Ike Forces Cruise Line to Change Plans: Carnivals' Ecstasy and Conquest will Drop Passengers in New Orleans

Both the Carnival Conquest and the Carnival Ecstasy sailed from Galveston this past weekend before Ike hit. Carnival decided to go ahead with the sailings. The port was hit by the storm and will remain closed for an unknown period. The cruise terminal was flooded with two to three feet of water and the wall next to the water was torn down.

With the Port of Galveston closed, the two ships are now heading to New Orleans, where they will disembark passengers over the next two days. For those passengers who drove to the Port of Galveston, they may not have a car when they return because of the high water. A spokesperson for the city of Galveston said the cars are most likely ruined.

The next two sailings for the ships have been cancelled and passengers will receive a full refund.

What can we learn from these experiences when planning our cruise vacation? Please dicuss at our cruise vacation forum.