comparing Astor vs Intercontinental

Does anyone have any knowledge of these 2 hotels? We are going out of NOLA and would like to do a pre cruise. These are our 2 choices. Astor Crowne Paza on Canal St or Intercontinental on St Charles St. I tried to do research on them both not finding the info I thought I would find. Does anyone know which one is nicer? Closer to the French Quarter. Smarter to stay at? I would appreciate any help we can get. Thanx in advance.

Astor is closer to the French Quarter (technically in the FQ vs a few blocks away). I haven't stayed in either.

http://www.astorfrenchquarter.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60864-d223408-Reviews-Astor_Crowne_Plaza_French_Quarter-New_Orleans_Louisiana.html

http://new-orleans.intercontinental.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60864-d111974-Reviews-Hotel_InterContinental_New_Orleans-New_Orleans_Louisiana.html

Thanx for the info. They both look so nice. Only seem to be blocks from one another. I think it maybe quieter at the Intercontinental. I have heard there is alot of music all hours of the night in the French Quarters. Which would be fine but I think we probably want to get a good night sleep before the cruise. Usually the flights drain me and I definetly want to be awake when I am onboard. At least it looks like everything is in walking distance which we enjoy walking. Any other thoughts?

Noise is mostly a factor at Boutique hotels and such next/near to music venues. The Astor is in an old building but is supposed to be a modern hotel inside an old building- I assume most or all outside sounds would be a non-factor.

How many nights are you staying pre-cruise?

I haven't eaten there in years, but Veranda restaurant is at the Intercontinental and was wonderful.

We are doing just 1 night pre-cruise. Hopefully we will get in early enough to enjoy the day and evening. I am doing everything through the NCL cruiseline. Glad to hear that the restaurant in the Intercontinental is wonderful. Makes it more convienent. I don't think we could go wrong with either of them so I will just go with the flow. This was the one they got for us.

So looking forward to seeing NOLA. At least the French Quarters. I have heard so much about the area. March can't get here soon enough.....

Do you know of other places to visit & eat? I would like to try to plan things out ahead of time.

Thanx again for all your help.

In the French Quarter the must see/do for the first time tourist include Pat O'Briens and Preservation Hall. Of course beignets are a must.

Perhaps the Carousel Bar (!) at the Monteleone.

Walking up and down Bourbon Street taking in the sights, sounds, and smells (some good, some ?).

One suggestion would be to check out restaurants as you walk around. If you think you might like, go in, sit at the bar and try an appetizer. Repeat as necessary until full. Any of the many Brennan Family restaurants is a good bet.

http://www.patobriens.com/

http://www.preservationhall.com/2.0/

http://www.hotelmonteleone.com/

http://www.hotelmonteleone.com/leisure/carouselbar.html?parent=restaurants

http://www.frenchquarter.com/dining/brennans.php

And before I forget - the St Charles Streetcar hasn't run since Katrina and I doubt it will any time soon, so don't plan on it being available.

I might cab it back from the French Quarter at night.

Zydec, Thank you so much. There looks like there is so much to do and so many restaurants I don't think we will get bored or be hungry...lol...

I can't wait. March can't get here fast enough.

Hmm Carousel link doesn't seem to work..

http://www.hotelmonteleone.com/leisure/carouselbar.html?parent=restaurants

Also one for beignets...

http://www.cafedumonde.com/

The coffee & beignets look wonderful. Do you know how far from St Charles St ( Intercontinental) this place is? It looks like a place we must go too. Something tells me I may wish I did a 2 or 3 nite pre cruise. Oh well we will get in all we can and I must remember I can always go back......

Thank you

The French Market location is about a mile from your hotel. The Riverwalk location is closer - near the cruise ships, but doesn't come close in atmosphere. It was one of many milestones when they reopened after Katrina.

The St Charles streetcar MAY be running as far as your hotel by the end of the 2006, it seems. With any luck?

That would be awesome if the streetcar is running. Just another benefit of my vacation..

Will the streetcar bring us back & forth from Intercontinental & French Quarters? Am I correct with thinking it will be quieter at the intercontinental then at the Astor? I think I can make a decision on the hotel up til final payment is due. So, the more info I can get between the 2 the better it is for me. Thank you all for your help. It is so hard to decide where to stay when you have never been there. At least I only have 2 choices...

Hi, you are on our cruise on March 4th. We are going for 3 nights pre and 1 night post. After looking into many places, we decided to book the Drury Hotel. Cousins stayed there and likes it. They have a great breakfat and drinks and snacks at night. We also have the Astor booked through NCL, but we think we are going to cancel and stay at the Drury. It seems to be within walking distance from Fr. Q. BTW, where in Ma are you from? We're from Danvers.

We will be on the NCL Sun Dec 10, staying pre-cruise at the Intercontinental for the peace and quiet and then staying at the Ramada on Bourbon Street in the French Quarters after the cruise to extend the fun a while before coming home.

I'll be doing a review on the NCL board after the cruise. I'll try to get it done before Christmas.

BTW, we love Drury Inn. With the hot breakfast and free happy hour, it's a good bargain.

Maxsboubie,we are 40 miles south of Boston. Right now it looks like we will stay at the Intercontinental. So much easier with NCL doing all the booking,flights and transfers. Plus this hotel is 3-4 blocks away from the FQ. Which means I should be able to get a good nites sleep before the cruise and still enjoy the FQ. Hopefully the streetcar will be running in March.

Retired, I would love to know what you think of the Intercontinental when you get home. I will look forward to your review.

Retired, thanks for the review of the Drury. Is it close enough to the French Quarter to walk it?

Retired, thanks for the review of the Drury. Is it close enough to the French Quarter to walk it?

I'm sorry, we have not stayed in that particular Drury Inn, but have stayed with them a number of times. I just wish there were more of them. We do try to stay with them when there is one where we need it. This time however, NCL had a sale going on at the time we booked and the Intercontinental was a very good bargain we couldn't pass up.

Retired, thanks for the review of the Drury. Is it close enough to the French Quarter to walk it?

Since Retired couldn't answer I'll jump in - it is walkable - about 4 blocks. During the day it's no problem, but I'd be leary of doing it after dark. The St. Louis Streetcar runs very close, though. It will be up and running between Canal and Lee Circle later this year. That would be ideal, but since it's not up yet I don't know what the schedules will be like.

My husband and I stayed at the Intercontintal in early November. It was a perfect location for us being a few blocks away from Canal Street and a 10 minute walk to the French Quarter. I loved the rooms! They were quite fancy decorated in a french style, comfy bed, big bathroom, fridge beautiful wood furnishings. I would recommend this hotel to anyone as it was close enough to the action but far enough to get away from the action. Hope you have a wonderful time in New Orleans. We sure did!

Thank you auntiebea. We don't cruise till March but I am trying to get all the information I can ahead of time. We are staying at the Intercontinental. Was the streetcar running past the hotel? or in the same area? Was it safe to walk at night from the FQ back to hotel? Any info you can think of would be appreciated. Thank you

Retired, I would love to know what you think of the Intercontinental when you get home. I will look forward to your review.

I don't know if you saw my review of my cruise on the NCL Sun either on the NCL board or in CC Members Reviews. I included the Intercontinental. I enjoyed this hotel very much. It has a great staff that really wants to make sure your stay is a good one. It was quiet and very well maintained.