Cruising from NOLA - Questions?

[nae418]

Hello All:

 

I, along with my 2 DS' are planning a secret getaway. We are seriously looking at the

Truimph Ship that sails from NOLA. We' ve never been to NOLA and have questions?

 

1. If we stayed the night before in a hotel near the French Quarter/Boubon Street, how far would we be from the cruise port? Are Taxi's around and easy to get?

 

2. Can anyone recommend a nice 3-star hotel? (one that you have stayed in and liked)

 

3. Is Downtown NOLA same area as French Quarter/ Bourbon Street?

 

4. If we flew in the same day which I doubt, but if we did. Carnival Transfers, Private Shuttle, or Taxi to port. Which is cheaper?

 

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you & Happy Sailing....

 

nae

[firefly333]

I dont know about stars, but a lot of folks stay at Drury, which has free cruise parking, large rooms, snacks at night, with 3 drink coupons (coke is included, or other soft drinks) and a breakfast folks rave about and 1 hour of free long distance.

 

There are other hotels nearby, but Iv been told not to walk, apparantly something about its a difficult walk, more so than being so far. Cabs wouldnt be a problem.

 

Drury gets a lot of cruisers.

 

Hotwire has cheaper options, but a 3 star might not be great. I have seen better reviews for Drury than for the 3 star hotel in French quarter, I think it was holiday inn, one of those, I was told it was a little run down .. so stars dont tell the story, but you can save some money with a 3 star on hotwire.

[SCUBA Mark]

We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard for $79 and got free parking while we were on the cruise. They are about 3 blocks from the cruise terminal.

[arpie05]

The best place to post this would be in departure points, Gulf Ports, and New Orleans. We stayed at the Drury Inn. At the time it was free parking but I have read more recent post you might have to pay for one night then the rest of your cruise is free. There are a whole bunch of hotel suggestions there. We were just blocks from French Quarter and blocks from Cruise Port.

 

Downtown and French Quarter are not same thing. French Quarter will be loud until probably 4 am with street noise. If you are not renting a car, I would look for a hotel that was close to port.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Not everything in the French Quarter is loud. If you stay in one of the older properties it may not be sound proof.

 

A great hotel in the French Quarter is Iberville Suites - check hotels.com to see if decent rates. Same building as the Ritz Carlton. Might be a mile from the port.

 

Another good one that is used by the cruise lines is Astor Crowne Plaza. A little closer to the port.

 

Taxis are plentiful, not necessarily cheap. It is a flat rate to the port from downtown and the French Quarter - same price if you are across the street from the port or a mile away.

 

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From the airport I would take a taxi. Carnival transfers are $23pp each way. A taxi might be $35 for 2 and faster.

[spring001]

We just cruised out of NOLA in August and this was our first cruise and my sons first time to NO. It was just the two of us me (mom) and my 16 year old son.

 

We stayed at the Drury Inn and it was fabulous! I was SHOCKED at how nice it was considering the price we paid. I got on the Drury Inn website and clicked on esaver rates (they change daily, I think). I got a great price there but couldnt book online because I wanted the special where u can leave your car in their parking lot. I called the 1-800 number and was able to use both coupon codes and we paid 80.00 for the night and 10.00 for parking (u pay for one night then the rest is free). Its is in a very nice location, safe, and close to the trolly lines. We drove to the French Quarter and paid to park (only because it was raining and I didnt wanna drown). We walked all over the FQ then went back to the hotel for a rest. Early in the evening we went to the free happy hour and then took a trolly ride thru the garden district.

 

The next morning we took a taxi to the port, it was $7-8 dollars per person. They drop you off right next to where u check in. It was VERY easy.

 

Hope this info helps you, I hope you have a great time on your trip!

 

Christina

[spring001]

One more thing, I felt like a goober because I didnt know you have to have CORRECT change to ride on the trolly. There were people all over the trolly handing us change so we could ride too. I think it is $1.25 per person each way and it was a very relaxing ride and a nice way to see part of the city.

[nae418]

Hello All:

 

Thank you for all the good information. I will check these hotels out. We will be flying in

from Philadelphia the day before and will probably not have a rental car. Thanks again

and Happy Sailing.....

[pidaho1971]

Hello All:

 

I, along with my 2 DS' are planning a secret getaway. We are seriously looking at the

Truimph Ship that sails from NOLA. We' ve never been to NOLA and have questions?

 

1. If we stayed the night before in a hotel near the French Quarter/Boubon Street, how far would we be from the cruise port? Are Taxi's around and easy to get?

 

2. Can anyone recommend a nice 3-star hotel? (one that you have stayed in and liked)

 

3. Is Downtown NOLA same area as French Quarter/ Bourbon Street?

 

4. If we flew in the same day which I doubt, but if we did. Carnival Transfers, Private Shuttle, or Taxi to port. Which is cheaper?

 

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you & Happy Sailing....

 

nae

 

1. FQ is probably about 3 to 4 miles from the port (a guess, but essentially it's not walking distance or anything). A taxi or shuttle would be the way to go and shouldn't cost you too much. United Cab Company is the one you should stick with, and anyplace you stay will probably have cards with their phone number. There are other companies, but they have been known to price gouge at times.

 

2. I normally stay at B&Bs when I visit New Orleans. They are plentiful in and around the French Quarter and most have a lot more character than the hotels. As far as hotels go, some of the ones previously mentioned (Drury, etc) are perfectly fine.

 

3. Not really. The French Quarter is the "historic" district I suppose you could say, and the place that typifies the image that most people have of the city. If you want to experience New Orleans, you will want to stay in or very near the French Quarter. There are enough restaurants, shops, and bars to keep you more than entertained!

 

4. I'm not sure which would be cheaper. I wouldn't call the cab fares cheap, but they're not outrageous, either.

[tahoemw]

I stayed at the Doubletree; close to Harrah's and walking distance to the beinet (coffee) place. I used taxi, cost 20.00 one way to hotel and used taxi from the port to the airport. I also stayed at the Ramada on Burbon street. I booked the Country Inn and the Marriott downtown for my next cruise; don't know which one to go with.

[LakeCharlescruiser]

Two weeks ago,

From the Drury, the taxi to the terminal for two with luggage is post at $7 per person. (Its $7.25 for two people with no luggage.) The signs on the taxis say $33 for two people and luggage from the airport to downtown. The Drury charged us $15 to park the car the first night and free for the rest of the cruise.

 

Its not far from the Drury to the start of Bourbon St. The Drury is at the corner of Poydras St. and Carondelet St. Walking north, Carondelet turns into Bourbon St when you cross Canal St 5 blocks down.

[stlrboo]

Interesting! Thinking of booking a hotel for two nights, so the DW and I can 'look around'...! Cruise departs on Dec 7th..:)

 

Guess 'close to the port' would be our best bet, but we still would like to check out the Bourbon Street area.. Never been to NO!!:p

 

Any good ideas on a two night stay (trying to keep the cost down) ...??:confused: