Every other year, we take our grandkids on a No Parents Allowed Trip(NPA) This would be our 4th trip. We decided to do a cruise out of New Orleans. This would be Whitney and Wyatt’s first cruise.

We had been at Disneyland with our youngest granddaughter, so flew straight from California to Iowa. We were there a day, and it took all the adult help to get homework done before we could go…lol. We left at 5:00am the next morning to drive to Kansas City for our flight.

We waited patiently in the airport, but soda helped…during the flight we had two different travelling styles

In Hawaii you are greeted with leis, but in New Orleans, it is a jazz band. Whit and Wyatt loved it!!

One of Wyatt’s request was to eat real New Orleans food. We looked up places and settled on Ernst Cafe. We ordered a crab patty sandwich, red beans and rice, a combo bowl of jambalaya, gumbo, and blackened chicken. Wyatt is a mac and cheese critic, so we also ordered the barbecue mac and cheese. It was given a two thumbs up and Wyatt may have used his fingers to get the last drops. LOL It is an NPA after all.

Next stop was beignets for dessert. Cafe Du Monde only closes two days a year, Christmas and Mardi Gras. We wanted the real experience so we waited for a table. Everyone got a plate of 3 beignets. They are a deep-fried lumpy scone, covered in powder sugar. They are THAT good!!!!

In the alley, there is a kitchen viewing window. An employee, who was on a break, told us that on an average day, they go through 250 pounds of powdered sugar and serve 2000 beignets.

The Mississippi River is a short walk from the cafe. Our ship will sail from here the next morning. The Crescent City Connection, formerly known as the Greater New Orleans Bridge, is in the background. This is the deepest spot on the entire 2340 miles of the river, 160 feet.

We walked to Bourbon Street in the French Quarters, making sure to get there before it got too crazy. The kids said it reminded them of Pleasure Island in Pinocchio. That is a pretty accurate description even in the daylight.

We loved looking in the nightclubs and seeing the different “instruments” that were used and the sounds they made. (Spoons and a metal vest). We watched a percussion band, with real drums but also 5-gallon buckets.

We had a casual evening in our hotel, where we got our tags on our bags and our embarkation shirts ready.

The next morning, we were off to the ship. We had booked a room close to the port so we only had a 10 minute walk. The kids were very excited, when we walked across the port mat.

First view of the ship!!

We received the all-important “stamp of approval” to board the ship. They were excited, how excited, soooo excited.

Our room was not yet ready, so we explored the ship. They loved the glass elevators and the view from the top of the ship. We even played some ping pong.

Everyone has hungry, so we headed to the buffet…Wyatt walked in and said, “I think it smells like Heaven”. And since we didn’t get enough food at the buffet we had hamburgers as well

We chilled in our room while we waited for our bags to be delivered. Wyatt checked out our balcony.

After our bags arrived, we headed to the top of the ship for our departure. The kids loved that the ship twirled in a circle. Jim loved that the ship blocked the river.

Our view of the City of New Orleans….

We had a beautiful evening of slowly sailing down the river. It actually takes 8 hours to reach the open ocean.

We ate dinner in the main dining room and Whit and Wyatt, were chosen to dance with the waiters. The kids indulged in the famous Carnival Lava cake. After we were done eating, we got up to leave…

Whitney… “wait you need to pay”.

Jim … “the meals are included in the cruise”

Whitney… “well, then I am going to order steak every night”

The pilot boat entrance was right below our balcony, so it gave the kids a great view of the boat. The river pilot helps the crew guide the ship down the Mississippi River. Boy was it foggy when the pilot got off.

We had just got settled down for bed, when we heard a helicopter. A crew member had fallen ill and needed to be evacuated, so we watched a Coast Guard emergency basket lift. The helicopter hovered just outside our state room and it was loud.

The next morning, the kids experienced their first open ocean and our first towel animal.

We went to the pool, where Whit and Wyatt tried the water slide. Wyatt was a bit disappointed that the slide and the pool were saltwater.

Since the kids discovered that the food was free, we ate lots of “snacks” throughout the day. Whitney said that the food tasted better because it was free…hahaha. I think they ate at least 40 soft serve ice cream cones during the cruise.

Carnival Kid’s Club is associated with Dr. Seuss, so we went to an afternoon show.

At the very top of the ship, right next to the smoke stack, is the miniature golf course, it was really windy. We went to the theater and did Harry Potter Trivia. We needed Uncle Jade there to help.

Carnival has a Build-A-Bear clinic every afternoon, so we signed up for the workshop. First step, color your picture, second step, play some games.

Third step, pick out your bear and accessories, fourth step ENJOY… Sgt Waddles and Rocky Road

More food!! The sushi was made to order and it was an extra fee, but it was really good.

Wow what a sunset!!

Time for the evening activities…we dropped off our letters to Santa in the mailbox. Then it was off to dinner, like we needed more food. Whitney was super excited to have Creme Brulee’ since that is her mom’s favorite dessert.

We ended with a show in the theater.

Our No Parents Allowed how started off with lots of smiles, new experiences, and great memories.