Heading out to Sea

 We had a good day today with clear weather.   We got to the ship with no issues and were quickly on board, at least once we got past the long line for security. We then ate lunch then walked around to learn about the layout of the ship. On embarkation day, NCL keeps the doors to the cabin hallways closed with a polite "Please do not enter" sign until the rooms are ready, so about 1pm we decided to wait for clearance to go to our cabin.   And we waited.. and waited.  Finally about 2pm they announced all cabins were ready.  One surprise was that our luggage was already in the hall outside out cabin! 

After unpacking, we headed up top for the Sail Away.  The ship turned around and then sailed past downtown New Orleans as we headed downstream. At one point, Jim Curry (who along with being the John Denver tribute singer is the main organizer of this cruise) stopped by and we chatted for a while. 

 It's amazing to see how the Mississippi River winds around. At one point it does a full 180 degree turn!  It's now been 5 hours and we are still a few hours away from the Gulf.

Tonight we have a Welcome Aboard party where we will meet our fellow music cruisers and find out more details about how to attend the shows.  I believe that about 200 of the 4200 people on board are part of our group. 

More to come tomorrow!