We flew a day before departure in order to avoid any arrival problems as we usually do. The Bourbon Orleans is a nice hotel with the rear of the hotel bordering Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street seemed a little more seedy, if possible, than on our last trip. There are plenty of other areas in which to spend your time. We recalled a food vendor in the French Market calling out last year they had the best crab cakes. Went back and they did live up to their word. We tried the legendary Ferdi sandwich at Mothers. Highly recommended. The Orleans Grapevine restaurant was outstanding . Their service was top-notch not to mention their gumbo and crab-stuffed mussels.
Embarkation
You need to be cognizant they are boarding 3000 passengers. Some are prepared when they get to check-in. Some are not. With a 4pm sailing, we planned to arrive at 230pm in hopes the lines would be shorter. The wait was not too lengthy. Next time, we will probably shoot for 60 minutes prior to sailing. We were one of the last to board. Remember, Carnival allows a couple to bring a total of two, one person each, 750ml bottles of wine on board. The terminal is vastly improved compared to our last New Orleans departure which was several years ago.