team. 

If I am cruising during March Madness how can I find out where the games will be shown? 
                There are multiple ways for you to find out where the March Madness games will be shown while you are on the ship. The Carnival Hub App may have the game time & location listed. You can also check with Guest Services for the information.

Besides showing the March Madness basketball games, does Carnival do anything else?
                   Carnival's website says that they will have a March Madness Trivia activity. The time & location of this activity will be posted in the Carnival Hub App and on the What's Happening newsletter if this event is being held during your cruise. Carnival also encourages guests to wear their favorite team's attire. 

Will I be able to watch March Madness basketball games in my Carnival ship stateroom?
                     It depends on the TV station the games are being shown on and if Carnival carries that stateroom in the guest rooms. Your best bet to watch the game will be in the designated bar or lounge. It may get crowded so you may want to consider arriving early to make sure you get a good seat .

Are March Madness games going to be shown on Carnival ships out of Australia? 
                         Unfortunately, I have not been able to get confirmation that this will take place on cruises out of Australia. The March Madness celebration information is only listed on the Carnival Cruise USA website. 

Just A Note About Watching Games Onboard:
                       While Carnival's website states that the games are planned to be shown, if there is a satellite connection issue or problem getting a particular TV station the game may not be able to show. There is always a risk something changes or goes wrong. If this happens, I am sorry for the disappointment you will feel if something goes wrong, but hopefully you still can enjoy the cruise. 

To read Carnival's holiday list posted on their website with accompanying information please click here (link will take you away to Carnival's website). Please note, any of this information is subject to change at any time and the games or events listed may be modified or not take place on all cruises.

        If you will be on a Carnival Cruise during Easter your ship may hold some events & activities to celebrate Easter. This post will discuss some of the events & activities Carnival lists on their website for Easter Sunday as well as discuss Carnival's policy regarding religious clergy & services onboard.   
            Easter Sunday for 2024 is scheduled to fall on Sunday, March 31, 2024. In 2025, Easter Sunday is scheduled to be on April 20, 2025. The events & activities scheduled onboard will depend on the ship's location for the day as well as the entertainment department onboard.   

Does Carnival have Easter church services onboard for Easter Sunday?
                 According to Carnival's website a non-denominational service is listed as being planned for ships that are not in their homeport on Easter Sunday. This means ships that are undergoing debarkation & embarkation on Easter Sunday will not have any type of service held onboard. Carnival's website does not give any additional information about who will lead a non-denominational service on ships that are having services. 

What Easter themed activities & events are scheduled to take place for Easter Sunday?
                    Carnival's website states that a Family Easter Hop N' Stop event and Family Easter Flower Hunt are scheduled to take place. Guests onboard during Easter should be able to learn the information from the ship's entertainment team regarding these events. Carnival also states that "Easter Egg-stravaganza" bingo is scheduled to take place. Bingo onboard typically costs extra and I'm not exactly sure how the game will be done with an Easter theme. Carnival also mentions an Easter Traditions Trivia is one of the events that will take place. The Carnival youth programs will also be hosting onboard events & activities. 

What is Carnival's policy regarding religious services and clergy?
                    Carnival's website references the religious services policy around multiple holidays (this is not Easter specific information). Carnival does not place clergy onboard their ships. Clergy that are traveling on a Carnival Cruise ship are able to volunteer to conduct a service while on the cruise. The clergy traveling should contact Guest Services and leave their name, stateroom number, and description of the services they offer. Additionally, the clergy member must leave a letter showing good standing with their religious organization with Guest Services. Per Carnival's website the final determination of approval will be based on factors such as the letter, schedule suitability, and venue availability. 

Where I can I get more information from Carnival? 
​                The FAQ section of Carnival's website has great information regarding the Easter Sunday holiday celebration as well as the religious services policy. I highly encourage you to check out both of these policies as these are the sources of my information to write this post.   
Carnival Cruise Celebrating Holidays Information:  Click Here 
Carnival Cruise Religious Services Policy Information:  Click Here

This post was updated on March 18, 2024 after being originally posted on January 16, 2023 due to some updates made on Carnival's website. ​

1. Lido Marketplace (Lido Buffet)
The Carnival Sunrise's Lido Marketplace is a complimentary buffet that has breakfast, lunch, and dinner options depending on the time of day. Lido Marketplace on the Carnival Sunrise is located on Deck 9 (Lido) aft. 

• Breakfast:  Exact food varies by the day. Breakfast usually includes a Continental Breakfast buffet station with fruit & pastries. A general breakfast buffet station includes rotating foods including, but not limited to, potatoes, bacon, ham, beans, french toast, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, scrambled eggs, and more. 
  Click Here For Some Carnival Cruise Breakfast food Pictures
• Lunch: A lunch buffet is available daily with rotating selections of food. Carnival Sunrise's buffet has a dessert station, salad bar, and two buffet lines that serve rotating food each day. The deli is located inside the lido buffet, but I have a separate section dedicated to the deli later in this post. 
• Dinner: At dinner, the Carnival Sunrise's Lido buffet serves a complimentary casual buffet dining experience. Carnival changes the options nightly, but their website says a sample of options include a variety of pastas, steaks, prime rib, grilled chicken, specialty salad, desserts, and daily Chef's special. 
• Beverages:  The Carnival Sunrise's Lido buffet serves coffee, hot tea, lemonade and unsweet tea 24 hours a day. These are complimentary. Juice is also available during breakfast hours and typically includes orange juice, apple juice, and guava juice. 
• Swirls:  Carnival Sunrise  has self-service ice cream & frozen yogurt machines available from 9am until 11pm. Exact hours may vary by cruise so check your Carnival Hub App or FunTimes for the exact open times.
• Late Night:  A late night buffet is usually available on the Carnival Sunrise that serves items such as chicken noodle soup, chips & salsa, Italian Meatball subs, cookies, and more. The time of the late night buffet can vary so I recommend you check your Carnival Hub App or FunTimes for the exact time. 

​2. Guy's Burger Joint
​Guy's Burger Joint is Carnival's popular burger spot that is inspired by Guy Fieri. On the Carnival Sunrise guests can select from the standard Guy's Burger Joint Menu: Straight Up, Plain Jane, The Ringer, Chilimus Maximus, and Pig Patty. A Guy's Burger is not complete without Carnival's hand cut fries that are seasoned with Guy's Signature seasoning. The Guy's Burger Joint on the Carnival Sunrise is complimentary. 
Location: Deck 9 (Lido Deck) Near the Main Lido Pool
Click Here For Guy's Burger Joint Menus & Additional Info

3. Blue Iguana Cantina
Carnival's Blue Iguana Cantina is a complimentary breakfast and lunch venue. No matter the meal, when the Blue Iguana Cantina is open there is a salsa bar available with a variety of freshly made salsas & toppings!

• Breakfast:  Guests can get breakfast burritos or arepas and huevos rancheros. 
• Lunch: Guests can do a build your own burrito or get a taco from the taco line! The taco meat options usually include pork, chicken, or fish. 

Location: The Blue Iguana Cantina on the Carnival Sunrise is located on Deck 9 by the Lido Main Pool.
​ Click Here For Blue Iguana Cantina Menus & Additional Info

11. Lucky Bowl
Lucky Bowl is a venue on the Carnival Sunrise that serves combinations of meat with vegetables, rice & noodles, and other bowl related items. This venue is complimentary and is located within the Lido Marketplace. Carnival Sunrise's Lucky Bowl is only open at lunch. 
Location: Deck 9 Within The Lido Marketplace

If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions please do not use this post to make any decisions about whether this food is suitable for your consumption, because this information may not include all ingredients or facts related to the food dish. Consult Carnival to discuss ingredients and to make sure the food item is able to be consumed by you. 
Food items, menus, and the way a dish is prepared can vary greatly depending on the particular cruise, chef, and other factors. ​

Carnival Cruise Ship Restaurant & Food Dining Guides!
Carnival Cruise ships are known for having numerous restaurants & places to eat onboard, some complementary and some specialty dining venues. Select a ship below for a restaurant & dining guide. More ships coming soon!

       If you are taking a Carnival Cruise ship vacation over St. Patrick's day this year you may want to be on the look-out for some events & activities that could be taking place onboard your Carnival ship. The exact events & timing of when things are held may vary by ship due to the ship's scheduled itinerary. This post will take a look at the events & activities Carnival advertises as being planned for St. Patrick's day onboard.
             
Holiday Timing: St. Patrick's Day is on Friday, March 17, 2024 this year. 

How do I find out when & where events are being held for St. Patrick's Day onboard my Carnival ship? 
​              You will want to check the Carnival Hub App or FunTimes for the list of activities. You should be able to view the event, location, and time within either of these two places.
​
How can I know which St. Patrick's Day activities are considered free/complimentary versus an additional charge?
​               When you are onboard you can ask before participating in an activity if it is free or not. Asking will save you the hassle of realizing you were charged for the activity later. ​

Are these events for St. Patrick's Day taking place on Australia cruises?
                    Carnival has not made this clear. The Celebrating Holidays page for US cruises lists these activities, but Australia cruises do not have the same page. If you are cruising from Australia contract Carnival Cruise AU or your travel agent to ask.

Where can I get more info or see Carnival's official information source? Please click here to go to Carnival's Celebrating Holidays webpage. This is my information source.