New Orleans Review

[OceanDreams]

I'll say it again, Great review!

By any chance are you posting a seperate review on the RCCL site? If so, would love to read that as well.

OceanDreams

[twotall]

Originally Posted by OceanDreams

I'll say it again, Great review!

By any chance are you posting a seperate review on the RCCL site? If so, would love to read that as well.

OceanDreams

Thank you very much.

I don't plan to post a complete review of our cruise but I'd be happy to try and answer any questions you may have.

[twotall]

The ship was docked at the pier when we woke up. We had packed and showered the night before so getting ready was easy. We had a nice breakfast at the buffet and returned to our rooms to grab our bags. We chose to self-disembark and carry off our own luggage. We were off the ship and through customs by 8:00.

We had arranged for a rental car from Hertz. Hertz is located on Convention Center Blvd., very close to the pier. I had originally reserved with Budget on Canal St. because their rental rates were cheaper; however, when I factored in cab fare from the pier to Budget the cost was higher. It would not have been practical to walk with all of our luggage. I suppose we could have called and waited for Budget to pick us up from the pier but we didn't know how long that would take and we didn't want to waste time waiting around. In the end Hertz proved to be a good choice.

We walked through the cruise terminal building following the same path that I had walked a week earlier on my way to the Riverwalk Mall. We headed out to Julia St. and instead of going upstairs to the mall we kept going straight out to Convention Center Blvd. We could see the Hertz location from the corner. Even though I had 3 suitcases, Kristen and Katelyn each had 2 and Emma had 1 the walk was easy. There are sidewalks the entire way.

We arrived at Hertz at about 8:10. We had to wait about ten minutes before our vehicle was ready. We got a Nissan Pathfinder which was great for holding all of our luggage. The rental cost for one day was $135. This might seem expensive but when you consider the cost of a cab to the airport ($70 or so for the four of us) and the fact that we got to tour all day by ourselves, we felt it was quite reasonable.

We went around the block real quick and headed up Peters St. towards the French Quarter. Interestingly, Peters St. does not change names when it crosses Canal. We continued on Peters to Decatur St.



We turned right into a parking lot just before reaching Cafe du Monde. The parking lot was actually between Cafe du Monde and the river.

Our agenda was to split up. The girls wanted some beignets and I wanted one of the famous muffaletta sandwiches from Central Grocery. We walked out to Decatur and the girls turned left towards the cafe. I crossed the street and turned right. Central Grocery was only about a half block up the street.

Officially Central Grocery opens at 9:00 on Saturdays but the door was already open when I got there. There are signs directing you where to stand in line. I followed the signs up to the counter. Then I waited and waited and waited. There were a number of people behind the counter making preparations for the day. Not one of them acknowledged my presence. It didn't take long for others to join me in line. After about 20 minutes there were maybe a dozen of us waiting in line. It was just a few minutes before 9:00 when a person behind the counter asked me to step forward and began taking orders. I ordered a ½ muffaletta because I had read that they were huge.

I walked back towards the parking area and the girls were already waiting for me. We sat in a little courtyard while I ate my beignet.





After finishing we hopped back in the car and headed for the exit. The parking lot exited onto Peters St. just south of Esplanade Ave. It cost $5.00 for the hour or so that we were parked there.

Next up – The Ninth Ward

[OceanDreams]

Do you remember how long was the trip going down the Mississippi River?

OceanDreams

[twotall]

Originally Posted by OceanDreams

Do you remember how long was the trip going down the Mississippi River?

OceanDreams

It takes about 7-8 hours to reach the Gulf. The first hour or so is interesting as there is quite a bit to see. Check out this virtual tour that was posted on another board. We sat on our balcony and followed along and thought it was great. Note that most everything listed is on the port side as you are sailing towards the Gulf.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1211622

After the first few hours there's not much to see until you reach the Gulf. In the Gulf you can see many oil rigs - especially at night.

[Yvonne]

Originally Posted by twotall

It takes about 7-8 hours to reach the Gulf. The first hour or so is interesting as there is quite a bit to see. Check out this virtual tour that was posted on another board. We sat on our balcony and followed along and thought it was great. Note that most everything listed is on the port side as you are sailing towards the Gulf.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1211622

After the first few hours there's not much to see until you reach the Gulf. In the Gulf you can see many oil rigs - especially at night.

This is one thing I'm really looking forward to, especially since we have the aft stateroom and we'll be able to see on both sides.

It will be so different than leaving from Port Canaveral or Ft. Lauderdale.

[OceanDreams]

Originally Posted by twotall

It takes about 7-8 hours to reach the Gulf. The first hour or so is interesting as there is quite a bit to see. Check out this virtual tour that was posted on another board. We sat on our balcony and followed along and thought it was great. Note that most everything listed is on the port side as you are sailing towards the Gulf.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1211622

After the first few hours there's not much to see until you reach the Gulf. In the Gulf you can see many oil rigs - especially at night.

Thanks for the link - just like your review it is very informative. We are looking at an AFT cabin.....but since it takes a few hours, we will wonder up to the front of the ship.

OceanDreams

[twotall]

Sorry for the delay. I am working on an update and hope to post within the next few days. Just a busy week at work and home. Thanks again to everyone for your kind comments. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

[twotall]

We headed up Esplanade Ave. and turned right on N. Rampart St. which turns into St. Claude Ave. We followed along St. Claude, drove through the Upper Ninth Ward, crossed over the Industrial Canal, and proceeded to the intersection of St. Claude & Angela Street. This placed us in roughly the center of the Louisiana National Guard complex. We turned left on Angela and left again on Claiborne Ave.

This is one of several brand new National Guard buildings that were constructed after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.



After this I don’t remember specifically which roads we traveled. I do know that we drove through much of the neighborhood bounded by Claiborne on the south, Delery on the east and the industrial canal on the west. We tried to make our way up to Florida Ave. on the north but found many of the roads impassable. I just can’t remember how far north we got.

As I said at the very beginning of this report Kristen has for years been fascinated by New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina had a big impact on her even though she had no real ties to the city. Many tears were shed over the devastation that affected nearly all parts of the city in one way or another. The Lower Ninth Ward struck a special chord with both her and I. We were deeply moved by the many stories of tragedy and survival. Kristen desparately wanted to go to New Orleans during the aftermath to volunteer and help out. Unfortunately, Emma was only 3 at the time and we didn’t have the financial means to make it happen. We knew that during this trip we had to visit the ninth ward.

Prior to leaving I searched for self-guided driving tours similar to the walking tours that I had found for the French Quarter and Garden District. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find anything. I knew that we weren’t interested in any type of commercial tour. We simply feel that those types of tours capitalize on the tragedy of others and we don’t feel comfortable with that. In the end we chose to rent our own car and find our way around on our own. Another one of our thoughts was to keep our impact on the neighborhood to a minimum. We did not get out and take pictures nor did we stop and bother the neighbors. We really tried to slip in and slip out without being noticed. I know that if I lived in the neighborhood I wouldn’t want cars parading through all of the time.











One final thought… We saw a sign during our travels which said something along the lines of “This is a neighborhood not a landfill – please no dumping”. It served as a reminder that these were and are people’s homes and their neighborhood. It’s something that needs to be respected if you visit. Jumping off my soapbox.

Continued…..

[twotall]

More importantly, here are several photos of newly constructed homes. It’s evident that the neighborhood is struggling to come back to life. Despite the poor economy we saw several new homes under construction. It was encouraging to see signs of life.











After completing our “tour” we headed back along Claiborne Ave. and crossed over the Industrial Canal. Our original plan was to drive through the Upper Ninth Ward as well. Traveling along both St. Claude Ave. and Claiborne Ave.

We were struck by the high density of housing in the area. The side streets were very narrow and crowded with parked cars. Unlike the Lower Ninth Ward, the devestation caused by Katrina was not evident from the main roadways. The Lower Ninth is wide open with many vacant parcels of land (which of course used to be houses). The Upper Ninth is very closed in and dense.

Even though it was a Saturday morning we did not feel comfortable getting off of the main roads and traveling through the neighborhoods. This was the only time throughout our entire stay in New Orleans that we altered our plans due to safety concerns. We realize that our perception was probably a lot worse than reality. But still it was our perception and we acted accordingly.

We stopped at the corner of Franklin Ave. and Claiborne to pick up some Subway sandwiches for the girls. I had my muffaletta but they did not have anything for lunch. It was actually a nice Subway shop located in a fairly new strip mall. We headed up Franklin Ave. to the I-610 exit and turned to head west out of the city.

Next Up – Plantation Tour

[my3boysmom]

Your first pic of the "Phillipi Church" has some very distictive communication markings on it. The one on the far right was cut off. Sobering when you know what they mean.

[twotall]

Originally Posted by my3boysmom

Your first pic of the "Phillipi Church" has some very distictive communication markings on it. The one on the far right was cut off. Sobering when you know what they mean.

You'd be surprised as to how many x-code markings are still present on the buildings. An eerie (and sad) reminder of search & rescue efforts. Thanks for noticing.

[mitsugirly]

Wow, this is an excellent review. Love the pictures. We loved NOLA when we were there last September. You make me want to go back and take a few days to explore.

[endymion6942]

Very nice review of home. I wish the media could as well.

[my3boysmom]

Originally Posted by twotall

You'd be surprised as to how many x-code markings are still present on the buildings. An eerie (and sad) reminder of search & rescue efforts. Thanks for noticing.

I was first down there 3 years ago. We were back this March and Iwas shocked that there were still so many!

[krissy72]

Can't wait for the plantation tour review.........

[twotall]

Originally Posted by krissy72

Can't wait for the plantation tour review.........

Delayed but not forgotten. It seems that pesky day-to-day tasks (such as work) keep getting in the way . I was able to type some during lunch today and hope to post within the next few days. Thanks for your patience.

[twotall]

We headed west along I-610 which connects to I-10. It was about 10:30 or so by this time. We had planned to spend more time touring but because we skipped the Upper Ninth Ward we were ahead of schedule. Kristen was driving and I was navigating. Kristen tends to have a heavy foot on the expressway and we were cruising along at about 75 or maybe a little more . West of New Orleans there is a stretch of I-10 that juts out into Lake Pontchartrain. It’s interesting because further out into the lake you can see electrical transmission lines. I got to wondering how they access the lines for maintenance. I then realized that we were completely surrounded by swamps. There really wasn’t any “land” around. I figured it’s probably easier for them to take a boat or barge out to the lines in the lake than it would be to traverse through the swamps.



We had planned to visit Laura Plantation. We made this choice based on reviews which said they tell the entire plantation story. The reviews indicated that not only do they show you the nice house and pretty furniture but they also spend a considerable amount of time talking about the role that slaves played in day-to-day life. We felt that it was important for Emma to see and hear about the entire story.

Earlier in the school year Emma had learned about plantations as part of her social studies class. Her textbook had pictures of Oak Alley which is just down the road from Laura. She really wanted to visit Oak Alley but the reviews we’d read indicated that Oak Alley did not make mention of slaves. As I said, we wanted Emma to get the full story so we compromised and promised to stop outside the gate so that she could get pictures before driving back to Laura Plantation.

Anyway, we were cruising along nicely and reached the Hwy. 641 exit by about 11:15. I began thinking about making a change to our plans. I knew that we needed to return our rental car to the airport at 3:00 p.m. I figured we’d have plenty of time if we took the 12:40 tour at Laura plantation. We were only about 20 minutes away so I figured we’d have a little over an hour or so to kill. I suggested that we splurge and visit both plantations - even though our Oak Alley visit would have to be quick. The girls all thought this was a good idea.

We traveled south on 641 and crossed over the Mississippi.


We exited onto Hwy. 18 and noticed this nice country cemetery along the exit ramp


We headed directly to Oak Alley and were happy to see that it wasn’t very crowded. We knew that we only had about an hour so we quickly purchased tickets and proceeded onto the grounds.






To be continued…..

[twotall]

We were impressed as soon as we entered the Oak Alley grounds. The property is simply beautiful. We made our way down the path and soon encountered a construction site; however, this turned out to be no ordinary construction site. There were several informational signs indicating that replica slave quarters were being constructed using traditional building techniques and materials. The signs told the story of how there used to be several slave cabins and how they were previously demolished. Other signs explained about slaves and the value they might fetch at auction











It was really sad but informative to read the information. We felt good to be able to explain to Emma how it was wrong to have slaves and how poorly they were treated. We were not expecting Oak Alley to present this information and were pleased that they did.

To be continued....

[twotall]

We were told that the next tour would be starting shortly so we headed to the front of the main house. Guided tours of the house are given every half hour. The tours last about 40 minutes or so. Our guide provided lots of information about the history of the plantation and the people who used to live there. She also touched several times on the role of slaves in operating the property. Overall it was a very informative guided tour. Here are several photos from inside the house:







This baby bassinet is the only piece of furniture remaining from the original homestead. All of the other furniture was brought in when the house was restored into a museum.






After we finished the tour it was about 12:30 or so. If we wanted to see Laura Plantation we needed to leave immediately. We talked and decided that we wanted to stay longer. We agreed that our worries were not valid because Oak Alley did address and discuss the issues surrounding slavery. We decided to explore the grounds some more, especially the oak trees.

To be continued…..