1 night hotel in New Orleans before cruise.

[shanna135]

Getting into town at 3pm,Jan 4th the day before.  Looking to get a room but where?  Last year stayed at a Kimpton for a 2 night stay.   Many reviews have mentioned Hilton Riverside. Not that concerned about walking to the port.  Looking for an evening of some good food and some music.  Thanks for any help

[ninjacat123]

Have you checked out Saint Greg's reviews?  I believe he has a number of NOLA reviews on his website.

https://www.saintgregtravel.com/category/port-of-departure/new-orleans/

[Saint Greg]

43 minutes ago, shanna135 said:

Getting into town at 3pm,Jan 4th the day before.  Looking to get a room but where?  Last year stayed at a Kimpton for a 2 night stay.   Many reviews have mentioned Hilton Riverside. Not that concerned about walking to the port.  Looking for an evening of some good food and some music.  Thanks for any help

 

Are you flying or driving?

[Theosprey247]

Hilton Riverside is close to the port (and thus the Aquarium) and short walk to Bourbon St.  Hilton St. Charles is father away but a historic looking building.  I Second looking at Saint Greg's website.

[Saint Greg]

15 minutes ago, Theosprey247 said:

Hilton Riverside is close to the port (and thus the Aquarium) and short walk to Bourbon St.  Hilton St. Charles is father away but a historic looking building.  I Second looking at Saint Greg's website.

 

Hilton St. Charles is a historic building. It was a masonic temple from the 1920's-1990's.

[tha sista]

@Saint Greg I am looking at going on my first solo cruise ever and going out of NOLA because of a great rate.  I am looking at this hotel.  Is there any reason I shouldn't feel safe to walk around in the area alone?  I generally have my head on a swivel but I don't want to be stupid.

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

Have you checked out Saint Greg's reviews?  I believe he has a number of NOLA reviews on his website.

https://www.saintgregtravel.com/category/port-of-departure/new-orleans/

 

Definitely. And a lot more I need to post. I'm actually working on one for the Maison St. Charles now to post next week or the week after. They have a park and cruise package so I think it may interest some around here. I'm going to have a gap in August where I'll be able to post some more New Orleans hotel reviews. I have a lot of catching up to do with that.

[Saint Greg]

3 minutes ago, tha sista said:

@Saint Greg I am looking at going on my first solo cruise ever and going out of NOLA because of a great rate.  I am looking at this hotel.  Is there any reason I shouldn't feel safe to walk around in the area alone?  I generally have my head on a swivel but I don't want to be stupid.

 

Which hotel are you looking at? Hilton Riverside?

[tha sista]

1 minute ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Which hotel are you looking at? Hilton Riverside?

yes

[ninjacat123]

2 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Definitely. And a lot more I need to post. I'm actually working on one for the Maison St. Charles now to post next week or the week after. They have a park and cruise package so I think it may interest some around here. I'm going to have a gap in August where I'll be able to post some more New Orleans hotel reviews. I have a lot of catching up to do with that.

I know when DH and I go to NOLA (or any where else for that matter) I will be scouring your reviews.  👍😺

[Saint Greg]

1 minute ago, tha sista said:

yes

 

You definitely want to check out this: New Orleans Hotel Guide: Hilton Riverside

 

Yeah I'm over there all the time during football season. Early morning before the sun even comes up. I never feel unsafe. The riverwalk. Waldenberg Park. A lot of early morning joggers around there. What I tell people is at night walk on the heavily populated streets as much as possible. So Poydras, Canal St., St. Charles Ave., etc.

[tha sista]

8 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

I know when DH and I go to NOLA (or any where else for that matter) I will be scouring your reviews.  👍😺

I have already started.

[tha sista]

1 minute ago, Saint Greg said:

 

You definitely want to check out this: New Orleans Hotel Guide: Hilton Riverside

 

Yeah I'm over there all the time during football season. Early morning before the sun even comes up. I never feel unsafe. The riverwalk. Waldenberg Park. A lot of early morning joggers around there. What I tell people is at night walk on the heavily populated streets as much as possible. So Poydras, Canal St., St. Charles Ave., etc.

Thanks!  I have already read your guide on the hotel and watched the walking to the port video.  I'm not doing that.  I'll pay for a cab to get there.  That mall looks deserted at time.  Futzing with luggage and being vigilant may be a bit more than I want.  Thanks again.

[starstruck05]

8 minutes ago, tha sista said:

Thanks!  I have already read your guide on the hotel and watched the walking to the port video.  I'm not doing that.  I'll pay for a cab to get there.  That mall looks deserted at time.  Futzing with luggage and being vigilant may be a bit more than I want.  Thanks again.

I wouldn't let that deter you from walking through the mall. It's looked like that my whole life. 🤣🤣🤣 but I recommend a taxi because of the luggage and there are escalators and stairs involved with the mall.

[Knights on the Beach]

6 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

You definitely want to check out this: New Orleans Hotel Guide: Hilton Riverside

 

Yeah I'm over there all the time during football season. Early morning before the sun even comes up. I never feel unsafe. The riverwalk. Waldenberg Park. A lot of early morning joggers around there. What I tell people is at night walk on the heavily populated streets as much as possible. So Poydras, Canal St., St. Charles Ave., etc.

 

Several years ago a local told us to walk on the opposite side of the street from where cars are parked at night. We never feel unsafe there either, but we've taken that advice to heart. 

 

Our absolute favorite place to stay is Bourbon Orleans. They have some unique rooms and we love the attached Bourbon O bar. Twice we've lucked into staying in the Governor's Suite (now called DeLille Suite). The pictures on their website don't do it justice. The bathroom in that suite is bigger than most of our cruise ship cabins have been. 😂 The hotel is located on the corner of Bourbon & Orleans and we don't hang out on Bourbon at all. We usually walk along Royal Street instead of Bourbon to avoid all that mess.

 

https://www.bourbonorleans.com/ 

 

[rlloyd3]

We're currently booked at the Cambria Hotel for a pre-cruise overnight in mid-May. Neither of us has ever been to NOLA before, but the hotel seems to have solid reviews online.

[starstruck05]

1 hour ago, rlloyd3 said:

We're currently booked at the Cambria Hotel for a pre-cruise overnight in mid-May. Neither of us has ever been to NOLA before, but the hotel seems to have solid reviews online.

I'm trying to think of what Hotel that used to be but it is in a good location.  Lots of bars and restaurants. You are blocked from seeing the cruise port by the Convention center but it's a quick, cheap cab ride. 

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, rlloyd3 said:

We're currently booked at the Cambria Hotel for a pre-cruise overnight in mid-May. Neither of us has ever been to NOLA before, but the hotel seems to have solid reviews online.

 

I stayed there in December. I have some pictures and stuff on that one starting with post #485 on page 20 of this thread.

 

 

[ninjacat123]

@Saint Greg have you traveled to Japan?  I'm planning a land trip for my family this July.

@IntrepidFromDC when are you traveling to the Far East?

Edited March 27 by ninjacat123

[RoperDK]

We are searching for a way to safely park our car for a Brilliance cruise in January.  We usually stay overnight in Biloxi and then park at the port, but I am getting nervous about secure parking.  We are Diamond with Hilton, so a free room night is easy for us.  Don't know about timely shuttles though.  I sometimes have a gimpy knee so hauling luggage and walking is iffy.  Looking forward to your input.  

[TN Roz]

We like the Marriott on Canal Street. Convenient location and we always feel safe.

[StephPS79]

3 hours ago, Knights on the Beach said:

Our absolute favorite place to stay is Bourbon Orleans. They have some unique rooms and we love the attached Bourbon O bar. Twice we've lucked into staying in the Governor's Suite (now called DeLille Suite). The pictures on their website don't do it justice. The bathroom in that suite is bigger than most of our cruise ship cabins have been. 😂 The hotel is located on the corner of Bourbon & Orleans and we don't hang out on Bourbon at all. We usually walk along Royal Street instead of Bourbon to avoid all that mess.

 

https://www.bourbonorleans.com/ 

 

We got married in port in February last year, we stayed here for our wedding weekend!  We loved it, definitely a bit unique and the location was great!  We had a great time.

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

@Saint Greg have you traveled to Japan?  I'm planning a land trip for my family this July.

 

Not yet. Definitely in my plans at some point though.

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

We are searching for a way to safely park our car for a Brilliance cruise in January.  We usually stay overnight in Biloxi and then park at the port, but I am getting nervous about secure parking.  We are Diamond with Hilton, so a free room night is easy for us.  Don't know about timely shuttles though.  I sometimes have a gimpy knee so hauling luggage and walking is iffy.  Looking forward to your input.  

The normal lot for that is the whale lot which is a wide open surface lot right by the river walk mall. I would recommend Fulton Parking Garage instead. Security is going to be better and they have a free shuttle to/from the port. The absolute cheapest cruise parking is their rooftop parking. But indoor isn’t that much more. Make sure you switch the drop down from hotel to cruise parking and you’ll see the indoor and rooftop options.

 

https://www.neworleansparking.com

 

What you may want to consider is booking Hilton Garden inn as well. Book one day of hotel parking for that. Then book your cruise parking. HGI is right by Fulton. Park, walk across the street to your hotel, Then walk back across the street the next morning to take your shuttle to the port. 

 

 I did that before my Glory cruise in 2019. What I did was just bring enough stuff for the night over to the hotel. Then when I came back in the morning I dropped my dirty clothes in the car and grabbed my suitcase for the cruise. Took the elevator downstairs and got on the shuttle.

https://www.saintgregtravel.com/new-orleans-hotel-review-hilton-garden-inn-convention-center/

 

 

Edited March 28 by Saint Greg

[Knights on the Beach]

1 hour ago, StephPS79 said:

We got married in port in February last year, we stayed here for our wedding weekend!  We loved it, definitely a bit unique and the location was great!  We had a great time.

 

That's awesome, what a great place to stay for a wedding weekend! The first time we stayed there was in 2015 for the final chapter in my cancer treatment. We were upgraded to that fantastic suite and I fell in love with New Orleans and Bourbon Orleans during that trip. A couple visits later they again upgraded us to the same suite - we couldn't believe it! In 2022 we had a regular room booked for November and they had gone through either an ownership or brand change and lost our reservation in the transition. Fortunately I realized it had gone missing and called to check on it. They had no regular rooms but gave us a nice loft suite for the same price. We've stayed at a couple other hotels in the Quarter and each time we said we should have stayed at Bourbon Orleans.