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Cruise in October - drive or fly


cruise.freak
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This will be our first cruise out of New Orleans so don't know much about the area. The drive would be 11.5 hours and the flight is $315 pp. Not sure how to get from airport to hotel than cruise port and than back to airport on departure day. Are the shuttles and everything pretty expensive and could we go without a rental car? Or would it be worth it to just drive?

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If I were going with someone I would probably drive so the driving could be shared. But you'll also have to pay to park at your hotel and the port while you're cruising.

 

You could rent a car from home and maybe there is a car rental place near the port to drop it off? Then do another one way rental to drive home? Then you don't have to pay for parking the port. You could drop it off once you check into your hotel as it's a very walkable city and has the streetcar.

 

Amtrak may be another option?

 

As far as getting to/from airport if you fly in, from what I see most places near the port don't have a shuttle and a lot of people taxi or Uber. Your ship can shuttle you directly to the airport post cruise.

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Both times we have cruised out of NOLA we have driven, 1st time we stayed at hotel in Metrarie that offered a park and stay they shuttled us to the port and picked us up after. Very handy and reasonably priced. This past Feb our cruise was during Mardi Gras and the stay and park wasn't offered and hotel rooms were crazy high so we stayed about an hour outside NOLA so easy drive in on Sunday morning. Parking is very close. they let you drop off luggage then go park. I think parking was $24 a day. When we go next January we would probably do the stay and park again.

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If you fly in and stay at hotel near the port (there are a handful within walking distance), Uber/Lyft to/from the airport is about $50 each way including tip.(Might be a little less).

 

As far as cost trade-off between flying and driving...you can figure out the pure dollar cost difference.

Unless you can get a park and stay deal on a hotel, you'll pay almost $375 in parking at the port alone if you drive.

If the park and stay hotel will probably not be downtown New Orleans, so there will be transportation cost to and from the tourist areas and the port.

 

Figure out the pure $ costs and then figure in the intangibles (11.5 hours driving vs 3 hours flying), etc.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We fly. I made that drive back once (after Jazz Fest, not a cruise) and swore never again. Plus parking fees can be very high. We stay in the quarter, take a cab to/from the airport (I believe it is $36 flat rate?) around $40 regardless. Hoof it the rest of the time with the exception of an $8 cab from hotel to port when staying on Canal St.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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