Our cruise left out of New Orleans. We ended up staying at the Best Western Plus on St. Charles for two nights before we took off. The hotel was absolutely wonderful and the staff was so helpful and friendly when getting us a new room because of a strange smell in our first room. They set out cookies every night and the continental breakfast was great. We had a blast exploring New Orleans and we can't wait to go back for another visit in the future.

Embarkation/Disembarkation: As for getting on the boat, I'm not going to lie, it seemed really sketchy the way our bags were handled. Not that it was NCL's fault...because I think that this is just how the port is in general, but you drive up and put your bags on a cart and then just pray that they arrive in your room. My fiancé dropped me and his mom off at the port with our bags while he parked in the Fulton Street parking deck and then he walked back to the port. We waited for about 30 minutes before we could go sign papers to get on the boat and then another 45 minutes or so before we could get on the boat. Embarkation was really quick and our room was ready immediately upon getting on the ship. Our bags arrived around 2:00, and since we had our swim suits on our carry on we were able to swim and hang out by the pool while we waited for our stuff to arrive. Disembarkation was also a breeze. We carried our own stuff off the ship, and everything went smoothly.

Ship: As for the ship and it's overall appearance, compared to our two Disney cruises before it didn't even compare....not that we expected it to. The decks all seemed to be worn down and in need of a face lift. The theater could also use an update. It smelled old and dirty and the chairs were definitely ready to be replaced. The dining rooms were all clean and maintained, and for the most part kept clean. This ship is supposed to be getting remodeled soon, and I couldn't agree more that it's definitely it's turn. Read more