Hurricane Katrina aimed at New Orleans

As of this moment Hurricane Katrina seems to have New Orleans in the crosshairs. Those of us involved in the cruise industry, from guests to cruise line employees, need to remember that while storms can cause us occasional inconvenience and discomfort, at least cruise ships can move safely out of the way of a storm. Cities hit by hurricanes don't have that luxury, and our thoughts are with the residents of New Orleans and other affected cities.

At this moment, Carnival's ships scheduled to return to New Orleans (Carnival Conquest) and Mobile Alabama (Holiday) are directly impacted. Conquest is redirecting today to Galveston, while Holiday's scheduled Monday return to Mobile is delayed pending the course of the storm. Up-to-date information is available at the Weather Updates link on Carnival's Web site.

We suspect that drive-in Conquest guests who parked at the port in New Orleans may not be seeing their cars again for some time, if Katrina takes the currently predicted path. Carnival is permitting guests to stay aboard the ship overnight tonight in Galveston at their option.

All cruise lines' ships currently at sea will be charting a safe distance from the storm, altering itineraries and port calls as necessary.

UPDATE 8/29/05: We have received questions about Carnival Conquest's August 28 sailing...but there was none scheduled since the ship had previously been scheduled for drydock maintenance.

UPDATE 8/30/05: Carnival's Sensation August 27 cruise departure, scheduled to return to New Orleans, will return instead to Galveston. The ship's September 1 and September 5 sailings have been changed to roundtrip Galveston itineraries. Carnival's Holiday, which departed Mobile, Alabama, on August 25, has returned instead to Tampa today; guests can debark Tuesday or Wednesday. Holiday's scheduled August 29 departure was cancelled with guests receiving full refunds.