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

[PaulInPGH]

After dinner, we headed to Bliss to watch the Dawn Show Band play another set of jazz standards. They were great, as always.

 

We took a brief trip back up to the library on deck 12 to cash in our participation signatures we’d collected by winning at trivia. We ended up with 41 signatures, which allowed us to earn the top prize, an NCL mug. It’s not a coffee mug, but more of a glass goblet. I was hoping for a free cruise, but the goblet was an acceptable consolation prize.

 

Goblet in hand, we went back down to Bliss to catch two more shows. The first was a review of Broadway songs with the Dawn singers, which was a lot of fun. At 10:00, the Second City folks did their adults only show. Like everything else they did, it was very funny. Again, they really draw a crowd, so if you’d like to sit, be sure to arrive well in advance.

[PaulInPGH]

We were hoping to do some late night eating, but neither of us could work up any hunger, so we just headed back to our cabin to enjoy some final time on our balcony. We got back to our cabin just in time to see us pass by a fiery oil rig, which was a cool sight. We’d missed seeing any oil rigs on our last cruise out of New Orleans, so I was glad we saw one on this trip. In case you’d like to keep an eye out for them on your cruise, we saw this one on the port side at about 10:45 on the final day.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Oil rig.

[PaulInPGH]

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.

[Russ Lomas]

It now states on Nachi Cocom's Facebook page that it is limited to 130 people per day. We love Nacho Cocom! We go there when we visit Cozumel by land as well. I was not going to reply to this thread as we were hoping to keep NC as our secret :) Mr. Sancho's is nice as well.

You are right. I just checked their webpage and it now reads up to 130 guests as well. Guess my count was right on the mark last March, only they were still advertising it at a maximum of 100 then.

 

As for keeping the secret to yourself, the way I figure is that they will pretty well always be at 130 with a lot of ships in. I don't mind sharing the knowledge with my CruiseCritic friends since I will always book Nachi 10 months prior to my cruise and will have no trouble getting my reservations for that day.

[SherriM]

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!

[PaulInPGH]

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!

 

Thank you! I'm glad this has been helpful. Have a wonderful time in New Orleans, and congratulations on 40 years!

 

Cheers.

[Luvmypups]

Thanks for taking the time to do your review. It's great being able tag along. We were on the Dawn last April and had such a great time, we are going on her again in March. It will be like a new ship since she's been refurbished!

 

Great review!

 

Can't wait to hear where all you ate at in NOLA!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[PaulInPGH]

Thanks for taking the time to do your review. It's great being able tag along. We were on the Dawn last April and had such a great time, we are going on her again in March. It will be like a new ship since she's been refurbished!

 

Great review!

 

Can't wait to hear where all you ate at in NOLA!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

The answer to that is basically everywhere. Everywhere in the touristy French Quarter area at any rate. One of these days we'll venture more around the city, but there are just so many places to try.

[doucetja]

Loved your review! We sail on the Dawn starting March 19th and am now really looking forward to it! Is the Tequila Bar a free bar, despite it being inside a specialty dining restaurant?

[PaulInPGH]

Loved your review! We sail on the Dawn starting March 19th and am now really looking forward to it! Is the Tequila Bar a free bar, despite it being inside a specialty dining restaurant?

 

It's free, in so much as any bar is free. Meaning, so long as you have the beverage package. They did have some drinks (like our favorite Tropical Paloma) that were priced beyond the $15 UBP limit, but when that happens you only pay the difference (about $2 for the Tropical Paloma, for example).

[doucetja]

It's free, in so much as any bar is free. Meaning, so long as you have the beverage package. They did have some drinks (like our favorite Tropical Paloma) that were priced beyond the $15 UBP limit, but when that happens you only pay the difference (about $2 for the Tropical Paloma, for example).

 

 

Great...thanks! I was curious if you had to pay the dining cover charge in order to access that particular bar. It sounds like a nice and cozy place, so we will be sure to check it out.

[PaulInPGH]

Great...thanks! I was curious if you had to pay the dining cover charge in order to access that particular bar. It sounds like a nice and cozy place, so we will be sure to check it out.

 

No, definitely no cover charge. Los Lobos itself is a la carte priced, as well, but even the Mojito Bar (which is in a dining venue with a cover charge) is accessible even when you're not dining in the restaurant.

[PaulInPGH]

Day 9: A Once in a Lifetime Experience in New Orleans

 

Usually, waking up the morning of disembarkation is quite the bummer. This time, though, was a much different experience.

 

Not only were we excited to get back to New Orleans for a few days of eating and drinking, but I’d also received some great news while we were at sea. Before leaving, I’d applied for a new job at the federal agency where I currently work. I woke up the morning of disembarkation and turned my phone back on to find a request for an interview. As an aside, I just found out yesterday that I got the job and will be starting next week.

 

I also found out that I’d won my fantasy football matchup while we were away, so good feelings abounded.

[PaulInPGH]

In no hurry to get off the ship, we’d picked up the luggage tags with the latest leaving time, I think around 9:30. We’d hoped to sleep in a little, but that was made difficult by the loud voice of Dan France calling each group to disembark, so we were awake by about 7:30. This turned out to be lucky, because they went through all the color groups in what has to have been some kind of record. Our group, scheduled to exit at 9:30, was called at about 8:15.

 

Since we were ready to go, we headed out to the smoothest disembarkation I’ve ever experienced. There was absolutely no line at any point, which got us off the ship and out to the line of taxis in about 15 minutes.

[PaulInPGH]

We grabbed a cab to our hotel, the Hotel Provincial, even though it was unlikely they would have our room ready. We were able to drop off our luggage though, which allowed us to hit the Quarter for a little breakfast and wandering.

 

A quick word on Hotel Provincial: we’ve stayed there twice now, and it has been fantastic both times. It’s only a couple blocks from Jackson Square, and just far enough away from the action to be quiet in the evenings. It’s comfortable, clean, and affordable, and I can’t recommend it highly enough for anyone wanting to stay in the Quarter.

 

Of course, our first stop was at Café du Monde. I was finally able to grab the beignets I’d been craving for months, and these would certainly not be the last of the trip, or even the last of the day.

[PaulInPGH]

With nothing on the agenda for the morning, we sat for a few minutes just enjoying Jackson Square, which was as quiet as it ever really gets, and much more quiet than it would be later on in the trip. We answered some emails, and posted our copious amount of cruise photos to Facebook.

 

One thing we’d talked about doing was a carriage ride through the French Quarter. A number of carriages line up outside Jackson Square, so we took a walk over to see just how much it would cost. The first one we approached offered a private buggy for two, but the cost was $100. This was a little more than we wanted to spend, so we looked for one of the larger, shared buggies.

 

We ended up on a carriage that sat eight, and it was $20 per person for a 30 minute ride. The provider of the tour was Royal Carriages, and they did a great job. Even though we already knew most of the information offered by the guide from our previous visit, we still enjoyed the experience. We even got to feed the mule a carrot when we were done (carriages in New Orleans are pulled by mules instead of horses because of the hot climate). Note: feeding the mule is not the once in a lifetime experience I mentioned above.

[PaulInPGH]

 

More like ben-yay!

[PaulInPGH]

 

Jackson Square.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Our mule, Elizabeth, pulling our carriage.

[PaulInPGH]

Before we left home, we had a New Orleans gift basket sent to my wife’s family for Christmas. We spotted the shop that put together our basket (A Tisket A Tasket), so we stopped in to look around and tell them that their basket was very well-received.

 

While in the shop, we bought a cookbook by Leah Chase, who’s known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine. We had plans to visit her famous restaurant, Dooky Chase, that afternoon for lunch. While talking to one of the owners of A Tisket A Tasket, who happened to be a family friend of Leah Chase, we were advised to bring the cookbook when we went to lunch, and she would likely sign it for us. My wife, in particular, was incredibly excited at the prospect.

[PaulInPGH]

After a little more strolling around, we decided to head to lunch. Dooky Chase is a little outside the Quarter, but it was only about a $6 Uber ride to get there, and it is well worth the cost of the trip.

 

This restaurant, and Leah Chase, are justifiably famous. The restaurant was stunning—filled with art from African American artists. The food was exceptional. We both tried the gumbo and the fried chicken, and, for once, words fail me. Just go there and try it for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Inside Dooky Chase.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Dooky Chase gumbo.

[PaulInPGH]

 

Famous fried chicken.