new orleans

[grinder172]

just booked serenade of the sea going out of new orleans we will be driving from ohio. where is a good overnight stay? hilton garden inn has a park and stay pkg at the airport does anyone know how far it is to cruise port and has anyone stayed there. we have never been to this port also would like a good restrurant for dinner. thanks for any help

[Clarea]

just booked serenade of the sea going out of new orleans we will be driving from ohio. where is a good overnight stay? hilton garden inn has a park and stay pkg at the airport does anyone know how far it is to cruise port and has anyone stayed there. we have never been to this port also would like a good restrurant for dinner. thanks for any help

Depending on traffic, it's about 20 minutes from the airport to the cruise port.

[truffles2]

You can walk to the terminal from Hilton Riverside--and they have a parking package for $16.00. I assume that is for 7 days--not daily!:eek:

[olemissreb]

You might try and post this question on the New Orleans board. I can't help you with where to stay that would also include parking, but as for restaurants, there are a ton in varying price ranges. Depends on what you are in the mood for and how much you want to spend. Some of my favorites are Commanders Palace, NOLA, Felix's Oyster House (less busy than Acme which is across the street and just as good they also have po' boys), Cafe du Monde (for beignets and coffe with chickory at breakfast), Court of Two Sisters (brunch), Mother's, and Central Grocery (muffaletta for lunch..get some wine at the liquor store a couple doors down and then go eat on the levee). Note all of these restaurants are in the Downtown area...French Quarter or Garden District.

 

Personally, I'd try and find something near the Quarter or Warehouse/CBD to stay at. Then many things would be within walking distance which would allow you to get more of a feel for NOLA.

 

PS Commanders Palace is where Emeril Lagasse got his start and NOLA (the restaurant) is one 4 or 5 of his restaurants. All of them are supposed to be excellent, but I can only speak to the one.

[uncleah]

I think you would have a lot more fun staying in the city than staying at the airport. There are lots of hotels.

 

As to restaurants: Brennan's is a long time classic there. Kpaul is very good. The Commanders Palace is more than walking distance from the French Quarter but it is excellent. Warning - gentlemen will need a jacket and tie there. Your hotel should be able to direct you to any of a multitude of good places.

 

There are lots of cafes for less formal food and Café du Monde is a fun place down by the river for beignets.

 

Have a great trip.

[Don Pedro]

Depending on traffic, it's about 20 minutes from the airport to the cruise port.

 

About 20 minutes is correct and be aware that the traffic signage directing you to the French Quarter is labeled "Vieux Carre" rather than FQ.

[parrotfeathers]

The traffic was horrible in NOLA when the remodeling was going on. I think it was Voyager's first time out of NOLA. It took us over an hour to get to the port and we were only a few blocks away. Has all that been straightened out?

[Clarea]

The traffic was horrible in NOLA when the remodeling was going on. I think it was Voyager's first time out of NOLA. It took us over an hour to get to the port and we were only a few blocks away. Has all that been straightened out?

We were on the transatlantic cruise that came in the day you were trying to embark. The disembarkation was slow, and the convention center had some sort of jewelry show going on, so traffic was gridlocked. I don't think they improved the traffic flow, but I have read that the disembarkation is better now.

 

Next time a Royal ship is in New Orleans, it will be Serenade, with only 2100 guests, about 1000 fewer than Voyager/Navigator. That's 1000 fewer getting off and 1000 fewer getting on, so a total of 2000 fewer people at the terminal. That should help.

[joshchristine100700]

Holiday Inn Superdome has a parking package (or used to) for cruisers and they have a gated parking structure. It is a short drive from the French Quarter/Bourbon Street but they have a shuttle that will drop you off and pick you up. They also have a cruise port shuttle. The rooms are decent...its not a 4 star resort but it works;)

 

For those not familiar with the FQ in NOLA and NOLA in general downtown...$16 for parking generally refers to per day....parking is limited...A LOT limited. I recently paid 18 a day I believe and this was at a main stream Hilton chain just off Canal...the valet parked the cars double stacked across the street on lifts. (First time I had seen my mini van stacked on top of other cars!)

 

This being said...don't stay at the airport...if you are cruising out of NOLA, do not miss the experience of downtown NOLA, FQ, garden district etc...The culture, food, people, photo ops are worth the extra price.

 

There is a Café Du Monde in the Riverwalk mall that you can visit pre-cruise if you don't stay in the FQ. Nothing like hot beignets before hoping on a cruise!

 

** I'm not from LA but the military took us to another portion of LA for 3 years until recently and I fell in love with NOLA in our visits there ***

[Grandma Dazzles]

We sailed on the Navigator in March of this year out of New Orleans. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza at the airport - we had a late afternoon arrival at the airport and the St. Patrick's Day parade was going off downtown - didn't want to get hung up. Hotel was fine and we also had dinner there, which was also good.

 

Mainly wanted to let you know that we were happy to find out that the taxi rate was fixed - airport to cruise terminal - believe it was around $30 - not metered, which helped tremendously as the traffic was very heavy and we sat for a long time.

[leafs]

just booked serenade of the sea going out of new orleans we will be driving from ohio. where is a good overnight stay? hilton garden inn has a park and stay pkg at the airport does anyone know how far it is to cruise port and has anyone stayed there. we have never been to this port also would like a good restrurant for dinner. thanks for any help

 

We are going in Feb. and would like to drive from Toronto. Do you fear driving in the winter months from Ohio?

Thanks....

[Don Pedro]

We sailed on the Navigator in March of this year out of New Orleans. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza at the airport - we had a late afternoon arrival at the airport and the St. Patrick's Day parade was going off downtown - didn't want to get hung up. Hotel was fine and we also had dinner there, which was also good.

 

Mainly wanted to let you know that we were happy to find out that the taxi rate was fixed - airport to cruise terminal - believe it was around $30 - not metered, which helped tremendously as the traffic was very heavy and we sat for a long time.

 

Taxi's from the airport to the FQ are $33 for up to two people and $14 pp for three or more passengers.

[TEXASMUNK]

Depending on what you are willing to spend, you have come to the home of some of the finest restaurants in the entire country! Enjoy and Bon Voyage!

[broberts]

just booked serenade of the sea going out of new orleans we will be driving from ohio. where is a good overnight stay? hilton garden inn has a park and stay pkg at the airport does anyone know how far it is to cruise port and has anyone stayed there. we have never been to this port also would like a good restrurant for dinner. thanks for any help

 

I'd suggest looking for something downtown, closer to the French Quarter. There are numerous hotels along Canal St. Easy walking distance to the Quarter and a short ride to cruise terminal. There are also a number of hotels within walking distance of the cruise terminal. The Port of New Orleans offers parking, around $16 day if I recall correctly - http://www.portno.com/pno_pages/cruises_passenger_info.htm#parking.

 

Driving in the Quarter is difficult and not really worth the trouble. It's a great place for walking and there are numerous restaurants. It's touristy and I probably would avoid the area late at night, but it's fun during the day and early evening.

 

As to restaurants, there is a huge selection at various price levels throughout the downtown area.

[christi1805]

Next time a Royal ship is in New Orleans, it will be Serenade, with only 2100 guests, about 1000 fewer than Voyager/Navigator. That's 1000 fewer getting off and 1000 fewer getting on, so a total of 2000 fewer people at the terminal. That should help.

Sorry Bob, that is certainly not correct. As we will be onboard there will be 2102 guests.........:D

egbert

[Clarea]

Sorry Bob, that is certainly not correct. As we will be onboard there will be 2102 guests.........:D

egbert

I can always count on you to give me some trouble Egbert!:):):)

 

We miss you guys.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

I love Harrah's. You can see the port from your room window. And for dinner, there's a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the hotel, it's amazing. If you don't have tons of bags, it's an easy walk from Harrah's to the port. And there's a casino too....:eek:

[Tennessee_Cruiser]

just booked serenade of the sea going out of new orleans we will be driving from ohio. where is a good overnight stay? hilton garden inn has a park and stay pkg at the airport does anyone know how far it is to cruise port and has anyone stayed there. we have never been to this port also would like a good restrurant for dinner. thanks for any help

 

We stayed at the Hyatt Place across from the Convention center and left our car parked at the garage the hotel uses. It was something like $10 or $15 / day. There is a shuttle to the terminal--super easy. If you didn't have a lot of luggage you could even walk to it.

[Sipsey]

Staying at the airport when you could stay somewhere near the French Quarter would be a crime, if you have never been to New Orleans! It probably will be a bit pricier, but New Orleans is an experience not to be missed. If you have the time, the WWII museum is terrific and the IMAX movie in it is mandatory, IMO.