New Orleans Spirit cruise help

[mitsugirly]

the ship leaves around 5pm and you get to the gulf around 3am, but it's dark. you do get to see the lights from the small town, the oil factories and the fishing areas.

when you get to the gulf, you will feel a slight "bump"...

check out the drury inns, a lot of people report staying there and that it has a good breakfast included.

i drive down, can't help with rooms..

 

Wow, that's a long time. I figured maybe a few hours, but that's a long time. :eek:

 

Why do you feel a slight "bump" when you get to the gulf? :confused:

[CruisingLPN]

We stayed at the Drury Inn with our 2 young DDs. We felt very safe. We did walk around during the day to see some sights in the French Quarter. The breakfast was very good too.

[Toyz711]

the water of the river meets the water of the gulf...

everyone seems to feel it, no big deal, it's just a slight movement different from what you had been feeling.

[jennbill]

New Orleans is a great departure port. The sail down the river is awesome. Watching the pilot disembark the ship at the gulf is amazing.

 

I would recommend taking a taxi to the pier from whichever hotel you decide to book. I think it will be much easier and safer.

 

Next time from NOLA, try it as a couples only cruise. Enjoy the gourmet dining, amazing music, history and ambiance.

 

The Spirit is a really cool, smaller ship with a great crew. We loved our January cruise on her and are heading back in October.

[mypleasure]

Tony and I are currently planning our cruise from New Orleans and we are really looking forwards to it.

I used the Gulf Departures board here as a starting point for finding a hotel. I also used trip advisor to read the reviews (very imformative) and Google is always my best friend. I am currently building a Google map with all the places we want to see, shop, eat wander... We will be there for 3 days and 4 nights before we cruise. Google maps are great to help you see where you are and what is nearby. Go to google and enter google maps, then search for an address and it puts you right there. You can even zoom right in to street level. Brilliant.

 

Google searches for New Orleans led me to tourist info sites, restaurants (love reading the online menus), sites for tours, message boards and so on. You name it I have found it!

 

We settled on the Drury. Rated 3 in New Orleans with Trip Advisor, popular with cruisers and near a street car line. We plan to use the street cars, cabs and our feet to get around.

[rvsullivan]

We always stay at Marriott Convention Center, $5 cab ride, about two blocks from ship ($89 night) or Marriott Canal St, $10 cab ride, about 6 blocks ($99 night). Both have onsite eats and very short walk to food, Canal St is within a few feet of many places. Convention Center is about one or two blocks. From Convention Center you can look out the window at the Spirit. Have fun.

[Little Stinker]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Metairie New Orleans. We payed $110 for one night. The area seemed safe enough and there was also a restuarant attached to the hotel. The hotel is located about half way from the airport to the pier. We didnt stay in the FQ due to a lot of filled hotels and the price was a lot higher. We grabbed the free hotel shuttle from the airport the night we arrived and had the hotel call a taxi the next morning to the pier ($19). Arriving by taxi was nice as they drop you off right at the entrance where all the porters are waiting for you.

[mitsugirly]

Google maps are great to help you see where you are and what is nearby. Go to google and enter google maps, then search for an address and it puts you right there. You can even zoom right in to street level. Brilliant.

 

 

We settled on the Drury. Rated 3 in New Orleans with Trip Advisor, popular with cruisers and near a street car line. We plan to use the street cars, cabs and our feet to get around.

 

Yea, I use google maps all the time. I like how you can actually "walk" down the streets and see everything. I will have to take some time to do that today (It's my 1 day off this week)

 

Can you tell me if Drury had a shuttle service (preferably free to the port)?

 

We grabbed the free hotel shuttle from the airport the night we arrived and had the hotel call a taxi the next morning to the pier ($19). Arriving by taxi was nice as they drop you off right at the entrance where all the porters are waiting for you.

 

So the hotel provides you with a free shuttle from the airport to their hotel when you arrive? Do they have a free shuttle to the port? I was reading that they did somewhere. This could actually make or break where we stay since there are 3 of us and the charges for a cab could add up quickly.

[CruisingLPN]

No shuttle from the Drury.

[mitsugirly]

No shuttle from the Drury.

 

thanks! :)

[mskenokid]

Here is the link for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. The hotels on Convention Center Blvd are across the street from the Convention Center and the port of New Orleans is behind the Convention Center. You can/might be able to walk (you will need to cross railroad tracks if I remember) but with a child it is easier to get a taxi. The rooms on Convention Center Blvd might be expensive in September if there is a convention in town. I would not stay on Chef Hwy.!

Link for CVB:

http://neworleanscvb.com/listings/index.cfm/catID/9/subcatID/0/locID/9/startrange/All/endrange/All/substart/A/subend/G/hit/1

Link of Map of New Orleans and the NO convention center. The cruise ship terminal is not shown on the map. It is behind the NO Convention Center on the river.

http://maps.google.com/maps?rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7DMUS&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Doubletree+Hotel+New+Orleans&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Doubletree+Hotel&hnear=New+Orleans,+LA&cid=0,0,3309617469670111144&ei=IjizTZCDH8qjtgebvYTqDg&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQnwIwAA

Port of New Orleans website:

http://www.portno.com/pno_pages/cruises_passenger_info.htm

Hilton Hotel on the Mississippi River (you will see the cruise ship from the hotel room)

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/MSYNHHH-Hilton-New-Orleans-Riverside-Louisiana/index.do

Hotel New Orleans

http://www.hotelneworleansconventioncenter.com/default.aspx?pg=home

New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/msymc-new-orleans-marriott-at-the-convention-center/

http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MSYRF/main.wnt

http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=ZRJG2UDWIKWUICSGBIW2VCQ?ctyhocn=MSYLAHX

Double Tree (this hotel might be better for your budget)

http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/MSYTCDT-DoubleTree-by-Hilton-Hotel-New-Orleans-Louisiana/index.do

Staying at a hotel in the French Quarter or on Canal Street would be fine. As for your child, if it was me I would not walk around at night with him/her (FQ is at night is not a place for kids) but during the day it is fine. I am not sure when you are arriving, but there is the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas or the Audubon Insectarium on Canal Street for kids.

http://www.auduboninstitute.org/

 

Nicole in New Orleans

[Whitehouse]

Wife & I have stayed at Drury twice before a cruise. It is a nice hotel and had good snacks in the afternoon and a good breakfast. Since we had a car we drove to the port where I left luggage & wife. Drove back to hotel for free/reduced parking and I walked back to port (15 min or so). On return since raining caught taxi back to hotel $7/per person. Would stay there again when we cruise for the 3rd time on Spirit in October but Drury has jacked up rate & no parking during cruise. If you can get a good rate I would stay there.

[mitsugirly]

We booked Drury last night. I'm looking forward to it and have read great reviews on the place. The free hot breakfast and the kickbacks lunch/diner with free pop from 3-10pm did it for me. (Not to mention a pool on the roof) :D