port of New Orleans - excursions?

[bebe08]

We are booked on a cruise out of Tampa that has a full day in New Orleans (930 am to 10 pm).  All other ports show excursions, but there are none for New Orleans.  Just wondering if there will be excursions available through Celebrity or do they typically not offer any for this port.  This will be our first time to New Orleans (and to Tampa) so not sure what to expect.  We typically cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale for Caribbean cruises.

 

TIA 🙂 

[realnice46]

It might be too early depending on date of your cruise. Having been there on cruise ship before, there’s a lot you can do without a tour. Most things are very close and within walking distance depending on your mobility. The trolley also stops very close to pier.

[Alakegirl]

When is the cruise?

[jelayne]

New Orleans is an easy  do it yourself port if you want to visit the French Quarter and nearby attractions.  There is a trolley that stops very close to where you get off the ship that takes you within a few block of the heart of the French Quarter.  
 

Check out the Ports of Call board and I’m sure you will find suggestions for things to do on your own.

Our last visit was during Jazz fest and we purchased tickets ahead, great day.  We had a overnight and also headed away from the port to a place called Rock n Bowl, get fun

Edited April 7, 2023 by jelayne
Typo

[Oskial]

We used viator for a tour around the city and they were great.  We were also on the Jazz fest cruise and did the WW2 museum.  If you are curious or interested in that, I would highly recommend going to it. It's about a 15 or 20 minute walk from the port.  Lots to see and do within walking distance to the port though.  

[xamsx]

The links are for neworleans.com; they are just direct links.

 

After you take the jazz cruise, get on the streetcar and take it to the end and back. Or, you can take the streetcar to the end, and when it comes back, get off at the French Market (earlier is better). Then do the jazz cruise later.

If you plan on doing a bayou tour or plantation tour, read all the particulars. There really are only a few who do the plantation tours, and the site tour itself is fairly short (but gives you time to walk the grounds afterward).

Anything you book, do with Viator or go directly to the tour guide's website.

BTW, you will be amazed at how quick and easy the Tampa port is to get in and out of compared to Port Everglades. If you are driving, book valet parking service at the pier (one-time $20 upgrade regardless of the time you are parked there).  When driving in, simply tell the cop who is directing traffic you have valet service. They will direct you to the left side. Your luggage gets unloaded at the curb, you porter or do walk on your luggage. It takes about 5 minutes in total.

Leaving is where that upcharge really pays for itself. We walked off, handed the ticket over for our valet parking, and you get your vehicle asap. We were on the road 10-15 minutes from the walk-off.

If you are not driving and staying at a hotel near the port, you can simply walk your luggage over. It is only a few minutes walk from the closest hotels. Again, easy-peasy.
 

Edited April 7, 2023 by xamsx

[bebe08]

Thanks so much for all the feedback 🙂 

 

The cruise is not until Feb 2024.  We will be in New Orleans on Sat Feb 24th. From what I can tell there won't be any festivals going on at that time.

 

Glad to know that we can easily walk to many things ourselves.  I took a quick look at Viator (we have used them before) and lots of tours available 🙂 

 

DH would absolutely LOVE the WWII museum...I will check that out.

 

What is the jazz cruise?  Sounds like something we would like.  

 

We are from the Ottawa area in Canada and are flying to Tampa a few days ahead of time and will also stay a few days after the cruise. We plan to stay in downtown Tampa before the cruise, and then head to St. Petersburg after the cruise.  

[Canuker]

My advice: forget the excursions. As NOLA first-timers, stroll along the riverside from the ship into the French Quarter. Absorb all it has to offer - the good and the not so good, keep and open mind to new experiences, particularly musical. You're in the birthplace of modern American music. Be sure to cover it all, including the Frenchman's Street area on the far side of the FQ.

Stay as late as you can because it will transform as the evening progresses.

Soak it up . Enjoy.

[Arizona Wildcat]

40 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

Thanks so much for all the feedback 🙂 

 

The cruise is not until Feb 2024.  We will be in New Orleans on Sat Feb 24th. From what I can tell there won't be any festivals going on at that time.

 

Glad to know that we can easily walk to many things ourselves.  I took a quick look at Viator (we have used them before) and lots of tours available 🙂 

 

DH would absolutely LOVE the WWII museum...I will check that out.

 

What is the jazz cruise?  Sounds like something we would like.  

 

We are from the Ottawa area in Canada and are flying to Tampa a few days ahead of time and will also stay a few days after the cruise. We plan to stay in downtown Tampa before the cruise, and then head to St. Petersburg after the cruise.  

Interesting.  Most people on my rollcalls are looking for private tours.  For NOLA you could spend a week and not see it all using the trolley.   From the Old Mint, WWII Museum to the French Quarter simply tour about using a day pass on the trolley. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, bebe08 said:

Thanks so much for all the feedback 🙂 

 

The cruise is not until Feb 2024.  We will be in New Orleans on Sat Feb 24th. From what I can tell there won't be any festivals going on at that time.

 

Glad to know that we can easily walk to many things ourselves.  I took a quick look at Viator (we have used them before) and lots of tours available 🙂 

 

DH would absolutely LOVE the WWII museum...I will check that out.

 

What is the jazz cruise?  Sounds like something we would like.  

 

We are from the Ottawa area in Canada and are flying to Tampa a few days ahead of time and will also stay a few days after the cruise. We plan to stay in downtown Tampa before the cruise, and then head to St. Petersburg after the cruise.  

 

WW2 Museum is MASSIVE, if one wanted to read/hear every exhibit and watch every show they offer it would takes days...So here's a recommended strategy, in NOLA, do everything you want to do first and the Museum last.  BEST case the scenario, the DH will get upset with how little time he got to spend so you two will have no choice but to book another trip to NOLA 🤣

[mrgabriel]

We haven’t been in years but my two favourites in NOLA are Cafe du Monde

for beignets, and the New Orleans School of Cooking for a class. I went to a full day gumbo, bread pudding & pralines class and now my N’awlins food is requested here at home - which is saying something because I’m not much of a cook 😆 😂 

 

[REEtired]

Don’t forget about Pat O’Briens!

[soniam]

The Audubon Museum/Zoo is great too. I love stopping at Central Grocery in the French Quarter and getting a muffaletta. They are decent size, so you could split it. It's a quintessential New Orleans sandwich. Makes me hungry thinking about it. Cafe du Monde is a really nice place to sit, drink coffee, eat beignets, and people watch. I am going to have to stop there, or I will give you a whole page of places to eat😂

[PROCRUISE]

6 hours ago, bebe08 said:

Thanks so much for all the feedback 🙂 

 

The cruise is not until Feb 2024.  We will be in New Orleans on Sat Feb 24th. From what I can tell there won't be any festivals going on at that time.

 

Glad to know that we can easily walk to many things ourselves.  I took a quick look at Viator (we have used them before) and lots of tours available 🙂 

 

DH would absolutely LOVE the WWII museum...I will check that out.

 

What is the jazz cruise?  Sounds like something we would like.  

 

We are from the Ottawa area in Canada and are flying to Tampa a few days ahead of time and will also stay a few days after the cruise. We plan to stay in downtown Tampa before the cruise, and then head to St. Petersburg after the cruise.  

We will be on the same 9 night cruise.

If you google Celebrity Shore Excursions in New Orleans, you'll find what has been and will most likely be offered. It is probably too far out for X to list the excursions they have offered before for others that have stopped at New Orleans for a cruise that is 10 months+  away. However, having been to New Orleans before, I concur with many of the previously mentioned suggestions.

[miched]

We did the Jazz cruise a few years ago on the Equinox.  They call it that because the ship is in NOLA during the Jazz festival.   The Jazz festival is at a horse race track.  There are many tented areas with jazz groups playing all day  and a main feature later in the evening.    We seen Harry Connick Jr,as the main feature.  It makes for a long day.  We went on Sat.   It got rained out on Sun. 

 

There was nothing special on the cruise except for the addition of Absinthe at the WCB to serve a Green Fairy or Sazerac.     The day we were at the Festival I heard a group came on board and did a little show in the atrium.   Other than that there were no jazz groups on board.  It was basically a regular cruise that spent 2 nights in NOLA during the Jazz Fest.   There were also many bars in the area during the night that had jazz groups playing.   There was a cover charge to get in.  
 

if you google NOLA Jazz Fest  there is a site that lists the acts.   I think the fest lasts 3 weekends.  X is there for one.  

 

The ship was open 24/7 while in the port. 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Canuker]

Some further thoughts, beb08.

Assumptions:

1. You are on the Celebrity Constellation, out of Tampa on 2024-02-22

2. You arrive NOLA 09:30

3. Depart NOLA 22:00

 

OK, sunrise is at 06:30. It takes about 9 hours to get from the open Gulf to NOLA (the city is a long way from open water), so you will not see any of the Delta area. But, with 3 hours of daylight before you dock, I'd get up at dawn and find a spot on a open deck where you can view both sides of the Mississippi River, as you cruise upstream. A guide book will help too with this fascinating and somewhat unusual segment. I say 'unusual' as most cruise ships arrive NOLA earlier than 09:30 and do not afford a good view of the River. You will see nothing on the return downstream trip as it will be dark...

 

...Sunset is at 6:00 pm, so you will have a total of 4 hours to witness NOLA by night, as well as your daytime exploration.

It's going to be a wonderful day, full of memories.

 

Lastly (opinion), when folk think of NOLA , Bourbon Street springs to mind. The Canal Street end (nearest the ship) is tacky, selling cheap t-shirts, etc. find another street to access the other side of the FQ and, maybe if you like, return via Bourbon St.

If you like or are interested in 'early jazz', check out Fritzel's at 733 Bourbon St. The music there is about as 'raw' as it gets.

[dock]

NOLA is a great city for exploring on your own. 
We spent 4 days and did two half day  walking tours to get orientated. 

One with Friends of the Cabildo( small group) and will give you a great orientation of the FQ and the popular places to stop at in the Q.

 

We also took another with a different company of the Garden District on a separate day. 
 

There’s plenty to keep you occupied:

In the Morning 

Pick a half day tour in an area you would like. 
FQ - if it’s your first trip to NOLA.( You’ll then feel confident ambling over to the

Frenchmans St and ambling the FQ as well) If you can ,stop at Cafe du Monde ( across Jackson Sq and close to tour meeting spot) or Cafe Beignet ( Decatur St also close to tour meeting point)  Pre Tour and sample a beignet. They’re close to each other. 
(you can then try the other cafe’s for afternoon tea lol and devide which u prefer . CB for us)

 

Lunch - Charbroiled oysters  somewhere.

We tried both Acme and Felix’s. Choose whichever lineup is shorter. They’re both great. 
Or search for a good Po’Boy place. 

After Lunch : amble French Market , walk a hit along the river ,go over to Frenchman St ( listen to music) and then back to FQ. 
 

Will be time for a mid afternoon break . 
Pop over to the Carousel Lounge for a break. 
 

Then continue ambling, shopping or back to the ship for a break before you head out for dinner. 
 

Many options for dinner and music for later that evening. 
FQ at night needs to be experienced. The vibe changes after dark and there’s some great dining to be had. 
 

WW11 museum is another option. It’s huge and you can spend hours there. I would probably do this in the morning for a few hours if that’s of interest then take a lunch break and amble FQ thereafter , shop, Carousel Bar , beignet break. Rest for a few hours on board and then head back out for the evening. 

 

As you can tell we loove our food lol and NOLA has some of the best we’ve come across. 
 

Enjoy , we spent a long weekend there and I’d return if it was closer to home but soo many places , not enuf time to see them all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by dock

[miched]

Here is a link to NOLA Bourbon Street web cam.   You will have to view a commercial first. 
 

https://www.earthcam.com/usa/louisiana/neworleans/bourbonstreet/?cam=bourbonstreet

it is interesting to watch in the early morning when they clean the streets. 
 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[DCPIV]

As mentioned, you can easily have a great day in NOLA on your own. 

 

You can spend all day in the WWII Museum (two days, really).

 

See if you can get lunch at Galatoire's or Commander's Palace. There is a dress code, but you should be good with what you have on the ship. 

 

A drink or two at the Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel is lovely. 

 

The Sazerac House on Canal is a very interesting museum about both cocktails and New Orleans. It's free, but reservations are required (at least, that was the case a couple years ago).

 

It's very easy to walk around. Uber/ Lyft is cheap because everything is close. The trolley is a fun way to get out to the Garden District (beautiful, old area).

[markeb]

Do you want to see a bunch of things, or do you want to experience a bit of New Orleans?

 

Excursions are going to be a windshield tour. You'll see things, but that's not New Orleans. Neither is Bourbon Street. Or Pat O'Briens! 

 

53 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

See if you can get lunch at Galatoire's or Commander's Palace. There is a dress code, but you should be good with what you have on the ship. 

 

A drink or two at the Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel is lovely. 

 

These are great suggestions! Lunch at Commander's is incredible. Check the dress code; I think lunch is business casual.

 

If you don't go to the Sazerac Bar, go to the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone. Right around the corner from Hotel Monteleone is the Redfish Grill, a casual dining alternative (still pricey) from the Brennan family. Wonderful seafood.

 

Poke your head onto Rue Bourbon (or Calle de Bourbon since the French Quarter is really the Spanish Quarter) from Canal, and immediately turn right away from the insanity and stroll the shops and galleries on Royal. Head for Jackson Square. Check out the Saint Louis Cathedral. See if Preservation Hall is open and hear some real jazz. Wonder along the river bank.

 

You can and will eat your way through New Orleans. Some of the country's best restaurants (FYI, Michelin doesn't rate New Orleans restaurants. But there are MANY that would be 2-3 stars if they did...) are in town. And a muffuletta at Central Grocery is kitschy, but it's the southern equivalent of Katz in New York. Pretty cool place.

 

53 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

It's very easy to walk around. Uber/ Lyft is cheap because everything is close. The trolley is a fun way to get out to the Garden District (beautiful, old area).

 

The St Charles streetcar is a great way to see the Garden District. If memory serves, you can catch it a block or so from Commander's Palace...

 

If it were me, and that's not fair because I've lived there and I can't imagine spending 12 hours in New Orleans, I'd get late lunch reservations at Commander's Palace. Leave the ship and head into the French Quarter towards Jackson Square. Explore the area. Grab some pralines from one of the stores along the way. You may need a quick return to the ship to change for lunch. If so, grab your beignets with all the rest of the tourists at Cafe du Monde (you'll have powdered sugar everywhere...). Uber/Lyft to Commander's and enjoy an amazing classic lunch. You can walk around the Garden District, and one of the cemeteries is across the street. Take the streetcar back. Have a drink at the Monteleone, and consider dinner at Redfish Grill. Forget your drink package and dinner on the ship...

 

If you're not exhausted, that should leave time for more exploring. And you were never on a bus!

 

Edited: Submitted too fast! Agree about the WWII museum. It's amazing, but big. If you go, you'll have to adjust your day around its hours and try to budget your time accordingly.

Edited April 8, 2023 by markeb

[bebe08]

Wow thanks so much all for the input.  Makes me wish we had more time to spend in NOLA!!  

 

Thankfully we have quite a bit of time to plan and all your very helpful suggestions will make that easier 🙂  

 

Happy Easter!

[HBDoss1]

Hello, Herb and Jaci from Calgary. We've both been to NOLA several times before, so this time we  booked a free tour of the Sazerac house. It has a 5 Star review on Google and you don't see those every day. We also booked a cooking class at the NOLA school of cooking. It's also well reviewed. Of course beignets and Frenchmen's are planned too. (;o)

..just sayin'....

[hcat]

French Quarter a must...a nice lunch..authentic food, and trolley to and from the Garden District

one day is not enough!