Embarkation - New Orleans and NCL Escape - November 29, 2025

I woke with a headache around 6:00 a.m.  I probably shouldn't have had that last drink the night before, or maybe not the last two.  Oh well, it was fun.  Realizing what time it was, I checked the VesselFinder app to see where my ship was and my sunrise app to double check this morning's sunrise time and then threw on shoes and some clothes and was out the door in minutes.

The colors of the sky were already changing as I arrived and not long after the sun peaked over the horizon.  There were some Ring-billed Gulls perching near me, fighting for spots that made some beautiful silhouettes.

Then finally, the Escape poked its nose around the corner and came into full view.  This will be my 27th cruise and it still never gets old that first view of my ship.  It takes my breath away.  The Escape is a pretty ship.  I love the frigate birds painted on the front.

A tugboat followed the Escape into New Orleans, at the ready in case she needed any assistance

By this time, I was starving so I headed back to my hotel for breakfast.  The hotel restaurant was a lot busier this morning so I grabbed the last table.  Instead of lingering over a second cup of coffee, I took the second cup to go so I could enjoy it while I packed and finished getting ready.

I had a 10:30 a.m. arrival time so checked out of the hotel about 10:20 a.m.  The port was chaos with the ship getting in a little late.  When I arrived there was still a steady stream of passengers disembarking.  And then when I got closer to the ship, I could see the long lines of passenger still on the ship waiting to get off.  

As I approached Julia Street, they had porters on this side of the tracks so I turned in my luggage and then headed up the escalator to the overhead pedestrian walkway to the Riverwalk Mall.  From the mall there are elevators down to the port area.  Some people were just walking across the tracks but with traffic and pedestrians leaving, I thought it would be easier to do the overpass.  The advantage to that plan was I found the balcony on the second floor of the mall right near the cruise ship elevators that gave me an incredible view of the ship.  I sat and waited there for a while until I saw the last of the passengers disembark.

Once the line on the ship dissipated, I saw a few other couples start to head down, so I followed them and was pleasantly surprised to find the inside of the port was actually not too crazy.  I quickly walked through security and then check in and sat down for only a couple minutes before embarkation started.  I was on the ship before noon.  I stopped at my muster station, stepped into one of the restaurants to make specialty dining reservations, and then headed to Savor, one of the Main Dining Rooms to have a nice lunch and my first drink, a glass of Prosecco.  

Cajun Chicken on pasta - they modified this for my dairy allergy.  The menu item had a cream sauce instead of tomato sauce.

Fueling up for the trip

Pallets of provisions

The portal door for supplies was actually below the dock and so it was interesting to watch this forklift lower crates and pallets down.  I understand that the water level is usually low this time of year.  Its highest level is in the spring after all the melted snow from the north makes its way down the Mississippi.

I sat for a little bit on the waterfront - they have some comfortable chairs outside plus some outdoor seating for many of the specialty restaurants around this wide deck.  Then I headed up to the spa to get a tour of the thermal suite since I had booked the week pass and to book a massage.

The cabins were ready about 2:00 p.m.  I'm staying in a solo studio which is a key card area with a solo lounge and about three decks of cabins.  I will admit I circled the entire deck 10 more than once before I noticed the door to the solo studios.  I've still gotten turned around more times than normal as the day went on but I think figured out a few clues to make it easier.  When I get out of the elevators, I want to swim with the fish in the carpet to get to the studio area.  When I leave the studio area, I want to swim against the fish.  And my cabin is essentially the furthest (opposite end both front to back and port to starboard) from the interior stairs in the studio area.

Entrance to the key carded studio cabin area

99 square feet that has been designed surprisingly well

It's a bit strange having the shower in the cabin but it actually works.  
Opposite the shower is an enclosed toilet.

I think I'm going to like this studio lounge.  There is an espresso maker to easily enjoy my first cup of coffee.  There is ice water which is a huge plus because I'm used to carrying glasses back from the buffet.  And they have some light snacks from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.  As I waited for my suitcase, I hung out in the studio lounge and chatted with a few people and then I did some wandering of the ship.  

Deck 8 wraps around the back and I caught two of New Orlean's paddlewheel boats

Chandelier in the Atrium - it changes colors and is gorgeous!

My suitcase arrived late afternoon and I was able to get fully unpacked before sail away.  Storage is quite different in this studio cabin so I had to rethink how I normally store stuff on a cruise but everything found a place.

For sail away, I made my way up to the deck above the pool so I could enjoy the sail away party while still having amazing views of the city as we turned around and then slowly pulled away.  I loved the energy and got a good laugh at the Golpher/Badger game where they had measurable snow on the field being played on one of the pool's large screens.  

It was windy!  And I little bit chilly but not enough to convince me to go back to my cabin to find a sweater.

After sail away, I checked into the spa for my massage.  Embarkation day they had a special - pay for 50 minutes and get an extra 25 minutes free.  It was a good massage but I always hate the upsell at the end.

I went back to my cabin to shower and change for a late dinner.  As I wandered towards the aft of the ship where the three main dining rooms are, I ended up on the level with the larger one Manhattan.  I had originally been thinking about one of the smaller, likely quieter ones but something called me into this one.  I was quickly seated at a table served by Arnaldo who is an excellent waiter.  He was attentive and proactive and when the head waiter was taking a long time to come take my pre-order for the next day, he made several attempts to go get him.

The food was excellent.  I had a Greek salad, bruschetta, and then this amazing tilapia on a bed of quinoa with arugula, tomatoes and a lemon vinaigrette.  I took my journal with me to dinner and used the time to write.  It had been quite a day with a lot of observations turning around in my head.

After dinner, I wandered into the District Brewhouse for some live music with a guitarist and singer , Luiz Nunes before eventually returning to my cabin for the night.