Boarding a ship in NO....

[crosscountry]

I have a group of 35 leaving on May 25th out of NO. What is the earliest time we can start boarding the boat?:cool:

[*Mach*]

When I sailed from NOLA in February I was supposed to board at about 10 AM for a special project but ended up boarding with group 1 at about 11:30.

11:30 is pretty much the earliest time that the ship is available to board...

:)

[GORDONCHICK]

The boarding time is dependant upon the ship docking either before or by it's scheduled time and then the time it takes debarking passengers to get off. The big thing is, while you may be able to board the ship, chances are huge that your cabin will not be ready so you will have to lug what ever you carry on the ship with you. If you plan on being in the pool or hot tubs, you'll need to park you stuff somewhere. Exploring the ship with even a wheeled carry-on is not easy with all the other passengers and their carry-on luggage.

[bw0706]

PP are both correct. Our personal experience is that we got to the terminal about 11:00 and were onboard about 11:30 and headed to find food.

[KOOLBEANS]

Same here, got there around 11 ish and was on board before 12. I loved the ship, but then again, that is a given!;)

[NolaZach]

Don't board too early, enjoy the French Market before you get on the ship. There are less crowds after noon. You can drop off your luggage and explore the river front area.

[ogtiger10]

Is there a special check-in line for large groups? I also have a group of 32. It would be easier if we could check-in as a group since we need to switch some of the people around in cabins. Will they do that at check-in or do we need to do it at the Customer Relations desk?

[*jess*]

I think my reservation said to board around 12:30....

[southrncruisr]

Is it possible to drop off your luggage with the porters and then go to Cafe du Monde for beignets before boarding? Our flight arrives in at 10:30 am.

[SeeSharp]

Is it possible to drop off your luggage with the porters and then go to Cafe du Monde for beignets before boarding? Our flight arrives in at 10:30 am.

 

Yes, We've done it in NO and FLL. Drop you bags at the curb with a porter and come back in a couple hours.

 

 

Ry

[adams.580]

Is it possible to drop off your luggage with the porters and then go to Cafe du Monde for beignets before boarding? Our flight arrives in at 10:30 am.

 

This is a great idea! We stayed in NO for 2 days before our cruise, and we walked from our hotel down to the port the day before to check it out. There is a mall attached to the port, which then leads into a riverwalk that takes you towards the French Quarter. If you took a taxi to the port from the airport and dropped off your bags, you could make the 10-15 minute walk from there along the river to the Cafe du Monde coffestand near Canal Street. You could even continue on to the French Quarter for the real Cafe du Monde at Jackson Square, that takes about 20 minutes each way. That would give you plenty of time for delicious beignets and sightseeing in NO before you head back to the ship.

[chiarigirl]

We stayed in the french quarter and got up and repacked what little we had gotten out, then left the hotel around 9ish for the french quarter. Went to cafe du monde for beignets, then walked around the quarter for some souvenirs we had seen the day before. We got back to the hotel at 11ish, which was our checkout time and had them call us a cab for the port. It was about 7 bucks a person and once we got on the ship it was about 12:30, went to the lido deck and ate and by then it was 1:30 and our room were ready then we had our luggage by 3:00.

[April-in-NC]

Is it possible to drop off your luggage with the porters and then go to Cafe du Monde for beignets before boarding? Our flight arrives in at 10:30 am.

 

Cafe du Monde also has a kiosk in the River Walk shopping center near the pier. It isn't the original location, but it is a little more convient to the pier if you weren't planning on exploring the French Quarter.