New Orleans -Any suggestions on what to do and see pre-cruise?

[elsplace2]

We are in the beginning stages of planning for our next cruise.

 

One place on my bucket list is to sail out of New Orleans. Just waiting for the cruise itineraries to come out for next year for around Oct. time frame??

 

But I wanted to know what should we see and do and try not to miss, for 2 days pre cruise and possibly 1 day after cruise?

 

Any suggestions are welcomed!!!

 

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!!!

[mutzy]

we were in NO end of jan. we spent one day riding the different trolly lines. That was fun- we bought an all day pass for 3.00. you could get off and on

as many times as you wanted.

 

the second day we did a city tour and a swamp tour. i enjoyed both tours

but it made for a long day. if i were to do it again i would do one tour

one day the second tour the next day.

 

i would also take a cab from the hotel to st louis cathederal and walk around there- we saw it on the city tour and looked like a nice place to explore.

[maldenmusic]

Bourbon St and the French Quarter, St. Louis Cathedral, Riverwalk.

[KimmieTN]

The Abita Brewery is not far from New Orleans - maybe 20 minutes and it was a lot of fun. We did this when we were in NOLA last time and would do it again.

[mrsfecura]

We're sailing out of NOLA in less than a month! But I've been there a few times and its my favorite city.

Don't miss Cafe du Monde down by the river and their beignets. Also check out Pat O'Briens Bar, Jean Lafittes Bar, and hit Central Grocery for a take away muffaletta!

In the past I've done a walking tour of the Garden District, a swamp tour, a plantation tour, a midnight ghost walking tour thru the French Quarter (fun!) and a tour of all of the above ground cemeteries. All are very cool-rich in history or just plain fun.

[elsplace2]

Thanks for the great suggestions! I really appreciate them!

[baldilocks]

You might want to include the D-Day Museum that author Stephen Ambrose helped get started. New Orleans shipyards made many of the Higgins boats used in the landing.

[jgmpuma]

Frenchmen Street, for the music.

[2-laner]

Beignets at Cafe du monde early morning before the crowds start. The French Market is fun to walk through. A walk around Jackson Square to see all the artists that have set up for the day. If you hear the bells from St. Louis Cathedral ring out the call to services - go on in and attend mass. You can stay after and stroll around and take pictures. We did all the above the Sunday morning before boarding our ship. Even had time to roam about the French Quarters a little.

[CMHCruiseCouple]

Beignets at Cafe du monde early morning before the crowds start. The French Market is fun to walk through. A walk around Jackson Square to see all the artists that have set up for the day. If you hear the bells from St. Louis Cathedral ring out the call to services - go on in and attend mass. You can stay after and stroll around and take pictures. We did all the above the Sunday morning before boarding our ship. Even had time to roam about the French Quarters a little.

 

Wife and I were in NOLA about 6 weeks ago. Cafe DuMonde is a must, but get there early or you'll be in line for a bit.

 

We went on a tour of the Cathedral in Jackson Square. The guide gave an excellent overview of the history of the town. Be sure to ask about the many flags hanging on the right hand side of the church. Even as a history buff I was surprised at the number of times the city was claimed by other countries.

 

The "green" line trolley cars are a hoot through the Garden District. We got on at Canal Street and rode literally to the end of the line. Walk off that car and onto the one in front for the return ride to Canal St.

 

If you like to window shop for antiques then a stroll down Royal St is worth the visit.

 

Hard to go wrong with dining in NOLA. Our favorites were Mr. B's Bistro and Red Fish Grill, both near Iberville St on the west end of the Quarter.

 

Enjoy!

[elsplace2]

Thanks everyone for the additional suggestions! I will do more research on all the suggestions and take it from there. It's always great to hear what people do with their limited time there.

[jimjamxx]

Thanks everyone for the additional suggestions! I will do more research on all the suggestions and take it from there. It's always great to hear what people do with their limited time there.

 

Check out this web site. Plenty of info

 

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/

 

 

JimmyJames

[jackretired]

Snug Harbor for Jazz.

 

Muriel's Jackson Square for food.

 

Jackson Square for the experience.

 

Acme Oyster House for sea food.

 

Art Galleries for a daytime activity.

[elsplace2]

Thanks for the additional suggestions and websites!!

[HCTiger9704]

You might want to include the D-Day Museum that author Stephen Ambrose helped get started. New Orleans shipyards made many of the Higgins boats used in the landing.

 

I wanted to add that it now known as the National World War 2 Museum (it was called D-Day Museum for the first few years). I would recommend going and if you have not been in the past few months, you need to go again (they have expanded). Check out the National World War 2 Museum at http://www.nationalww2museum.org/

[HCTiger9704]

For breakfast, I really enjoy eating at The Irish House (1432 St. Charles Avenue). You can get there useing the Trolley Cars on St. Charles Ave.

[elsplace2]

Again, thanks for the additional information!

 

Has anyone done any of the Ghost tours? If so how did you like it and what did you do?

[MoneyGuy]

Are there any great day trips from NOLA? Either with a rental car or an organized tour?

[twotall]

We just got off the Voyager this past Saturday. We rented an SUV from Hertz on Convention Center Blvd. The location is just a short walk from the pier. It was myself, my wife, our 9-year old daughter and her 15-year old cousin. We managed the short walk with all of our luggage very easily. We arrived at about 8:15 and were on the road by 8:30.

 

We stopped in the Quarter to pick up some beignets and a muffaletta sandwich. We parked in the lot directly behind Cafe Du Monde and it cost only $5.00 for the hour or so that we were there.

 

We then took a driving tour of both the upper and lower 9th wards to see the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina. We were amazed by the number of damaged structures still standing and also encouraged by the neighborhood's resolve to rebuild. There were a number of new houses under construction.

 

We then left the city and drove out to see the Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie. This is a beautiful place and I would highly recommend a visit. We spent about two and a half hours total at the plantation and really enjoyed ourselves.

 

We returned the rental SUV at the airport at around 3:00 p.m. The total cost for the day was $134. We had plenty of time to catch our 5:00 flight (which unfortunately was delayed until 5:30). Overall it was a great last day of our vacation.

[ghia007]

Last year we used Tours by Isabelle. We did the city tour which included a trip to Longue, a mansion & gardens. We broke for lunch and then did a post Katrina tour. The tours were expensive compared to some of the other tours I looked at but I feel that the cost was well worth what we received. Four of us toured in a small van. Our guide picked us up at our timeshare and delivered us back. The tours were geared toward our interests (as much as possible). Our tour guides were locals and were excellent. It was one of the best days of our trip.

They also offer plantation tours and a swamp tour. We drove out to a few of them on our own and found them well worth the visit (Laura & Destrehan). Have a great trip!