It seems Carnival sends their worst ships to New Orleans and cuts services and amenities. In talking to people who have sailed from other ports, Carnival has maintained the services and amenities on those ships. It would be different if Carnival were treating other ports the same, but that is not what I am discovering.
I sailed the Carnival Triumph in 2017, which was sorely in need of upgrading. Now, they completely renovated the Triumph, renamed it Sunrise, and moved it to another port!
My most recent sailing, on the Carnival Valor, was much the same as on the Triumph. The Valor must be their worst ship at the moment. There was a good bit of rust outside on our balcony, some of the room furnishings were almost threadbare, and the room decor did not coordinate at all.