NEW ORLEANS — Carnival is setting sail again from the Port of New Orleans after an 18-month hiatus.
Carnival Glory staff celerated as passengers loaded up Sunday morning for a 7-day cruise to the Bahamas.
Carnival and the port welcomed cruise lovers back but with new covid precautions and a renewed perspective.
"This would not be possible without the rigorous health protocols that the cruise lines like carnival have put in place to ensure the health and safety of its passengers and of our community," Port of New Orleans CEO Brandy Christian.
People said they feel comfortable with the news restictions.
Fully vaccinated guests must also produce a recent negative covid test before boarding the ship.
"They're constantly cleaning, and so I felt safe even without this, but I'm even more happy that they required us to do the testing and the vaccine," said cruise ship guest.
The last time a Carnival ship sailed from New Orleans was in March 2020.
The Port of New Orleans hopes it's the start of bringing back more tourism as most people spend a few days in the city before or after their cruise.
Passengers like Martin Guidry hope the next 7 days feel something like back to normal.
"Being able to actually be here and get on the boat, we're just excited.,"said cruise passenger Martin Guidry.