This was my husband and my first cruise ever and it was a wonderful experience. We were celebrating our 5 year anniversary and I have to say it was a good choice. We drove over night from Northern Indiana to New Orleans and stayed the day and night there and explored the city since it was our first time there as well.

Check-in at the port was super quick and easy since we got there around 11am and there were no lines at all to wait in. We bought the Faster to the Fun package, which is listed under shore excursions, for $50 and it was so nice to be able to board early, after wedding parties and suites, and have our rooms ready as soon as we boarded. This also gave us priority at the customer service desk, and a dedicated line in our cabin for customer service, which we never actually needed this time, but it's nice to have the option. We took our things to our carry on to our room then headed to the lido for lunch.

OMG, I cannot convey how amazing the food was the entire time! There are buffet's everywhere and when they're closed between meals, the deli and pizza place is open 24 hours a day. I was never ever hungry. The servers were amazing and several knew us by name by the end of the cruise. On a ship with thousands of people, I found that to be so impressive and just made my experience that much better. Read more