In case you missed it, I explained ship inspections about a week ago. I think I glossed over the deeper “why” of inspections, at least for me.
I do inspections for one main reason: to be the best advisor I can be when it comes to the ships I recommend. One only gets a feel for how close or far it is to the action by being in the space. It’s part of my education and experience that I leverage to build your best NCL cruise experience.
‘Nuff sales-talk. On to the inspection!
Arrival/Parking
Parking was a little difficult, but I’d chosen a small lot.
There she is!
I see what people have been saying about the New Orleans cruise terminal. This is highly *not* organized.
The people closest to us: waiting to get on. The ones further away: still debarking. At the point I took this, the ship still had over 2/3 the passengers aboard. Our tour started at 11:20, not 10:15, and there were still people in the line for the transfer bus to the airport. There were also people boarding already.
Other advisors in the group said this disorganized mess is not the usual. I fail to understand why the streams of I coming and outgoing passengers have to cross over that way…it’s highly confusing and something I’ve never experienced before.
The late start meant a compressed tour. Highly rushed and those of us shooting video were in each other’s way. I’d hoped for better in my first inspection experience, but again the local agents said this was an unusual happening.
So What Did We See?
Stateroom Categories: Inside – Oceanview – Accessible Oceanview – Balcony – Solo
Given the crowd and rush, my videos of the staterooms are awful.
Common areas: Studio Lounge – Taste MDR – Spice H2O – Entourage – Arcade
Pool area
Insider Tip on Breakaway/Breakaway Plus Class
Whenever possible use the aft elevators. Go up and down to 6-7-8 and use those decks to go to the other end of the ship. With only 2 sets of elevators, the forward ones nearly always have a wait. And boarding/departure/excursions, the first elevator in the front set on the port side is reserved for Haven, reducing capacity by 15%. Trust me, walk aft.
Final Thoughts about the New Orleans Terminal
Don’t bother scheduling check in before noon. You’ll save yourself waiting and confusion. By noon, your “enter the terminal to on the ship” time should be 15 minutes or less.
