Advice needed

[p5woody]

Hello, the wife and I will be in new orleans for the first time on February 11th. We will be staying at the La Quinta inn and sutes downtown(301 camp st) and leaving on the grandeur of the seas the following day. This is our first trip to new orleans and frist cruise so I am not sure what to expect.

for 2 people without kids, is it better to take a taxi or airport shuttle to the Hotel?

Our plane lands at 1:30 in the afternoon, what should we do when we get there? I was thinking about taking a street car around town then heading to bourbon street to find something to eat. After that we would walk around bourbon st and find a nice jazz club. Any suggestions are welcome.

We will have breakfast in the Hotel. What time should we plan on leaving the hotel to get to the cruise ship? I am assuming taxi is the best for that as well.

One final question, should we book a shuttle service back to the airport when we return from the cruise or can we get a taxi? Our flight leaves at 2:40, I am assuming we will have plenty of time to get to the airport.

[Bunkie103]

We took the airport shuttle to our hotel and it was just right. Only took it one way, so I am not sure if you can book round trip or not.
Your plans sound like good ones, I would suggest eating at the Gumbo Shop which we thought was excellent and not terribly expensive.
We were on Carnival and took their ground transportation when we got off the ship, it was only $10 a person. Have a great trip. :D

[zydecocruiser]

For one person I say the shuttle, for two it is more of a toss up. The taxi will be faster, you might a little tour if you aren't the first to be dropped off.

[url="http://www.flymsy.com/ground_transportation.htm"]http://www.flymsy.com/ground_transportation.htm[/url] are your choices.
[url="http://www.flymsy.com/"]http://www.flymsy.com/[/url] airport website

Your hotel if you didn't have:
[url="http://laquinta.com/lq/properties/propertyProfile.jsp?ident=LQ983&propId=983"]http://laquinta.com/lq/properties/propertyProfile.jsp?ident=LQ983&propId=983[/url]

When it gets closer to your departure time, you can check the club listings:
[url="http://www.offbeat.com/"]http://www.offbeat.com/[/url]

There is more than one streetcar line, the St Charles would be the more scenic. May not have time to ride all the way to the end, depending on your schedule. Maybe figure out much time to allocate to it and when half of it is gone, exit and catch one going the other way.

Cab from hotel to cruise ship is $7pp fixed.

The sooner you get on the ship the sooner you can eat again and explroe the ship. Or unload your carry on stuff and get back off the ship. There is a riverfront street car you can ride along the side of the quarter.

If you are going to be doing public transportation, you might want to figure out if a pass is worthwhile. You can get 1 or 3 day passes:
[url="http://www.regionaltransit.org/passes/visitour.php"]http://www.regionaltransit.org/passes/visitour.php[/url]

Will also allow you to exit if you see something that stikes your fancy, then continue on without having to pay again.

It will be just after Mardi Gras, so many places may still be recovering.

[p5woody]

Thanks for the information. The St Charles street car sounds fun and the riverfront street car is a great idea. We are also going to try the Gumbo Shop, do we reservations?

[zydecocruiser]

You can make reservations if you wish, but I don't know that it is necessary. If you want to maintain a schedule, then perhaps.

They are open 11am-11pm and your exploring may get the best of you.
[url="http://www.gumboshop.com/index.html"]http://www.gumboshop.com/index.html[/url]
If there is a wait, put your name on the list and walk around a little bit more.

Something else I like doing while walking around the French Quarter is check out the menus at different places. If an appetizer of two seems interesting, grab a seat at the bar (no waiting for a table and/or making waitstaff jump through hoops when I'm not going to have a full dinner). An appetizer or two here and there, perhaps a split entree somewhere else, and maybe desert at yet a different location.

[Budget Queen]

I would suggest a cab to the hotel. Then for dinner the Gumbo shop certainly is a good choice but research fully if you only are having one dinner in NO. Print out any coupons of interest from the Good times guide. Free drink at the Gumbo Shop. For jazz- of course Preservation Hall can't be best- just down the street from the Gumbo. Many many excellent resturants to choose from but I would skip eating on Bourbon. :)

[zydecocruiser]

Not sure if I would go that far. Galatoire's, probably my favorite restaurant, is on Bourbon Street... There is a dress code, though.

Preservation Hall is a good choice.
[url="http://www.preservationhall.com/"]http://www.preservationhall.com/[/url]