Worst Disembarkation Ever
New Orleans, LA
March 18, 2018
We woke up to an alarm sounding at 6:30AM. We knew we had to get up, get ready
and have our things packed and ready to go by 7:15AM since we were doing the
Self-Assist disembarkation option. When we got to the Pool deck area we noticed
it was REALLY foggy outside and we were not yet parked at the Julia St.
Terminal. While we were eating breakfast the Captain blew Pearl’s horn many
times and finally around 7:15AM we pulled into the cruise terminal, still with
VERY heavy fog!
Downtown New Orleans from the ship!
TIP- NCL offers traditional Self-Assist disembarkation for
those passengers who can carry all of their luggage off the ship. This means
you do not put your luggage outside your room the night prior but rather keep
it and then carry it off yourself. NCL also offers “Freestyle Disembarkation”.
This means that you can choose when you disembark the ship based off of your post-cruise
needs such as flights and other transportation needs. We discussed using the
Freestyle option but went with our usual Self-Assist since we were in New
Orleans and still had what we thought would be a 6+ hour drive home.
We ate breakfast and then went back to our room to wait for
the announcement that was supposed to be made around 7:30AM. I noticed a lot of
people moving with suitcases around 7:20AM so I told Chris I would check on the
process. On deck 7 there was ONE worker telling people to line up outside on the
promenade deck. I ran back down to the room to get Chris and our bags. We then
went to the back of the line which was near the very aft of the ship on deck 7
after the line started at the forward elevators (So basically the entire length
of the ship was passengers with luggage). We waited there until 8AM when an announcement
was finally made to start the process. From there it was a fiasco and complete chaos.
First of all there were not enough workers to help guide people
and all kinds of people were cutting in line and randomly choosing where to go.
The line lead us back to the forward elevators and then weaved in and out of 7
deck like I have never seen. It led us all the way to the aft of the ship
inside of deck 7 then out to the promenade to get off. It looked like 2/3 of
this ship's passengers were using self-assist. We spent over an hour weaving
through deck 7 to get off.
This is hard to see but we literally went ALL around the ship with our luggage (and 2500 other passengers) to get off the ship. It took us over an hour to weave in and out just to get off.
And around 8:40AM they called the 1st regular group to get off the ship so clearly we made the wrong choice in Self-Assist. It was a complete disaster and easily the worst disembarkation ever. Carnival runs a “tight ship”, if you will, as far as embarkation and disembarkation goes and we were really missing that organization. I do not know if this was a reflection of NCL or this CD and his staff or the Hotel Director but it left a really bad taste and impression in our mouth for NCL.
This is hard to see but we literally went ALL around the ship with our luggage (and 2500 other passengers) to get off the ship. It took us over an hour to weave in and out just to get off.
And around 8:40AM they called the 1st regular group to get off the ship so clearly we made the wrong choice in Self-Assist. It was a complete disaster and easily the worst disembarkation ever. Carnival runs a “tight ship”, if you will, as far as embarkation and disembarkation goes and we were really missing that organization. I do not know if this was a reflection of NCL or this CD and his staff or the Hotel Director but it left a really bad taste and impression in our mouth for NCL.
The small amount of luggage being taken into the terminal.
We finally got off the ship and into customs around 9:15AM
and literally just blew right through customs without any issues. Then we made
our way out of the terminal and just as we were getting to the street I got a
call from our taxi driver who was waiting to pick us up. We literally walked
straight to our cab and got in. That was the best timing as there was a line of
30-40 people waiting for regular taxis. Tip- This is another perk of the Comfort
Suites Harvey where stayed pre-cruise as they call us a specific taxi and have
him ready for us.
ALL of the luggage from the ship.. That is all! The rest was carried off as Self-Assist!
We got back to the hotel around 9:45AM and got our car
loaded up and headed back home. We had no idea this 6 hour trip would take 9
hours at the time. We ran into traffic in Baton Rouge (typical), between Baton
Rouge and Lafayette, Lake Charles (c’mon Louisiana… construction during Spring
Break?) and then a terrible delay in Beaumont! It took us 9 hours to get home
and we were exhausted and frustrated. I felt like a needed another vacation just from that
commute. We decided that cruising out of New Orleans over Spring Break, when we
both have to be back at work teaching just a day after disembarkation, is not
for us. We spent a lot of the commute home discussing our Spring Break 2019
cruise plans that have yet to be determined. We think we will sail out of
Galveston.
This is what I saw for 5 hours straight... Non-Stop bumper to bumper traffic!
Home sweet Home! Should only be 1.5 hours from this point (TX and LA border) but it was over 3! I just want to see my babies!
It was a WONDERFUL cruise and we loved every minute. It was
full of new experiences, new memories and a new cruise line. We loved Norwegian
Cruise Lines and the Freestyle cruising. The overall experience was just as
good, if not better, as any cruise line we have sailed and the value was
exceptional. In addition, I think the service and food were better on Norwegian
than any of the other 3 cruise lines. We are anxious to try out a Royal
Caribbean “mega-ship”, Liberty of the Seas, in June followed by a NCL “mega-ship”,
Breakaway later in the year.
I think that each of the major 4 cruise lines has their strengths and weaknesses and now having sailed on all 4 major cruise lines, we know what each one excels at.
Going forward I think we will stick with our plan of cruising with any of the
4, depending on price point, value, itinerary and overall convenience. We
cruise out of Galveston a lot but the convenience is perfect for us. In addition,
cruising out of the home-port means no flights and that basically means more cruises
for us.
In the next year we have 3 cruises booked and another one we
are contemplating... plus we have several more on the horizon, including a major
cruise to the Baltic in 2021.
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- June 2018
Norwegian Breakaway (with the kids)- 2018
* Carnival Triumph- December 2018
* Carnival Triumph- December 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
Again, we are only able to do these cruises with
the love and support of our families who take care of our kids (when they are
not cruising with us) so we can enjoy what we love to do the most. Thank you
Mom and Dad and Dan and Jackie!
I hope this cruise blog has helped some of you plan your NCL
cruise and given you tips and tricks for the ports of call. I know many others
of you simply read for fun and I greatly appreciate your support and following
along! The blog would not be what it is today without y’all reading and
following along!
Follow us on YouTube at Kellie Davis- Cruise Like a Davis. I
have videos and tips and tricks from most of our recent cruises.
Next Up… The Liberty of the Seas!
Until then… Keep Calm and Cruise on!
God is good… ALL the time!
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