Take a Caribbean Cruise out of New Orleans!

Last weekend, thanks to a very thoughtful and generous boss, a group of us had the good fortune of going on Carnival's Fantasy cruise ship's 4 night cruise to Cozumel, Mexico

The ship was impressive and comfortable, the food was abundant, the entertainment was great, and, most of all, the opportunity to snorkel and swim in beautiful emerald green warm water and enjoy the shopping fun of a tropical island (in November!!) was priceless

Best of all…it was such an easy process. The New Orleans Cruise Ship Terminal, located behind the Convention Center at the Riverwalk, have their boarding and disembarking act together. We actually went "in style" as we had our bags picked up from Advance Check In, a company located at the Airport who actually picked up our bags and had them brought directly to our individual cabins on board. We had Big Easy Limos drop us off at the check in area…where within less than 15 minutes we were through the check-in process and having our first rum punch aboard the Fantasy.

The

of New Orleans is the berth for several cruise lines offering trips to various islands in the Western Carribean. In addition to Carnival's year-round weekly departures aboard the Fantasy, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sun has also begun (again, post-Katrina) their seasonal weekly cruises. Royal Carribean's Grandeur of the Seas will start up her seasonal schedule in early December.

For locals…how great is this…we just have to drive downtown to board a ship to paradise. For non-locals…they get to add a great reason to spend a few days in

!