Sailing from New Orleans

In early February 2020 we sailed on the first Disney Cruise Lines sailing from the Port of New Orleans on the Disney Wonder. We were excited to be on another cruise, especially one that we had booked on opening day 18 months before and had counted down the days for! We were also all really excited to be back on the beautiful Disney Wonder, which is my favorite of the four Disney Cruise Line ships. 

We have taken eight cruises with Disney, except Bella who has taken three, and have now sailed from four different departure ports. We talked about our favorite port to sail from a few weeks ago, and we talked a little about sailing from New Orleans there. Today, though, our post is just about sailing from New Orleans and we’ll go into more detail than in that comparison post. So, let’s talk about sailing from the Port of New Orleans with Disney Cruise Line! 

Arriving

We arrived at the port just before 10am. We drove our own vehicle, so our first stop was the parking garage to park the car. There was no line to get into the garage, so we paid to park our car for a week, and proceeded into the garage. Before parking our car, we handed our luggage over to a porter, had our reservation information checked, and then were directed to a parking spot. 

After parking we grabbed our day bags, and made our way to the line to get into the terminal. We were about the 50th family back in line – this is a guess, but there weren’t too many people in front of us! After we got in line we waited for about 20 minutes before being allowed into the terminal. 

Going Through Security

Once we were allowed into the terminal, we made our way to and through security. Security here was different than going through security at Port Canaveral. It was a bit like going through security at an airport, but we could leave our shoes on. We made sure that our water bottles were empty before we made it to the front of the line. However, when we got to the front of the line, we were asked to remove all “large” electronics from our bags. We took our laptop and the kid’s tablets from the bags before passing one by one through the metal detector and waiting for our bags to come through. Security was extra through here – they even yelled at someone for going through the metal detector and not informing the security personnel that they had a pacemaker – “You could have broken our machine!” 

After security we made our way towards check-in. 

Layout of the Terminal

Before we get to the check-in process, I go want to touch on the layout of the terminal a little bit. As we mentioned, we entered through the parking garage. After parking we went to the elevators and headed downstairs. We were directed outside to wait for the line to begin moving. After being let in we made our way back upstairs to where security was located. After security we proceeded to the next room, which is where check-in and the waiting area is located. 

Checking In

After security we made our way to the next room to check in. To get to the check in counters we made our way all of the way to the far end of the room. There were a few people in front of us to check in, but because we are Castaway Gold Members were got to use that line. After getting called to the counter we provided our documents, given our lanyards and Key to the World cards. Our picture was not taken; however, we think this is because we had cruised just a week earlier. I do want to note that because we were the first sailing for Disney from this port things were a little different than at Port Canaveral, and could have even been different than at the same port a week later.

We heard from some guests that they were given the wrong lanyards, or in some cases none at all. We were also used to receiving the first day’s Personal Navigator, which highlights the important information for the whole week (shows, movies, etc.) as well as that day’s activities at check-in with our boarding group number and Key to the World cards. These were passed out to guests waiting in the waiting area instead, which seemed less than efficient. This could have been because it was the first time sailing from this port, perhaps they had not come off the ship in order to be passed out to the first guests checking in. We can’t know for sure; we can only share our experience. 

Waiting to board 

After completing check-in, we found a few seats and put our backpacks down for a while and looked through the Navigator after we got one. We also took the opportunity to meet Goofy and Minnie! When we got to our seats the waiting area was fairly empty, however, by the time boarding began it had filled up. 

Boarding 

After waiting for a while it finally came to the time we were all waiting for – boarding time! We were in boarding group 3, but it still took a little while to get called to board the ship. Boarding started at around 11:30. The family of the day, as always went first, and then all of the Concierge boarded next. There were A LOT of concierge guests for this particular sailing. After that group one was called, and then there was about a five-minute break where nothing was happening. Looking back, this could have had to do with the fact that the gangway to the ship is much, much longer than in Port Canaveral. Group 2 boarded, and then it was finally our turn. Our boarding group card was checked and then we started the long walk up to get onto the ship. Boarding in New Orleans was unique because we boarded the ship on deck 4! We stepped onto deck 4, had our Key to the World cards scanned, and then entered at deck 4 mid-ship where our family was announced by D-Lounge. 

After boarding we took the stairs to deck 9 to get some food! Our first photo from deck 9 was taken at 12:18. So it didn’t take too long, but it also was not as fast of a boarding process. Again, this was the first sailing from this port and everyone was getting used to how things worked there. 

Sailing Away

Sailing away from New Orleans was also a bit different. Normally the ship begins to sail away at the end of the Sail a Wave party. That is not the case in New Orleans, though. The Sail a Wave Party took place, the horn sounded, and then many of us wondered around on deck 9 and 10 for a while wondering why we, and the Norwegian Cruise Line ship behind us, weren’t leaving. 

We did eventually start sailing away while we were at dinner (first seating). After we began sailing, we were on the Mississippi River for a few hours. Went out after dinner for a walk around 4 and we able to see the towns on both sides of the ship, and still use our phones like normal. Because we were still so close to land, we not able to walk around the front of the ship on deck 4. 

Returning to New Orleans

Returning to New Orleans was a lot like leaving. We entered the River on the last evening of the cruise. As we got closer to the River the weather got much cooler. Christian and I went out for a walk to kill some time before the Till We Meet Again party. It was windy, chilly, I enjoyed it. 

Disembarking

Just like with embarking we left the ship on deck 4 and made our way down the long way to the terminal. We proceed to the ground floor to retrieve their luggage, and be cleared for entry to the county by Customs and Border Patrol. We carried our bags off the ships, so we did not experience claiming our luggage at this port. Since we had all of our bags, we were directed to bypass the luggage room and go straight to Customs. The walk from the ship to the luggage area is a bit long, though.

We look forward to sailing from New Orleans again in the future! Hopefully, if all goes as planned our next cruise will be from New Orleans and through the Panama Canal in February 2021.

The current situation in the world will eventually come to an end, and when it does, and you’re ready to travel again I’d be happy to help you plan and book your next magical vacation. For your FREE quote and to get started contact me at miriyawhitaker@worldofmagictravel.com. For more Disney and travel information follow me on Facebook!