psmoove

Yes, we zipped in Roatan and it was so much fun! The rain was coming down but that actually made the experience unique. We had rain jackets and ponchos, and didn't get too wet. Oh wow, I didn't think snorkeling would be great in that weather but I guess I was wrong. To be honest, after the zip line we were cold and wet and wanted to just get back to the ship. I considered rideshare but when I pulled up the app, it said that it would take at least 30 minutes for pickup, so I scuttled it. Although it would have been at least 50% cheaper than a taxi. My parents had the airport transfer and while that was somewhat more organized, my mom said no one was checking for tickets and theoretically anyone could have gotten on.

I didn't track it exactly, but based on a photo I took right before boarding the ship, it was at 2:45. So I would say the line to get through security was 1.5 hours, and we got dropped off by the taxi at approximately 1:00-1:15 at the port. The security line went back all the way almost the length of the building. What was worse was that the temperature at NOLA was 25 degrees that day, and being from SoCal, we weren't used to that (the terminal doors were all open and it was windy too). Luckily we had packed some snacks and water, so our kids tolerated the interminable wait. My parents arrived in NOLA the day before, so they had an earlier check-in time (I think it was the first time slot allowed). My mom said that their lines were way shorter than what we experienced, probably because a lot of passengers arrived around the same time as us. Lesson learned is that next cruise we will definitely fly in a day early and opt for the earliest check-in time.

Thank you for your review. My family was on the same trip (11 of us total, including 3 children) and we all had a great time despite the rainy weather as we made the most of the ship's amenities. Some random notes: Our embarkation at Port of NOLA was the worst part of the trip. The security line (at 1:30 p.m.) was slammed and resulted in us waiting for 1.5 hours to just get through that part. After security, check-in was a breeze. It helped that we had all our photos uploaded to NCL previously. We entered the ship on Deck 7. Our parents, who boarded the ship at 11 a.m., were able to reserve the shows for us without the need for the actual key cards (only room numbers). They did so using the touch screens by the elevator on each floor. Good thing they did that as by the time we ourselves boarded at 2:30, the 7:30 p.m. shows were already sold out. We took full advantage of the stage shows (Patty Dess, Christmas show, Burn the Floor and Six) and enjoyed them all. In our opinion, the production quality was excellent, with top notch singing and dancing choreography. Six was particularly entertaining. We thought that the Christmas programming on the ship was fun. Our kids enjoyed meeting and taking photos with Santa at the Atrium on Christmas Day. They also handed out little presents and hot chocolate and cookies. The holiday decorations and the large gingerbread villages were a nice touch. Regarding food, the buffet was good. However, we thought that Taste, Savor and Manhattan were a bit subpar. Our favorite was O'Sheehans - we ate there several times and the breakfast was really good compared to the buffet options. At Costa Maya, even though the weather wasn't ideal, we enjoyed a private tour of Chacchoben Ruins through Chak Ek Tours. The excursion also included a boat ride on the 7 Color Lagoon at Bacalar and a delicious taco lunch in Bacalar proper. Highly recommend Chak Ek Tours. At Roatan, we hired Victor Borden Tours. Our excursion included zip line (11 zip lines), sloth and monkey interaction and snorkeling at West Bay Beach. Because of the weather, we had to scrap the snorkel. But we had an awesome time with the zip lines, with our kids saying that was the highlight of our trip. It was very reasonable too. At Harvest Caye, we swam a bit on the pool but it was cold so we didn't stay too long. Some members of our group also did paddle boarding and kayaking. We didn't stay too long on the island. At Cozumel, it was finally sunny (yay!) and we took a taxi to Chankanaab Resort. We finally made use of our snorkel gear. The resort was nice and the gardens were lush and beautiful. On our last sea day, which was also sunny and warm, we enjoyed the water slides, pool and ropes course. As expected, it was super crowded on the upper decks but we managed to snag a couple of lounge chairs without much difficulty. It was back to wet NOLA for debarkation. For the most part it went smoothly, but the chaos was at the taxi stand. It was a madhouse, and I had to be aggressive to be able to snag a taxi for my family. It didn't help that it was absolutely pouring and that the incoming passengers for the next cruise were also using the same area to be dropped off. Final thoughts - although apparently there were 4,500 passengers on the ship, it never felt like it. Lines were manageable and we just had to be strategic with booking restaurants. We never had to wait more than 30 minutes for a table at O'Sheehans (by the way, the wings were excellent even though they aren't "crispy" as before). When it did feel crowded, we happily made our way outside to the Waterfront, where we hung out and played cards. All in all, as I had mentioned, we had a wonderful time.

I sure hope you made it IllinoisGuy! I’m on the ship right now enjoying a dinner at Moderno. It was an adventure getting here for sure! I’m the guy with the UCLA sweatshirt. 😉

Update: we made it on the ship! We didn’t check in any luggage and were able to get to the port within 45 minutes of arrival. Thank goodness our flight out of LAX wasn’t affected by the bomb cyclone weather event. NOLA was a mess- we were in line for nearly 1.5 hours to get through security and check-in. Finally got in the ship at 2:30, and right now at 5 pm local time the ship is still docked. Now the vacation begins! Thanks for the help!

Thanks for this live review. What time did the ship depart from the Port of New Orleans?

Thanks for this review. We will be on the Breakaway on the 23rd and was wondering if you remember what time the ship left the port of New Orleans? Just curious as we are arriving on the same day and interested in knowing if the ship leaves at 4 pm or if leaves later.

Thank you for this review! We will be on the Breakaway in a couple of weeks and are looking really forward to it. We love O’Sheehan wings, and thanks for the advice on booking the shows once you get on board. Regarding embarkation day. I wanted to ask you if you remember what time the ship departed New Orleans and if you observed any late arriving passengers (past the 2 pm cutoff time). Reason I am asking is that we are arriving on embarkation day and curious about the last onboard time and departure. Thank you!

Which Internet plan was this? Is this unlimited Wi-Fi or premium Wi-Fi with streaming?

I’m on the same exact boat as you (no pun intended). I posted about this on this forum last week and received encouraging replies. What we will be doing is not checking in luggage to try to get out of the airport faster. We’re arriving the same time at MSY as you but from LAX. Crossing fingers that Delta is on time. Like you I tried calling NCL and Delta with no luck. Let’s hope that we both make it to the ship and if we do, maybe we can meet up and grab a celebratory drink👍🏽 link to my post:

Thank you all that have responded so far. It’s definitely making me think of alternative arrangements. I just don’t understand why NCL would book this flight for us considering the close time. I’ll call NCL Air tomorrow to see if they can move our flight to the night before. Hopefully they can and that the fees are reasonable.

So if I purchase airport transfers from NCL, would that help in having the ship wait for us?

Hello all, My family of 5 are going to be spending Christmas this year onboard the Breakaway departing from New Orleans. We are flying in on the day of the cruise (I know, a cardinal sin, but we couldn’t pull the kids out of school a day early). We purchased our flights through NCL’s flight promotion. Our arrival at MSY is at 12:40 p.m. The ship is scheduled to depart the port at 4 p.m., and according to NCL, we need to be on the ship 2 hours prior to departure, so 2:00 p.m. is the cut-off time. This makes me nervous. For those who have cruised out of New Orleans before and flew into MSY, how easy is it to navigate the airport and how long does it take to get to the port from the airport? I’m considering not checking any bags as that can save some time too. Also, how flexible is NCL with that 2:00 p.m. departure? On the last cruise I took with them, I remember that they actually waited for a handful of passengers, but this was at Port Canaveral. Thank you for any advice!