Dream and New Orleans questions

We are leaving in 3 weeks for our cruise on the Dream and I have a few questions.

We have never cruised from New Orleans before... What is the total amount for parking for a 7 day cruise at the port? I have read that there is a cheaper garage to park at but I think that it would be best for us to park directly at the port. My husband uses a walker for longer distances so I think it may be easier to just park there.

I am also wondering about the walk onto the ship. Is it comparable in length to Miami, Ft Lauderdale and Port Canaveral? He doesn't want to ask for a wheelchair to board or to disembark. We did that in Miami last year and there was a lot of waiting and confusion as to where to go. Both on and off the ship. Do you think they may let him on ahead of the crowd due to having a walker? I chose a boarding time of 1030-1100 in hopes of it not being too crowded yet.

We also are going to have a " no show" in our party. Is it ok that the 3 of us are checked in online and the no show won't be? If they ask, I will just say that she is on her way and is meeting us onboard.

I have read varying responses about her taxes being refunded so I will just see what happens I guess. Will they automatically not charge the cabin her gratuities or will I need to talk to them about that? We have 2 connecting oceanviews booked-2 per cabin.

Thank you

Tina

Hi Tina!

I'm on your sailing! Can't wait!!

It will be my 4th time on the Dream and I was just on her in February.

The other garages are cheaper but I find the shuttle annoying. Its $126 for the week at Erato. Well worth being right at the terminal in my book.

The ramps to the Dream are longer than others. There are many turns, so he may feel comfortable taking breaks if it's too much. They won't give any consideration to an earlier entry but I don't think you'll need it. You'll have a lot of Southern kindness from the people boarding.

I don't have any experience on the other part of your question. I'm sure your 4th is so disappointed not to be going.

See you in 21 days!

Jill

Tell him to just ask for a wheel chair at the door. No need in being wore out right from the get go. My mom gets around fine, but she do appreciates that wheel chair ride now. She finally admitted it took it out of her making that walk because it is a long one.

No shame in saving your legs for use on the ship later.

Yes, you should park at the port. Well worth the extra.

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Hi Tina!

 

I'm on your sailing! Can't wait!!

 

It will be my 4th time on the Dream and I was just on her in February.

 

The other garages are cheaper but I find the shuttle annoying. Its $126 for the week at Erato. Well worth being right at the terminal in my book.

 

The ramps to the Dream are longer than others. There are many turns, so he may feel comfortable taking breaks if it's too much. They won't give any consideration to an earlier entry but I don't think you'll need it. You'll have a lot of Southern kindness from the people boarding.

 

I don't have any experience on the other part of your question. I'm sure your 4th is so disappointed not to be going.

 

See you in 21 days!

 

Jill

Good info. We are also on this cruise:) We will be parking at Fulton parking as soon as I get around to making reservations. About half the price as the pier and they say shuttle comes very frequently.

If you want to save a little money. You can drop your husband and luggage at the port, then go to Fulton, and ride back to the port.

Nola is our home port. The convenience of port parking is worth the price because dealing with the shuttles can be frustrating. The walk fro check in onto the ship is longer in Nola than Miami.

FWIW, we cruised from Nola with my husbands parents a couple of years ago. They both have some difficulty walking long distances. They requested wheelchairs. There was absolutely no confusion. The employees were so nice. Practically raced those wheelchairs onto the ship and strait to Lido😆

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Good info. We are also on this cruise:) We will be parking at Fulton parking as soon as I get around to making reservations. About half the price as the pier and they say shuttle comes very frequently.

How much is fulton?

Gratuities are charged against a person's CC card after they have checked in, so yes, just play dumb about the 4th person being a no-show. Said person will receive a credit for port taxes by mail after it is determined that they did not sail.

How much is fulton?

About $ 75 for a 7 day cruise

I used Fulton place rooftop parking and it was great. I think it was $9 per day plus tax, so it ended up being about $75ish for the week. If you park in the garage instead of the rooftop, it's an extra $1 per day.

We came in and it was pouring rain, so the parking attendant told us to just park in the garage even though we only paid for the rooftop. We went down the elevators to the bottom and took a shuttle over. They gave us a ticket to present when we returned, and told us where they would be to pick us up.

Really the only complaint I had was that it was a very tight squeeze for my friend's truck going up the ramp in the garage. It was a pretty big truck, so most people won't have a problem, but it's something to think of if you have a larger vehicle.

The parking at the port is $18 per day, so for half the price, I will gladly take a 5 minute shuttle. We didn't have to wait long at all, and there was no hassle getting back after the cruise.

I would also be one to tell him to get a wheelchair for boarding. The ramp is long with several turns and uphill. The NOLA port is easy and well run, so there won't be any confusion.

Parking in the garage across the street is a pain. Did it only once and trying to get back to your car at the end of the cruise was like watching a hundred people all try to get in a bus at once. Never again. In January on Elation we parked in the garage by the ship. Worth the extra money. Pay as you pull in, go up the ramp and give your luggage to the stewards then go park. Take the elevator down and head into the terminal. Enjoy your cruise.

Can you reserve a spot in Erato in advance? I have gone to their web site but did not see that option We sail on May 15.

Thanks for your responses! We will definetly be getting the wheelchair for boarding and will park at port. Would love to save the money but I think it will just be much easier for us personally.

Tina

Parking in the garage across the street is a pain. Did it only once and trying to get back to your car at the end of the cruise was like watching a hundred people all try to get in a bus at once. Never again. In January on Elation we parked in the garage by the ship. Worth the extra money. Pay as you pull in, go up the ramp and give your luggage to the stewards then go park. Take the elevator down and head into the terminal. Enjoy your cruise.

Is the parking across the street the Fulton garage? Or is that also considered "at the port parking"?

Thanks

Can you reserve a spot in Erato in advance? I have gone to their web site but did not see that option We sail on May 15.

No, you can't reserve a spot in Erato. But you don't need to. There is plenty of parking.

Is the parking across the street the Fulton garage? Or is that also considered "at the port parking"?

 

Thanks

It's Fulton, not port.

I am taking Pete's advice and parking at the port. While it may be a few more $$ it will be worth it.

 

I am taking Pete's advice and parking at the port. While it may be a few more $$ it will be worth it.

To me the most stressful parts of a cruise are embarking and debarking. Parking at the port relieves some of that stress. New Orleans port parking is the best I have experienced.

We park at Fulton every time we cruise from NOLA. It costs $12 a day and the shuttle runs constantly. We've never waited for more than 10 minutes to get get to the ship or back to our car. I've seen people with walkers and crutches park at Fulton with no problems.

Just booked at Fulton. $70 for 7 days, had a $5 discount code. This will be the third time that we have parked there.:)

Where did you get the $5 discount? Thanks.

No, you can't reserve a spot in Erato. But you don't need to. There is plenty of parking.

This is not my experience. More than once, we have barely gotten a spot in Erato and have heard that they have had to have people park in an overflow garage somewhere else. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know cars were driving around and there were no spots left that we could tell. Our last 2 cruises, we've had to park at the end of the rows against the wall because the garage was full, once was on the roof. Getting parked our last two times was stressful and took a long time waiting on the workers to find us one of the few spots left. Don't get me wrong, I love parking there, and how easy and close it is to the boarding area, but don't show up late or it makes it a lot less convenient experience.

This is not my experience. More than once, we have barely gotten a spot in Erato and have heard that they have had to have people park in an overflow garage somewhere else. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know cars were driving around and there were no spots left that we could tell. Our last 2 cruises, we've had to park at the end of the rows against the wall because the garage was full, once was on the roof. Getting parked our last two times was stressful and took a long time waiting on the workers to find us one of the few spots left. Don't get me wrong, I love parking there, and how easy and close it is to the boarding area, but don't show up late or it makes it a lot less convenient experience.

I have cruised out of NOLA 4 or 5 times and never had a problem. Then again, I am there before noon. So that may be why.

This is not my experience. More than once, we have barely gotten a spot in Erato and have heard that they have had to have people park in an overflow garage somewhere else. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know cars were driving around and there were no spots left that we could tell. Our last 2 cruises, we've had to park at the end of the rows against the wall because the garage was full, once was on the roof. Getting parked our last two times was stressful and took a long time waiting on the workers to find us one of the few spots left. Don't get me wrong, I love parking there, and how easy and close it is to the boarding area, but don't show up late or it makes it a lot less convenient experience.

Ditto we had the same experience last month. Only spots left at 12:30-1 checkin where on the rooftop.

Yes, we have had to park at the overflow garage on one occasion. It was not convenient. We now park at the Fulton garage. Not bad at all.:)

We've usually been able to find a spot by getting there just after they open. Once we did have to park on the roof and pretty close to the south end, but we were still in a spot.

If you get there before all the previous sailing passengers leave, then you can usually follow a family out of the elevator to their spot and wait patiently.