24 Hours in NOLA - Must Do's

[MistyRo76]

We are taking our first cruise out of NOLA in 2022 and will be flying in the day before the cruise. Our plan is to get to the city as early the day before the cruise as our airline options will allow. That will give us about 24 hours in the city before we have to get on the ship. We certainly want to make the most of our day in NOLA! So looking for recommendations on the top 2-3 Must Do's for one day in NOLA in a couple categories:

 

Restaurants - of course we'll get Beignet's...but where else should we target to eat. Prefer more local eateries vs. the touristy Hard Rocks of the world! 

 

Bars - we'll want to have a couple adult beverages in NOLA. Anywhere specific we should be sure to check out! The Carousel Bar at the Monteleone in definitely on our list! 

 

Tours/Sites of Interest - Any tours or sites of interest we should make sure to see? 

 

Thanks in advance! 

[RGEDad]

Highly recommend "K Paul's Louisiana Kitchen"  - - Oh NO - just checked their web site and they are now permanently closed. I can only assume the restaurant did not survive the COVID closures. A true loss to cajun cooking.

[Host Kat]

6 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

We are taking our first cruise out of NOLA in 2022 and will be flying in the day before the cruise. Our plan is to get to the city as early the day before the cruise as our airline options will allow. That will give us about 24 hours in the city before we have to get on the ship. We certainly want to make the most of our day in NOLA! So looking for recommendations on the top 2-3 Must Do's for one day in NOLA in a couple categories:

 

Restaurants - of course we'll get Beignet's...but where else should we target to eat. Prefer more local eateries vs. the touristy Hard Rocks of the world! 

 

Bars - we'll want to have a couple adult beverages in NOLA. Anywhere specific we should be sure to check out! The Carousel Bar at the Monteleone in definitely on our list! 

 

Tours/Sites of Interest - Any tours or sites of interest we should make sure to see? 

 

Thanks in advance! 

 

@MistyRo76 Howdy!  

 

You might want to also research the following forum:

 

Ports of Call - New Orleans 

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

[MistyRo76]

6 hours ago, RGEDad said:

Highly recommend "K Paul's Louisiana Kitchen"  - - Oh NO - just checked their web site and they are now permanently closed. I can only assume the restaurant did not survive the COVID closures. A true loss to cajun cooking.

That's a bummer to hear! 

[MistyRo76]

38 minutes ago, Host Kat said:

 

@MistyRo76 Howdy!  

 

You might want to also research the following forum:

 

Ports of Call - New Orleans 

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

Thank you! Didn't think to look under Ports of Call vs. the Homeport threads! 

[Host Kat]

3 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

Thank you! Didn't think to look under Ports of Call vs. the Homeport threads! 

 

You are most welcome!  

 

I l👀k at your thread as "job security" for this non-paid volunteer position.    Also,  reading this thread may help someone else in the future.

 

Glad to be of service,

 

Host Kat 

[jgmpuma]

For events:

 

 

www.bestofneworleans.com

 

Music venues:

 

www.offbeat.com

 

Restaurants:

 

www.nomenu.com

 

Live music isn't back yet, but restrictions are slowly being lifted, and by 2022 ut should be a much different picture.

[JerseyGirlJen]

I'm booked for my 2nd NOLA cruise in January 2023.  For my first one I flew in the day before the cruise and got to my hotel around 11am.  I stayed at Hilton Riverside and found the streetcar stop at the hotel to be very convenient, especially when pressed for time.  

 

For things to do, check out Free Tours by Foot, they offer many types of tours and the tour guides get paid solely by tips, so you know they are going to do a good job.  They do cemetery tours and garden district tours, along with haunted tours, voodoo tours, and more. 

 

The WWII museum is an excellent attraction, but takes hours to get through so may not be the best option since you only have one day.  I walked the FQ, stopped at the French Market, the old Mint, Jackson Square, Louis Armstrong park, and walked up the waterfront.  On embarkation day I was up at 6:30 and couldn't get back to sleep 😆 once I saw the Dream had docked.  I decided to walk up to Cafe duMonde and arrived about 7:30am, and there was literally only 3 other tables there.  It was perfect because the lines wrap around the corner during the daytime.  

 

On my next trip I'm going to fly in on a Thursday night and arrive late, but I'll have all day Friday and Saturday, and Sunday morning for breakfast at Cafe duMonde before 🛳️🛳️🛳️.  There's so much to do I'm sure you'll have a lot of good options and will have trouble narrowing down what to do (not a bad problem to have!).  Have a great trip!  

[dobiemom]

Cafe du Monde - Cafe au lait and beignets

 

Mother's Restaurant - Po' Boy sandwich

 

Pat O'Brien's - Hurricaine (I had the Skylab)

[jonbgd]

18 hours ago, dobiemom said:

Cafe du Monde - Cafe au lait and beignets

 

Mother's Restaurant - Po' Boy sandwich

 

Pat O'Brien's - Hurricaine (I had the Skylab)

I agree with above and Ill add on to these great places

 

Ruby Slipper for breakfast and Bloody Mary

 

Acme oyster house for BBQ Oysters

 

Palace Cafe for the bananas Foster for desert at the end of the day

 

 

 

 

[BoozinCroozin]

On 4/7/2021 at 6:25 PM, MistyRo76 said:

Thank you! Didn't think to look under Ports of Call vs. the Homeport threads! 

I did the same thing when we booked out of NOLA. I didn't know there was a separate forum.

 

We are going to fly in at least the day before. The hope is that we fly in 2 days before. This way we can explore NOLA, meet up with fellow cruisers, enjoy Bourbon Street, and have a mini vacation before the cruise.

Edited April 29, 2021 by BoozinCroozin

[MistyRo76]

15 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

I did the same thing when we booked out of NOLA. I didn't know there was a separate forum.

 

We are going to fly in at least the day before. The hope is that we fly in 2 days before. This way we can explore NOLA, meet up with fellow cruisers, enjoy Bourbon Street, and have a mini vacation before the cruise.

This is a girls trip, so I think the plan is for the girls and I to fly in early the day before the cruise. If flight schedules don't change, we can get to NOLA as early as 9AM giving us a whole day to explore! Then my hubby may fly down and meet me for a night or two post cruise for a little getaway for the two of us (if grandma and grandpa can keep the little one that is). 

 

[cynt]

Drago's restaurant at Hilton Riverside for GRILLED OYSTERS!!! YUMMY!!!

[1Texansgo]

Eat, drink and eat some more! N.O. has some of the best happy hours (both food and drink) specials around. Google New Orleans happy hours; many have them 7 days a week

For restaurants there is everything from poboy joints to exquisite cuisine. What specifically are you interested in?

 

[MNcruisingcouple]

I'll also second the recommendation for "Free Tours by Foot".  I've used them several times and been very happy.  Informative and interesting information and great guides.  

For me, just wandering the French Quarter is my favorite thing.  Seeing what you see, stopping to shop when you want, people watching, listening to street musician....the list goes on.  I especially save a Saturday to do this, to me the Quarter is more lively on the weekend.  

[Wildcatllamas]

I love Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street. I can order food or drink from the little restaurant in back and sit in the "garden" area and listen to their live music.

[mafig]

On 4/11/2021 at 7:17 PM, jonbgd said:

 

 

 

 

Acme oyster house for BBQ Oysters

 

 

 

 

 

 

Absolutely delicious!

[Meggiesailaway]

On 4/11/2021 at 6:17 PM, jonbgd said:

I agree with above and Ill add on to these great places

 

Ruby Slipper for breakfast and Bloody Mary

 

Acme oyster house for BBQ Oysters

 

Palace Cafe for the bananas Foster for desert at the end of the day

 

 

 

 

Ruby Slipper's shrimp and grits was pretty good but, Surrey's Cafe's shrimp and grits was SOOO GOOD! Well, pretty much everything at surrey's was good!

 

[mafig]

25 cent martinis at Commander's Palace, with the purchase of an  entree.  Reservations necessary.  They have a dress code also.  

Edited June 18, 2021 by mafig

[shaneandpamela]

Restaurants:

Ruby Slipper or Toast for breakfast
The Joint (in Bywater) for lunch - best BBQ I've ever had.

GW Fins (French Quarter) or Adolfo's (Frenchman Street) for a spectacular dinner.  You will need reservations.
Domenica has a great happy hour - bar and real pizzas

Bars:
Erin Rose - frozen Irish coffee - need I say more?
Carousel Bar in Hotel Monteleone - do whatever it takes to get a set AT THE BAR

Beignets:

Cafe du Monde for the ambience and experience

Cafe Beignet for better beignets

 

[EnjoyingCruising]

Restaurants will depend on what you want.  Almost no one does everything well.

 

Beignet's - Cafe du Monde

Drinks - Pat O'Brien's.  Visit the Piano Bar.  Hurricane's are stronger than they seem.  Nice souvenir glass.

Grilled  Oysters - Drago's

Grilled Fish - GW Fins

Service - Commander's Palace, need a reservation, possibly months in advance

Creole - Galatoire's

PoBoy's - Mothers

Something for everybody - Mr. B's Bistro

[keels81]

On 6/18/2021 at 4:47 PM, mafig said:

25 cent martinis at Commander's Palace, with the purchase of an  entree.  Reservations necessary.  They have a dress code also.  

 

This is only at lunch, FYI. But yes ... the three $.25 martini lunch is life-blood down here.

[dobiemom]

On 4/9/2021 at 6:31 PM, JerseyGirlJen said:

For things to do, check out Free Tours by Foot, they offer many types of tours and the tour guides get paid solely by tips, so you know they are going to do a good job.  They do cemetery tours and garden district tours, along with haunted tours, voodoo tours, and more.  

 

On 5/25/2021 at 6:46 AM, MNcruisingcouple said:

I'll also second the recommendation for "Free Tours by Foot".  I've used them several times and been very happy.  Informative and interesting information and great guides.  

How much would you recommend to tip the guides?

[MNcruisingcouple]

6 hours ago, dobiemom said:

 

How much would you recommend to tip the guides?

 

All the tour guides I've had have been very good, one was exceptional.  I think I gave the exceptional one $20 and the other $10-15.  It's been a number of years, so I can't remember exactly.

[rkacruiser]

For a very elegant and delicious dinner, I'd suggest Broussard's.  

 

New Orleans offers so much to experience.  Unless one wants a "once over, quickly" type of a visit, I agree with a previous poster about a visit to the National WW II Museum.  Yes, it will take some time to view the various exhibits.  And, I strongly suggest the extra cost attraction "Final Mission:  USS Tang Submarine Experience".  It's a very interactive experience and I think I can guarantee you will leave that Experience very much impacted by it.