Background Info: This is our fourth cruise on Carnival, 3 previous being on the Holiday, out of Mobile, AL. This was our first trip to New Orleans, as well as our first trip on a Fantasy class ship. We're empty nesters, early fifties, traveling married couple.

The day before the cruise we drove to Slidell, LA to spend the night in a hotel. Having never been to New Orleans, we wanted to have a leisurely drive and be sure and not miss embarkation. This turned out to be a wise decision, more on that later. We had heard that Slidell was hit pretty hard by hurricane Katrina, and even phoned the Hampton Inn, to be sure that it was in order for guests. We enjoyed our over night stay there with late check out by noon and would recommend it, being only about 30 minutes drive on into New Orleans.

Embarkation Day: We left the hotel about 11:30, and with Mapquest driving instructions, drove fearlessly towards New Orleans. Interstate 10 gave us a limited view of Hurricane Katrina's wrath. There are many businesses and residences that will continue to need repair for a long time to come. Lesson number one: The interstate and highways thru downtown N.O. should have a knick name: parking lots! Traffic was heavy and slow. Clear road signage to the cruise terminal was minimal to non-existent. We missed the correct path, and took a scenic tour thru a beautifully refurbished residential area. We had not planned on sight seeing at this point, but were really glad we had planned in extra time after leaving Slidell. Once back on track, we found the Erato Street Cruise Terminal, by basically looking for the ship, more so than directional signs. What a relief it was, to get into the parking deck line, check our baggage, park, and head to the check in. Read more