dreading going to NOLA

oh lord, what have i done?

so... i booked the conquest out of NOLA. feeling great until i searched hotels and now im so confused i kinda wish i had picked a different home port.

1. hotels are OUTRAGEOUS for the week we are going there

2. Im confused on the districts- which ones to stay at?

3. No idea how much parking is going to be in french quarter if we stay outside the district and decide to go explore.

i have searched the gulf home port section and can not find answers.

if anyone has suggestions: please, inform me.

thanks.

Districts in New Orleans where you might want to stay:

French Quarter: downriver from Canal St.

CBD: basically between the GNO Bridge (technically a little upriver of the GNO bridge) and Canal St.

Lower Garden district: the area around the GNO bridge and a bit upriver from that

Pro tip for parking: you can go park a Harrah's, gamble at penny/nickle slots for a half hour or something, and get free parking. Not sure if you need to sign up for the Harrah's rewards thing or not to get that though. Otherwise, parking in the French Quarter is kinda expensive. They have big pay parking lots on Decatur St. by Jax Brewery.

Hotwire usually has deals on NOLA hotels. CBD (central business district) area would be your best bet for affordable and convenient.

There was a lot off of Common and University that was $15 a day, it's only about a block off Canal. We were just there last weekend.

We stayed at the Pere Marquette Renaissance (sp), it was more reasonable than a lot of hotels in the Quarter, and the room was great! It was also on Common.

Good luck!

I believe the Drury Inn on Poydras St. has a special cruise package that includes parking.

We stayed at the Marriott on Canal and walked into the quarter. I can't help with the parking but the hotel and location were great.

If you stay outside the French Quarter and want to visit, leave your car at your hotel and take a cab.

We went out of NOLA in january2013 and left early to tour the city before the cruise. I was worried about prices and where to go and what to do. You can save money on the hotel by staying outside the main city. We stayed at the Quality Inn on St Charles in the Garden District it was very nice and located on the trolley route . Get a all day pass for the trolley it will take you all over the tourists parts of the city. There is a lot to see. Bourbon Street is where all of the Bars are located and the red light district. If you like that fine, if not skip it. The area of the waterfront from the convention center to the farmers market is interesting. There are tours of the Super Dome and great food all over the place. I hope you have a good time and a great Cruise.

We stayed at the Prince Conti in the French Quarter, at a great rate. Didn't include parking, but we got a ginormous room (suite) for the price. If you're adamant about having a car, the French Quarter probably isn't the best place to stay. It sure seemed like driving would be a pain. To visit that area, you can go via taxi or public transportation, and it's very walkable once you're there.

Make sure you look for "Yes Ma'am String Band". They're often playing on Royal.

oh lord, what have i done?

 

so... i booked the conquest out of NOLA. feeling great until i searched hotels and now im so confused i kinda wish i had picked a different home port.

 

1. hotels are OUTRAGEOUS for the week we are going there

2. Im confused on the districts- which ones to stay at?

3. No idea how much parking is going to be in french quarter if we stay outside the district and decide to go explore.

 

i have searched the gulf home port section and can not find answers.

 

if anyone has suggestions: please, inform me.

 

thanks.

What dates are you looking at?

Parking is expensive downtown and at most hotels.

Depending on what is going on in New Orleans, we might stay near the airport. Others might stay across the river.

I've currently got 3 cruises booked out of New Orleans and currently aren't staying in the French Quarter for any of them. Some other the competition for rooms include the NBA All Star Game, The French Quarter Festival, The Jazz and Heritage Festival.

 

Pro tip for parking: you can go park a Harrah's, gamble at penny/nickle slots for a half hour or something, and get free parking. Not sure if you need to sign up for the Harrah's rewards thing or not to get that though. Otherwise, parking in the French Quarter is kinda expensive. They have big pay parking lots on Decatur St. by Jax Brewery.

Pro tip 2:

You have to have a Harrah's card (free) because that is how they track your play. Yes, you can get free parking, but for many it could be cheaper just to pay for parking. :eek:

I drove to NOLA from North Carolina without reservations. Got a great deal on a hotel in the French Quarter just by stopping by the LA Welcome Center. Wasn't expecting that, was expecting just to make a day trip to the FQ and stay far outside of the city.

I don't usually travel without reservations but we got lucky and I might try that method again in NOLA. I wouldn't do it on a Mardi Gras weekend or a weekend that there was a home football game, but if nothing big was going on, I would.

You should NEVER dread going to New Orleans! It is such a wonderful city with SOOO much to do!! I have never cruised from there, but I have visited several times and love every minute of it!! I really would like to cruise from there, but I have been to most of the Western ports, and to so few of the Eastern ports that cruising from NOLA is just not logical for me right now. Maybe once Sunshine gets there, and I get tired of the Eastern side I'll switch it up, cuz any reason to visit Bourban St, is a good reason!

New Orleans is one of America's true great cultural cities. You shouldn't dread going, for sure! :)

New Orleans is one of America's true great cultural cities. You shouldn't dread going, for sure! :)

Our next Carnival cruise was booked specifically because it leaves from New Orleans -- I doubt it is any more expensive than any other large city.

We've going a couple of days early and staying in the French Quarter - You owe to yourself to do it at least once. :)

we loved NOLA for cruising - - we booked thru hotels.com, one time in the warehouse district, the other just beyond canal st at the OMNI. we got good prices both times. don't dread it, its a fun place to stay. we did not have a car, we used transport from the airport and then used the trolly system.

enjoy

tons of info here

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=414

I believe the Drury Inn on Poydras St. has a special cruise package that includes parking.

I know there wasn't any when we did our B2B this past December and stayed at The Drury. And it was a great hotel that is only a few blocks from the cruise port.

If this is a new package thanks for letting me know. I have another nine (9) cruise this coming December and will have to look into it.

We are leaving out of New Orleans on the Sunshine Feb 16th 2014 and are going to be battling the NBA All Star game. We are unsure of where we will stay but were planning on parking at the port.

Priceline bid of $60 got Marriott Convention Center 4 star on 9/7/2013.To my understanding Fulton st.parking 1/2 block away at $12 per day.

We are leaving out of New Orleans on the Sunshine Feb 16th 2014 and are going to be battling the NBA All Star game. We are unsure of where we will stay but were planning on parking at the port.

I'm staying in the Garden District for $160/night and includes free parking. But I do believe they are booked solid now. Have you thought about Kenner, LaPlace, Slidell, or Gretna?

I know some people are staying in Mississippi and driving in the morning of...and someone is staying in Baton Rouge and driving in the day of.

We might have to consider doing something like that! One of the guys we are traveling with is a Hilton Honors member and gets us free rooms so we are hoping to stay at a Hilton property. We are getting together this Friday to discuss. This forum has been a blessing because had I not sen it here we wouldnt be worrying about rooms for months!!!

oh lord, what have i done?

 

so... i booked the conquest out of NOLA. feeling great until i searched hotels and now im so confused i kinda wish i had picked a different home port.

 

1. hotels are OUTRAGEOUS for the week we are going there

2. Im confused on the districts- which ones to stay at?

3. No idea how much parking is going to be in french quarter if we stay outside the district and decide to go explore.

 

i have searched the gulf home port section and can not find answers.

 

if anyone has suggestions: please, inform me.

 

thanks.

Not sure of the dates you are going to be in New Orleans, but we are scheduled to leave on March 30th of next year. We arrive in New Orleans a day earlier and got reservations at the La Quinta Hotel on Camp St. The average price is $166 per night (AARP rate). I believe we are close to the French Quarters district, but not sure. Since we get into New Orleans in the evening, I just wanted a clean, close place to the pier to rest our heads for the night. As far as researching, I just google the hotel address and find out what is close by. I think you should be fine, just research and even call the different hotels if you need to. To let you in on a little secret...I actually had three hotel reservations before I confirmed the one at the La Quinta, and this is the cheapest one. One hotel was almost $200 a night, but at the time that was the only thing available that came up. Continue to look and you will find something. Parking at the pier is $116 for the seven days. We are not driving as we originally planned, but will use taxis. We are coming in from Alabama via train, so no parking for us. Between the parking charges at the hotels and at the pier, it was worth us taking the train, and taxis instead. Good luck and ask questions. We are here to help.:)

oh lord, what have i done?

 

so... i booked the conquest out of NOLA. feeling great until i searched hotels and now im so confused i kinda wish i had picked a different home port.

 

1. hotels are OUTRAGEOUS for the week we are going there

2. Im confused on the districts- which ones to stay at?

3. No idea how much parking is going to be in french quarter if we stay outside the district and decide to go explore.

 

i have searched the gulf home port section and can not find answers.

 

if anyone has suggestions: please, inform me.

 

thanks.

I shared you misgivings, about NOLA. The cruise the wife were supposed to take (Dream/Port Cavernal) cancelled the day we were supposed to drive there from Atlanta and we frantically searched and found a cruise on RCI on the Nagof theSeas out of New Orleans. Well, about the only hotel we could find w/a room avail was the Marriott in downtown NO on Canal St. Of course we only wanted one night, but you almost HAVE to use their parking lot, and what wasn't made clear was that there's a $40 (no validation) fee, plus when we checked in we found out there wasn't any hot water (the boilers had gone down) and what hot water remained was being diverted to the kitchen for washing purposes.They did give us a $50 credit. Shessh !! Anyway, we made the cruise, but taking a morning shower in COLD water, wasn't much fun. You didn't mention what week you were intrested in but you might see if you can find a hotel closer to the cruiseport. Good Luck !!

Try the Holiday Inn on the Westbank in Gretna. Prices are usually less and the port is just minutes away across the river. You can actually see the cruise ship from windows on the upper floors. Since you have a car you could always find your way to the "free" Algiers ferry which takes you to Canal Street.