View of the “Mighty Mississippi” from our hotel room on the 23rd floor of the New Orleans Marriott. I’ve never seen that many people in the lobby of a hotel. A Shriners’ conference was there.Another view from the hotel room.Had a nice dinner the night before the cruise at the Bourbon House before taking a stroll down Bourbon Street. Entree: BBQ Shrimp Po’ Boys.A view of the Carnival Valor at the Carnival Cruise Port in NOLA from the hotel room before we boarded.We were leaving the Carnival Port, headed down the Mississippi and out into the Gulf of Mexico, when we spotted a tug boat named “Dee White” which happens to be my nephew’s name! Icon of the Seas vs. the Margaritaville in CozumelShopping in Cozumel. We bought two Coca-Cola Lights for $7. It was money well spent.This photo sums up what we did most of the time. It was so nice to unwind for a bit.Headed to Cozumel.Carnival Housekeeping Towel ArtOur assigned seating, table “515,” in the Washingtonian Dining Room.We found our favorite spot right when we boarded the ship – in the shade at the Aft Pool which was less crowded than the Mid Pool.
The Aft Pool had a sunroof that would close when it rained. Fortunately, this only happened once, on day 1.
The pizza was good with a thin, crispy crust that wasn’t too filling. Adorning the pizza was what Carnival described as a “Pomoro” sauce. ChatGPT 4o explained to me that Pomoro is a simple tomato sauce.One of the incredible sunsets we got to see from the room balcony.In Cozumel, we got to see first hand the marvel of one of the largest cruise ships in the world, the Royal Caribbean’s “Icon of the Seas” which can accommodate 7,600 passengers and 2,300 crew members!
