Background - We were a group 3 families - 6 adults & 7 kids (17,17,16,15,14,14,8) vacationing on our 3rd cruise, but the first on NCL. So, this review will have a little more a family tilt.
New Orleans -- We arrived in New Orleans by air on Saturday afternoon and took a taxi ($48) to the Embassy Suites Convention Center. I thought the hotel was clean, in a great location and would stay there again. We enjoyed the free happy hour from 5:30-7:30 and then walked the maybe 10 minutes to the French Quarter for an authentic supper and site seeing along Bourbon Street. Even though it was a Saturday night, I thought Bourbon Street was quite tame and did not feel uncomfortable walking along with teenagers.
Embarkation— The Embassy Suites is maybe 3-4 blocks from the ship and easily walkable if your luggage is on wheels. We got up, enjoyed the free breakfast, and walked to the pier around 11:00. The check-in process was smooth and organized and we were on the ship before 12:00.