We flew into New Orleans on Saturday and stayed at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel. It was a nice hotel in a nice location. We were able to walk out the front door and get to just about anywhere on foot. NO was an interesting place to visit. I can now say I have been there, but I know I never have to go back (unless I am getting on a cruise there). I guess it is just not my cup of tea.

The embarkation went very smoothly. We got to the port at 12:30 pm and were on the 12th deck enjoying a drink by 1:40 pm. That was our second drink...the welcome champagne was a nice touch. Our rooms were ready about 3:30 or so and our luggage arrived by 5:00. I liked the fact that the check-in procedure was done in the terminal building and not on the ship (like on the Jewel out of Miami). It seemed much less crowded this way.

We ate dinner the first night at Cagney's. It was delicious and the service was wonderful. It was especially nice because our travel agency picked up the tab for all 52 of us. During our dinner we started the trek down the Mississippi River. I wish that it would not have been dark so that we could have seen some of the landscape. Read more