Hotel Provincial

Has anyone stayed at this hotel in NO? Also, I noticed on the map of the French Quarter that there may possibly be a street car route a block or 2 south from the hotel, is that correct? And can I walk to one of the street car stops and take it to the cruise terminal from the hotel?

Thanks for any info!

Carnival Conquest leaving May 9, 2004

I've never stayed there but we pass it all the time, and it looks very nice from th outside. It's in the 1000 block of Chartres, a nice quiet area of the French Quarter.

There are no streetcar stops anywhere close. The only practical way to get to the cruise ship terminal would be by cab. They charge a flat rate of $7 per person.

jgmpuma, thanks for the reply! I was under the impression that there was a streetcar car route that ran along the riverfront. Looking at the map of the French Quarter it appears a though it begins at the end of Esplanade and goes straight to the Cruise Ship Terminal along the riverfront. Is that incorrect? Also, is there a streetcar that runs down a portion of Chartres(1400 block) to Dumaine(900 block)? Maybe the map I have from the NO Visitors Bureau is incorrect? Thanks for the help!

Carnival Conquest leaving May 9, 2004

I looked at that map, just out of curiousity. It does make it look like some kind of streetcar goes down Chartres, but I can guarantee you that it doesn't.

There is the riverfront trolly, and it does go all the way to the cruise terminal. I think the fare is $1.50. The only problem you might run into is how much luggage they would let you carry on. If you pack like we do, that could be a problem. You might want to walk over to one of the stops ahead of time and ask them.

I know some people have tried taking the public transit bus from the airport to downtown, and were told they could only carry one bag with them.

Thanks again jgmpuma! I suppose those maps can be truly deceiving to someone from out of town. I think I'll take your original advice and get a cab to the terminal. I don't think I want to be lugging my "big" suitcase down the street along with my carry-on too! I'll be exhausted by the time I reach my destination I'm sure! Thank you so much!

Carnival Conquest leaving May 9, 2004

We stayed in the Provincal a couple of years ago. The room we had wasn't large and the bathroom was definitely not anything special. But the staff was friendly, the room was clean, the bed was comfortable and it is in a quiet part of the Quarter so you can actually sleep if you want to.

We recently stayed at the Prince Conti, about half a block off Bourbon street and the noise level there (we had a street front room) was quite high at times. There again the room wasn't extremely large although it was a little bigger than the Provincial but the bathroom was about the same although it did have a big window looking out on the street (luckily it had a curtain you could close). Again the staff here was friendly and helpful, the room was clean and the bed was comfortable.

I also will agree with your decision to use a taxi rather than the tourist trolly. It would be at least a couple of crowded blocks to get to the hotel and the sidewalks an streets are not suitcase friendly.

Have a great time in New Orleans and on your cruise.

HAL Noordam 3/97 West Carib

Hal Westerdam 12/97 East Carib

HAL Veendam 11/98 East Carib

Hal Zaandam 12/00 South Carib

HAL Veendam 10/01 Panama Canal

RCCL Enchantment 09/02 W.Carib

Costa Atlantica 12/02 E.Carib

HAL Noordam 03/03 S.Carib

Golden Princess 07/03 Med

Celebrity Zenith 12/03 W.Carib

HAL Maasdam 05/04 Canada

Thanks for the info wwinfl91! I appreciate the response. I like the fact that the Provincial is a a quieter area of the FQ. And yes, we decided the taxi is definitely the way to go. Thanks!

Carnival Conquest leaving May 9, 2004

Thanks for the thanks. Hopefully you will enjoy your stay in New Orleans as much as we do. You can get a daily transit pass that would allow you to do the trolly on the riverfront as well as the St Charles Trolly. Be sure to take a ride on the St Charles Trolly if you have time and enjoy the Garden district. If you have the daily pass you can get on and off as many times as you want on both trollys. Check at the hotel desk where the closest place to get the pass if you are interested.

A couple of other suggestions of things to do would be to go to the Central Grocery on Decatur near the French Market and have a Muffelata, which is a huge Italian-style sandwich stuffed with meats, cheeses, olive salad and more and a New Orleans beer. Another would be to go to the Cafe Du Monde for Beignets and cafe au lait. Finally we found a new, for us, seafood restaurant on our last visit that had lots of good food at for New Orleans a decent price, Ralph and Kacoo's, which is on Toulouse street. The people at our hotel recommended it and we enjoyed the food and service as much as we have any of the various restaurants we have tried in New Orleans.

I imagine you already have this but here is the web site for the Hotel Provincial.

http://www.hotelprovincial.com

As you can tell we like New Orleans and if I can help you with anything I might know about it just let me know. I know I'm not an expert only having been there 6 times but I'm pretty good at finding out things on the Internet.

A good general New Orleans site by the way is

http://aolsvc.digitalcity.com/neworleans/

and another is:

http://www.neworleansonline.com/

Enjoy your cruise.

HAL Noordam 3/97 West Carib

Hal Westerdam 12/97 East Carib

HAL Veendam 11/98 East Carib

Hal Zaandam 12/00 South Carib

HAL Veendam 10/01 Panama Canal

RCCL Enchantment 09/02 W.Carib

Costa Atlantica 12/02 E.Carib

HAL Noordam 03/03 S.Carib

Golden Princess 07/03 Med

Celebrity Zenith 12/03 W.Carib

HAL Maasdam 05/04 Canada