Don't Be Scared of New Orleans!

Hi All,

I live an hour outside of NOLA now and recently spent the weekend in the French Quarter in a hotel on Bourbon st. I can say with out a doubt things are Good in the Main tourists spots. The crime you here about is not usually in the CBD or French Quarter it's in the neighborhoods away from the tourist areas. Now when I visit a city like Chicago I don't go hanging out or staying in the bad areas of town. No, I'm downtown close to the attractions, so all this really doesn't matter, if you think about. I would even almost go as far to say things seem safer in the Quarter then before Katrina. We were also very impressed with how clean the streets were. It was the morning of the Saints/Bears Game and by 9 am things were looking & smelling good. That alone was amazing. I've lived in NOLA for 10 years and have been visiting the quarter for more years then that and I never felt as safe or saw it as clean as I did last month. The city lives on Tourist and it's barely holding on by a string, I not joking here. The real French Quarter will disappear if people don't relize the french quarter is not a problemed area here for crime & storm damage.

I was just there for a few days prior to our cruise. It was a first time visit for both my DH and myself. We had a great time.

 

The only problem we had was some local crackheads down near Jackson Square. The were begging for money. Seems like we saw plenty of that, but you could usually see them a mile away, these just sneaked up on us. ;)

 

We never felt in danger at any time during our trip and saw plenty of police presence throught the FQ all thought we were back in our hotel by 11pm. Everyone that we passed on the street and the people that worked there were warm and friendly.

 

I am glad that I had an opportunity to see NOLA and am very upset and dissapointed with both RCCL and Carnival for pulling out. The city needs the extra money that the cruise industry brings in. While I know it's a business decision, it reflects very badly on them.:mad:

ABears511

We will be spending the night before our cruise in NOLA and staying in the French Quarter. Since we are driving in, we won't arrive in NOLA unti around 7 or 8 pm unfortunately. My question...I am a little concerned about driving into NOLA and to the FQ after dark. Should we be? I think we should be able to find our way again.

duplicate...sorry

Just use the same common sense you do back in Chicago area.

Follow the map well and do not get lost.

I feel bad for New Orleans. I think they're getting a bad rap here. There are a number of locals that also say NOLA is dangerous and all the press is only reinforcing that. I am spending 4 to 5 nights in NOLA in late September and am staying at the Country Inn & Suites on Magazine. I hope to help their economy out with eats, tours and the like before we cruise on the Fantasy.

 

Everybody at work thinks I'm nuts. There were a couple of people that had planned on going to NOLA at some point, but now they have crossed it off their list. They think it's been flooded with chemicals and sewage and they think there's disease ready to "pounce" on you if the local criminals don't. I told them that I'd go for them then and that I wasn't a germophob about it. If we get to thinking about all that stuff we'd hole up in a plastic bubble.:eek:

 

I think NOLA deserves a chance to get back on it's feet. I donated quite a bit of money to various organizations (for both people and pets) and thought my tourist dollars would be another way to help and let me have a good time along the way.

We agree that NOLA deserves a chance, that's why we are going back to NOLA instead of switching to Galveston.

i leave for a 4-day getaway to NOLA tomorrow. they can't scare me.

We stayed pre cruise two weeks ago at this hotel and really enjoyed the experience! It was onlly a 5-6 easy walk to Bourbon St etc and the people there were wonderful- went out of their way in friendliness and assistance. Hint---if you have never stayed here before- request not to be on the ground floor- it is RIGHT on the sidewalk facing all the people, cars etc and pretty noisy! Besides that it was great! Enjoy!

Greetings to all of you who still believe in New Orleans. We just got back from spending the day (and most of the night) in the French Quarter. Tons of NOPD, Louisiana State Troopers, and even the Guardian Angels from New York to protect us. The greatest danger we faced was being stepped on by a police horse.

 

We still have a long way to go to convince people (and Carnival) that this is a safe city.

My sister & I 56 & 63yrs were in NOLA in Dec. 06 pre-cruise & had a wonderful time. We stayed at Harrah's new casino hotel on Canal St & walked to Jackson Sq. & Bourbon St. We did not stay out until the wee hours of the morning, we walked back down Canal St. from Bourbon St around 9:30pm & felt safe as there was a lot of activity & police presence on Canal St. The day of the cruise we walked to the cruise terminal. We never felt unsafe at any time. We are however always aware of our surrondings as we are from a big city ( Philly ) & know to always be cautious. Go enjoy & help NOLA get back on it's feet. It is a great city to visit & they need all the tourist trade they can get. Oh, a nice place to eat is "Petunia's" on St. Louis just above Bourbon St.:)

We still have a long way to go to convince people (and Carnival) that this is a safe city.

I don't think Carnival needs convincing. You just need to read their statement. But if their passengers can't be convinced, they need to follow their passengers' wishes.

We are spending two nights pre-cruise in New Orleans. We'll arrive this Thursday, and I can't wait! It's one of my favorite cities, and this will be our first visit since Katrina. I wish we had more tourist dollars to spread around while we're there, but we'll do the best we can and enjoy every minute of it!

Our cruise was cancelled so instead of coming home we spent the week in New Orleans.

 

We had a great time and the people we friendly and helpful.

We spent a lot ot time (and even more money in the French Quarter) and walked everywhere, sometimes leaving our hotel at 7 AM and returning late in the evening. We walked from Decatur to Basin St the long way (in a circle). We walked from our hotel (Hilton Riverside) to Survivor's Park. We took the streetcar to City Park and spent several hours ther.

 

We saw five parades and came home with 48 lbs of beads! We ate more beignets tan abyone should eat in one week and we decided we prefer Johnny's po' boys to Mother's.

 

We met a lot of terrific people in this still wonderful city and look foreward to returning. Soon.

Johnny's po' boys

Does Johnny's serve breakfast?

 

Does anyone know if there is a cover charge to go into Harrah's?

I am not quite sure what you mean, but if you are asking if they charge you to enter into the casino the answer is "NO". They are more than glad to let you in, in the hopes you will spend some money gambling....;)

Thanks, that's what I meant! ;)

Does Johnny's serve breakfast?

 

I think so, but I'm not sure. They close early, too. 3Pm during the week and 4 PM on weekends.

Mother's serves breakfast and I heard it was very good.

We're just back too, pre/post cruise with our two boys (9,11) and had a GREAT time...felt safe, met wonderful and friendly local people who seemed genuinely glad/thankful to see you. We can't wait to return. Go! You won't regret it......

Does Johnny's serve breakfast?

 

Yup, they sure do. I believe they open around 7 or so. I had the catfish and eggs. It was SOOOOOO good. I want more!!! If you are in the area, they are a great cheap place for breakfast. Don't miss them!

Great post. Thanks

We are going to be in NO after a cruise this week and am so looking forward to it!

It is great to see all of you who are giving N. O. a chance. Thank you! I live in Baton Rouge (an hour away from the cruise terminal) and was planning to cruise on the Triumph out of N. O. so I'm very upset about the cancellation to say the least! We spent 4 days/3 nights in N. O. at Mardi Gras and I have never seen the streets in the French Quarter/Downtown area cleaner or safer than now (and I've been going to N. O. several times a year all my life). The hotel staff was wonderful; they are just happy to have guests and go out of their way to be friendly and helpful. The national media of course love to sensationlize the problems. As my sister who lives in Philly says, a murder in Philly is local news and a murder in

N. O. is international news. It's just a result of the spotlight on the city after the disaster. (Of course, a murder anywhere is a terrible tragedy). As far as any concern about chemicals, disease, etc. that was all put to rest a long time ago. There were no exotic disease outbreaks after Katrina and Lake Ponchartrain is actually cleaner than before the storm (the fishermen are loving it). I just hope the message can go out that N. O. is a safe city to visit so we can get our ships back!!!!

 

Nancy F.

Inspiration (Western Caribbean) November, 2000

Inspiration (Western Caribbean) August, 2001

Carnival Spirit (Alaska) June, 2002

Carnival Conquest (Western Caribbean) March, 2003

Carnival Conquest (Western Caribbean) March, 2004

Explorer of the Seas (Eastern Caribbean) March, 2005

Serenade of the Seas (Southern Caribbean) March, 2006

Crown Princess (Southern Caribbean) March 2007

Well, we will definitely be promoting all of the above after our trip and are looking forward to helping your economy by spending lots of $ on delicious cuisine there!