Boarding the M/S Norwegian Sun

After eating breakfast and getting packed up, we left the hotel and headed for the Sun Sunday morning. On the ride between the hotel and the pier, we noticed that some of the buildings were still partially covered by the blue tarps FEMA handed out after Katrina. Despite the occasional blue tarp, the taxi driver was obviously very proud of his city and happy to have a captive audience (and paying fare).

The pier was very busy when we arrived. The guests from the previous cruise were still disembarking. They were the first batch of cruisers post Katrina, so everyone on the ground was still trying to figure out the best ways to handle everyone & direct traffic again. It was a little chaotic.

Once we made it inside the registration building, we noticed 3 lines: A super huge line for most passengers, a not bad size line for Latitude members (those who have cruised with NCL before), and a nonexistent line for VIP passengers. Thankfully we were classified as VIP passengers due to the status of our room! (We managed to get upgraded to a penthouse suite!) We walked right up and got registered. After registering, most passengers were seated in a general waiting room to wait for permission to board. Not us! Our personal concierge, escorted us to a private room for the VIPs. The kids munched on little sandwiches and drank water out of those little dixie cups w/handles (quite a novelty) while we waited. I must admit I felt very special – it’s not very often I’m on the inside of the private room!

Once it was time to board the ship, everyone in the general room had to wait for the VIPs to board first! Once again we got to jump to the front of the line. Our family was last to exit the room because the kids were a little slow. Someone from the general line was crowding us and eventually moved past me and the kids. Our concierge noticed and made the person wait until we were caught up with everyone else. It was so nice!!

The kids were super excited to board the ship! Tyler howled and Danielle squealed. It was fun. Once we boarded, we found our room and got settled. (In case you are a fellow cruiser looking for information about your particular room on this ship, we were in penthouse suite 8202.) Here are some pictures of our room. If you’ve never been on a cruise ship before, you won’t fully appreciate how HUGE our bathroom was! Not pictured is a separate shower and private toilet area. Our stateroom was a very nice size, too. There's a pull-out couch and another little table that's not pictured. Our balcony was huge. We pulled chairs up to the ledge for the kids to stand on. They could stand on them safely at just the right height for looking over – without falling over. This really was a perfect set-up for our little family.

Our bags weren’t on board yet, so we headed out to explore the ship. We checked things out and eventually ate lunch outside at the Great Outdoor restaurant. It's a buffet. Usually I hate buffets, but this place ended up having decent food – especially compared with the food served everywhere else on board. This place always made Danielle happy because they always served French fries. (Overall, the food on this cruise was not great.) After lunch we found the kids' pool. It's just the right size (and heated!). So, the kids went swimming for a little while - in their clothes since we didn't have bathing suits yet. They had a lot of fun. We also attended the muster drill. The kids’ lifejackets weren’t delivered until Monday, so they’re wearing adult ones in these pictures.

For dinner we ordered food to the room for the kids. (Our suite included full service menus and our own butlers!) They enjoyed room service and then went to play at the Kid's Crew. The Kid’s Crew was a program especially for children. The kids were divided by age and had age appropriate activities all day while at sea and in the evenings while in port. Tyler and Danielle were able to be in the same group. It wasn’t babysitting, although it did enable Ron and I to have a couple quiet dinners. (We didn’t use the babysitting services.) The kids absolutely LOVED the Kid’s Crew and were constantly begging to go back! Danielle was a little apprehensive before going the first time. She didn’t seem to be worried about being away from us, though, or about meeting new people and making friends. Instead, I overheard her tell Tyler, “Ty, if I get stuck in the potty, you will have to pull me out!”

Ron and I finished a quiet dinner of prime rib and uninterrupted conversation by the time the kids activities were finishing up. The kids said they had a great time and were so tired they could hardly walk. It was a really good day.

Tomorrow: Day 1, At Sea