I took the March 14 - 21 cruise out of New Orleans with my exchange student from Germany. This was cruise #8 for me and my first with NCL. I have sailed with Royal Caribbean and Carnival in the past, mostly out of Los Angeles. I did use Carnival out of Mobile two years ago, but thought the ship was too small and opted for NCL this time.

New Orleans - We arrived in New Orleans Saturday at about noon after a 6 hour drive from Northern Mississippi. We checked into the Holiday Inn - French Quarter and started to explore. The hotel had a "stay and cruise" package available for about $150 that included up to 8 days parking....a pretty sweet deal, since the parking at the cruise terminal for the week was $16 per day. The hotel is one block off Canal on Royal, so you are right in the middle of the Quarter, but don't have to listen to the madness on Bourbon Street all night. The rooms are "adequate." We wandered through the French Quarter that afternoon, listened to some excellent music, and had a great dinner. Don't miss Grandpa Elliott on Royal...he has a great voice. You can see him on YouTube.

Embarkation - We arrived at the cruise terminal at about 1230 and were on the ship within an hour. The process was smooth for the most part, but slowed a bit because I was traveling with a 17 year old German boy who was of not related to me. NCL has an excellent permission/waiver form that has to be signed by the natural parents, witnessed and notarized. Though the agent checking me in had never seen one before, the confusion was quickly remedied by a supervisor and we set off for our cruise. Read more