New Orleans - Hotel Park and Cruise Package - Quality Inn & Suites in Gretna

[KCinBAMA]

Feb 23, 2013. As recommended by yoursurfer we stayed at the Quality Inn & Suites, 100 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, LA 70053. We had reservations for their Park and Cruise Package booked via a website for an estimated total of $166.58. The final bill came to $155.33.

 

We arrived in two cars at 2:00 on Saturday for a 3:00 check-in. The lobby had about a dozen people already waiting as the hotel was fully booked the night before and the rooms were still being cleaned, so we were told we couldn’t check in until 3:00. In order to kill time, we parked one car and piled into my van, then drove 1 mile east to the Oakwood Shopping Center mall where I received a nice shoulder and neck massage for $15 + tip, which felt great and was well worth the money after a long car ride to get there.

 

We arrived back at the hotel at 3:45 and the lobby was packed with people. There were 4 check-in agents and about 4 to 5 people in each line awaiting service. Since we booked the Park and Cruise Package, we received tickets for the dashboards of our cars and also signed up for a shuttle to the cruise terminal the next morning. The sign-up sheets were broken down to about 30 people per page and there were pages for different times, 9:00, 10:00, etc. Since the first two times were already filled, we signed up for the 11:00 shuttle.

 

The hotel also offers their cruise shuttle in the evenings to take guests to the ferry to the French Quarter for free. Having already been informed of this free service, and checking out the maps, I assumed they would shuttle us to the Gretna Ferry, which was just right up the street. I was surprised when we were taken to the Algiers Ferry instead. Algiers is about 3 miles/15 minutes away through a poorer section of town and the ferry ride across the river is free for walk on passengers. This is also a good place to take pictures of the French Quarter and here’s an example of the type of photo opportunities available to you.

 

 

[KCinBAMA]

We were given a business card with the hotel phone number which was needed to contact the hotel to send the shuttle when we wanted to return from the ferry and also when we wanted to return from the cruise terminal next week.

 

 

Then, we made our way to our room. I must say, even after dealing with so many people in the lobby, the hotel desk staff was very friendly and courteous. Our room had a dresser, desk, mini fridge and microwave oven in the room. The hotel is a 3 story complex with quite a few rooms. Google Maps satellite view shows an excellent picture. Long term parking is along the west end of the property. Our room was clean and comfortable.

 

Breakfast is also included in the price and consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, breads, fruits, and cereals. Unfortunately, they only had one person running it for a full dining room. They constantly ran out of coffee, napkins, cups and plates. Coffee was not made until it was brought to their attention. They simply needed one more person.

 

Around 10:30 we left our room to check out and wait for our 11:00 shuttle to the cruise terminal. Being 4th in line for check out, it took about 15 minutes to drop off the key and get our receipt. Our 28 passenger shuttle arrived around 11:10 and a whole bunch of people with their bags were already outside waiting. There was no name calling or lists consulted, everybody just crowded around the back of the shuttle to hand their bags to the Quality Inn driver and then take a seat on the bus. We were not able to get our bags into the back of the bus and were required to take them on the bus with us, placing the bags in the aisles for the 5 mile/15 minute ride. Since there were two cruise ships sailing that morning, we rode with cruisers from the other cruise line to the terminal building. We saw the sign for parking at the cruise terminal - $112 per car for a 7 day voyage. Once at the terminal building, half of us got off, collected our bags, and handed them to an awaiting porter. The other half went on to the next terminal building to sail on their ship.

 

Mar 3, 2013. Upon returning from our cruise, the Quality Inn shuttle was already at the terminal building. Unfortunately for us, there were already too many people and several of us had to wait in 38 degree temperatures for the next shuttle. Thankfully, the next shuttle arrived 15 minutes later and we had an uneventful return to get our cars.

 

In summary, I would say we definitely got value for our money. We slept comfortably for the night, received a free ride to and from the ferry to experience the French Quarter, enjoyed a good breakfast, parked two cars for a week, and arrived in plenty of time to meet our cruise departure. Even though we experienced a few hiccups mentioned above, I would definitely recommend the Quality Inn and plan on staying there for our future cruises out of New Orleans.

 

To see the rest of my trip review, just click on the link in my signature below.

[jcw2462]

Thanks for the review. I have been looking for recent information on this property and was about to give up. The reviews on TA have been really bad lately. I have this hotel booked for next month but also just booked Best Western Plus in Harvey which also has a cruise/park package. I will check reviews for a couple more weeks then cancel one of them.

[KCinBAMA]

Thanks for the review. I have been looking for recent information on this property and was about to give up. The reviews on TA have been really bad lately. I have this hotel booked for next month but also just booked Best Western Plus in Harvey which also has a cruise/park package. I will check reviews for a couple more weeks then cancel one of them.

 

If you haven't already, you might want to check out the ship review thread. Several folks have commented about this hotel over there.

[*jess*]

Me and a friend stayed here in July of 2012, not for a cruise though. We enjoyed the hotel, it was nice and definitely cost friendly. We enjoyed hanging out at the bar at the hotel before heading out, it was a nice cozy place to sit. The only thing that bothered me is that the shuttle took a while, and then you had to wait on the ferry which took a while, and by the time we did all the waiting we could have driven over the bridge, found a parking spot, and been enjoying ourselves already. However, it is a free service so I can't complain too much about it. All in all I thought it was a nice place too.