Embarkation Day: We flew to NOLA the day of the cruise. Our flight arrived by 12:30. We had prearranged for Airport Shuttle New Orleans to pick us up, and we were transported to the pier quickly and efficiently. Since we had a suite, we had a rapid check-in and our wait to board was nonexistent. In the VIP Lounge, we met Bruce Van Der Boon, our Concierge. He introduced us to our butler, Naveen and we were escorted to our suite. Since we wanted to have lunch at Cagney's, Naveen gave us a mini-briefing of our amenities and we rushed to lunch. After lunch we looked over the ship and went back to our stateroom and settled in. Muster drill was soon announced and we were two of many standing on the Promenade deck trying to hear what the crew was telling us. Life jackets are no longer required for the drill. Our luggage was delivered shortly after the drill and we partially unpacked before attending the first of four Cruise Critic gatherings.

We had just one cabin steward (Mariano) but he was very visible, friendly, helpful, efficent and hard-working. Many times, while walking the aisles, the other stewards would greet us with a friendly "hello".

Our Stateroom: We had an AB suite. It was nicely sized with a living area containing a fold-out couch, chair, coffee table and two end tables. An artificial tree stood in a corner and we decorated it with numerous Mardi Gras beads and tinkets. We had a small dining/gaming table with 4 chairs by the picture windows. Since this was a forward suite, we had a hinged door leading to a water-tight door to the balcony. We also had a nice size bar, with an assortment of glasses and a Lavazza expresso maker. The refrigerator was empty. An entire wall of the living area was taken up by an entertainment center with several drawers, a nice LG flat screen TV, and a DVD player. Since this ship was meant for the Asian market, NCL provided a power converter. This heavy, ugly box was on the floor in front of the entertainment center. There was one 110 outlet by the bar. A support beam in our living area visually cut the room in half. Read more