Seven Days on the Dawn and Christmas in New Orleans: A Review

[PaulInPGH]

Our next stop was something I’d been looking forward to ever since we started planning this trip: a return to the Acme Oyster House. Our visit to Acme on our last journey has lived in my memory as one of the single most delicious moments of my life, and I was very eager to repeat the experience.

 

In our quest to find the best char-grilled oysters in town, we of course started with a dozen of Acme’s finest. Of all the oysters we tried on this trip, I still feel like Acme’s are the best. We also had gumbo, which was solid, and fries covered in debris gravy and cheese (think Cajun poutine, which was out-of-this-freaking-world good.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Acme oysters!

[PaulInPGH]

Having been on the go for most of the day, we decided to walk back to the hotel for a short rest before our evening activities.

 

Since we’d been putting some hard mileage on our feet, we decided to take an Uber to check out the Miracle on Fulton, which was supposed to be a street near the casino shutdown and decorated for Christmas. We had read that there was supposed to be fake snow and everything, but it must have been too hot, even for the fake stuff. Apart from some Christmas lights and some piped in Christmas music, there was little to see or do.

 

After a quick look around, we walked back toward the Quarter and our activity for the evening: a Christmas Eve Jazz Cruise on the Steamboat Natchez.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Miracle on Fulton.

[PaulInPGH]

This turned out to be our least favorite activity in New Orleans. The cruise was billed as a two hour trip down the Mississippi, with live jazz and a buffet dinner. The dinner was just okay—we were both disappointed that the buffet contained no Cajun or Creole dishes, despite being in New Orleans. We did have a very nice time chatting with the couple seated next to us, mostly comparing notes on where to go and what to eat while in town.

 

The bigger problem, though, was the cruise itself only lasted about half the time they said it would. We left at 7:30, and we were back along the pier at 8:30, the buffet shut down and the bar closed. They offered no explanation as to why we were back so soon. We asked one of the wait staff and he guessed it was because of the heavy fog on the Mississippi. That would explain why the cruise was shortened, but they could have let us stay on the boat for the rest of the allotted time, enjoying the buffet and music. Instead, they seemed in a rush to get everyone off, long before the cruise was supposed to end.

 

This must be at least somewhat common, because the person in the ticket office made a point (and made us sign an acknowledgment) that they do not give refunds. We spent good money for this experience, and we were less than impressed, to put it mildly. I wouldn’t recommend giving Gray Line any of your hard-earned money, for a Steamboat cruise or one of their tours, both of which were underwhelming at best.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Steamboat Natchez.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Inside the Christmas Eve Jazz Cruise.

[PaulInPGH]

We took another short rest in our hotel before taking a late-night walk to Jackson Square. We took a peek inside St. Louis Cathedral prior to Midnight Mass, and we enjoyed the quiet organ music as people made their way into the church.

 

Tired after a long day, we walked back to our hotel and awaited the coming of Santa, or at least the ghost of a Confederate general.

 

Coming soon: Christmas in New Orleans, and the best breakfast I've ever eaten.

[PaulInPGH]

 

St. Louis Cathedral.

[mexico8]

Thank you for taking the time to write this great review. So enjoyable to read. We just got off the NCL Star and the food was not nearly as good as what you describe.

 

Your wife's pictures are also great. Got hungry looking at them.

[PaulInPGH]

Thank you for taking the time to write this great review. So enjoyable to read. We just got off the NCL Star and the food was not nearly as good as what you describe.

 

Your wife's pictures are also great. Got hungry looking at them.

 

Thank you. I understand, I also get hungry when I write about them.

[Medtech2]

 

Inside the Christmas Eve Jazz Cruise.

Oh my word, every single person is on their phone! SMH

[MJSailors]

Thank you, Paul for putting together this interesting review.

You and your wife make a good travel team !

Wishing you both many happy cruise and travel days in the future !

[PaulInPGH]

Thank you, Paul for putting together this interesting review.

You and your wife make a good travel team !

Wishing you both many happy cruise and travel days in the future !

 

Thank you. Wishing you the same, as well!

 

Cheers.

[bigblue1952]

Terrific review. Makes me want to do a cruise out of New Orleans.

[PaulInPGH]

Terrific review. Makes me want to do a cruise out of New Orleans.

 

I've got a definite Bias, because I love New Orleans, but it's my favorite place to cruise from. Though, this year we're finally doing a Med cruise that leaves from Rome, so that might be a game-changer.

[AlabamaFootball]

We spent an extremely enjoyable day swimming in the ocean and relaxing on the beach. The only negative was our waiter, who completely vanished after putting in our first food order. Last time we were at Nachi, the service was absolutely unbelievable, but this waiter went M.I.A., which left us at a bit of a loss when we wanted to order more food. We didn’t see him again until we went to leave, but other than his poor service, we had a great day. If you’re looking for a place to have a relaxing day at a beautiful beach, I can’t recommend Nachi Cocom highly enough.

 

Even though we didn’t need to be back to the ship until 3:30, we decided to head back at 2:00. There were seven ships in port that day, carrying over 23,000 passengers, so we intended not to get stuck in a ridiculous return-to-ship traffic jam. This turned out to be a good call, as the return trip that typically takes 20 minutes took more like 45. We made it back without a problem, though navigating the Punto Langosta pier area was a bit confusing.

 

 

we were on this cruise too, and also went to Nachi Cocum. Our 3rd time to nachi and by far the worst waiter service. Also, the worst sea sickness ever on the Dawn. Never again on the Dawn for us.

[PaulInPGH]

we were on this cruise too, and also went to Nachi Cocum. Our 3rd time to nachi and by far the worst waiter service. Also, the worst sea sickness ever on the Dawn. Never again on the Dawn for us.

 

I'm sorry to hear you had a rough time. I did think that this was the roughest cruise I've ever been on in terms of sensitivity to motion. I got queasy the first night, but I loaded up on Dramamine for the rest of the cruise and felt fine.

[Luvmypups]

 

 

 

I do have a question about the breakfast at O'Sheehans...what to they have? On cruises we usually opt for the dining room instead of the buffet but would like to have another option as well!

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Patti

 

 

I just happen to be reading Mitsugirly's Epic review also (all of her reviews are great also) and found the menu. I'm sure they are the same.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Abear2]

This was one of the best reviews I have ever read! Thanks for taking time out to do that! I will be back on the Dawn for the 5th time February 12th and I can't wait! I love the crew! I was on the Jade last month and we went to Harvest Caye and I loved it! Although, we did get rain as well! :o I can't wait to be back next month! :D Funny how some people like one thing and others don't! Oh well, I guess that's what makes the world go round! ;):D This will be my 40th cruise, so yeah, I am a little addicted to cruising! Oh and back on the Epic in March! :D

[PaulInPGH]

This was one of the best reviews I have ever read! Thanks for taking time out to do that! I will be back on the Dawn for the 5th time February 12th and I can't wait! I love the crew! I was on the Jade last month and we went to Harvest Caye and I loved it! Although, we did get rain as well! :o I can't wait to be back next month! :D Funny how some people like one thing and others don't! Oh well, I guess that's what makes the world go round! ;):D This will be my 40th cruise, so yeah, I am a little addicted to cruising! Oh and back on the Epic in March! :D

 

Thank you! Wow, I hope to reach 40 cruises one day. Only 36 more to go, which seems feasible:)

 

Cheers.

[PaulInPGH]

Day 11: A Lazy Christmas

 

Remember when you were a kid, up at the crack of dawn awaiting the chance to open presents? Well, we did basically the exact opposite of that this Christmas, sleeping delightfully late. Our Christmas brunch reservation was set for noon, so we did what one should do when vacationing on Christmas—laze around aimlessly.

 

We left the hotel around 11:30, stopping by Jackson Square to check out the shuttered Café du Monde, which only closes on Christmas. Jackson Square itself was still pretty busy, as more and more tourists arrived the longer we were in town. The mules were certainly doing a brisk business on Christmas morning.

[PaulInPGH]

 

A sad sight: a closed Café du Monde.

[PaulInPGH]

When we planned this trip, we had a hard time figuring out exactly what to do on Christmas, since most of the Quarter closes down. We were hoping to do a jazz brunch, but the places that typically offer them were all closed. After a bit of online research, we made a reservation at a restaurant called Kingfish, which had pretty good reviews.

 

Unfortunately, when we showed up for our brunch reservation, it turned out that they were offering a special Christmas menu. This was contrary to what they’d advertised online. Not only was I more in the mood for breakfast food (even though it was noon, it was still the first meal of the day), but we didn’t really feel like paying $45 per person for lunch. We ended up canceling our reservation at Kingfish—hoping destiny would point us toward something better. And man, the universe really came through.

 

Just a couple blocks away, we passed by a restaurant that smelled delicious. We looked at the menu, and sure enough, they were serving brunch until 1:30. Like a lot of restaurants in the Quarter, this place didn’t take reservations, so we were able to get in after only about a 15 minute wait.

[PaulInPGH]

The restaurant was the Oceana Grill, and they served us the absolute best breakfast I’ve ever had. Seriously, if you’re in New Orleans, go here for breakfast—you will not regret it.

 

I was basically ready to eat my own arm off by the time we were seated, so we ended up ordering three different breakfasts to split. First, the Cajun Breakfast, which came with eggs, bacon, and very delicious gator sausage. This was good, but nothing compared to the rest of the order.

 

We both were nuts for their pain perdu, the New Orleans version of french toast. Just think of the best french toast you’ve ever had, than multiply that by a factor of like ten.

 

But, for me, the most amazing part was the crawfish omelet. This beautiful creation from the mind of a genius was an omelet filled with crawfish, topped with crawfish etouffee. I still daydream about this omelet, and it’ll be one of my first meals the next time we get back to New Orleans.

 

This totally chance find was one of the highlights of our trip. We ate outside in their quiet courtyard, and it was just what Christmas brunch in New Orleans should be.