NOLA Parking Update

[C_Worthy]

I just returned from a cruise departing from New Orleans, where I had researched the parking options thoroughly. For my situation (driving in the day of the cruise), the Fulton Place Garage seemed like a good option.

 

Please note: Fulton Place has increased its price from $10 to $12/day. While this is not a huge amount of money, the difference with the official port garage ($16/day) seems less burdensome. Since I had several bags and a large family with me, I would definitely wish I had paid the extra $4/day to walk off the boat and go straight to my car. The shuttles to Fulton Place weren't horrible, but waiting 5-10 minutes for them with small kids getting restless was a minor pain.

 

Post-script: When I returned to my car, I learned that my battery was dead. The three employees of the garage who were just standing around did not want to help. When I assured them that I had the necessary cables, they claimed that they didn't have a "spare" car. Whatever that means. Fortunately a nice passer-by offered to help jump-start my car. I moved my car down to the street level so that AAA could replace my battery (I had a long drive and did not want to chance getting stuck). The Fulton Place employees threatened to tow my car because I was parked too close to their bus loading zone (they had plenty of room). I think this speaks to the level of service at the garage. Buyer beware.

[Tralynn]

I'm so sorry that you had that experience while cruising out of New Orleans. We have used Fulton Street parking several times without problem, but now that they have raised their prices, I'm considering paying the difference and parking at the terminal in November since I will have 2 kids with me.

 

We never had any delays with the shuttle service, however traffic can be really crazy especially if there are a few conventions going on at the Convention Center. To get to Fulton parking you have to fight the traffic. Leaving directly from the terminal, you can shoot across and get on the interstate fairly easily. We always check to see if any big conventions are in town before we decide where we'll park. I'm cranky enough having to leave the ship. I sure don't want to spend 20 minutes in a shuttle stuck in traffic.

[truchattycathy]

Thanks for the heads up. I decided to skip the parking garage all together. I booked at Hampton Inn Garden District and they had free parking. I did this at Drury Inn last year and took a taxi to the terminal. We did not have to wait in the long line of cars going to the terminal. The taxis were also waiting for us when we got off the ship. No hassle!!!!

[C_Worthy]

Thanks for the responses. I should reiterate that the Fulton Garage was not horrible. Actually, I was quite surprised at how little we had to wait for the shuttles. I think our situation was unique: we were driving in the same day (so staying at a hotel with free parking was not an option) and we had 4 adults and 3 kids under the age of 5 with us. Walking off the ship to the car would have been so much easier with us considering how much luggage and kid stuff we had.

 

And take it from me: always check your interior lights before you leave the car in the garage for a week. We had forgotten that we turned the interior light on (the Fulton Garage is fairly dark), so the battery was completely dead. On a positive note, AAA seems to be quite good in NOLA. Several people have told us this. On a Sunday, mind you, we had someone there with a spare car battery in about 30 min!

[jennbill]

Parking at the NOLA pier is worth the money. Our two experiences have been awesome. Easy entry on embarkation day. Quick out on the way home.