New Orleans Cruise Guests Recall ‘Horror Movie-like’ Experience

Each year hundreds of thousands of travelers embark on an ocean-going cruise ship from the Port of New Orleans. The New Orleans Louisiana port is one of many that serve ships that traverse the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Mobile, Alabama, and Galveston, Texas also are embarkation points for similar cruises but for guests aboard the Carnival Valor the cruise they've just experienced will be one they'll be talking about for the rest of their lives.

We realize that it is October and it's officially Spooky Season but I don't think anyone in their right mind would board a cruise ship and hope "it turns out to be just like a horror movie". Okay, I don't know anyone who would think that but there are people who put ketchup on steak so some people are born to seek out horrific scenarios.

Although I have never sailed on the Carnival Valor I know people who have. They give the vessel rave reviews. There are a lot of onboard amenities, the restaurants are great, and the atmosphere relaxing. Except when guests find themselves in a scenario that Alfred Hitchcock would be proud of.

During a recent sailing of the Carnival Valor, the ship's itinerary was interrupted by Hurricane Milton. It's not that out of the ordinary for a cruise ship to make adjustments to the published itinerary to avoid bad weather. Cruise ship captains are trained to steer the vessels out of harm's way. Hurricane Milton was certainly a storm that the Valor did not want to contend with at sea.

Hurricanes are massive storms and their destructive winds not only affect cruise ships and people, but they can be quite disruptive to other animals too. Such was the case during the storm last week. Here's what happened on board the Carnival Valor as she was making her way around the storm.

The strong winds of a tropical system can literally blow birds off their migratory paths. Since this is the season for birds to migrate from northern climates to warmer climates for the winter the skies in and around the Gulf of Mexico were quite busy with our feathered friends doing what their instincts dictate they do.

But hurricane winds can and often do blow birds well out to sea. With no place to land for rest, many of the birds seek shelter and respite wherever they can find it. An ocean-going cruise ship seems like a logical choice, even if you're a bird. Such was the case on the Valor but it wasn't like the birds were gently floating down from the heavens to rest on a rail.

One cruise guest aboard the Carnival Valor reported that while he was enjoying a hamburger on the lido deck a dead bird fell from the sky and landed on his head. Unfortunately, the bird was one of many according to reports from the Carnival Valor's passengers.

There were comparisons made to the Alfred Hitchcock thriller "The Birds" because there were literally dead birds all over the decks of the Valor. According to Carnival's Brand Ambassador John Heald, this kind of issue happens on just about all cruise ships at some time.

The cruise crews are well versed in clean-up and sanitary procedures to remove the dead birds from where guests are congregating. It's an unfortunate instance that sometimes happens when man, beast, hurricane, and cruise ship, all attempt to occupy the same space in the ocean I suppose.