Is an 11am flight doable out of NOLA after cruise

We have never sailed out of NO before & Delta is the only (regular - non-discount) airline offering a direct flight.

I know it's approx 45 min to the airport from the ship.

The flight choices are 11am or 5:30pm.

I really don't want to sit around the airport all day is I can make that 11 am flight.

If we were sailing from Ft Lauderdale or Orlando I know that flight time is ok but given this is our 1st cruise in NO I need some advice please.

We are faster to the fun so I know we get our choice of when to debark the ship which means we can be one of the 1st off the ship.

Any help with traffic info or ANYTHING would be appreciated.

You could make it, but I'd choose a different plan. Get off the boat first, but take the 5:30pm flight. There is a luggage service at the NOLA port (advancecheckin.com) just outside of customs that will take your luggage from the cruise terminal to their location at the airport (near baggage claim). Then you can spend (most of) the day enjoying NOLA. You'd want to grab a cab to the airport around 3 or 3:30pm. Pick up your luggage at the airport then go to check-in/security. You can get cabs at almost any hotel in the quarter. This is what we do every time we cruise out of NOLA.

We have never sailed out of NO before & Delta is the only (regular - non-discount) airline offering a direct flight.

I know it's approx 45 min to the airport from the ship.

The flight choices are 11am or 5:30pm.

I really don't want to sit around the airport all day is I can make that 11 am flight.

If we were sailing from Ft Lauderdale or Orlando I know that flight time is ok but given this is our 1st cruise in NO I need some advice please.

We are faster to the fun so I know we get our choice of when to debark the ship which means we can be one of the 1st off the ship.

Any help with traffic info or ANYTHING would be appreciated.

You really shouldn't have any problem with the 11:30 am flight, as long as you don't hang around on the ship too long. We've cruised out of New Orleans many times, and usually we aim for a flight around noon, and never have any problems.

It's about 20-30 minutes to the airport, not 45. The big problem is on cruise disembarkation days, the check-in lines at the airport get looooong. But the airlines know these are busy days too, and they keep things moving along. Best thing is if you don't need to check luggage, and have TSA Pre-Check.

Thanks for the feedback.

The 5:30 flight isn't an option b/c we won't get back to OH until after 10pm and all have to work the next day. The only other option is to leave later and take a connecting flight.

(We are flying in early Friday to enjoy New Orleans for 2 days so when the ship gets back we will be ready to head home.)

We are all TSA pre check & FTTF but we definitely have checked luggage for a 9 day vacation.

Thanks for your help.

I live about the same distance from the cruise port as the airport is and I usually get home between 9:30 and 10 AM without rushing. I have cruised from New Orleans many times with a debarkation time of 8 AM and if you don't waste any time you should arrive at the airport by 10 AM easy.

We have made a 10 am flight several times. If your debarkation day is any day but Sunday the airport will not be that busy