Best Ships for Louisiana Cruisers? Travel Agents Weigh In

Let's be honest: when you board a cruise ship at the Port of New Orleans, you might tell your friends in Shreveport, Leesville, or Bunkie that you're taking a cruise to Cozumel or Honduras. But we all know the real destination for your extended vacation is the ship itself. Louisiana cruise passengers accounted for some 1.2 million bookings at the Port of New Orleans in 2023. 

That number is likely to be even larger for 2024. And with the addition of at least one much larger vessel sailing out of the Big Easy in 2025 and 2026, that passenger total should increase even more. The Port of New Orleans currently serves as an embarkation point for Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Disney Cruise Lines.

At the recent Travvy Awards produced by TravelPulse and Agent at Home, those who are in the business of booking your travel on these cruise lines and their luxury vessels got to share their insights and opinions. Voters in the Travvy Awards were asked to choose the Best Cruise Ship overall, the Best Large Cruise Ship, that's a vessel with more than 1,000 cabins. They also offered awards in the Best Contemporary and Best Premium vessels. 

When you visit the Travel Pulse website you'll also see their selections for Best Hotels and Resorts around the world, the Top Tour Operators and Vacation Packages, and their choices for the World's Best Destinations.

So, what was the best cruise ship overall according to voters in the Travvy Awards? It was between Norwegian Cruise Lines Viva, The Celebrity Cruise Line Ascent, and the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas. To see which vessel won gold, you can visit the site from Travel Pulse. 

You can also find the winner for the Best Large Cruise Ship right here. The winner of the Best Contemporary Cruise Ship is here, and the winner of the award for Best Premium Cruise Ship is right here. 

This is the 10th year the Travvy Awards have been celebrated.