We stayed overnight at the Marriott in New Orleans-a plus. We met our friends and had a great dinner at Brennan's cafe, gambled and lost a bit, visited cafe duMonde, heard some jazz and blues and experienced Bourbon Street. Decided we were getting too old for that scene. But still had fun overall. Embarkation was quick, but we did not board until 1:30. Our bags arrived at our cabin in record time. We opted for an inside room since this cruise was last minute and our choices were inside or suite. We typically get a balcony room, but the inside cabin was OK. The shower was the best we have ever had on a cruise. Plenty of room and lots of hot water. We really like the free style dining and ate most breakfast and lunches at Raffles, the buffet. The food was adequate and some items were very good. Lots of fresh fruit, eggs to order and yogurt with mix-ins. Indulge and have a chocolate croissant or a sticky bun-yum! Two notable desserts-flourless chocolate cake and Opera. We ate in both Windows and the Garden Room. Both are nice rooms with excellent service. Dinners were hit or miss, not up to par with Royal Caribbean or Princess. The shrimp cocktail contained the smallest shrimp imaginable. We did eat at two of the specialty restaurants (upcharge), and thought Cagney's Steak House was worth the extra charge, not so with the Asian Restaurant. The service and friendliness of all the crew was notable. Everyone had a smile and greeted you warmly. Service was typically efficient but was never rushed. We spent some time at the pool area and never had trouble finding a lounge. This was a sold out cruise but the ship did not feel overcrowded with the exception of some special events in the smaller clubs. The entertainment was just OK. We did really enjoy the show put on by the crew members. The adult only comedy show was OK. Lots of music and opportunity for ballroom style dancing but little good rock n roll. Our only complaint was debarkation. It took much longer than anticipated and the color coding system for leaving did not seem to be working very smoothly. We were in line for over an hour only to see a later color group being escorted through before us. We were fortunate that our plane was a few minutes late and were able to do the dash through the airport and boarded the plane out of breath but happy to be on board.

We will try NCL again but will not leave from NOLA. I think the more experienced ports have the embarkation down to a science and move things along ore quickly.