A nice "convenient" itinerary for us...Leaving "New" Orleans on a "New" Ship for us...the NCL Spirit! This is the same cruise that Mamie & Rob went on last summer, so we're following in their footsteps...doing many of the same things!
Be sure to Click on the pictures throughout the site (and most of the Web Cams, too)
for "Close Ups".
Our
photos will be available in daily "Trip Pix" shown below. Check 'em
all out...that is, if we can upload them due to slow upload speeds on the ship!
Hint: For Quick Access to our daily updates, click on the Dates in the list below to jump to the correct date.
2
Pools/4 Hot Tubs
10 Bars/Lounges
14 Restaurants
Aquaswim Water Treadmills
Casino
Originally named SuperStar Leo (Ship Based in Hong Kong for 5-years by Star Cruises, NCL's parent company)
Tracking Information on our Flight to New Orleans (via Dallas) can be obtained by clicking the various links/buttons in the widget above!
A direct link for the "Live-View" map of our flight to Dallas (will
show up once we take off from San Antonio): Click
Here
A direct link for the "Live-View" map of our flight to New Orleans from Dallas (will
show up once we take off): Click
Here
THANK YOU, MOM!!! Remember, don't spoil Ramses, Cleo and Alika (Ha...as
if you'll pay attention to this written warning!) Give the Boy & Girls a hug each day for us...
Saturday, Hanging out at Harrah's Casino and the French Quarter, no doubt!
Love, Love, Love this hotel... we are on the 10th floor in their "Loft" building...acutally an old SUGAR refinery, that explains why it is so sweet! Ten rooms per floor, occupying an old warehouse. One wall is the old warehouse exposed brick...so much character! We've got a great view, too: Downtown New Orleans one way, Harrah's Casino straight ahead and the Mississippi River the other way.
We walked to the French Quarter in search of good-grub! Found Johnny's Po-Boys (from TV's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate") and had a couple to try 'em out: Pork Chop Po-boy and Catfish Po-Boy...both Deeee-licious!
Had a GREAT time with Kim, Ashley, Amanda, Nick...and baby Weston! We had a blast walking through the French Quarter to the "House of Blues" for a tasty dinner. The kitchen there was having some "issues", but we were finally all served the correct meals...and even scored FREE Desserts for all of their troubles! Our waitress was wonderful, and almost died laughing when she found out two of our "comped" Bread Puddings had completely different sauces on them! One had a tasty caramel sauce, the other had a Creme Fraiche -- too funny, but both were great. Afterwards, we walked along the park that runs alongside the mighty Mississippi River. Then a quick (not) trip to the mall to find a restroom or two...after 3 floors of searching, we finally had everyone set for their trip back to Gulfport/Biloxi.
On the way back to the hotel, we just HAD to stop at the casino for a few hours. Matt lost $100 tonight (up over $200 for the trip) and Steve broke even tonight. We were happy and headed back to the hotel...and decided we needed MORE food! Instead of getting ready and heading out, we just ordered in from the hotel's restaurant... Guess What? A shrimp po-boy...a fried oyster po-boy and some red beans & rice. YUM, a great finally of New Orleans food to end our day!
Web cam of the Mississippi...
Click for Auto-Refreshing Large Image!
Or, Watch the Mississippi Ship Traffic LIVE below
(Click the >PLAY button on the bottom of each picture)
New Orleans Weather
Sunday: We'll head to the ship early...will walk down the 3 blocks with our 3 big bags and computer bag! Do you think anyone will think that we're tourists heading to a cruise????? Check the Web Cams above (click and REFRESH) and CLICK HERE for a live view of the Mississippi River.
Last phone calls will be made around 3PM or so....so, don't do your doggie dutys (doodies?) then!
Cruise Critic Sailaway Party: After Lilfeboat Drill at Raffles Terrace Bar -- We had our "Casinos at Seas" party first, ran by and made an apperence, then to the Sailaway Party and only 2 Cruise Critic'ers in sight...so, we quickly made our exit to more lively surroundings -- Miss G, if you're reading this..it was a Wally Gator moment, fo' sure!
Had a GREAT evening full of food, slots and lots of laughs! There is NO wireless internet on our deck (as reported), so updates will probably only happen once each day (probably late at night when I can haul the laptop & gear up to deck 12!)
Slot Report... not great until a big win for Matt ( $190) at the end of the night, and 2 big wins for Steve ($132 + $160), put us a little up for the night. From the sounds of it, this may be a rare occurence on the slots! Oh well, still had lots of fun and will give it another whirl tonight, no doubt! We went to the "Welcome Show" afterwards and really enjoyed the Spirit Band (sounds like High School, huh?) The singers and dancers are not the best we've ever seen/heard, but they were not offensive...especially when considering OUR singing and dancing skills! The magician was good, we were far in the back of the theatre, so some of his awe-inspiring magic was lost on our poor vision! The comedian was a riot, in our opinion... he mentioned the recent Costa cruise tragedy and said he was a bit concerned this morning when he saw our captain in the Fitness Center on a rowing machine... Not sure everyone quite "got" his type of humor, but it definitely wasn't lost on us... can't wait to see more of him.
Food Report... For lunch: Calamari, Philly Cheesesteak, Bread Pudding (Matthew) & Corn/Potato Chowder, Fish-n-chips, Blueberry Cheesecake (Steve). Then throughout the day, we had pretzels on deck, pretzel bread in the buffet, Peach & Blueberry Cobbler with caramel sauce, Roast Veal, Briased pork shoulder in chimichura sauce, etc. GREAT food at the buffet...and a nice evening ambiance (they have candles on each table and the lights turned down, so you don't feel like you're having "just" the buffet!)
Loved running into Cruise Critic folks all week long: Cyndi & Mike, Cliff & Phillis, Jim (Fuzzy Teddy Bear), Ray & Sue, Kathy, Don & Maddie...so many people! It's always great to catch up with each others' days and the upcoming plans... Such a HUGE group, it was hard to get to know many of them... Oh well, that's what cruising is all about...maybe next time!!!!
Lulled to sleep at 10PM (YES 10PM!) by the low-pitched, repeating hummmmm of our ship's fog horn. It sounded every 30 seconds or so (or minute?) and we're far enough from the front that it sounded like a muted hum. Really felt like we were "On the Seas!" Of course, we couldn't see a thing...the fog was thick as pea soup as we made our way down the Mississippi...we could see down from our 10th deck to the white caps created by the ship's bow,but nothing straight out. Eerie, Peaceful and Beautiful at the same time
Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico
or, CLICK HEREfor a Mid Gulf Buoy
Leave New Orleans at 5PM
Monday: At Sea...Up early and there is NO FOG in the Gulf! Only smooth seas and almost 100% clear skies. Steve just asked when the coffeeman is scheduled to arrive, so I assume it is my cue to start the coffee pot! More posts this evening after I haul this dad-gum mega laptop up with a report of our day at sea!
Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle with Ship's Officers: Henry's Pub -- 10AM (We had a HUGE turnout...all the lanyards are g..o..n..e! Thank goodness! Folks from 17 states and Canada on our Cruise Critic "Roll Call" for this sailing) Gift Exchange with hometown-specific gifts -- Steve got New Jersey Salt Water Taffy...I received a calendar of lighthouses from Oregon. Both gifts were GREAT and will go to good use (at least mine will last a YEAR!)
Cruise Critic "Slot Pull": Right after the Meet & Mingle in "Maharajah's Casino". We ended up with $600 in the pool to play Wheel of Fortune... Steve and Matt's pulls (along with MANY of the rest of us) produced NO winners! But several hit the wheel, so the total "cash out" was $606 split between us all! Great fun and LOTS of attention from other Casino visitors... we were LOUD!
But, let's forget about THAT... Steve decided to play a penny machine while waiting on his Cruise Critic Cash-out. He sat down and started losing, so he decided to hit MAX BET twice and went to the bonus on the 2nd time. He won over $850 in the bonus... and cashed out...thankfully! Wow, what a day!
Coffee in the stateroom this a.m. from the coffee maker was strong, so we didn't need much to eat. We swung by the pool barbecue and ended up with a couple of burgers, hotdogs, etc. so that should hold us until Le Bistro tonight!
The Latitudes party was a madhouse... over 700 memebers on this cruise with free drinks, munchies... and instead of the usual "drawing names for prizes", they pulled folks from the audience to answer questions. Blech...this was a bust. But, it was nice to see Captain Lars again... from our last trip on the Pearl... I told him we enjoyed his driving so much, I thought we'd see how he handled the Spirit... he laughed and reached out to shake my hand. This may seem odd...but NOBODY was shaking hands...already a Norwalk Virus incident onboard, so the handshake was actually a "big deal" (well, at least I felt like it was a big deal!) He appreciated our Spirit lanyard, too...and said he would add it to the one he got from us on the Pearl!
Steve is eating lots, having fun and winning lots, so he is anxious to head back to the casino... He's already talking about buying 2 of the Cruise Rewards certificates for a couple future criuses with his winnings.
Dinner was one of our "free" Le Bistro meals, enjoyed a nice Shiraz, and 2 orders of Escargot each! Matt had his "usual" Filet Mignon cooked perfectly (as always) and Steve had Lamb Chops (delicious!) We met the head chef of Le Bistro and the Head Sous Chef for the entire ship, they loved our comments about the food/service...and the consistency from ship-to-ship! We had the same waiter at Le Bistro as we had on our first lunch at Windows...Peter...and shared quite a few under-breath laughs with him. As he was scraping the bread crumbs off of the table, he asked, "Remember that Bread Pudding you had in Windows?" And we replied, "Yes"...and he tilted the cup of our table crumbs to us with a wink! Steve asked where the chocolate from his dessert came from, and Peter almost doubled-over in laughter. The Matre'd was great and we already have reservations for our dinner after Roatan in Le Bistro. Can't wait!!!
No slots or entertainment tonight, we just went to the room and sat on the balcony staring into the dark. Later about midnight or so, we passed Cozumel and the Yucatan, and even later passed another cruise ship heading in the opposite direction.
Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico
or, CLICK HERE for a Mid Gulf Buoy
Tuesday: Another partly cloudy morning with smooth-as-glass seas. We have enjoyed watching the ocean depth register on the TV, going from 30 Meters to as much as 3000 Meters (going to have to pay more attention on our return to NOLA, to see if it registers any deeper.)
This morning, we walked 1.4 miles around the deck (definitely going to do this daily!) It was a great start to the day and a good way to get everything moving again! We'll be docking soon and "Maya Chan" has free wi-fi, so will be uploading any pix and doing a bit of Bodden stuff once there. Looking forward to their 9 hole sand-wedge tourney! Steve assures me that he has this one in the bag...we'll see...
Excursion: All-Inclusive Beach Resort - Maya Chan! What FUN! It was so relaxing (for us!) and a drunken hoo-ha for others... something for everyone, for sure! We had "prime real estate" and had a lovely breeze coming in off of the Caribbean... such a wonderful, warm staff and TERRIFIC food! Oh, great drinks, too! Since it is capacity-controlled, and all pre-booked ahead of time, it never felt crowded or cruise-crazy! We left around 3PM and shopped a bit (not much here except for things we can buy in San Antonio...and Diamonds International, etc.) Had a great day...
Now for some relaxing -- not sure why we're both so worn out, but we're contemplating skipping dinner (maybe do the buffet), seeing the show and turning in early for our cave-tubing in Belize tomorrow! We'll see how these plans work out!
Web Cam at Maya Chan Resort...
Click for Auto-Refreshing Large Image!
Costa Maya Weather
Leave Costa Maya at 6PM
Wednesday: Arrive Belize City at 8AM...AGAIN, beautiful weather, but no time to do internet, photo uploads, etc. We're just having too much fun! Did our walk (cut it short one lap, so not quite a mile.)
Excursion: Cave Tubing with ViV Tours Melayne & Rob were right-on! This was a great tour... a nice hike, lots of nature, then a refreshing float through a couple of "active" caves... So much beauty in one spot and definitely not over-developed -- our tour company VIV was great! On our hike down to the caves, we encountered a tarantula -- check out the photos! We also ate some termites straight from the termite mound -- they tasted like carrots, then mellowed to a minty after taste. They're only the size of a sugar ant and supposedly high in protein...so, if we ever get termites in San Antonio, we're prepared! Those termites better look out!
Melayne, we made it to the Wet Turtle again...and had the hottest damn hot sauce AGAIN! Had a great time visiting with a fellow Cruise Critic family...comparing past cruises, upcoming excursions, etc. Such a fun time. Steve says, "Last Time on Belize...Un-impressed. This Time...Un-Belizeable!!!"
We were on the last tender to the boat, then quick shower and off to the Platinum party. Had too much wine (3 glasses) and headed to our 8PM dinner at Cagney's Steakhouse, where we ordered another bottle of wine and almost Everything off of the menu: Lobster Bisque, Wedge Salad, Crab Cakes, Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, Lobster Tails, Ice Cream, and Raspberry Creme Brulee! Great food...with the best waiter ever, Eduardo... One thing about this ship -- from the top down, they have an outstanding, happy crew!
No Casino wins/losses...too wiped out and full to bother with heading down to the casino... There's always tomorrow...
Web Cam from Belize...
Click for Auto-Refreshing Large Image!
We won't see much weather, since we'll be in the caves!
Belize Weather
Leave Belize at 6PM
Thursday: Arrive Roatan at 8AM... BEEeeeeutiful, Clear morning and we are getting prepared for our "tendering" via our ship's life boats...only a quick 5 minute tender to get to the other side of the Celebrity Solstice. We did our walk this morning and the view of the mountians on the Honduran mainland was unbelievable...clear as a bell!
CRAP...due to the higher winds, all 4 ships have cancelled Roatan for today. So we're stuck with 3 Fishing Reels, Janeht & Victor are stuck with alot of extra food -- sad, but can't fight nature -- it is what it is...
Received an email from Victor and they are all soooo upset that we didn't dock. Janeht had been preparing for several days (a real feast, no doubt) and Victor let us know how they had been waiting for this day for months. We are so sad that we missed seeing them, but may plan a trip down in July (Miss G...how about a week off in Paradise?) Victor said only 2 ships have docked all week long due to the strange high-winds! So sad...so many people that don't get to enjoy our FAVORITE place!
No sealife outside our window, just lots of white caps as far as the eye can see... fun to watch and try to track the waves as they skirt across the ocean surface. Steve is snorking loudly (and has been ever since breakfast!) Matthew went to the casino for a few minutes...Went in with $100, came out with $256...so his casino day may be "over" early! We've had a few office hiccups (magnified by the absence of reliable internet), so we'll be updating this page...obviously, as you are reading it... and firing off a few more emails at noon.
NCL had a great stand-by plan for this unplanned extra sea day. We are planning on seeing the "Can't Cook Won't Cook" where the head chef will try to teach the Captain and Hotel Director a new recipe...both officers quite the (dry) wit, so it should be good. Then, maybe the "Goofy Golf Putting Tournament" if the putting expert ever gets a'movin!
Web Cam at the "other" cruise dock...
Click for Auto-Refreshing Large Image!
How's the Weather?
We won't be "here"...but it's fun to watch for divers & snorkelers!
Roatan Weather
Leave Roatan at 5PM
Friday: Arrive Cozumel at 8AM...Actually, we arrived early (since we skipped Roatan and had an extra Sea Day!) Steve and I were the first two to snoop our way down to the gangway, and were off a "good" 15 minutes before anyone else! Check out some of the "deserted Cozumel" photos in the beginning of the photos.
Excursion: Cozumel Bar Hop Bus -- Melayne & Rob were again...SPOT ON! Fun, fun, fun...and the beauty of Cozumel's Eastern Coast can not be described! The excursion was great...and the food (and drinks) were quite tasty, as well! Of course, we barely began the tour, when our guide, Colleen asked, "Who are Esteban and Mateo...your sister has been tweeting about you for 2 days?!?" So, she took several photos and a video and uploaded them to Facebook (I guess?) for Melayne's enjoyment! It was great to see the owner/manager, Tom, again after several years... He is still quite the host, that is FOR SURE! We will definitely do this again...either the next time we spend a week in Coz...or on the next cruise. Such fun!
We were a bit late leaving Coz due to a couple of "late arrivals", the Captain really let them have it and said how rude it was to hold up a ship full of people just because two or so can't read their watch. He continued, "...in Sweeden we have a word for people like that...but, I won't share it here." I sure am glad I was onboard on time! But, that damn Cartier store was sure calling for me to spend a few extra moments on the island!
Web Cam at the Cozumel Port...
Click for Auto-Refreshing Large Image!
Cozumel Weather
Leave Cozumel at 5PM
Saturday: At Sea ... and had a GREAT morning! As part of being "Platinum" in the NCL Latitudes department, we received a free "Behind the Scenes" tour! AMAZING... really enjoyed visiting the galley, laundry, entertainment, environmental, inventory, ship navigation, etc. departments... Incredible work going on behind the scenes 24/7 to keep the ship in tip-top shape! I hope you enjoy the photos.
Both of us lost in the Slot tournament... We are up over $150 for the day, so no complaints!!
Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico
or, CLICK HERE for a Mid Gulf Buoy
Sunday: Arrive New Orleans at 8AM
Excursion: NCL's New Orleans: Past, Present & Perfect -- then, dropped off at the airport to wind-down! This was a nice "overview" tour that helped to identify where much of the Katrina damage was loctated... We drove for 2 hours in areas that were underwater -- amazing and we didn't even see the worst areas...and although it's been 6 years, many of the scars remain. A true testiment to the citizens of this state...how fast they have rebounded. The tour was also a great way to see several of the areas "outside" of the French Quarter that we will like to visit in the future.
Then to the airport...too early to check luggage, so we had a chicken po'boy and red beans & rice... Sat a while longer, then were able to check-in 4 hours before flight time. So, we're checked-in, uploaded and just waiting for our flight...gotta' sign off as som Cruise Critic friends (Kathy & Don from Albany, NY) just showed up.... They are a fun couple with a wonderful daughter, Maddie. They were right down the hall, so, we've enjoyed sharing/comparing our daily activities throughout the week with them!
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