Disembarkation- The Fun is OVER... For Now!
Sunday, November 25, 2018
New Orleans, LA
This is always the saddest, and usually most frustrating, part of our cruises as it is the day we say goodbye to the ship. This day was not as frustrating as previous NCL disembarkation, but it still proved to be a LONG day back to God's Country... TEXAS!
Morning
We sat the alarm for 6:30AM (BOOOO) and got dressed rather quickly. The horns had been blowing all night as it was VERY foggy on the Mississippi River. We chose to do the Regular disembarkation this time and opted out of the "SELF ASSIST" option.
This was us the night before and the morning of disembarkation!
TIP- Don't over pack!
TIP- Most cruise lines do a "self assist" option where each passengers carries off ALL of their own luggage. This group is usually called to get off the ship first and in our experience, this is a GREAT option. Well most of the time... The last time we sailed on Norwegian in March 2018, we noticed over half the ship, literally, using this option. With this history, we decided to do the regular disembarkation which allowed us to get off according to our COLOR GROUP. TIP- I LOVE the way NCL does this large group disembarkation. NCL allows you to CHOOSE when you get off the ship by having you go to Guest Services on the next to last day of your cruise and choose a group time you want to disembark. If you want to get off early, choose the early group and if you want to get off later, choose a later color. This is SO MUCH BETTER than Royal Caribbean or Carnival that have these large groups get off by DECK. I swear we get group 30 out of 30 on EACH AND EVERY Carnival cruise. This was is MUCH BETTER! However, if you are wanting a certain time or group, be sure to check GS on the 6th (or next to last) day of the cruise. Some of the groups GO FAST!
This was us the night before and the morning of disembarkation!
TIP- Don't over pack!
TIP- Most cruise lines do a "self assist" option where each passengers carries off ALL of their own luggage. This group is usually called to get off the ship first and in our experience, this is a GREAT option. Well most of the time... The last time we sailed on Norwegian in March 2018, we noticed over half the ship, literally, using this option. With this history, we decided to do the regular disembarkation which allowed us to get off according to our COLOR GROUP. TIP- I LOVE the way NCL does this large group disembarkation. NCL allows you to CHOOSE when you get off the ship by having you go to Guest Services on the next to last day of your cruise and choose a group time you want to disembark. If you want to get off early, choose the early group and if you want to get off later, choose a later color. This is SO MUCH BETTER than Royal Caribbean or Carnival that have these large groups get off by DECK. I swear we get group 30 out of 30 on EACH AND EVERY Carnival cruise. This was is MUCH BETTER! However, if you are wanting a certain time or group, be sure to check GS on the 6th (or next to last) day of the cruise. Some of the groups GO FAST!
We chose to be in the earliest group of the regular disembarkation groups. According to the projected disembarkation time, we were supposed to be called to get off the ship around 9AM. But at 7AM as we were making our way to breakfast, we heard the CD start calling for the "self assist" passengers, approximately 45 minutes earlier than expected. We knew this meant the Norwegian Breakaway was ahead of schedule and we would be called shortly.
Not really sure what happened here because it was not like this the night before.
I am thinking someone had a little too much drink package!
Not really sure what happened here because it was not like this the night before.
I am thinking someone had a little too much drink package!
We ate breakfast in the Savor MDR for the first time on the cruise. This was a mistake as the service was VERY slow. We knew to avoid the buffet on disembarkation day due to all of the luggage of the "self assist" passengers but the service was so bad, we would have been better off in the buffet.
The MDR Breakfast Menu
(It is the same everyday, except for the daily specials)
The MDR Breakfast Menu
(It is the same everyday, except for the daily specials)
Our breakfast was tasty and delicious but was so slow, we missed the calling of our green group at 8:15AM, roughly 45 earlier than expected (WAY TO GO NCL). We finished breakfast and hurried back to our room to get our belongings and then made our way to deck 7 for the long line of people getting off the ship. We weaved in and out of the casino before walking out on the promenade deck to get off the ship. We stood in line about 25 minutes from start to finish and overall, was not a bad disembarkation at all. We were off the NCL Breakaway around 8:45AM.
The kids still had smiles on their face despite leaving the ship!
A view of our balcony from the gangway!
A view of our balcony from the gangway!
Once off the ship, we made our way to get our luggage, which was the fastest EVER of about 3 minutes. Then flew through customs to get to the terminal exit to wait for our taxi. Since we stayed at Comfort Suites Harvey, we had a promotional deal that provided a taxi back to the hotel upon our return. We waited about 15 minutes for the taxi and were back at the hotel and on the road back to Texas around 9:50AM.
Afternoon and Evening
The drive home was frustrating, as usual, and we once again said "NEVER AGAIN" will we sail out of New Orleans, but we always seem to find great deals so we will see if this proves to be true! The typical 7 hour drive took nearly 10 hours and it was dark before we even got back to our house. The kids did REALLY well on the trip to and from New Orleans and were VERY proud of them.
These poor kiddos were SO tired!
Home SWEET Home!
Thank you Jesus we are back in God's Country!
These poor kiddos were SO tired!
Home SWEET Home!
Thank you Jesus we are back in God's Country!
We got back to our house in The Woodlands, TX around 6PM and quickly unloaded all of our stuff and went picked up our fur babies, Abbey and Oxford, who had been staying with our amazing dog sitter. BOY... Were they glad to see us!
Overall, it was a GREAT cruise and a pretty decent disembarkation day. It is always sad to say goodbye to the ship and the cruise but always good to be home. Now it is time to get through the next 4 weeks before Christmas break... I think I can, I think I can!
Our Thoughts OVERALL
This cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway was FANTASTIC and just what we expected and then some. The kids LOVED the ship and had a GREAT time on board and ashore. Chris and I LOVED many things about NCL such as: the drink package, the food quality and entertainment.
However, there are a few things that were eye opening to us during this cruise:
1- I personally do not think NCL knows how to do a "mega-ship". The layout of this ship was not conducive to nearly 5K passengers and while we never "felt" crowded, we could certainly FEEL the other 4762 guests.
2- I HATE the way NCL does the Splash Academy (kids club). This was not parent or user friendly to say the least. The schedule did not flow very well and the hours of operation did not match the entertainment and dining venues times. Furthermore, the workers were never happy and always seemed a little aggravated, as did ALL OF THE OTHER PEOPLE and passengers I talked to about this venue. I can honestly say that unless there is a CRAZY GOOD deal, we will more than likely not sail NCL again with kids. They pretty much lost me as a PARENT customer. Chris and I would sail NCL again in a heartbeat WITHOUT kids.
3- I had read that the ships out of New York had crew members that are not as friendly or hard working as those out of other major ports and this proved to be true on this cruise. (The Breakaway came from New York just 3 weeks prior to arriving in New Orleans.) We found about 2 crew members total who acted like they really wanted to be there and would do anything for me. Most of the other crew members we had dealings with were short, seemed aggravated and quite frankly RUDE compared to other cruise liens we have sailed.
4- Since NCL has added the Ultimate Beverage Package as a perk to bookings, the bar service has continuously gone down hill. As a guest you do not even have to sign when you get a drink, thus the bar staff does not work for tips as much. Our bar service was APPALLING and the worst we have EVER had on a cruise. The drinks were also poorly made. We left thinking "Thank goodness we did not PAY $900+ for the drink package".
Chris and I have a cruise in March 2019 on the Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston for Spring Break and a few more planned after that. We have been very fortunate to cruise 3+ times a year and we hope to be able to continue to do this as our time (and finances) allow. We also have some very exciting land trips planned for California and Las Vegas this coming year! As usual, we will share our experiences with y'all. I love reliving our travels and sharing our experiences and thoughts with other cruise and travel enthusiasts. I truly hope our blog has helped someone plan their next cruise or adventure!
Once again, we owe all of these experiences to God and the mercy He has bestowed upon us! We also appreciate our family members who continuously help take care of our children while we cruise the open seas!
Chris and I have a cruise in March 2019 on the Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston for Spring Break and a few more planned after that. We have been very fortunate to cruise 3+ times a year and we hope to be able to continue to do this as our time (and finances) allow. We also have some very exciting land trips planned for California and Las Vegas this coming year! As usual, we will share our experiences with y'all. I love reliving our travels and sharing our experiences and thoughts with other cruise and travel enthusiasts. I truly hope our blog has helped someone plan their next cruise or adventure!
Once again, we owe all of these experiences to God and the mercy He has bestowed upon us! We also appreciate our family members who continuously help take care of our children while we cruise the open seas!
In addition, I want to thank YOU! You all who continuously follow along day by day of our cruises and share comments and questions. I like blogging about the cruises almost as much as the cruise itself.
Thanks again for following along! I appreciate you!
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…
RC Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
Carnival Dream- 2019
RC Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
Carnival Dream- 2019
Until then… Keep Calm and Cruise on!
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