MINILvr

We just got off the Carnival Valor and no automatic stateroom door on 6381.  Also, I don't recall seeing any automatic doors to go out on deck like we had on NCL Breakaway.

Thank you for your report. 

We will be on the Valor later this year in an inside accessible and again next year in a balcony accessible (6208).  We have not been on Carnival since we have needed the wheelchair.

Great review so far.  I was on this sailing also and had a wonderful time.

23 hours ago, Gatorj said:

Mini suite cabin deck 11.

How is staying on Deck 11?  We have a balcony cabin on Deck 11 in a few weeks.
I considered putting in a bid for a mini-suite, but wasn't sure if it was worth it or not.

Looking forward to your trip report.  We will be boarding her on April 7th.

Dream Cabin 6202

February 2016

7 minutes ago, drumming cruisers said:

Hello, we are looking at last sailing out of NOLA Apr 7th to 12th. Is spring break still going at that time?  

New Orleans does not really see huge spring break crowds, as far as I know.  The weekend you get back to NOLA will be the French Quarter Festival, so lots of activity going on for that.  I will be on this sailing and we do have a roll call started.

9 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

So this year 2019 the same as folks are talking about in the thread.  There is a parade in the French Quarter at 2pm on Sunday 2/24.  Anyone know how that will affect boarding for the Breakaway? 

The FQ parade that day will not affect anything.  It is a walking parade for dogs and their owners.

There are, however, 4 parades uptown that day which will affect traffic.  If coming from the airport/I-10/anywhere other than south of the city, I suggest staying on US90/Pontchartrain Expressway until you get to the Tchoupitoulas exit.  Turn right on Tchoupitoulas St., left on Henderson, and left on Port of New Orleans Place.  That will take you to the terminal.  There will be road closures and lots of traffic if you try to take surface level streets.

Unless there is something going on in the French Quarter that has streets blocked/traffic stopped, it should be less than 15 minutes to the Port.

Plan to arrive early.  The President will be speaking at the Farm Bureau convention being held at the Convention Center, which is right in front of the cruise terminal.  Hopefully the convention will be held on the side of the Convention Center opposite Henderson Street.  There is also road construction taking place on Convention Center Blvd, so that area is already a mess.

I haven't seen an official schedule, but it looks like he might be at the Convention from 11:15am-12:45pm.  Typically, he lands at MSY and will use I-10/US90 to get to the Convention Center. 

We did JiJi's twice on the Vista.

For 5 people, we chose 3 appetizers, 3 entrees and 3 sides.  Everyone chose their own dessert.

At lunch, it is the Mongolian Wok and there is no additional charge.

21 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

Did you have any issues with noise from Deck 12? That would be the thing I would worry about, but some people aren’t bothered by it.

The only noise we heard was occasionally music from Lido when we were on the balcony.  (11259)

You won't be disappointed.  I took the same upgrade on the Vista (Cove to Deck 11 Balcony) and we LOVED being on Deck 11.

The S&S Cards were in the mailboxes on the Vista in October.

I have been in Cat 4J cabins twice.  Once on the Triumph (cabin 6201) and once on the Dream (cabin 6202).  Both times, the beds were able to be pushed together. 

It is an obstructed view as you overlook a public walkway, but there are rarely any people on the deck. 

Also, because it is a little ways from the elevators and other public areas, it is usually fairly quiet.

I believe it is an excursion they offer on board only.  I had it booked for my cruise a few weeks ago, and got paranoid when it disappeared from the listing of available excursions.  I ended up cancelling it before we departed, but saw it listed on the HUB app when we were on the ship.

The two times I was on the Dream, we had ours in the theater.

JiJi's is the Mongolian Wok for lunch and $15 per person for dinner.  We didn't try it at lunch, so I cannot comment on that.  We did, however, eat there twice for dinner.  DELICIOUS!

Cucina del Capitano is also free at lunch (pasta bar) and pay at dinner.  Take the aft elevators to deck 11 and both restaurants are right there.

The seating in the Liquid Lounge leaves a lot to be desired.  We never did go to the Limelight Lounge for the comedy shows. 

We watched Bohemian Rhapsody in the IMAX theater.  Ended up having to sit in the front row, but even that wasn't all that bad.

Ship - Carnival Vista

Deck - 11

Stateroom # -  11259

Stateroom Category –  Balcony

Starboard or Port Side -  Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Occasional noise, but nothing out of the norm

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - no

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – No obstructions, standard balcony

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - standard size balcony

Was wind a problem? - We did not have wind issues

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - n/a

Any specific problems with this cabin? - no problems

Any other comments? -  Typical Carnival cabin, decent size for the two of us, balcony was nice, convenient to Lido and buffet area.  Nice (outside) walk to JiJi and Cucina del Capitano. 

I was offered an upgrade from Cove to Deck 11 balcony for my upcoming cruise.  I took the upgrade.  We normally cruise in 4J's, so just having a balcony is an upgrade for us. 

Eventually I will stick to a Cove and see how we like it.

I bring my yarn and hooks and crochet hats for my local cancer center.

OP

 

After agonizing and analyzing you got what most people miss.

1) Try new drinks

2) You don't need to drink 15 to break even

3) You didn't worry about it going to S &S card.

 

Nice to hear another person enjoyed it!

The reasons you listed are exactly why we get the Cheers package.

We are staying in Gretna in West Bank. Does anyone know of any good restaurants there ? Also how far from French Quarter? Transportation besides taxis. Thanks so much for all the replies so far. Getting some great ideas !!

Café 615 is good as is Tony Mandina's. Both are locally owned and in Gretna.

If you don't want to take a taxi, you can use Uber and Lyft.

The French Quarter is about 8 miles from Gretna. Could be a little less depending on where you are staying.

You can refer to this website for Mardi Gras parade schedules. http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html

It may be a bit more expensive but it will save you a lot in cab fares because West Bank is a long way and over atoll bridge form the port and French Quarter.

There are no tolls on the Crescent City Connection from the Westbank to the Port. The tolls were removed in 2013. Depending on which hotel on the Westbank, it is not that far to the Port. (As little as 4 miles from closest Westbank hotel to port.)

6 sailings from NOLA

The Disney Wonder will embark on six cruises during this limited-time season from New Orleans, including four-, six- and seven-night Western Caribbean sailings; a seven-night Bahamian cruise; and a 14-night Panama Canal voyage, departing February 7 through March 6, 2020.

(taken from WDWinfo article)