Pre-cruise stay in NOLA: book via NCL or DIY?

[thespartyof3]

Going on Breakaway 12/30 out of NOLA. We will be arriving in New Orleans late on Dec 28. First time in New Orleans. 
 

I normally never book pre/post cruise stays with the cruiseline. I was quoted for the Hilton Riverside from NCL directly which included the transfer to/from the airport. The rate was very high as they charged in full for my 2 year old?!
 

I’m a flight attendant and between airline discounts and my husband’s points he banks for all his business travel it’s not worth it for us to book via NCL. My only obstacle is how to get from the airport to the hotel without a car seat? NCL says we do not need need a car seat and/or they would take care of it if we book through them (we will use NCL shuttle though to go back to MSY after we disembark the breakaway). 

I can book the Hilton Riverside on my own as well as other hotels near the port. I am leaning towards the Embassy Suites located on Julia St (same street where the port is). From Google earth I don’t think walking to the port makes sense with luggage? Friends say staying in the French Quarter is a must? 
 

Is it worth booking with NCL bc of the airport transfers? Not interested in lugging a car seat. I know there’s a cheap airport shuttle service advertised on the MSY website but it doesn’t operate at 11:00pm (when we land). Other private car services are quoting me $110 USD just from airport to hotel? Thought about renting a car but then have to deal with the logistics of returning it? 
 

Would appreciate any tips on hotels/getting to the port. 

 

 

[rjm11]

check out the family board- they may have some suggestions too. We always brought a convertible car seat stroller thing- it's safest to have the kiddo in a car seat on the plane too, and these are FAA approved- the one I used was lillygold sit n stroll. The wheels tuck up under it for a car seat, or pop out when you pull up the handle like travel luggage. You don't even have to take the kid out to convert it back and forth. They are expensive, but you can resell it for almost all the price once you're done using it.

https://www.lillygold.com/

 

That way you have a stroller for on the ship and in port- and can use it as a car seat for taxis and transfers.

[debenson0723]

9 minutes ago, thespartyof3 said:

Going on Breakaway 12/30 out of NOLA. We will be arriving in New Orleans late on Dec 28. First time in New Orleans. 
 

I normally never book pre/post cruise stays with the cruiseline. I was quoted for the Hilton Riverside from NCL directly which included the transfer to/from the airport. The rate was very high as they charged in full for my 2 year old?!
 

I’m a flight attendant and between airline discounts and my husband’s points he banks for all his business travel it’s not worth it for us to book via NCL. My only obstacle is how to get from the airport to the hotel without a car seat? NCL says we do not need need a car seat and/or they would take care of it if we book through them (we will use NCL shuttle though to go back to MSY after we disembark the breakaway). 

I can book the Hilton Riverside on my own as well as other hotels near the port. I am leaning towards the Embassy Suites located on Julia St (same street where the port is). From Google earth I don’t think walking to the port makes sense with luggage? Friends say staying in the French Quarter is a must? 
 

Is it worth booking with NCL bc of the airport transfers? Not interested in lugging a car seat. I know there’s a cheap airport shuttle service advertised on the MSY website but it doesn’t operate at 11:00pm (when we land). Other private car services are quoting me $110 USD just from airport to hotel? Thought about renting a car but then have to deal with the logistics of returning it? 
 

Would appreciate any tips on hotels/getting to the port. 

 

 

If traveling with a child that uses a car seat, I would not stay in the French Quarter. The Embassy Suites would be a good choice, much closer walk than appears on Google Maps.  I would have your husband take the luggage down the street to check-in then come back and the 3 of you can walk together to the port. I have stayed at The Mercantile Hotel next door to Embassy Suites and taken my luggage on my own (solo traveler).  As far as transportation, I don't have suggestions...I have just taken a cab.

[DaggoB]

Stayed at the Homewood Suites one time and the Troubadour by Hilton another time. Both are just outside the French quarter. Homewood is a little farther out but both are within 10-15 minutes by Uber. Uber is cheaper than a cab. Going home we took the NCL transfer to the airport. We used a private transport to get from the airport to the hotel. Burton New Orleans Shuttle. They were waiting for us at the airport. They are a 24 hour service. You would have to ask them about the car seats. Hope this helps

[MoCruiseFan]

We stay at the Harrahs New Orleans.  It is EASY walking distance to the port and if you even a small Harrahs/Caesars casino player you get free rooms.

[thespartyof3]

7 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

If traveling with a child that uses a car seat, I would not stay in the French Quarter. The Embassy Suites would be a good choice, much closer walk than appears on Google Maps.  I would have your husband take the luggage down the street to check-in then come back and the 3 of you can walk together to the port. I have stayed at The Mercantile Hotel next door to Embassy Suites and taken my luggage on my own (solo traveler).  As far as transportation, I don't have suggestions...I have just taken a cab.

Thanks for the info. Great idea.

 

Walking distance wise? Is it an easy walk? Weather permitting of course. Just trying to get a feel for the area (how about walking in the early evening seeing as it gets dark earlier in December?) 

[thespartyof3]

54 minutes ago, DaggoB said:

Stayed at the Homewood Suites one time and the Troubadour by Hilton another time. Both are just outside the French quarter. Homewood is a little farther out but both are within 10-15 minutes by Uber. Uber is cheaper than a cab. Going home we took the NCL transfer to the airport. We used a private transport to get from the airport to the hotel. Burton New Orleans Shuttle. They were waiting for us at the airport. They are a 24 hour service. You would have to ask them about the car seats. Hope this helps

Thanks for the info will look into it. 

[debenson0723]

11 minutes ago, thespartyof3 said:

Thanks for the info. Great idea.

 

Walking distance wise? Is it an easy walk? Weather permitting of course. Just trying to get a feel for the area (how about walking in the early evening seeing as it gets dark earlier in December?) 

It's about a 5 minute walk from the hotel to where the luggage is given to the porters. And it depends on where you want to walk to...I have walked down the street at night alone to/from the Harrah's up on Canal Street but as in any big city, you need to be very aware of your surroundings.  French Quarter at night is not the place for a child.

[SimplyAlbert]

We've stayed at both the Marriott Convention Center and Courtyard by Marriot Convention Center and both are a very easy walk to the port.  We travel light and easily walked across the street with our luggage.

[KarlChilders]

we stayed at the Hotel Indigo on St Charles. Very nice place, easy street car access to French Quarter and a quick uber ride to the port.

Edited October 11, 2022 by KarlChilders

[phillygwm]

23 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

If traveling with a child that uses a car seat, I would not stay in the French Quarter. The Embassy Suites would be a good choice, much closer walk than appears on Google Maps. 

I've stayed in the Homewood Suites which is technically just outside FQ (literally the other side of Rampart St.)  It was a good value and the concierge, which I wouldn't have expected from a Homewood, was amazing.  The reason you don't want to stay too far afield is because either 1) it's too removed from where you want to be or 2) the neighborhood is iffy.  Or sometimes both.  You can price out both NCL and DIY options but I suspect DIY will be quite a bit cheaper.  

 

We used a lot of taxis/Ubers but didn't travel with kids so I can't speak to the travel seat issue.

Edited October 11, 2022 by phillygwm

[www3traveler]

I usually stay at the Sheraton on Canal Street.  Short walk to the aquarium and other attractions.

 

I would NOT attempt waling to the Port, very congested area.  You have cross at least two major streets and at least one set of railroad tracks.

 

Be sure to be outside as the ships pulls away from the pier.  The ship will be docked probably behind a Carnival ship and facing up River.  As you pull out in to the River Channel, you will do a "U Turn" and head down River past downtown New Orleans.

 

Enjoy

[RocketMan275]

23 hours ago, thespartyof3 said:

Would appreciate any tips on hotels/getting to the port. 

Here's some information you may find useful.

https://www.saintgregtravel.com/new-orleans-hotel-guide-hilton-riverside/

There is a video showing the  walk from the Hilton to the Port.

BTW, all the hotels in NOLA are very expensive.

Have you considred a hotel in Slidell?

You might save enough to pay for UBER.

[Juncti]

This is the area around the terminal. The purple X is where you start the check in process, the purple line is where luggage is dropped off. The red arrows are a number of hotels that appear nearby. The Marriott Warehouse is where they had us go last year for pre-cruise covid testing (looked like a nice hotel from what we saw of it). We dropped our luggage off first, walked over, did the test, then walked to the terminal. I was in pretty bad shape with a hurt back at the time and was able to manage it.

 

I do think if you're traveling with a small child, the idea to send someone down to check your luggage first, then go to the ship as a family makes a lot of sense. Once you drop your luggage with the porters you can still go back to the hotel. So that might help take some of the stress of getting everyone from the room to the terminal if you only had your important carry on items, and the child and stroller or any other important items you travel with for them. 

 

If this was July or August the multiple trips might be a little harder, but December the weather should be cool but not too cold (unless a cold front hits at just the right time), but really we don't get very frigid down here. 

 

Depending on how well your child handles crowds and chaos, as well as depending on if you're in an  early boarding group like Haven or Platinum or above status, dropping off luggage first will give you time to casually head in at your chosen time. The lines for security and non-haven check in can get insane. Especially in the busier boarding group times. 

 

[RocketMan275]

On our last cruise from NOLA, we were in Haven and we still stood in lines for over 90 minutes to board.  No priority boarding lines.  Just one huge mess.

[rjm11]

I'm interested in hearing about how this goes without the covid testing requirements- hopefully the system is a little better this year.

[RocketMan275]

4 minutes ago, rjm11 said:

I'm interested in hearing about how this goes without the covid testing requirements- hopefully the system is a little better this year.

Yes, there were three checkpoints where we had to show, each time, our boarding pass, our vaccination status, and our COVID test.

 

I really don't think that was the issue.  The line was formed in a very long corridor that snaked left and right.  The waiting area for those who had checked in was very small, may 100-150 seats.  No signage for priority boarding.

 

We arrived shortly before 10AM.  The line was already over 100 yards long.  The line didn't start moving until boarding commenced at ~11AM.  Once we got to the head of the line, we could see the Haven check in.  We went directly there.  No one was waiting in the Haven checkin.  After that, things were smooth.  Took about 10 minutes for checkin for the four of us.  We proceeded directly to the Haven waiting area.  Didn't even sit down before we were immediately boarded.

 

I'm tempted on our next NOLA cruise to see if we can cut the line and move directly to haven check in.

[Juncti]

6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I'm tempted on our next NOLA cruise to see if we can cut the line and move directly to haven check in.

 

You should be able to, we were lucky last year to be able to put in upgrade bids and get in Haven. When we got to the very first person who checks that everyone entering the terminal has a valid ticket, they saw Haven and brought us to a certain line in security, from there we went to Haven check in, and then Haven waiting room (where we sat for 7 hours, that sucked)

 

If you have Haven and get stuck in the normal lines, look for someone and ask about where the Haven line is. We ran into that on the exit at the end of the cruise. There was this insanely long line and we got swept up into it, my wife went and asked if there was an express line for the Haven since we thought it included express disembarkation. Turns out there was and they pointed us to it. 

[RocketMan275]

59 minutes ago, Juncti said:

 

You should be able to, we were lucky last year to be able to put in upgrade bids and get in Haven. When we got to the very first person who checks that everyone entering the terminal has a valid ticket, they saw Haven and brought us to a certain line in security, from there we went to Haven check in, and then Haven waiting room (where we sat for 7 hours, that sucked)

 

If you have Haven and get stuck in the normal lines, look for someone and ask about where the Haven line is. We ran into that on the exit at the end of the cruise. There was this insanely long line and we got swept up into it, my wife went and asked if there was an express line for the Haven since we thought it included express disembarkation. Turns out there was and they pointed us to it. 

Was that in NOLA?

[CruzCra-Z]

On 10/10/2022 at 12:09 PM, thespartyof3 said:

Going on Breakaway 12/30 out of NOLA. We will be arriving in New Orleans late on Dec 28. First time in New Orleans. 
 

I normally never book pre/post cruise stays with the cruiseline. I was quoted for the Hilton Riverside from NCL directly which included the transfer to/from the airport. The rate was very high as they charged in full for my 2 year old?!
 

I’m a flight attendant and between airline discounts and my husband’s points he banks for all his business travel it’s not worth it for us to book via NCL. My only obstacle is how to get from the airport to the hotel without a car seat? NCL says we do not need need a car seat and/or they would take care of it if we book through them (we will use NCL shuttle though to go back to MSY after we disembark the breakaway). 

I can book the Hilton Riverside on my own as well as other hotels near the port. I am leaning towards the Embassy Suites located on Julia St (same street where the port is). From Google earth I don’t think walking to the port makes sense with luggage? Friends say staying in the French Quarter is a must? 
 

Is it worth booking with NCL bc of the airport transfers? Not interested in lugging a car seat. I know there’s a cheap airport shuttle service advertised on the MSY website but it doesn’t operate at 11:00pm (when we land). Other private car services are quoting me $110 USD just from airport to hotel? Thought about renting a car but then have to deal with the logistics of returning it? 
 

Would appreciate any tips on hotels/getting to the port. 

 

 

We prebooked a cute place in the French Quarter after reading reviews a travel site. Took an uber from the airport and saved lots of money not doing it through cruiselinge. We didn't want a big hotel.  We wanted authentic french quarter vibes.   Best pre-cruise stay we've ever had.

Edited October 11, 2022 by CruzCra-Z

[Juncti]

On 10/11/2022 at 1:03 PM, RocketMan275 said:

Was that in NOLA?

Yes it was. We live here so pretty much only cruise out of here for convenience. 

[RocketMan275]

8 minutes ago, Juncti said:

Yes it was. We live here so pretty much only cruise out of here for convenience. 

Thank you.  We will certainly ask if we're in that terrible line next year.

[Colorado Buffalo]

FYI   - The Sugar Bowl is Saturday Dec 31st so hotel prices will not get any better and most likely 

           worse day by day.

[RocketMan275]

21 hours ago, Juncti said:

Yes it was. We live here so pretty much only cruise out of here for convenience. 

Question:  is there a special event for 4-5 March?  I notice many hotels are already sold out that weekend.

[Juncti]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Question:  is there a special event for 4-5 March?  I notice many hotels are already sold out that weekend.

I mean that time of year Mardi Gras is a real possibility. I'll look it up real quick. Turns out that's in February next year. 

 

I don't see anything specific jumping out. Could just be a lot of conventions in town at the same time. I know they host final 4 here sometimes, maybe that timing lines up, but who knows. There's so many events that come and go it could be anything.