- New Orleans is a great cruise port, convenient to a shopping mall and several good food vendors. The city itself is a good destination of its own, with hotels and attractions within walking distance of the cruise port.

- The New Orleans airport shuttle service is a good bargain.

- Boarding & check in for the cruise went smoother than expected.

Day 00/ Mar04 - Arrival in New Orleans

My flight to New Orleans went well, as usual. Flights were rather empty this Saturday, so I got surprise upgraded to first class. This was my first time flying Delta first class, and discovered their first class is nice but rather overrated. I found the New Orleans airport shuttle van service to be a good bargain, $24 per person, available in the baggage claim area of the airport. A taxi would be $36 per person. Our shuttle driver was nice and helpful and pointed out landmarks along the way, as he dropped customers off at their various hotels. There is another service company available that can pick up your luggage bags at the airport, store them under secure watch, and transfer them to the ship for your cruise, all for a reasonable cost, or transport them vice versa from the cruise to the airport. I did not use that this time, but it seems like a good idea.

The Hilton near the cruise port was a convenient bargain for this visit. The cruise port and Hilton are joined into the Riverwalk Mall, which is quite convenient, downtown right on the scenic riverside. One can walk freely from the Hilton, through the mall, to the port, and all in air conditioned comfort. I saw several other cruise passengers with luggage going through the mall, to drop their luggage off at the cruise port. The mall also gives you something to do & eat, instead of waiting in long lines to board the ship. I have not seen that at other ports.

It looks like the Hilton has been expanded several times, so is a bit disorganized. Most features at the hotel (food, gym, internet) are extra charge. I explored the area around the cruise port in New Orleans on foot, and did some shopping for loved ones. The food in New Orleans is always good.

Day 01/ Mar 05 - Boarding the ship

I checked out of the Hilton, and dropped my baggage off at the nearby cruise port, leaving me free to shop and explore on my own a bit. A New Orleans city transit pass is a good buy at only $3 per day, and includes the scenic cable cars, all city public busses, and even a new airport shuttle, dubbed route 202. I had some beignet donuts and milk at the Riverwalk's Cafe du Monde, then headed to the port to board the ship.

The line to board the ship was long, but moved rather quickly through security screening, check in, photos & promos, and boarding. I boarded in time to get lunch in the main dining room, called the Venetian restaurant, which was very nice. This was the first time I recalled boarding in time to get lunch on the ship.

Day 05/ Mar 09 - Harvest Caye Belize, Mayan Ruins & Spice Farm

I woke up a little sore from yesterday's exercise, but looking forward to this day. Our ship docked at the newly opened custom-built tourist island of Harvest Caye, but my excursion was going to the mainland Mayan ruins of Nim Li Punit and a nearby spice farm. This was one of the best tours I have taken! It was educational, shaded, and well paced. There were plenty of rest stops included, for restrooms and shopping and such, and even an opportunity for a quick lunch.

From the ship, we boarded a ferry then bus, and were at the Mayan ruin site within the hour. Our tour guides were very professional, entertaining, and informative. The bus was also quite comfortable, even though some access roads were rocky along the way. The ruins were not that large or grand (as I expected), but still authentic and very satisfying, even though I have been to many other Mayan ruin sites before. At this site, trails of leaf cutter ants were marching everywhere, carrying sections of leaf back to their nest, very fascinating to watch. A couple folks needed insect repellent, mainly those who stepped in the pathways of the ants, but I did not, and most others did not. There were not many flying bugs here, and it was well shaded, which was nice.

Our bus next took us to a nearby spice farm, where we had opportunity for some lunch and souvenir shopping first. A limited a-la-cart buffet was offered there, with some pretty good local choices. We then toured the spice farm on tractor-pulled, covered wagons, and our guide pointed out all the plants and their properties: allspice, nutmeg, cocoa, pepper, vanilla beans, and more! We got to learn, smell, and taste most of them. In the farm, we got to open and taste a ripe cocoa pod. I expected the gum surrounding the seeds to be nasty, but it was actually rather nice, a lot like orange pulp, both in flavor and texture. After, there was about 20 minutes to shop for spices and souvenirs at the spice farm, before the bus and ferry took us back to Harvest Caye. We had about an hour of relaxation and shopping remaining at Harvest Caye, before our ship sailed. I found a nice variety of shops, and helpful folks at them. There is a Del Sol shop here, which sells those famous color changing items.