Port of New Orleans

[mikeblum]

have never sailed out of this port...we have sailed mostly out of miami...ft lauderdale and San Juan...but not out of New Orleans...any feed back if this one is easier or worse then the ones in florida or San Juan...i am assuming it should be less busy then the other that we have gone out of previously...and any hotel recommendations on doing a pre-nite stay for a night or 2 in the French Qtr...which looks to be pretty close to the pier...

[jackretired]

have never sailed out of this port...we have sailed mostly out of miami...ft lauderdale and San Juan...but not out of New Orleans...any feed back if this one is easier or worse then the ones in florida or San Juan...i am assuming it should be less busy then the other that we have gone out of previously...and any hotel recommendations on doing a pre-nite stay for a night or 2 in the French Qtr...which looks to be pretty close to the pier...

 

You need to be looking & posting in the Gulf Coast Departures

board.

 

Traffic can be a problem.

 

Drury Inn - New Orleans gets good reviews.

 

If you like jazz, spend a night at Snug Harbor.

 

Eat at muriel's jackson square.

.

[LBumb]

be prepared for a long journey down the river

[Don Pedro]

Like Jack, we have also had some traffic problems getting to the pier, but that was several years ago and perhaps that problem has been solved.

 

There are plenty of hotels in the Quarter. My fav is the Omni Royal Orleans, most hotels in the FQ are "historic hotels" which means they are old and could use some renovation. But they are clean and safe and the experience will add flavor to you trip.

 

FQ eateries to try. I suggest the New Orleans School of Cooking. The have a class that goes from about 10 am to 12:30 pm daily. See www.nosoc.com for the daily menus.

 

Also Napoleon House, www.napoleonhouse.com for a muffaletta, Cafe Du Monde for beignets and NOLA www.emerils.com (one Emeril Lagasse's restaurants) for a great dinner.

[exitoffnine]

It's great! - especially if you're travelling in a day early. I've stayed in NOLA for pleasure (including cruise) and business and the BEST two hotels in town (for price and experience) are Le Hotel Le Marais (BEST) and Hotel Monteleone (close second). Both are IN the quarter but comfy, nice and you'll feel like a real guest.

 

If you have kids, you'll avoid Bourbon St. but take in the surrounding streets and take the street car up to the Garden District. Very residential (a few cafes, etc.) but it's real NOLA - pretty, relaxing, nice walk. Take in the WWII museum if you're a fan and enjoy Beignets (as someone pointed out) and OYSTERS! - Mosey up to just about any bar with indoor/outdoor seating, order a nice drink or two and a few dozen oysters. Stroll down to the river and watch the boat traffic. Ok, now I wish I was going....

[vistapat]

Just back from New Orleans on Voyager last week. We stayed 2 nights at Drury Inn. From there it's a 5 minute walk to the French Quarter and a 10 minute walk down to the riverfront. There is a streetcar stop right there to take you to the Garden District.

 

We caught a cab from the Drury to the pier and were there in about 5 minutes. On arrival to New Orleans, we caught a cab from the airport to the hotel and it took perhaps 30 minutes or a little less (this was a Thursday at 3:00). We did self-assisted disembarkation, were off the ship, through customs, and in cab by 7:30AM, and arrived at the airport at about 8. One advantage to Voyager is she sails on Saturdays, and you can avoid the weekday traffic.

[cruiser1956]

Sailing from New Orleans was a new experience for us also. The taxi ride from the airport to our hotel, which was in the French Quarter was a set fee of $ 33.00 for two. It was a nice ride on Friday. Some traffic on the freeway, but it gave me some time to ask the driver for recommendations on food etc. We ate at Deanies at the French Quarter for dinner. It was AWESOME! We had planned to have Biegnet's at Cafe Du Monde on Saturday morning, prior to our sail, but the line was several blocks long. And, we don't wait well... I feel like we missed a "must have" in New Orleans. We called a taxi to take us to the pier. The driver seemed to be a little confused when we implied there might be traffic problems. He proceeded to drive through some parking lots etc, and within 10 minutes we were at the pier, and our luggage was being handed off to the porters. There was none of the traffic I had been reading about. Getting off the ship, was a longer wait for a cab. We did self disembark, and the wait time for a cab was about 30 minutes.

Now, my personal opinion, sorry NOLA, but I won't be sailing from your port again. I am really happy that I have seen the river, and New Orleans. It was also nice to sail from someplace different. But, for me personally, I believe Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, San Diego, San Pedro, or Port Canaveral are more to my liking.

I hope you enjoy your cruise.

[Lynda59]

Piece of cake!!!

 

Absolutely no problems when leaving even though there were two ships in port. We were on ship and in our room in 45 minutes from leaving home at 1:40pm. It was a 20 minute drive and then 25 minutes to go through security, get our seapass card, get on the ship, take our picture & find our room - amazing!

 

Disembarkation was even faster - our group was called at 9:20am and we were finished with customs by 9:30 AM. No traffic by port (only one ship in when we came back though) and I could only see a cheerleading tournament going on at the convention center.

[Fraucruiser]

It's great! - especially if you're travelling in a day early. I've stayed in NOLA for pleasure (including cruise) and business and the BEST two hotels in town (for price and experience) are Le Hotel Le Marais (BEST) and Hotel Monteleone (close second). Both are IN the quarter but comfy, nice and you'll feel like a real guest.

 

If you have kids, you'll avoid Bourbon St. but take in the surrounding streets and take the street car up to the Garden District. Very residential (a few cafes, etc.) but it's real NOLA - pretty, relaxing, nice walk. Take in the WWII museum if you're a fan and enjoy Beignets (as someone pointed out) and OYSTERS! - Mosey up to just about any bar with indoor/outdoor seating, order a nice drink or two and a few dozen oysters. Stroll down to the river and watch the boat traffic. Ok, now I wish I was going....

 

Thanks for this! I am super excited now! We planned to have two days before our cruise in NOLA!

[maldenmusic]

I love the port of NOLA. Never encountered any problems here and the 6-7 hours cruising down the Mississippi is great.

[hpreece]

I booked Quailty Inn through stay123. The parking and shuttle are free. I haven't stayed yet so I'm not sure how it is...

-Heather

[KristyM79]

We stayed at the Hilton Garden pre-cruise and the Doubletree post cruise. Both were decent, but I would choose the Doubletree over the Garden Inn. The Doubletree is right off Canal Street, close to everything. But if I were to go back to NOLA, I may look into another hotel.

[Kristy19]

We're booked at the Springhill Suites. I got a great rate on Last Minute Travel, $77 per night, and then we'll use the Fulton Street parking garage for $12 per day. The garage is a couple of blocks from the hotel so we plan to just park the car and use the trolley to see the sights before the cruise. The parking garage will also shuttle free of charge to and from the port. This is our first time to NOLA so all the suggestions and comments are appreciated:)