thescot123

I have walked outside the gates into the city. Don't go alone and don't wear too much bling. I went with my sister and brother-in-law and walked across the infamous swing bridge and to the Victorian style Governors House. The town is rough and ready and kinda of dusty.

Heads up to anyone driving to New Orleans this Week-End...

 

Drivers should expect significant traffic delays on Interstate 65 southbound over the next two weekends as roadwork prompts lane closures.

 

The Alabama Department of Transportation will be finishing work that is part of a project to raise bridges over I-65 North at the I-59/20 interchange. One lane will remain open.

 

The first segment of work will begin Friday at 7 p.m. and require the closure of the left two southbound lanes. Afterward, the right two southbound lanes will be closed. The ramp from I-59 south to I-65 south will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday until Saturday evening.

 

Source

Thanks for this info. Luckily, we are driving for a cruise from N.O this weekend but will leave Friday morning.

Hey everyone!

 

My parents were recently on the Norwegian Dawn that left from NOLA and they wanted me to post something to make everyone aware of the parking situation there and lack of security. Their friends that they were travelling with had their truck broken in to while they were gone. The handle was completely broken off the door and they had a few things stolen that were hidden throughout the truck. Also, while they were waiting for the police to file a report they learned that there were at least 5 other cars broken in to while they were there. They later learned that this had been an issue in the past but did not know before they left last week. Just wanted to let everyone know so they were aware and to not leave anything valuable in your cars!

Sorry to hear about the car break-ins. You have to be very careful in N.O even walking around. I prefer to park at machu picchu tours. They will store you car in a sheltered secured warehouse a few blocks away. The owner, Angel, drops you off and picks you up after the cruise. NCL uses the whale lot, which is a open parking lot where anyone can walk into. That does make me feel secure as there are crazy people who want to break into cars.

We are on the Dawn next week and will spend the day before at the French Quarter Festival. It makes me nervous going into the FQ but I am going to wear a money belt and won't leave valuables in the car.

In the past, I had heard of people breaking into cars by capturing the remote codes that your key fob transmits. These thieves are ingenious and will try anything to get your stuff.

Have done both of these excursions both thru ship tours. Lamanai is further away and takes a lot longer to get to. However, these ruins are more impressive. Especially liked the steep climb up the high temple. Also is was like Jurrassic Park as we hear the howler monkeys.

Do you know if you can show up to visit Little French Key without any reservation? Have been to Roatan before but never this highly recommended place. Have heard that they pick you up in a van. Where does this van pick you up. On previous trips, I have used Victor Bodden who has vans that are inside the port gates. Does the Little French Key van stay inside the port gates. Also do they have a boooth setup where you can book last minute?

I remember seeing booths near the vans where you can book last minute excursions.

we are interested in cruising from New Orleans but apparently only Carnival and Norwegian offer these cruises and the Ports of Call are not all that thrilling. We contemplated the Carnival Dream that stops in Key West but aren't too excited about the other stops in Freeport and Nassau. They also offer one that stops in Cozumel, Roatan and Belize City. Now we see Norwegian offers a cruise that stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel. Can anyone recommend either of these?

Have cruised out many times from N.O. In fact we are cruising on the Dawn again in a few weeks. Have been on both the Dream and Dawn. For me, I prefer NCL as the ship is smaller and it goes to 4 ports instead of 3 ports which Carnival does. Costa Maya is one of my most favorite stops as it is not built up. Make sure that you take a cheap taxi to Mahahual and not stay inside that complex built for the cruise lines. Cozumel is also a nice port with plenty of things to do. NCL docks right downtown so you don't have to take a taxi to see the shops. In Cozumel the taxis are fixed price and not per person.

Enjoy.

When we sailed on the Elation last February, we used http://www.machupicchutours.com for parking. The driver (owner?) Angel was fantastic!

 

We arrived in New Orleans early since I'm a 2 hour drive away. When I arrived at the garage, I called Angel. He let me inside and had me leave my car so he could park it for me. I told him we were early and wanted to take a cab to the downtown area. He offered to take us for a lesser price than a cab, drop us off, hold our bags at his place, and when we were ready (we walked to the port after breakfast and some sightseeing), he would drive our bags to us at the port. He even drove us to by the port on the way to downtown to show us where he would meet us. It worked out flawlessly. When we arrived back in New Orleans, we simply called him and he came to pick us up and bring us to our car.

 

Super nice man, runs a very honest business (we trusted a complete stranger with our luggage!!), and will use them every time we sail out of New Orleans!! Prices were cheaper than port parking too. I told Angel that we were so impressed by him and his business that we would recommend them to everyone we could.

 

Have a great time! We sail in April on the Magic...getting close now!!

I also highly recommend machupicchutours. Have used them over 7 times and like the fact that he is easy to find, close to the Walmart for any last minutes items, sheltered and secured. Angel, the owner, is the best and very friendly and nice to talk to. We are using them for our April cruise so enjoy seeing Angel again.

Nohoch Kay is an AI. But...Krazy Lobster, Fernando's (may not be open if only 1 ship is in, or only for dinner), Hotel Caballo Blanco(lionfish in jackfruit sauce,MMMMM!) serve whole fish. As far as I know, other beach clubs use fresh seafood in their dishes. Whether or not any or all of them offer whole fish, I don't know. Pez Quadro and Tropicante offer filets.

Thanks for the info. I usually visit the Tropicante but the girlfriend wants another place with fresh fish/lobster. Looks like the Krazy Lobster is the place. Don't need an all-inclusive as don't want to get all you can drink.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a restaurant that will cook you fresh fish and lobster? I have read about Nohocha Kay but not too sure if you can just show up or do you have to get their all-inclusive package. We are not interested in drinking but want good fresh seafood. We need a place where we can show up to without having to make a reservation.

My girlfriend is Asian and likes to eat fresh fish with the head and tail still attached.

Thanks for the information. We are on the April 10th cruise and like to know who the cruise director is. For me a fun cruise director who is out and about with the guests can make a cruise for me. In the past, I have enjoyed Dingo Dave and Paul Scally.

Last year it was Dingo Dave and he was very funny. According to Dingo Dave's Facebook page he has a new contract on the NCL Spirit.

Hopefully, the CD on my April cruise will be just as entertaining as Dingo.

We are cruising on NCL Dawn near the end of April. Does anyone know who the current cruise director is?

We cruise on her last year and had an funny Australian man called Dingo Dave.

Thanks for posting the info about this deal. We booked a cruise, last night, via NCL and didn't know about this extra free money. Went to my Amex card and saw the offers which I have applied to my account. Got the email from Amex saying that I have enrolled in this offer.

Good to get free money.

This is the company that Costco now uses. Have used them for most cruises just in case.

Can you walk to Majahual?

 

We have an infant. And we love to walk. We don't want to lug our car seat in order to get in a taxi cab.

 

Thanks! :)

Yes, you can walk to Mahahual. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes. I have done it once but it was very hot. If you decided to walk, I would stop at a shop outside the gate and get some cheap water. Not too sure if I would recommend it with a child as it can be very hot and there is really not much to see except mangroves which were destroyed by a hurricane a few years ago. I never walk it anymore since the taxi ride is only $2 to $3 each way.

Thanks for the awesome video! I signed up for the Lamanai excursion on the Dec. 15 Royal Caribbean Navigator. Can't wait!

You are welcome. This YouTube video made me do the excursion in Oct. It is a wonderful place to put on one's bucket list.

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The NCL Sky has a younger crowd since it is NCL's party boat. It is hit and miss on the other ships with ages. Like what someone else said, you could go during Spring Break time March/April.

Also been to Cozumel many times before and had the same fears that you had the first time. Have know eaten food everytime that I go there and never had any issues. Just make sure that you go to a well known establishment and avoid street vendors.

Looks like they aren't offering this on the NCL Jewel on Dec 25. Maybe Christmas is the reason.

 

I want to get a private tour to Altun Ha, but all of the operators I am e-mailing are trying to gouge me ($250-$300 for my family of 4), when I read others here post that they got the same thing done for like $170 total.

 

Any good recommendations for cheap but effective private tour operators? I don't want to take ship tour to Altun Ha. I've heard bad things about it.

You are on the same cruise as me over Xmas. Because we are in Belize on Christmas day, I was worried that a lot of tours would not be operating. Managed to book a private excursion to Goff's Caye via Island Marketing. I have read that they use Ecotours who has a good reputation and who operate within the Tourism Village. the cost is $40 pp and leaves at 9.30am and last about 4 hours. Below are the details and websites. Island Marketing does offer some non-snorkeling trips that they may have on Xmas day.

http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/BelizeBeachSnorkeling.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g291960-d2548808-Reviews-Goff_s_Caye-Belize_Cayes.html

They do offer Altun Ha for $42.50 pp.Just email or call them to see if they are operating over the holiday.

http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/AltunHa.htm

Tony

Go to Lamanai in Belize. Did this tour via the ship in Oct. It was my first trip to a Mayan ruin and it was fun. We had a 60 minute bus ride and then a thrilling and fast 40 minute boat ride. The ruin site is like going back in time as there are a few families of howler monkeys in the trees. The monkeys make loud howls, it like being in Jurassic Park. You can also climb up the high temple which was harder than I thought.

Take a look at this wonderful aerial view of this big temple.

Tony

Glad to hear that you enjoyed the Jewel. Was on her in Oct and will be back on her for my first Xmas cruise.

I had nothing but excellent service from the crew. They work very long hours and always serve with a smile.

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They have made to order crepes there in the late afternoon and evening. with about 6 different fillings/toppings.

Had those creeps in Oct and they were delicious. Really like how they gave setup the islands in the buffet as it reduces the lines. Hate buffets were you have to stand in one line. The buffet is where I ate mostly due to the bigger variety than the MDR.

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The Jewel Buffet is set up a little different than most ships...most ships have one line for the buffet on each side. On the Jewel, they have 5 different stations. For lunch, starting at the main entrance, the first station usually had salads, station 2 was main dishes. Station 3 had a special drink area, soups, and breads. Station 4 was the Asian station on one side and they had Indian food on the other. Station 5 usually had desserts. Along the back wall, they had pizza, a pasta station, burgers and hotdogs.

 

 

Sorry - learning all of the resturant names - what is the name of the resturant that has this buffet?

It is called The Garden Cafe

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The Taste of India went away a few years ago. I was really sad when it happened. We did manage to get our very own "special" Taste of India meal on our Star cruise thanks to our cc m&g with the staff. :D

 

On another note, I didn't realize that they had any Indian food at the buffets. I will definitely be looking for some next week. Is it only on a certain day? Will it say something in the dailies? How will you know when they are having it?

There is Indian food every night in the buffer on the Jewel. It is setup on one of the buffet islands. It is very tasty and something I enjoyed every night.

Enjoy the Jewel, I will back on her the week after you get off. Will be taking my first Xmas cruise.

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They have about 4 different Indian dishes in the buffet. It is one of my favorite place to go as I enjoy Indian food Some of the dishes are vegetarian. They also change the variety of these dishes each night.

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