Can You Walk from the Ferry to the NOLA Cruise Terminal?

I want to know if it is possible to take the ferry from the Westbank to Canal St. and walk to the cruise terminal? Maybe possible is the wrong word, but maybe easily doable is a better word. How far is the walk and are there sidewalks?

Thanks!

Michelle

It's a pretty easy walk, if you are not carrying a lot of luggage.

When you leave the ferry you will walk down a long ramp. Look for the stairs on your left. That leads down to Spanish Plaza (it has a big fountain). Walk straight across and go into the Riverwalk mall. Go all the way to the end (you will take an escalator to the second floor about halfway through). Keep going in the same direction. There is a big open area with a lot of tables and chairs, and at the far end you will see a set of double doors to your left. These lead to a walkway along the river. Go down the stairs at the end and you will be at the terminal.

It is about a four block walk.

Thanks for the great info jgmpuma! It totally sounds doable. I am imagining that we will all have a rolling suitcase and a backpack each. I think that the kids would get a kick out of seeing the ship from the water as we come across on the ferry...the perspective should be awesome!

Michelle

It's a very nive trip, and free.

Your kids should love it, you too. Once you are in the Riverwalk Mall just ask if you can't find the correct exit door. It's pretty easy to figure out though...just head in the direction of your ship. You will see it through the windows. :)

Just a quick question/clarification: where are you coming from to catch the ferry? I get a little nervous reading "from the Westbank" in your OP because the Westbank covers a whole lot of territory. The ferry that lands at the Riverwalk departs from Algiers Point, and there aren't very many hotels that i know of at the Point.

 

Not trying to be a buttinski, just don't want you to think you can catch the ferry from your hotel in, say, Gretna with no problem. Even if you catch a cab at a Gretna hotel it might be as easy and not much more expensive to ride across the bridge to the port.

 

I'll also say that parking at the Point is very limited, and I'd be hesitant to leave my car there for the length of a cruise.

 

I will take any advice you have to offer. We are staying at a hotel in Gretna (Quality Inn and Suites) and we were told by the hotel and from other guests that they run an hourly shuttle to the ferry that will take you from Gretna to Canal St. When I looked at the map I saw that it also continues to Algiers Point.

 

The hotel also offers a park and cruise rate that includes transportation to and from the port, and I think we are just going to go with that, but I still think that the kids would get a kick out of seeing the ship as we cross the river towards it on a ferry!

 

Thanks for your help :)

The ferry that used to run from Gretna to Jackson Avenue now runs to Canal Street instead. The Gretna ferry and Algiers ferry are different boats.

Thanks for the great info jgmpuma! It totally sounds doable. I am imagining that we will all have a rolling suitcase and a backpack each. I think that the kids would get a kick out of seeing the ship from the water as we come across on the ferry...the perspective should be awesome!

 

Michelle

I think it sounds like a labor intensive hike to me. Maybe I can get wife and 13 year old grandson to carry all the luggage.

We just got back from our cruise and stay at the QI in Gretna. The ferry is great to ride over and see NO. I would not leave my car there for a week, parking is limited and cost $10. The parking lot at QI is safe and shuttle is reliable. We used the Algiers Point Ferry, which is about 2 miles away.

September is still very hot and humid in New Orleans and I think that walk would be pretty far. It's about a mile down Convention Center Blvd. from the ferry to the terminal. The kids will get tired and sweaty - no fun.

http://www.portno.com/pno_pages/cargo_facilities_specs.htm

The Riverfront streetcar might be fun, but if you have a lot of luggage, an air conditioned cab might be your best option. (I live here and wouldn't walk that route in September even without luggage!)

After looking at all the options for a hotel for parking with on a cruise; the Quality Inn in Gretna looks the best. Clean, safe, friendly and and there is a free shuttle and ferry. So however you want to get to the port is an individual decision. HOWEVER, if you are staying 9/1 and sailing 9/2, I do not recommend going into the FQ at all. It is "Decadence Week" and no place for kids. Adults, if you want to be part of more than 100,000 visitors on Bourbon on a Saturday night, make sure you stick together. I'm not saying it's unsafe, just too wild for this old lady.

After looking at all the options for a hotel for parking with on a cruise; the Quality Inn in Gretna looks the best. Clean, safe, friendly and and there is a free shuttle and ferry. So however you want to get to the port is an individual decision. HOWEVER, if you are staying 9/1 and sailing 9/2, I do not recommend going into the FQ at all. It is "Decadence Week" and no place for kids. Adults, if you want to be part of more than 100,000 visitors on Bourbon on a Saturday night, make sure you stick together. I'm not saying it's unsafe, just too wild for this old lady.

BlueSeas2012 - we have had a room booked at the Quality Inn & Suites for several months, but were still exploring options other than their shuttle. If you book the hotel without the park and cruise rate ($130) you can get the room for ($89). They offer a free hourly shuttle to the ferry, so I wondered if that would be a nice option that would save a little money and give my kiddos a great first view of our ship.

After reading the comments I don't think that the walk would be too far or too difficult, but I didn't consider the weather. We live in Albuquerque, where September is nice and cool and it almost never rains here, so I forgot to plan for rain.

I still am not thrilled with what I have read about the hotel's shuttle service. I know that it will get you there and back and that it is free, but several people have posted that they had to get there really early (like 9 am) and had to wait about an hour for pick-up, plus the fact that we will end up back in Gretna to start our drive home. We still have our reservation, but since we are military we are thinking of staying on the Navy base and just driving and parking at the port. Still undecided at this point.

One consideration is that the Gretna ferry does not run anywhere near as often as the Algiers ferry, so if you miss one, you will have a pretty long wait for the next.

The schedule is here:

http://www.friendsoftheferry.org/