SherriM

A swamp tour is a lot of fun, too. It'll take up the better part of a day.

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Thank you - sounds very do-able! Is there a particular swamp tour that is better than others?

We'll need to look into the Grayline too. Want to consider all of our options.

We are staying at the Roosevelt.

We are cruising out of NOLA on the NCL Dawn 2/5/17 but arriving a few days early to check out New Orleans. Which tours are the best to get a good overview of the city? We are not too keen on Voodoo type tours.

Thank you in advance!

On our recent cruise on the Star (11 days), our Concierge conducted a separate Behind the scenes tour for Suite guests on one of the sea days. Luckily, we overheard him mentioning it at breakfast one day, so we asked him for tickets right away. He also sent out an invitation to all the Suite cabins the next day. Check with the Concierge, they may have something already scheduled for you.

Ooooh, good to know! We will certainly look into that!

Sounds absolutely wonderful....you found a lovely way to enjoy Christmas in NOLA!

 

Have you ever tried breakfast at the Ruby Slipper? We felt it was definitely worth the wait.;)

What street was the Ruby Slipper on that you tried? After reading your post I looked on Yelp and it looks like there are several locations? Unless Ruby Slipper is different from Ruby Slipper Cafe? Thanks!!

Just booked at Nachi Cocom, Feb 7th, our first AI and we are super excited! Thanks to all who have posted their advice and suggestions. Love CC for all the friendly assistance.

Gracias, mi amigos! :D

We recently cruised on HAL...and our first NCL cruise will be on the Dawn leaving NOLA 2/5/17. Does the Dawn casino take cash or do you use your room key card to play?

Thanks

I just booked Maya Chan for our cruise, and they send you an extensive information document, which includes pictures of the private palapa/cabana area each group gets:

 

According to the info they only have 16 of these areas. I think some are larger than others, but potentially a group of 2 could be given an area that could seat 4 or 6 easily- so your assumptions about the 'piggy back' offer are pretty much spot on!

To be honest I wouldn't want to share my area with a stranger or group of strangers- I think the whole point is that its a private area and you can switch between chairs, the bed and the hammocks as you like. But maybe you will have good luck and someone sociable will agree to share.

But yeah, they only have 16 reservation slots available which is why they book up so fast!! They said they average around 70 guests, so that would be 4 or 5 per palapa, but we have booked just for the two of us.

Thank you for your input. I agree that unless we "bonded" at say a Meet & Greet, it would be terribly awkward to have strangers under the same palapa! We are 60 and will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary on the cruise, so I can just imagine if we were sharing with 20-30 year olds...it might be kinda strange. Although our kids are in their 30's and we LOVE hanging with them! :)

No free laundry. You will be offered a fill-a- bag for $20 once during your cruise

No room service charges for food from the suites restaurant, main dining room, O'Shehans

If you order food from a specialty restaurant, you pay the price of the food in the specialty restaurant.

Behind the Scenes tours are offered by the shore excursion office at about $75 pp. you could try talking to the concierge to see if they can sneak you in the latitudes platinum tour done by the cruise next department.

Perfect, thank you! We loved the room service option on HAL. So not paying an added fee will make that an easy choice. And thank you for the Latitudes Platinum tour suggestion.

Everyone one has own palapa which are larger than usual beach ones Ours held a hammock, 2 chaise loungers and a sort of sofa bed We could have easily fit another few people in

Thanks for that clarification. In my request asking for "an invitation to join" I promised that we would behave ourselves :D and my hubby said that we would buy the "first round" ;) - we are generous that way! Haha! (Being silly, as I realize that drinks are already included) BUT I now can see that people may not be quick to include total strangers under their palapa. Sounds somewhat awkward actually. Bummer for us.... waiting too long to book is our fault. Appreciate your input!

When we sailed HAL, one of the suite perks was unlimited free laundry and dry cleaning, will the Dawn have this? And regarding room service - do suite guests pay the $7.95 service charge? And general Dawn question (first timers on NCL) - are there any behind the scenes tours offered on board the ship?

Thank you!

Did O'Sheehans have IPAs on tap?

 

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Thinking like you...wondering if the Dawn will have any IPA's.

Cheers!

Does that mean you would be sharing their palapa?

 

Some of the palapas hold more people so they might not have reached their maximum number but they may have filled reserved all the palapas.

Honestly, I don't know. I imagined us just sitting in beach chairs on the beach? Maybe I haven't researched an AI beach experience enough? I wasn't thinking that we would have a "cabana". Truthfully, we are not really 'beach' people so this was going to be our first attempt at AI beach time! :o Ha!

I tried, twce, to get a reservation for DH and me for February 23, but alas, they are fully booked.

 

Where else to go in Costa Maya for a beach break? Similar to Maya Chan?

We are sailing Feb 5th and we too got a message that they are booked when we tried to make a reservation. They did suggest that we piggy-back on with another cruiser...which I don't really understand WHY that works as bottom line it adds two more people. But....I posted to my Roll Call (NCL DAWN) earlier to see if anyone was willing to let us be added to their group.

Hoping to learn if YOU found another option, or not?

(I read about Tropicale but saw on TA that someone recently got food poisoning there so we will avoid that location)

Since we were about to have four fun-filled days in New Orleans, we went to sleep that night without the customary last-day blues. Tomorrow, we’d be back in one of our favorite cities, ready for Christmas.

Wishing you and the Mrs a very happy 2017! Thank you for taking the time to post your review! With the pictures! We leave Feb 1st for NOLA and then sail Sunday, which is our 40th wedding anniversary! And thanks to you, I had taken tons of notes!!! I agree, that you paint a beautiful picture with your words. Thank you, sir!

We are going to be on that sailing!! We will HAVE to be sure to check it out! Do they MOON the ship? Or what????? :D

Thanks OP for asking! I LOVED the Bread Pudding when we were on the Zandam several years ago and Saturday we board the Neiuw Amsterdam. Hubby does NOT understand my enthusiasm for Bread Pudding. But I will hunt it down! :D

We did one last year on a 7 night rtn Vanc - Alaska on Noordam so they are offered on this route sometimes. As others mentioned, we went to the front desk on day 1 and booked to ensure we had a place.

The cooking classes have been discussed on other CC threads with mixed reviews. It seems to vary a great deal depending on the chef leading the class - some make the class very interesting and interactive and others do not.

We have attended many interactive and demonstration cooking classes over the years so were really looking forward to the class on Noordam. Sadly, it was disappointing - we were unlucky and had a chef that only had a few people do small things like cutting a vegetable. As a result, our class was really no different than the free demonstration classes with the exception that we rec'd an apron and got to cluster around the cooking station so we had a better view. Then of course, we had lunch in the PG based on what was prepared (but you don't eat anything from the class - it is all prepared for you in the PG due to regulations that don't allow HAL to serve what is prepared in the class).

Like the free demos, there were many errors on the recipes handed out so if you go, make sure you follow along to see if what is prepared differs from what the recipe tells you.

We wished we had spent the money from the class on having lunch in the PG and just attended the free demos.

Great advice. Thanks for your input.

I think at this point, key will be if it conflicts with other plans, per the post by POA1.

You won't know until you get on the ship and go to the front desk and ask them.

It varies -- sometimes it was not offered on cruises that we have been on and then the next cruise it was offered.

Thank you for the quick reply! We will find out this Saturday!!! :D

Just wondering if the classes are offered during the NA Vancouver RT 7 Day cruises to Alaska?

Thanks!

Thank you for the Bon Voyage wishes! <<hugs>>

We are super excited! And rain or shine, we are determined to have a blast!! :D

Bon Voyage to all who are getting ready to set sail with us and on other ships! :)

The car would also allow you - should you choose - to take a much more scenic and interesting route between the two cities, seeing something of the region as you do. This route, for example - https://goo.gl/maps/fvQEdu82atQ2 - would take you past the Boeing Everett plant, biggest building in the world, to the ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island. You could visit the pretty waterfront villages of Langley and Coupeville on the island, then stunning Deception Pass between Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands. (Google these places.)

 

Then the road follows WA 11 aka "Chuckanut Drive" along a cliff above the water to the Victorian historic district of Fairhaven, then over the border with a possible stop in Steveston, Vancouver's little fishing port and the town used in filming the TV show "Once Upon a Time."

 

This is a lovely and informative day's drive between Seattle and Vancouver, far, far more interesting than a 4-hour bus or train ride. Even if the per-person cost is a little higher, the experience (IMO) more than makes up for it.

Thanks for the Fishing Port tip. We'll have to check it out. We will be renting a one way car into Vancouver (NEXT WEEK!!!:D)

Much as PD and I don't see eye to eye on many things, he does know where the shops are! I'd stake good money on him meaning Robson Street, which has many fancy stores, in that comment, which is indeed about 6 blocks from the PP. Blocks in Vancouver are very small compared to many cities (most aren't much over 100 yards, although the size varies downtown due to the coastlines) - in other words his 6/7 blocks is well within my assumption of 1/2 mile being an easy walk for most...

Calgary isn't somewhere I visit often, but Alberta is where a huge amount of Canadian beef gets 'grown' so in theory there are a lot of good steakhouses. Frankly I rarely visit steakhouses as a steak is one of the easiest meals for any competent cook to make at home - the hardest part is in buying a good steak, the cooking consists of just not ruining it! My best meaty memory of Calgary is the charcuterie in Charcut which was exceptional.

Thanks for the clarification. And the suggestions! Much appreciated!

"The Pan Pacific at Canada Place is obviously as close to the cruise ship terminal as you can get, has some great views but is about 6/7 blocks to any amount of shopping." Per PutterDude

MartinCath - Thanks for setting me straight. I will print your recommendations and take with us! Appreciate the time you took to be so thorough! And this is why I LOVE CC (just fast forwarding through the snarky posts - ha!).

BTW - We'll be in Calgary and Canmore after our cruise. Somebody had recommended Caesars in Calgary for good steaks? Any input?

Yay...lines have been "thrown".

Unfortunately, there is a limit to how much wine one fairly small lady can imbibe without becoming a danger to herself and others. Hmmm... port day... a glass of wine (or two) with lunch, a glass (or two) at dinner, then Happy Hour in the Crow's Nest... sea day... a glass of wine (or two) with lunch, mid afternoon wine tasting, Sip and Savor at 5, glass (or two) at dinner, followed by Happy Hour, hope to make it back to my cabin without embarrassing myself!

All I can say is that I want to be best friends with Mame42 - I think we would have a GREAT time! Cheers! And a toast to the VINO and cruising! Love your style, Madame! :D