accommodation post cruise in New Orleans

[craftymarie]

we are planning to do a repo cruise from Boston to New Orleans in Nov 2016. nothing booked yet, just gathering info. can anyone tell me where would be the best hotel/district to stay in preferably inexpensive if possible. we are not into luxury:)we would rather have a couple of extra days in a cheaper hotel. also how many days post cruise would you suggest to get an overview of the city. what sights are must see's. I would like to include an airboat/ swamp tour. is it worth doing a hop on hop off tour? we are in our late 40s/early 50s and reasonably fit. not into night life, I have been trawling the internet and am getting overwhelmed so I thought I'd ask for personal recommendations. sorry for the long winded post. looking forward to your replies. by the way we are from Ireland so I doubt we will have a second visit so would like to make the most of our holiday.

tia, Marie

[GradUT]

For cheaper hotels, I would look in the Downtown area. These hotels are within walking distance of the French Quarter, but you don't pay French Quarter prices. We were in New Orleans about 3 weeks ago and stayed at the SpringHill Suites in the Downtown area and got an excellent rate.

 

I would plan on at least 3 days for New Orleans and a hop on/hop off bus is not necessary because the FQ is so walkable. Besides seeing the French Quarter, I think two "musts" would be a trip on the streetcar to the Garden District and a tour of St. Louis Cemetery #1. We did self-guided tours of the FQ and Garden District (available online from Frommers) and they were both good. However, you will want to take a guided tour of the cemetery.

 

If you enjoy museums, don't miss the National World War II Museum. We went to the Louisiana State Museum at the Presbytere in the FQ and they have a GREAT exhibit on Mardi Gras which was well worth the modest price of admission.

 

In the evening, you might want to go to one of the 45-minute shows at Preservation Hall Jazz. It's a nice way to see a little New Orleans jazz if you aren't into "night life" (like me). We also did a fun and informative ghost tour with French Quarter Phantoms one evening

 

We didn't do the swamp tour on this visit, but we have done it in the past and it was very interesting. So enjoy that too!

[craftymarie]

thank you for this info. I have put it on my list. it sounds such a wonderful city and has been on my must see list for a long time. Marie

[Talus731]

Craftymarie......Thank you for asking these questions. My husband and I are also doing this cruise in Oct/Nov 2016. I am also getting a bit overwhelmed with all the info. Will be watching your post for more information.