I sailed on the Conquest on November 14th with a group of 17 friends and family, the majority of whom were first time cruisers. For a different perspective on the trip, see my cruise mate volive's review. This review is long, but hopefully you can find some useful tips in here!
NEW ORLEANS: Our group decided to arrive in New Orleans on the Friday prior to our sailing, so we could have a little time to look around. I hadn't been to N.O. since I was 7 years old, so I was very excited about this. Some members of our group flew in, but my family and I drove. Be sure and stop at the Louisiana visitor's center when you cross the Louisiana Border - they had free coffee and some great maps to help get us to our destination. One word of warning - if you are driving, plan on arriving in New Orleans in off peak drive times. We got there about 3:00 in the afternoon, and we did the 5 mph crawl from the I-55/I-10 interchange to the French Quarter.
We stayed at The Frenchman Hotel, which is on the edge of the French Quarter, and is an easy walk to EVERYTHING. It's not the Hilton, but if you are looking to get away from modern hotels and experience some old world charm, the Frenchman is a good way to go. Free parking and free breakfast was included, which is worth a lot in New Orleans!