smurfm69

In Belize we did cave tubing with cave-tubingdotnet and had a great experience. It was cheaper than through the cruiseline and a much more personalized experience. My wife and I were linked together with our own guide in the water instead of the big crowd of 10 people hooked together.

In Roatan we did the Tabyana Beach excursion through Carnival. Beautiful beach and great snorkeling just a few yards out into the water.

Great pics and review! We are planning a cruise out of Jax next year that will give us our first visit to Half Moon Cay. Can't wait!

We haven't been on the Freedom but we love the 4J rooms. Of course there is nothing like having a balcony cabin, but I can't justify spending an extra $500 to have one. Whenever we cruise, we always get the 4J rooms on the Lido deck. It's nice to have the big open deck out front and there aren't many people that go out there.

If we cruise on a Fantasy class ship, we book the porthole cabins. They are much cheaper than the ocean view cabins and still allow plenty of natural light in. Saving money on cabin choice enables us to be able to have more spending money for other things like excursions and souvenirs.

Cafe du Monde has been around forever and it's not just a popular tourist stop. We locals still love going there to get those beignets! Don't wear black though, because that powdered sugar will somehow find it's way on your clothes. LOL Hope you have a great time down here and on your cruise.

I'm really enjoying the pics and review! Makes me want to go back and do this cruise again.

I'm curious as well and looking forward to seeing a review of the place. I saw the one review on the Carnival website and can't help but wonder if it is a real review or a fake positive review by the cruise line to get people to sign up.

My wife had gastric sleeve surgery a year before our last cruise and she pretty much picked what she really wanted to eat most and had a few bites of that. Make sure to let the waiters know that you had the surgery and that is the reason you aren't eating much. Otherwise they may think something is wrong with the food and want to bring you something else from the menu. Enjoy fitting into those smaller sizes and best of luck to ya!

Nice pics and review. We sailed on the Fantasy a few times when it was here in Nola and it is one of our favorite ships!

Really enjoying your pics and review. You are too funny!

We're on Empress! E8!

No f'ing way! Looks like we will be next door neighbors on the cruise!

What was y'all's room number? We're booked in a port hole room! how'd y'all like it?

Hey Rae, we booked a port hole room also and are on Empress deck. We have had these types of cabins before when we sailed on the Fantasy and loved it!

Thanks! lol! I think you will like the Elation...we really do! But did you know that Carnival changed their status system? It is now based on the number days you have cruised and not simply the number of cruises you have been on. I used to have a gold S&S card, but because I only had 19 days before going on this cruise, I had a red card this time. Mom was still gold and I'll be gold again on my next cruise.

If you can get to 10 cruises sailed by the end of 2013, you will be grandfathered into platinum status, so that's why we booked this one.

Nice pics and great review. I also like the font and color you typed in. lol We are making our first cruise on the Elation in December and this will be the one that gets us to platinum status! :D Our favorite beach in Cozumel is Paradise Beach and can't wait to be soaking up the sun there again.

Enjoying the pics and review. Congrats on the wedding and getting to Platinum! We hit Platinum in December and can't wait! We sailed the Victory when it was in Puerto Rico and what I remember most about the ship is a lot of green and those damn seahorses at the ends of the stairs. lol Luckily I was warned about them from reading other's reviews and made sure to look out for them when using the stairs.

I believe the Drury Inn on Poydras St. has a special cruise package that includes parking.

We did the Victory cruise back in 2011 as well. In fact, we went the week after you and it is our favorite cruise ever! We can't wait to do it again. We always book the category 4J cabins and would definitely do the scenic oceanview room.

Enjoyed your awesome pictures and review. We enjoy going to see the old plantation homes and Oak Alley is my favorite of them all. Back in the 1800's the levee wasn't there to block the view of the Mississippi River and the trees used to funnel the breezes off of the river to the house. There are other plantations along the river further North in St. Francisville which is near Baton Rouge. One of them is The Myrtles which is said to be one of the most haunted places in the country. There are also more up around Natchez, Ms. Glad you enjoyed your time down here.

We did this itinerary a few years ago and it was THE BEST cruise we ever did. We spent a couple days pre cruise in Puerto Rico in the Condado area and also loved old San Juan. It reminded us a lot of the French Quarter with the architecture and wrought iron balconies. I'm hoping to do it again next year. Your review and pics are amazing!

Very nice job on the review Shanna! So how did you like cruising? We are hooked and have #10 planned for December out of Nola on the Elation. Nice to see the sushi is available as we both love sushi! We just did a 7 day cruise on the Dream and they didn't have it like the other cruises we have been on. Glad you had a good time down here and hope y'all come back soon. Did you go to Pat o'Briens and get a hurricane to drink? Or maybe a flaming Dr. Pepper from the Goldmine? Bet you didn't know after the mixology contest that you would be on tv the rest of the cruise and sort of a celebrity. lol

Enjoying your pics and review so far. Looks like y'all had a good time down here in NOLA. Calling it a night just after midnight in the Quarter is a bit early but you did start kind of early. Looking forward to more of your review.

Great review and pics! Makes me want to go back to Roatan again.

Your reviews and pictures are so amazing that you have everyone of us on Cruise Critic spoiled. When I first heard about you doing this Breeze cruise, all I could think about was seeing the next review. Carnival owes you and Latanya a free cruise!

Hey Alicia, loved your review and pictures from your Dream cruise. I was excited to hear about you guys cruising on the Breeze as we really want to try this itinerary to see some new ports. You have a lot of fans that really appreciate you taking the time and effort to do the review. Hope you and Latanya are enjoying the holiday season.

I put money into a Christmas savings account with my credit union via payroll deduction. When I get the check in the mail from it, I use it to book our cruise for the next year. When we get on the ship we share a toast and say,"Merry Christmas". lol

Great pics and review so far! We did this cruise in May of last year and are planning to do it again in May 2014. Loved the ports and really enjoyed our pre cruise stay in Puerto Rico.