Can New Orleaneans help please!!

I have been to NOLA during Mardi Gras when single. Twice on cruise ships that stayed overnight Monday through Wednesday and once flying in and Staying Sat through Wed. Great times had by all. I may still be hungover!:D

To the point, new wife want to go, but seriously, $400 a night to stay near the French Quarter is ridiculous. I am thinking of a cruise Sunday to Sunday ending on the Sunday of Mardi Gras. If we stay at a hotel out of the French Quarter for 4 or 5 days more, how hard would it be to park a rental car near the festivities or to get a cab to and fro?

Which of the street car lines still run during the festivities? Would hate to stay in Metarie or elsewhere and not be able to conveniently get back and forth from the French Quarter!.

This won't be easy.

There are parades just about all day on Sunday. Cabs will be available at the terminal when you get off the ship, and you should be able to catch a cab back to downtown from Metairie, or wherever you end up staying. Getting a cab out of downtown will be just about impossible.

One solution would be to park on Canal Street before it gets downtown, maybe around the 1000 block, and walk in. The Canal Street streetcar will be running, but doesn't go past Claiborne, so you will have a fairly long walk.

Monday won't be too much of a problem. No parades during the day, and parking won't be bad, but getting a cab back in the evening will be tough because of the night parade. Most cab drivers just stay home, because there is too much traffic to get anywhere.

Mardi Gras day will be the toughest. You should be able to get a cab to take you somewhere fairly close to downtown and walk in. The parking lots on Canal Street will fill up early. Finding a cab to take you back from downtown will be impossible.

The Canal Street streetcar will be working on all days, but won't get you very close to the action. The St. Charles streetcar will not be operating, except for Monday.

It is just plain expensive to stay/play during Mardi Gras. Everything will be more expensive. If you want to find cheap hotels (anything under $200) you will be out in Metaire/Kenner or even further. Remember MG is not just a FQ activity. The parade is miles long and starts way uptown. So it isn't just as easy as getting a non FQ hotel. If you do decide to stay in the suburbs you will really need a car.

What is your goal for going to MG? Are you just going to booze it up with tourist in the FQ or are you going for the parades. If you are going for the parades then you are much better off renting a car and watching the parades uptown. Parking can easily be had for a $20 fee. Parking around the FQ is a nightmare and just being able to navigate NOLA during MG is a feat unto itself if you aren't familiar with all the street closures due to parades and assorted one way streets. This is one time even Google Maps won't help.

It is just plain expensive to stay/play during Mardi Gras. Everything will be more expensive. If you want to find cheap hotels (anything under $200) you will be out in Metaire/Kenner or even further. Remember MG is not just a FQ activity. The parade is miles long and starts way uptown. So it isn't just as easy as getting a non FQ hotel. If you do decide to stay in the suburbs you will really need a car.

 

What is your goal for going to MG? Are you just going to booze it up with tourist in the FQ or are you going for the parades. If you are going for the parades then you are much better off renting a car and watching the parades uptown. Parking can easily be had for a $20 fee. Parking around the FQ is a nightmare and just being able to navigate NOLA during MG is a feat unto itself if you aren't familiar with all the street closures due to parades and assorted one way streets. This is one time even Google Maps won't help.

I agree with all of this. It's even hard for locals who know the streets peculiarities to get around for legitimate business during Mardi Gras. If you want to be where everything is happening, you have to be either downtown or along St. Charles Avenue. And that means expensive parking, expensive hotels and expensive facilities (as the song says "There Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day").

But be warned, there are parades in Metairie too, so there will be traffic and street closures out there as well (though Metairie parades all on one route).

My own personal advice would be to stay as close to the Quarter/CBD as you can. It's worth the extra money for less stress and clean bathroom facilities!

Thanks everyone. As I said in my original post, have been to Mardi Gras three times but my new wife has never been. I think the French Quarter is a must see for the atmosphere. I guess I will just need to bite the bullet and stay near the action.

Appreciate all your advice.

Would the cruise line's post cruise stayover package be available and perhaps less expensive? For Mardi Gras 2005 I used the two night hotel stay over provided by the cruise line and it was quite nice. and less than we would have paid booking the hotel room on our own. We stayed at the old Fairmont Hotel on Canal and Barrone St. We walked everywhere, between parades returned to our hotel room, and grabbed one of Zulu's golden coconuts!