Cruise out of New Orleans

[skywalker]

First cruise for the family. Son 9, daughter 8......5 night....any recommendations? Looking at late May.

Thanks fellas.

[Agua]

I'm told to not get anything low in the ship - very stuffy and can smell horrid. Otoh, I'm told the higher decks can sway side to side pretty badly - so pick your poison.

[DanP]

We took a Carnival cruise to Caymans, St Thomas and couple other place about 10 years ago. Good experience overall. Spend few hundred and get a room with balcony, worth every penny.

[lilham]

I would avoid the Elation ship out of NOLA if possible. It is a older, smaller ship. It is not bad, just the newer ships are larger and more amenities. I have cruised several times(twice out of NOLA). The NOLA terminal is easy to access. May should be a good time....not too hot yet. I prefer to stay on the upper levels, over the bottom. None of us have ever had issues with Sea sickness. Get a balcony room if possible.My kids loved the one cruise they have been on. Sign them up for Camp Carnival. We normally don't do any excursion. Since 95% of the folks leave the boat, get off, buy a couple souvenirs, and get back on. This is a great time for the kids to enjoy the pool without a crowd-especially the slide. You can take a 12 pack of can drinks per person on the boat. This is much cheaper than a Coke card. I also go online and purchase bottom water in advance(much cheaper). Carry a soft cooler to keep drinks and water cold in the room. You can carry a bottle or wine on board as well per adult. We pack a cheap cork screw and open it in the room, and carry a glass with us to dinner. If you carry the bottle to the dining room....they will charge you a un-corking fee.

[umrebs]

the wife and i took a carnival cruise out of nola a couple years ago. it was fun but i spent a small fortune on booze, it's pretty pricey. we had a good time though. i will say that if you bring the same luggage that you keep your hunting clothes in, double check that you don't have any loose bullets floating around one of the extra pockets... turns out, they take that pretty seriously...

[jacksbuddy]

I dropped the in-laws and wife off on one this past spring (they needed a translator, go figure.) and thought I could use some short term parking to see them off. There isn't any available, so me and my little angel had to say our good-bye's immediately and leave - even before they could enter the gates. (they were rather adamant about that, which did NOT go very well with the in-laws) Either spend the extra to park in their long term parking or have a very good friend drop you off. And if you are going to stay in NOLA for an extra day, go ahead and book the Westin ahead of time.