I should mention this is my first Carnival cruise, we usually cruise with Royal Caribbean. But we wanted to leave from New Orleans and this itinerary was perfect.

Arrived in Nawlins a couple of days prior to cruise, stayed at Westin Canal Place ($14 cab ride from port) and had a great time. If you've never been to New Orleans, I highly recommend padding your trip to see the town if using this port.

Booked a grand suite, so embarkation was a snap using the VIP line, maybe 15-20 minutes from cab to lobby of ship. Room was nice and very spacious by cruise standards. It had tons of closet space and separate makeup room and toilet. The toilet was huge and nice with a bidet, whirlpool tub, shower and two sinks. Cabin steward was excellent and seemed psychic sometimes in his timing. Only complaint with the accommodations was the shower was never any hotter than just lukewarm. We heard this complaint from other passengers as well. This might be ok in summer, but by the time we returned after the cruise we were both really craving a long hot shower. Read more