Norwegian Prima - Western Caribbean from New Orleans

Where this cruise calls, day by day

6 ports and 2 sea days over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   New Orleans, LA

   United StatesDepart

   The terminals are on the Mississippi riverfront in the Warehouse District - Julia Street and Erato Street, both within a mile of the French Quarter. Worth knowing before you book: the ship spends roughly the first half-day running 100 miles down the river before it reaches open water, so day one is scenery, not sea.

   • The French Quarter on foot before the crowds - Jackson Square and the cathedral by 8am
   • Beignets at Cafe du Monde, then a second breakfast at Willa Jean or Elizabeth's
   • The St. Charles streetcar out through the Garden District to Audubon Park
   • The National WWII Museum, a few blocks from the Erato Street terminal and worth most of a day

   Getting ashore

   The Julia Street and Erato Street cruise terminals sit on the riverfront beside the Warehouse District, about a mile from the French Quarter; Louis Armstrong International is roughly 25-40 minutes out.

   Best months

   Oct-May (Jul-Sep is hot, humid and inside hurricane season; Mardi Gras week fills every hotel)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Cozumel

   MexicoPort

   Cozumel is an island 12 miles off the Yucatán that runs almost entirely on cruise traffic - three piers, up to six ships at once, and a downtown built to absorb them. Which pier you draw matters more than anything else: Punta Langosta puts you in San Miguel on foot, while Puerta Maya and the International Pier sit a few miles south and need a taxi. The reason to come is underwater, on the Palancar and Colombia reefs.

   • Snorkel or dive Palancar Reef
   • Chankanaab Park's lagoon and shore snorkelling
   • A beach club day at Mr. Sancho's or Nachi Cocom
   • San Gervasio Maya ruins in the island's interior

   Getting ashore

   All ships dock; Punta Langosta is a walk into San Miguel, while Puerta Maya and the International Pier are 3-4 miles south, about 10 minutes by taxi.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is driest and calmest; Jun-Nov is hurricane season, and sargassum can wash ashore May-Aug

4. Day 4

   Roatán

   HondurasPort

   Roatán is a long, thin island sitting on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and the day splits by pier. Carnival ships use Mahogany Bay at Dixon Cove, which has its own manufactured beach and a chairlift down to it; Royal Caribbean's Port of Roatán is in Coxen Hole, the workaday capital. Neither is really where you want to be - the reef at West Bay starts about twenty feet off the sand, half an hour west.

   • Snorkel the reef straight off West Bay Beach
   • West End village for dive shops and lunch
   • Gumbalimba Park's macaws and capuchins
   • A day pass at Little French Key

   Getting ashore

   Both Mahogany Bay and Port of Roatán are alongside berths, not tenders; West Bay Beach is a 30-45 minute taxi from either, and drivers negotiate hard.

   Best months

   Feb-Sep for the clearest water; Oct-Jan is the wet season, with November the heaviest month

5. Day 5

   Harvest Caye

   BelizePort

   Norwegian built this 75-acre island off southern Belize precisely to avoid Belize City's long tender ride - ships tie up at a pier and you walk ashore. What is there is a resort day: a large freshwater pool with a swim-up bar, a saltwater lagoon, a zip line, a ropes course and a shopping village, on Norwegian ships only. Food and drink are for sale rather than included.

   • The saltwater lagoon and the freshwater pool
   • Zip line over the water and the ropes course
   • The butterfly house and wildlife exhibit
   • Boat-and-bus excursions to Placencia and the southern Maya sites

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at Harvest Caye itself; mainland Belize excursions leave by boat to Placencia or Independence, adding 20-30 minutes each way.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is the dry season; Jun-Oct is wet and hot, with hurricane risk peaking Aug-Oct

6. Day 6

   Costa Maya

   MexicoPort

   Costa Maya is a port with no town attached. The pier was built for ships, and the village behind it - saltwater pools, tequila stalls, a dolphin pen - is a purpose-built shopping compound. The actual settlement of Mahahual is a couple of miles up the road: a sandy malecón, beach clubs, and reef close enough to swim to. Most passengers skip both and head inland to Chacchoben or Bacalar.

   • Chacchoben Maya ruins, about an hour inland
   • Bacalar's Lagoon of Seven Colours (a long day, roughly two hours each way)
   • Beach clubs along the Mahahual malecón
   • Snorkelling the Mesoamerican reef from shore

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at Puerto Costa Maya; Mahahual town is a 10-minute shuttle or taxi, or a hot 25-minute walk from the pier gate.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is dry; sargassum is common Apr-Aug and Sep-Oct is the wettest, riskiest stretch

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   New Orleans, LA

   United StatesArrive

   The terminals are on the Mississippi riverfront in the Warehouse District - Julia Street and Erato Street, both within a mile of the French Quarter. Worth knowing before you book: the ship spends roughly the first half-day running 100 miles down the river before it reaches open water, so day one is scenery, not sea.

   • The French Quarter on foot before the crowds - Jackson Square and the cathedral by 8am
   • Beignets at Cafe du Monde, then a second breakfast at Willa Jean or Elizabeth's
   • The St. Charles streetcar out through the Garden District to Audubon Park
   • The National WWII Museum, a few blocks from the Erato Street terminal and worth most of a day

   Getting ashore

   The Julia Street and Erato Street cruise terminals sit on the riverfront beside the Warehouse District, about a mile from the French Quarter; Louis Armstrong International is roughly 25-40 minutes out.

   Best months

   Oct-May (Jul-Sep is hot, humid and inside hurricane season; Mardi Gras week fills every hotel)