We really live in two different worlds…travel and construction, which pays for the travel. One of our construction projects was delayed, so not wanting to waste free time, we looked for a last minute cruise deal for the week of Halloween, which just happens to coincide with our 42nd wedding anniversary, which made it all the better. We found a great deal for a cruise out of New Orleans on the NCL Escape. The cruise itinerary was Mexico, Honduras, and Belize.

After a bit of a crazy flight in and around thunderstorms, we arrived in New Orleans just after midnight. Thank heavens, our hotel had a 24 hour shuttle service

The New Orleans airport is about 30 minutes from the cruise terminal, so we booked a bus transfer from the airport. The previous cruise had been delayed due to traffic on the Mississippi River, so the cruise terminal was packed. Our boarding was delayed for several hours and it was pouring rain. So we headed to the nearby mall.

We stumbled upon a Cafe du Monde. A New Orleans beignet with lots of powder sugar can make any day better.

We did not board the ship until almost 5pm, but we were just grateful to be onboard.

The rain stopped and we had an amazing sunset over downtown New Orleans

The cruise post is next to the Crescent City Connection bridge. We had a great view before we left port and again as we were leaving. It is actually the 5th longest cantilever bridge in the world.

Our luggage almost beat us to our room…we put out our cruise magnets and the Halloween sign our daughter designed for the week.

We headed to the Cruise Next desk, where we signed up for a free Behind the Scenes tour. It is one of the perks of our Sapphire status and we enjoy seeing how each ship is different. The tour was the next morning, which was a day at sea. The galley and laundry areas are always very interesting. The towel and sheet machines dry and fold in less than 10 seconds.

We enjoyed enjoyed an afternoon Latitudes social event. The staff cheered LOUDLY and ENTHUSIASTICALLY for their officers.

It was a blustery SEA day, so we spent most of it indoors.

To us, cruises are truly all about the food. NCL has amazing soups, as well as a made to order crepe station. Our favorite is chocolate and fresh bananas with whip cream on top.

The evening was spent at the Syd Norman Pour House. It is named for a fictional music promoter. The lounge featured a very good group of singers and musicians. We enjoyed watching them several time throughout the cruise.

Our first port was at Cozumel, Mexico. Due to our late departure in New Orleans, we were 3 hours late arriving at the dock. The Cozumel pier is interesting as the ships are very close together. Cozumel is an island located 12 miles east of the mainland of Mexico.

We had a Speed boat excursion planned in Cozumel, but it was cancelled due to gusty winds, so we wandered around the ports shops. We hired a string artist to create an anniversary bracelet for us. He id a great job!!

For the evening, we enjoyed the new restaurant called Pincho Tapas Bar. We asked for a table outside.

We enjoyed the appetizer while we watched the sun set.

We enjoyed 7 “entrees”. All we can say is WOW!!!

After dinner, we watched the World Series game by the pool. Sometimes, they serve popcorn, but this ship did not do that. So we headed back to our room as we had brought our own popcorn…lol

After the game, we enjoyed a Tribute to Elton John and then headed to the 80s party in Spice H2O. It is the outdoor event venue and Jim tried dancing like an Egyptian…lol

It had been a very good start to our unplanned vacation.