Exotic Western from New Orleans, yes or no?

[sunlover41]

Hi, Im in the process of planning my Feb 2007 vacation and was considering NCL and going out of Louisiana. I went on NCl a few years back and really enjoyed it. Does anyone have any feedback on leaving from Louisiana in Feb?

Hows the weather? Aslo we would be travelling to Guatamala, and Belize which we have never been. Any feedback would be appreciated. Answer here or e- mail gg100@rochester.rr.com Thanks, Greg

[jeannep]

We were on the Carnival Sensation a few years ago that stopped in New Orleans in February. It was a little chilly there which we found to be nice. Walking around the French Quarter in a sweater was fine. We went to a bar and sat out back in the "garden" that had heaters mounted on the trees. It was delighful.

 

The rest of the trip was warm but not too hot. We stopped at Grand Cayman & Cozamel. February in the Carribean is wonderful.

 

Jeanne

[carnivaltime4]

New Orleans weather in February is great. A sweater should be fine, however, we do have coat weather every now and then. If you are lucky, it will be during Mardi Gras and you can catch a few parades.

 

The french quarter is right near the port and it had no damage from Hurricane Katrina. You can definately get a great meal while you are here. If you have any questions on N.O., just drop me a line at kennerres@hotmail.com.

[monicajay]

I had booked this trip last year(for Feb.26.06) but it was moved to Miami because of Katrina. I was disappointed because we really were looking forward to leaving from N.O. We had planned on sweaters with a wind breaker.

 

The Western Caribean Exotic Intenerary was great. You do however need to make plans in advance. Both Guatemala and Belize city are not ports where you want to just get off and walk around exploring. Also both of these are not really beachy areas. If you really must get to a beach in Belize or Guatemala you must make arrangements to go by boat.

 

I researched the boards and made plans in advance. In Belize we chose the cave tubing with Yhony and in Guatemala we went on the Rio Dulce trip with Gus. Both trips were wonderful and I would most definately recommend .

 

I'm sure both of these ports will change dramaticly once more ships stop.

 

M.

[RuUp2It?]

I've been looking at the same thing as well. Once we're back from the POH next week, we'll probably start researching all to do and not do in teh western med. I'll agree with carnivaltime4 that the weather is not too much of an issue. If you're from the north, it'll be refreshing, but not too bad all in all. As long as it's not a string of days that has more rain than not. I'll also agree that the damage wasn't too bad in areas mentioned, but there was definately an influx of people (to fix things up, clean up ect) that were'nt there before, and the feel of the place is still not what it used to be. Our trip would not include time in the quarter before the cruise for obvious reasons, but it can be fun for someone from out of town. We'll definately be talking more about it in the next few weeks to a month. :D

[garycarla]

Book your hotel WAY IN ADVANCE. New Orleans has always been tight on hotel rooms even in normal times or without any convention in town.

[CruisingFund]

We are taking the Sun out of New Orleans on October 22 of this year - originally planned for March, but really wanted to depart from New Orleans so we waited until the ship returned. MonicaJay - you mentioned take a tour from Guatemala - any other info you can provide? I would love to book all of this in advance and rarely use the cruise line tours. Thanks for any help you and others can give. And yes, this is my first post, even though I have been cruising for years.

 

Deb

 

NCL Sun, Western Caribbean10/22/06

NCL Spirit, Exotic Caribbean 4/05

NCL Majesty, Southern Caribbean 2/02

Glacier Bay Cruise Line, Alaska 9/01

Carnival Spirit, West Coast 5/01

Carnival Holiday, Baja 4/01

Temptress Explorer, Costa Rica 3/01

RCL Voyager of the Seas, Western Caribbean 5/00

HollandAmerica, Zaandam, Caribbean 5/00

RCL, Rhapsody of the Seas, Mexico 2/00

NCL Norway, Eastern Caribbean 9/99

HollandAmerica, Noordam, West Coast 5/99

NCL Norwegian Sea 3/99

RCL Majesty of the Seas, 6/98

Carnival Jubilee, Mexico 2/98

NCL Seward, Southern Caribbean 8/97

Crown Princess, West Coast 5/97

Regal Princess, Panama Canal 4/96

Star Clipper, Barbados 6/95

Sky Princess, Southern Caribbean 3/93

Fair Princess, Mexico 4/92

[monicajay]

Hello Deb,

 

Welcome to the CC boards. If you think cruising was fun before, hold on to your hat. Sharing tricks, secrets, and stories with others will just enhance your cruising experience.

 

First, the Ports of call boards are further down on the main boards section of the web-site. Guatemala does not have it's own listing so is on the thread called 'other caribean'. Once there you can do a search using the tool in the upper right side. You can read through all the old threads which will outline many of the possible tours you can do there. I chose to go with Gus as he had a tour that left by boat right from the cruise line dock. He is from this area but lived in New York then Florida for about 20 years so speaks very good English. This also means that he understands the interests and needs of North American tourists. His tour was reasonably priced and included lunch with the biggest, yummiest shrimp I've ever tasted.

 

If you search the boards you will find the link to get more info on his and other tours. Say hi to him if you decide to book. Ask if he has built my ladder yet. It is an inside joke, I jumped off the dock in one place because I was so hot and had to wade out of the water. I keep bugging him to build a ladder.

 

Second, you should go to the roll call section. click on ncl, then click on the Sun. You will then find lists of sailing dates for your ship. Most likely there is already one started for the date you are leaving. This will allow you to share your excitement and planning with others going on the same trip. Your group might even organize a get-together. My Cc gang on the Sun was wonderful last year. We ended up having 3 get togethers and doing some shore excursions together. IMHO it made up for not having fixed dinner companions. I had my CC friends instead. You might also chose not to meet. Your choice.

 

Have fun on the boards.

M.

[ergator]

Come on and join us. Last two times we have sailed out of NOLA have been on Carnival. Looking forward to trying the freestyle NCL. Hope it works out well. We are sailing on Feb 22 and staying two days precruise in NOLA.