From MSY to French Quarter - taxi/rental/bus?

[mlpreston]

We'll be flying into New Orleans on Apr 20 the day before our cruise in hopes of doing some sightseeing (and stuffing-faces with cajun cooking! YUM!) weighing the pros and cons of a rental car or some form of pbulic transport.

 

How far is the airport from the french quarter (where we'll be staying)?

Price of parking in the French Quarter?

Is there a shuttle/bus that goes from the airport to the french quarter or would we need to taxi?

If we taxi, how much would a taxi cost from the airport?

If we rent a car from the airport, are there car rental places near the french quarter to which we can return the car?

 

We're travelling with an infant and a 5yr old and LOTS of luggage (mostly mine).

 

From those who've been in a similar position before in NOLA what do you think is the best/least expensive option for us?

[BrendaB1]

We'll be flying into New Orleans on Apr 20 the day before our cruise in hopes of doing some sightseeing (and stuffing-faces with cajun cooking! YUM!) weighing the pros and cons of a rental car or some form of pbulic transport.

 

How far is the airport from the french quarter (where we'll be staying)? About 30 minutes

Price of parking in the French Quarter? Expensive. Usually $20-$30 a night, at hotel or FQ parking lot.

Is there a shuttle/bus that goes from the airport to the french quarter or would we need to taxi? Yes there is. $13 a person. More info located on NewOrleans.com website

If we taxi, how much would a taxi cost from the airport? $28 + fuel surcharge + tip. That is for 1 or 2 people. Additional riders extra.

If we rent a car from the airport, are there car rental places near the french quarter to which we can return the car? None I have noticed. Nola is a walking town. Much easier to take streetcars, etc.

 

We're travelling with an infant and a 5yr old and LOTS of luggage (mostly mine).

 

From those who've been in a similar position before in NOLA what do you think is the best/least expensive option for us?

 

Lots of Nola info listed over in the Ports of Call section of the boards.....where this thread may be moved. Good luck. Hope this answered some of your questions.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=21

Here's a link to the Nola board.

[gtalum]

Take a cab and forget the rental car. Then, when it's time to go to the port, either walk or take another cab. IMHO, it's a major pain to drive around in the FQ.

[waitin4acruise]

We'll be flying into New Orleans on Apr 20 the day before our cruise in hopes of doing some sightseeing (and stuffing-faces with cajun cooking! YUM!) weighing the pros and cons of a rental car or some form of pbulic transport.

 

How far is the airport from the french quarter (where we'll be staying)?

Price of parking in the French Quarter?

Is there a shuttle/bus that goes from the airport to the french quarter or would we need to taxi?

If we taxi, how much would a taxi cost from the airport?

If we rent a car from the airport, are there car rental places near the french quarter to which we can return the car?

 

We're travelling with an infant and a 5yr old and LOTS of luggage (mostly mine).

 

From those who've been in a similar position before in NOLA what do you think is the best/least expensive option for us?

Its about 20 miles Taxi to quarters best way no car rental return in quarters once u get into quarters you can walk almost to all attractions but if u have alot of lauggage u may want to take the taxi the few blocks to the port.

[kebhouse]

Definitely take a taxi. The roads in NOLA are awful and difficult to navigate if you aren't used to them. Plus, the parking is going to be really expensive no matter where you stay downtown. Save yourself the stress and take a cab to your hotel. After that walk or take the streetcar.

[flitter306]

A couple years ago I cruised with three friends out of NOLA. None of us had been there before and it was really easy to take a cab. The ride was about 20 mins and there were plenty of them at the airport. The hotel called a cab for us the next day to take us to the pier.

[ali6879]

There are plenty of cabs right outside the baggage area in the airport (was there last month for a convention).It is a FAR drive from the airport, about 30 minutes or more depending on traffic. I would NOT rent a car. Between the parking fees on all the hotels, the pain in the neck of driving through the French Quarter, and the fact that anything you want to see as a tourist in NOLA is in walking distance from the French Quarter, it isn't worth it IMHO. Enjoy, I am already dying for April 2008 when I can go back there to get more beignets!!

[petro772]

Ah, yes, beignets. Take a cab and try the Place D'Armes hotel in the French Quarter. It's close to all attractions and good deals are to be had! ;)

[mlpreston]

Thanks for all the info. I too am totally looking forward to beignets!! I've heard Cafe du monde is good also. We're booked in at the Astor Crowne Plaza on the corner of Canal and Bourbon St.

[BrendaB1]

I posted this info over on the New Orleans, Ports of Call section of the boards. Lots of info there.

 

Taxicabs:A cab ride costs $28.00 from the airport to the Central Business District (CBD) for one or two persons and $12.00 (per passenger) for three or more passengers. Pick-up is on the lower level, outside the baggage claim area. There may be an additional charge for extra baggage. $1 fuel surcharge added to total fare.

 

Airport Shuttle:Shuttle service is available from the airport to the hotels in the CBD for $13.00 (per person, one-way) or $26.00 (per person, round-trip). Three bags per person. Call 1-866-596-2699 or (504) 522-3500 for more details or to make a reservation. Advance reservations are required 48 hours prior to travel for all ADA accessible transfers. Please call well enough in advance for the specially-equipped shuttle to be reserved. For group reservations of 10 or more people please dial 1-866-596-2699. Ticket booths are located on the lower level in the baggage claim area. $2 fuel surcharge added to total fare.

[LABecca]

Cafe du Monde is the best place for beignets. I think the other poster was recommending Place d'Arms as a hotel to stay.

 

I live in South Louisiana and would def recommend taking a cab or shuttle from the airport.

 

If you are staying in the quarter I would recommend you eat breakfast at Cafe du Mond then take the streetcar up to the Aquarium and or take a cruise over to the Audubon Zoo. Your 5 year old will love it!

[beach410]

We were planning on doing the same and recieved a price from a limo company, two adults, two children $55 plus tip each way, from airport to hotel in French Quarter. I think the price on taxi is about the same so better to ride in style. The last time we went to NO we did the shuttle offered at the airport, and it was 25 per person, had to wait outside in the heat and onto a shuttle bus and stop at every other hotel before ours on the way in, but lucked out and rode in a shared limo on the ride back.

 

We hired a private company in FLL a couple of years ago and again, found the prices similar to a regular taxi or shared shuttle and its much more fun and a lot easier especially with kids to take a private car. I found them on line and you look up limo's in that area and you will get a LIMO compete website and you fill in your information and they respond to you within 24 hours, then you just call the company that meets your needs. I am sorry, I dont have the name of the company with me that gave me the 55 quote, we are now driviing to NO, yikes! Good luck!

[map70065]

We were planning on doing the same and recieved a price from a limo company, two adults, two children $55 plus tip each way, from airport to hotel in French Quarter. I think the price on taxi is about the same so better to ride in style. The last time we went to NO we did the shuttle offered at the airport, and it was 25 per person, had to wait outside in the heat and onto a shuttle bus and stop at every other hotel before ours on the way in, but lucked out and rode in a shared limo on the ride back.

 

Good choice, although if you check with some cab companies they don't "count" preschoolers as passengers - so 2 adults and 2 preschoolers may only cost the 2 adult fares. I think this is one area that differs from company to company. But I have always found that if you're alone then the shuttle is a deal (although I feel it's worth my money not to have to make 5 different stops), and if you have 2 it's a draw (so the cab wins out - with the time factor figured in) If you have 3 or more it's sometimes just as good to check out the limo services to see if they'll give you a deal. Depending on the season and what they've got going on you can sometimes get them more cheaply than a cab - and they are MUCH more comfortable!!

[shadowtiger]

We'll be flying into New Orleans on Apr 20 the day before our cruise in hopes of doing some sightseeing (and stuffing-faces with cajun cooking! YUM!) weighing the pros and cons of a rental car or some form of pbulic transport.

 

How far is the airport from the french quarter (where we'll be staying)?

Price of parking in the French Quarter?

Is there a shuttle/bus that goes from the airport to the french quarter or would we need to taxi?

If we taxi, how much would a taxi cost from the airport?

If we rent a car from the airport, are there car rental places near the french quarter to which we can return the car?

 

We're traveling with an infant and a 5yr old and LOTS of luggage (mostly mine).

 

From those who've been in a similar position before in NOLA what do you think is the best/least expensive option for us?

We have a car rented the day before the cruise from Hertz located at the airport for $29 and the drop-off is at the Convention Ctr right near to the pier. Parking at the hotel is $22 but it still beats the total taxi fares for both transportation from the airport one day and and to the pier the next day for the 3 of us and gives us a car to ride around in a bit to pick up last minute items for the cruise that we don't want to haul down there on the plane. We can still walk around the French Quarter but don't have to worry about finding a ride to the pier as we will drop off our luggage before returning the car and then take the short walk to the pier from the Hertz rental drop-off location. We found this very convenient as we would like to drive around and see some of Louisiana's beautiful estates away from the downtown area also.

[mikestravelguide]

Hi All,

 

You can find the various transportation options from MSY to the French Quarter here: (http://mikestravelguide.com/getting-from-louis-armstrong-international-airport-to-new-orleans-french-quarter/). Taxi fares for couples from MSY to the French Quarter is just $36.

 

I do not recommend renting a car while visiting NOLA. Save your money and use it to buy more cocktails!

 

Laissez les bon temps rouler!