scuba_ninja

Greetings and salutations! My next cruise is only weeks away! Exciting! 

1) I've done reviews in the past of my sailings and they have been fairly long. You can see them in my history. Any interest in one of those for Freedom?

2) Anyone else on this sailing? I don't see a roll call. I was thinking about starting one. 

3) Cruise ducks - my niece and nephew are 5 and 7. This is my first time doing the ducks, on Freedom any particularly good places to hide/find them? 

4) I'm planning on wearing shorts and a tank top in the MDR on formal night, as long as I cover myself in glitter first is that allowed? (Oh goodness, yes, I'm kidding). 

Thanks all for the info!! That's what I was afraid of and I wanted to be sure. I think I'll be doing a food tour instead that day. 

I'm looking at a few different vendors, and believe it or not the one through Royal Caribbean seems to be the cheapest! Go figure! Has anyone done any of these? I think the ones I am looking at all go to Pearl Island. 

21 hours ago, pghsteelerfan said:

I really enjoyed your review, just finished or just got caught up.  Your pictures are beautiful and I love the humor.  We've actually spent two different weeks in New Olreans (1996 and again 2018).  From your pictures, we still have a LOT to see.  So I'm also enjoying your section on New Orleans too.  We were on Glory in 2010, so nice seeing a review of an old friend.  But the collision - ouch!  Glad she continued sailing.  Friends will be boarding her tomorrow for a Journey cruise.  I haven't been on CC much due to being busy and trying to cut computer time, but we have a cruise coming up in May and booked another one for 2021.  I came to CC to research ports since two will be new for us this trip, but can't resist reading reviews.  Thank you for taking the time, I really enjoyed it. 

Thank you! I'm so glad you are enjoying the review. I'm sorry it's dragging on so long. Stuff is getting in the way, but I'm determined to give everyone what I promised. 

New Orleans is a really special place, I don't know if you could see it all in a single lifetime. 

More NOLA charm... because... NOLA

Here's some more museum shots, because it was so darn cool in there. (I'm a food nerd)

They were also recording a podcast in there the day we visited. 

The museum itself is great!!!! If you are into food, especially southern food, you'll love it here. 

They even have a copy of an original popeyes biscuit recipe~!

They also have all manner of artifacts from southern food life. From Absinth spoons and bottles to BBQ. 

Toups south is the restaurant at the Southern Food and Beverage museum - https://southernfood.org/

A GREAT MUSEUM~! WITH AN EVEN BETTER RESTAURANT!

Let's start with the food first. 

Menu: 

I regret not getting the cracklins, because I love cracklins, but we certainly had a super delicious meal. A+++. This place is fantastic. 

The biscuits with crab fat butter were divine. Crispy on the outside, fluffy pillows of love on the inside. The crab fat butter was certainly crabby, but smooth and full of amazing flavors. Just the right amount of seafood, salt and happy. A perfect match to the biscuits. 

The Octopus was somethin' else. Lemme tell ya. The sauce was unctuous, smooth and delicious. A great balance of flavors. The octopus was so so tender too. You could really taste it too, the sauce was not overpowering. I wish I had ordered 5 of them and not shared with my wife.  

The restaurant is stark, but nicely done. All that separates it from the museum is a curtain. So you can get a drink from the bar and then tour the museum. I think you can also rent it all out for a big awesome party. 

The bar is also apparently the oldest operating physical bar in the US. It isn't at the original location though. It was rescued from its former location and set up here. Kinda cool actually. 

We had come a little early that day, so it was pretty empty. i'm sure it fills up fast. 

If you're into Sushi, Mikimoto in NOLA has been around forever and is really great. Get a box roll! I've never had anything like it before. It is a layer of rice, some crab (real, not the fake stuff), more rice, then raw fish. Super good. 

Also, the fried oysters I had there were the best I had the entire time I was in NOLA. They were super fresh and delicious. 

My wife used to come here a lot in college, and it is a MUST stop every time we are in town. I certainly don't complain about it. 

Did I post these yet? I love how festive the city is! 

Also, you have to love cajun-claus

I also really love how full of live everyone is in NOLA. This gentleman was totes rockin' out, and just enjoying life. He wasn't high or anything, just... full of life and jazz. 

More random NOLA architecture for good measure. 

The Riverwalk shops/mall across from the terminal very clearly caters to tourists. And that's necessarily a bad thing. You've got your usual smattering of mall shops. A few have some very touristy gifts. Some actually have really lovely NOLA gifts too. Crescent City creations has some funky sparkly clothes my wife likes. You'll find your usual assortment of t-shirt shops and such too. The Fossil outlet store often has good prices. If you've forgotten some clothes for the cruise, this is a good place to grab 'm before you board. 

Yay! Ugly stuff made in China!

The French market is a hoot.

You've got a few different sections of it. One part has lots of food

and some gifts, then there's a section with a little higher end gifts, and the tent-ish part outside is a flea market of sorts with cheap gift things. Great for picking up a souvenir. Some of the items for sale are actually great. I picked up a few little trinkets there. 

The snowball stand in there isn't the BEST I've ever had, but decent. They also have a shop selling apple beignets. Those are darn tasty. 

A few years ago I became a fountain pen nerd. I love using them. In a word where I'm about as important as the gum on someone's shoe, it makes me feel special. NOLA has a store called Papier Plume that is well known in the writing and fountain pen community. They have all sorts of writing goodies, wax seals, etc. They also make and sell their own custom inks in store. 

I bought a bottle of the red beans and rice ink. Great stuff. If you know anyone into journaling, writing, etc. This is a great shop to visit. 

They have a range of pens too, from crazy fancy to affordable. And an awesome skull pen holder that my wife wouldn't let me buy. 😞

The one in the middle here that is black and gold is actually made with metal from the titanic. If I had $8,500 to spend on the pen.... I might have. Maybe. But not brought it on the cruise. I feel like that's bad luck. I'll stick with my $20 pens. 

Sorry folks. I only go on vacation once every few years, and now I remember why. Everything goes to poop when I get back. I have a close relative who just had to have a brain tumor removed. Sucks. But that's why I've been so spotty. 

Anyway, back to NOLA, since I promised. 

Here's a few more pics that should give you a sense of the history and the beauty in this city. 

And that house:

And beignets. Because Beignets. 

On 2/1/2020 at 9:31 AM, LandlockedCruiser01 said:

I couldn't agree more.  It seems like in most US cities, especially those outside the East Coast and the Rust Belt, historic sites are something you visit tourist-style, and many locals seldom, if ever, spend time there.  That is, there's a historic downtown or a district, and you go there to see it, while the rest of the city is a modern, bland sea of chains and parking lots.  But in New Orleans, the city is the history, the history is the city.  It's an inherent part of the city's fabric.  Without history, it wouldn't be New Orleans; it would be Blandsville, Louisiana.

 

I went to New Orleans several years ago.  It's not a cheap place.  Although, we stuck to touristy areas, since the city's safety reputation is kind of iffy.  We ate most of our meals at the French Market, since it was warm enough to eat outside, despite it being December.  We also got snacks and beer at convenience stores.  It was cheaper than restaurants, but not as cheap as, say, McDonald's or cooking your own meals.  All in all, we spent $40 per person per day on food.  Given the huge selection at the French Market, that's where I'd suggest for you and your husband to eat.  You can get crawfish ettouffe (sp?) over rice, and your husband can get a roast beef sandwich.

 

Speaking of sandwiches, do try a muffaletta.  It's deli meats with an oily, vinegary olive salad, on a flattened crusty bun.  That's something all but the pickiest eaters can enjoy.

Well written, and yes, the muffaletta at central grocery in particular tastes like history. 

On 1/31/2020 at 7:32 AM, grandmarnnurse said:

Currently in NOLA for our cruise this Sunday and because of your review, we will be eating breakfast at the Ruby Slipper this morning. We were shocked last night, though, as how expensive the restaurants were here! Any advice for a woman who does love all foods and one picky beef eating man? Lol!

I"m so sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Coming from chicago, I was actually surprised how reasonable most of the food was other than a few famous places. Ruby slipper is worth every penny. And 2 of us shared one meal and we are NOT small eaters. Trolly stop is also good. And Johnny's po boys in French Quarter. Sorry again for not getting you more names sooner. 

On 1/28/2020 at 6:59 PM, jefffrompawpaw said:

Great review, I will be on the Glory in March.  Any more restaurant recommendations? Im there for a 2 days after my cruise ends. Also looking for things to do with my 2 teenage kids if anyone  can think of anything.

Yes, more coming! With pics!

Ha! Small world!!

I hope you're enjoying the review. 

Thanks! More pictures of NOLA coming soon!

If you go to NOLA and don't go to Ruby Slipper for breakfast, I can only assume you have mental problems. 

Here we see the benedict flight and some candy bacon. Both I regret sharing with my wife. Also, get the banana foster cocktail. It is warm! Amazing! And (Insert long string of cuss words here) delicious. And I don't even drink. And I want to live in a bathtub filled with that stuff. Spectacular. 

Every inch of the French quarter is special and beautiful. 

Jackson square is just... beautiful. 

Great shops all around the square too. Everything is really tasteful, and some great places to get unique goodies to take home. The St. Louis Cathedral is also the oldest in the US. A really special place. 

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Also, I'm pretty sure it is the only cathedral in the word that has someone dressed like the devil outside of it reading tarot cards.

OK, as promised....

NOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's just start off by saying New Orleans is spectacular and I could move there. Yes, I know "but you're only there on vacation" blah blah blah. Sometimes, you just get a feeling about a place. NOLA could be my forever home. 

Let's dispel a few myths too. 

1) It's not a drunken sloppy party city. Even during Mardi Gras. There's a TON of family friendly parts to the parade. You just see on TV what sells ratings and seedy DVDs. 

2) It is still in Shambles from the Hurricane. Is it 100% recovered yet? No. But would you really even know? No, probably not. 

3) A snowball is the same as a snow cone. Not even close. A real snowball is fluffy like the clouds the angels sit on and covered in delectable magic. You need to get it with the condensed cream too. I could eat 50 in a row. In the middle of winter. 

I've got hundreds of NOLA pics, but I promise I won't post 'm all. Just some major highlights. If I repeat any from earlier... deal. I'm way too lazy to scroll back 6 pages. 

First up, we have an awesome combination tattoo parlour and law office. I'm sure they do both amazingly well. Maybe I can get my will inked onto my butt. 

Even the bus and trolley lines got all festive for the holiday. 

And here we have the pothole in its natural habitat. Traffic cone for scale. It's not impossible that this damage is still there from Katrina. You still see things like this around the city that were just... never fixed. 

I mean, the name of this restaurant is perfect. It is on St. Charles, so it gets covered in beads every year when they throw them into the crowds. Pro tip, this far uptown, the parades are still crowded, but far, far more family friendly. 

Awesome t-shirt. I regret not buying it. 

8 hours ago, mexicobob said:

Thank you for one of the best reviews written on these boards. Love the pictures.

 

On your next cruise you might want to give Guy's BBQ a try. Not like you have to pay for it.
Not sure about the liquid smoke stuff but the meats were outstanding. I did not think this was a chemical taste...but whatever. The sides were worth the trip even if you do not get any meat.

Thought it was the best food on Carnival.

Thanks for that compliment!!!

I tried it on the Dream two years ago. I was honestly not a fan. But it could have been that sailing, crew, etc. I would give it another shot. 

10 hours ago, wesorbeth said:

Was this a Carnival excursion? 

 

No, I did it through shorexcursioneer.com

34 minutes ago, SERK said:

Totally agree about the behind the fun tour.  We did it on the Dream last year for first time and yes...it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!  Fortunately for us, our ships (boats 😜) Captain was very friendly and took a bunch of pictures both groups and individually with us.  We definitely feel the same way about tipping.  These people work their butts off so we can have a great vacation while they are half a world away from family.  We tip our waiters in MDR, room steward, bar tenders etc. Tipping is the main reason we bring actual cash on board.  What we have leftover goes towards port of call T-Shirts, etc.  

 

Great review of your vacation and we are looking forward to our Glory trip next month.  I wish we were making a stop in Grand Cayman because I would totally get your better half the shirt she missed out. 

Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying the review! And your shirt offer is super heart warming!

54 minutes ago, wesorbeth said:

Was this a Carnival excursion? 

 

No, I booked through shore excursioneer.

Debarkation day was kinda rushed. They started making announcements extra early and were proud of the fact that they were getting us off "in record time". My wife was PISSED that I ended up waking her up an hour earlier than she had wanted, but they really wanted us out. 

Part of it was that they needed to do tests on the elevators. I was actually one of the last people off the ship. We had a billing error that I ran around trying to fix for a long ass time. I got charged for towels from the Lido. No idea why, but they eventually relented and took the $22 off my bill. I'm really really glad that I checked my final statement at the last minute. Let that be a lesson, don't leave the ship without checking! 

All in all, this was a great trip. Sure, it had some annoying things, and some misses, but I'd get back on the Glory tomorrow if I could. I have no hesitation to recommend the Glory for a great time. 

And this technically concludes the review but I know y'all want to know more about NOLA. Before I post about that (probably tomorrow) do you have any other questions I can answer? Or any other pictures of things you'd like to see?