New Orleans - port or starboard

[spammie]

We have never been to New Orleans.  We are going to book the 11 night cruise on Equinox for next April which docks in New Orleans for two nights.  Just wondering which side of the ship to pick our cabin on.  Thanks for the help.  

[Hypo]

We think the best side would be portside for the sail down the river.  But there are interesting things to see on both sides of the river.  It is amazing how far out to sea you will be and there are still numerous oil drilling platforms.

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, spammie said:

We have never been to New Orleans.  We are going to book the 11 night cruise on Equinox for next April which docks in New Orleans for two nights.  Just wondering which side of the ship to pick our cabin on.  Thanks for the help.  

Sometimes the current/winds make a difference in how the Captain/Harbor Pilot decides to dock the ship.  Crap shoot on which side will be facing the City....

[Ozzmund]

We were on that cruise a year ago and if you dock on the city side, you will be facing the backside of the mall/convention center.

 

[Orator]

Been to NO twice on Mardi Gras cruise and were on Starboard side. Might be too dark to see barges in evening from Port side.

Great cruise and wouldn't mind taking it again. You are docked a very easy walk to the French Quarter. Be sure to visit the WW2 Museum.

[curcurt]

Port side for the first 1 - 2 hours. The French Quarter will be on the Port side. While docked at the port, the Starboard side will be facing the city for most of the ships I see docked. I pass over the bridge - port area everyday of the week. After this point just some small communities and oil refineries as you head down the river. I from a town about 1 hour south of New Orleans, a small fishing town called Empire. 

 

Here is a post with some information on what can be seen. 

 

[mafig]

2 hours ago, spammie said:

We have never been to New Orleans.  We are going to book the 11 night cruise on Equinox for next April which docks in New Orleans for two nights.  Just wondering which side of the ship to pick our cabin on.  Thanks for the help.  

Is this the Mardi Gras cruise?  Or something else.  

 

We went on the Mardi Gras cruise (in March) and it was so cold.  We were on the Starboard side, which is the side that docked facing NO.  I had done so much research on what to see going up the river.  Unfortunately, it started warm, then slowly turned colder and colder and then the rain came and then the fog, and we didn't really see anything.  Hope you have better luck than we did.

 

Love New Orleans!

[mafig]

Me again!

My dh just recently said "can we get free rooms at Harrah's?  I'd like to go back to New Orleans."

Maybe I can talk him into this cruise.

 

I have to repeat, we just LOVE New Orleans.

So much to see.  So much to see that we haven't in our last two trips.  

 

The WWII museum is so worth it.

I want to do Court of the Two Sister.

Commander's Palace Lunch.

 

You are SO Lucky.  !!!!

 

 

[spammie]

47 minutes ago, mafig said:

Is this the Mardi Gras cruise?  Or something else.  

 

We went on the Mardi Gras cruise (in March) and it was so cold.  We were on the Starboard side, which is the side that docked facing NO.  I had done so much research on what to see going up the river.  Unfortunately, it started warm, then slowly turned colder and colder and then the rain came and then the fog, and we didn't really see anything.  Hope you have better luck than we did.

 

Love New Orleans!

Hi again.  This is the 11 night New Orleans/Mexico cruise on Equinox April 21, 2020.  It is also during the Jazz Festival.  :) I have always wanted to go to New Orleans but can't talk the hubby into doing a land trip there.  I figured this would give us a little taste of New Orleans.  

Edited July 29, 2019 by spammie

[mafig]

He'll be hooked!

 

Does he like seafood?  Try the charbroiled oysters.  Even if he doesn't like seafood.

 

Our last trip we arrived late and just went to the casino.  Unfortunately, we left from another door than we arrived and got turned around.  We went into Harrah's Hotel and asked the concierge to point us in the direction of the cruise port.  A cold night...but he insisted on walking us almost to the port itself.  

The people are just soooo nice.

 

This cruise seems quite a bit more than what we paid.  

 

 

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Here's my take. We did the Reflection Mardi Gras cruise year before last. Reflection docked so that Starboard faced the city. It turned around when we left NOLA at night. Frankly, I was really glad we faced the city and not the Mississippi. But I reckon there is no guarantee the ship will choose to dock with Starboard facing the city. I took the chance, however, and did book a starboard 

cabin for the 2020 Mardi Gras. 

Because Reflection turned around as we left at night, we saw the western side of the Mississippi as we sailed south. It gets pretty dark once you leave the more populated areas. By morning the ship is back out in the Gulf.

I found NOLA to be beautiful lit up at night. From the aft of the ship we could see a paddlewheel ship and could enjoy the Mardi Gras fireworks over the river. If the ship docks with Port side to the city, you won't see the fireworks. Sorry, I do believe the OP was referring to the Jazz Fest cruise, not Mardi Gras. 

[AIROHS]

This will be our 2nd time doing this itinerary its FANTASTIC .parked so close to the quarter its great

[Langley Cruisers]

We did a B2B on Royal out of NO some years ago. Four times up and down the river! Intense. 😆

[little britain]

14 hours ago, curcurt said:

Port side for the first 1 - 2 hours. The French Quarter will be on the Port side. While docked at the port, the Starboard side will be facing the city for most of the ships I see docked. I pass over the bridge - port area everyday of the week. After this point just some small communities and oil refineries as you head down the river. I from a town about 1 hour south of New Orleans, a small fishing town called Empire. 

 

Here is a post with some information on what can be seen. 

 

Amazing info. Thanks. I’m on the April NOLO cruise-so will enjoy the view ! 

[Pennstatedj]

We have been on the Jazz cruise two years ago and the Mardi Gras cruise this year. We have been on each side. Each side has its advantages. I like facing the river, port side, because we like looking at the water. We saw fire works from the port side. 

[SeaSharp]

We did this cruise two years ago, and had starboard, looking at the City.  We're doing this cruise again in 2020, and will be on the port side.  We like watching the river traffic.  It's a GREAT cruise, and I'm hoping Celebrity will continue, but not seeing on the calendar the New Orleans Jazz Cruise for 2021, only Mardi Gras.  

[micheleg]

We did the Mardi Gras cruise in 2018.  We were in an aft Sky Suite so we had the best of all worlds.  We were more starboard than port, so while docked we had a great view of the city.  During the cruise up and down the Mississippi, we could see both sides.  The only issue we had was weather... cold and foggy.  If you're not on the port side, the only way you'd see the fireworks for New Orleans would to be on the top deck or aft, otherwise, you'd miss them all and they were quite a sight to see.  We loved this cruise so much, we want to do it again.  Have a blast!

[awhfy]

On 7/29/2019 at 11:53 AM, Orator said:

Been to NO twice on Mardi Gras cruise and were on Starboard side. Might be too dark to see barges in evening from Port side.

Great cruise and wouldn't mind taking it again. You are docked a very easy walk to the French Quarter. Be sure to visit the WW2 Museum.

Thank you Orator. We are on this upcoming MardiGras cruise

[Mr Miserable]

Froze my buxx off on the Relection this year. Damn it was cold! Biting!

We were on the port side which had a very pleasant river view when docked.

It was our first visit to NO.  Enjoyed the place however I'm not sure I "get" Mardi Gras.  

It seems to go on for months.

Most of the world has woken up to the dangers of plastics but everything Mardi Gras is plastic.

Plastic beads, plastic buckets, plastic lights, plastic, plastic...and it all goes in to the bin.

Jazz bars were good and worth a visit.

The Cafe du Monde is the pits - awful chicory coffee,  overrated doughnuts and not particularly clean.

Standing by to be flamed....

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

No flame on Cafe du Monde here. At Mardi Gras 2018, the line waiting to enter the Cafe was over a block long! What these folks didn't know, there is a mini Cafe du Monde in the Outlet Mall right by the cruise ship dock. No lines. No wait. And it looked clean.

[steamboats]

On a river you usually dock with the bow facing upriver. So starboard side will face the city while being docked. For arrival starboard side will be facing the city, for departure port side is facing the river.

 

steamboats

[mafig]

18 hours ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

No flame on Cafe du Monde here. At Mardi Gras 2018, the line waiting to enter the Cafe was over a block long! What these folks didn't know, there is a mini Cafe du Monde in the Outlet Mall right by the cruise ship dock. No lines. No wait. And it looked clean.

 

Not the same as the original.

We went this past Mardi Gras Reflection cruise.  We were lucky and walked in.

 

It's a tourist trap, yes.  How long have they been there?  We loved the coffee, we loved the beignets, and, yes, there was a lot of powdered sugar around ... on the floors and tables... but we didn't find it dirty.  

[Cruise Raider]

On 7/29/2019 at 12:39 PM, spammie said:

Hi again.  This is the 11 night New Orleans/Mexico cruise on Equinox April 21, 2020.  It is also during the Jazz Festival.  🙂 I have always wanted to go to New Orleans but can't talk the hubby into doing a land trip there.  I figured this would give us a little taste of New Orleans.  

 

I love New Orleans ... have been on a couple of land based vacations there and then on the Mardi Gras cruise in late February a couple of years ago.  The weather was amazing ... maybe even a little hot for this San Francisco girl (where is it 60 degrees on Aug 1st).  I would absolutely jump on a cruise that stopped in NOLA again ... such an amazing city and they do know how to throw a party, that's for sure!!  

We sailed there on the Equinox (one of my all time favorite ships) and we booked a starboard side cabin on the slant of the hump, deck 8.  But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the cabins on deck 6, though.  We originally booked one of those but upgraded when the prices dropped.   

We loved sailing up the Mighty Mississippi and spent the entire time out on our balcony ... had great views from there.  It's quite a bit different than sailing on the open ocean.  When we docked, we were on the city side but it really only gives you a view of the sides nearby buildings ... not much else to really see from your balcony.  We try to not book the starboard side as the smoking section is on deck 5 midship and can waft up to decks 6 and 7 at times.  We also had a cabin on deck 11 once, just aft of the hump and there again, could detect cigarette smoke while out on our balcony from the pool deck above.  It wasn't horrible but bothersome ... especially if you are sensitive to smoke.  We wondered if there would be a lot of noise from the city on the Starboard side at night, but even during Mardi Gras, we never heard a thing.  

I hope you can talk your hubby into going on this sailing ... it is an amazing way to take a sneak peek into one of my all time favorite cities.  The ship docks where it is close enough to walk down to the French Quarter or even catch the trolley down to the Garden District.  

 

[mafig]

On 7/31/2019 at 2:13 PM, mafig said:

 

Not the same as the original.

We went this past Mardi Gras Reflection cruise.  We were lucky and walked in.

 

It's a tourist trap, yes.  How long have they been there?  We loved the coffee, we loved the beignets, and, yes, there was a lot of powdered sugar around ... on the floors and tables... but we didn't find it dirty.  

\

I had to check.  It's been in existance since 1862.  Open 24 hours/day, 364 days/year (closed on Christmas). 

I'm sure they could charge more, but it's really cheap for a coffee and order of beignets, around $3 (cash only).

 

 

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

For Mardi Gras our starboard cabin was on a high deck, eleven or twelve, so that gave us a pretty good view of the city. The balcony could be noisy. There seemed to be constant ambulances and police cars racing by, plus tour buses staged on the dock below us certain times of day, but frankly I didn't spend a lot of time out on the balcony as it was so darned cold and often raining.  

I tried hard to get a similar cabin for our 2020 trip to Mardi Gras, but they were all booked, so we had to settle for a deck ten which might have a more limited view and be even closer to the city noise. 

We both really look forward to returning to NOLA for Mardi Gras 2020. I'd like to do Jazz Fest too, but Hubby isn't quite as enthusiastic about two cruises to the same place so close together.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Silvery Seas Cruiser