cruising out of New orleans

[Waterloomarc]

We have sailed out of New York, Baltimore, Port Canaveral twice, New Orleans, Vancouver, San Juan, and Long Beach. Our best port experience was Baltimore. Our worst was New Orleans. I have never seen such a disorganized embarkation as that place.

 

 

I agree with this. It's been our worst to date as well, by far. Very disorganized and such rude staff! However our next two cruises are booked from there, one NCL and next on the Dream.

 

I did, however, very much enjoy the trip down river and it was a positive factor in deciding to go back. I really enjoyed seeing the lights from ALL the rigs once you get in the gulf. I had no idea how many there were!

 

Snowyowl,

 

The cruise port is smack in the middle of downtown NO. You'll have no problem getting there. It's not that the port is far away from town it's that town is far away from the gulf. By river anyway.

 

 

 

 

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[christyran1228]

About smells.

 

The river does smell.

Sometimes it smells more than others.

It is part of the experience.

 

And sometimes Bourbon street smells.

Like on hot humid August mornings as the garbage from the last night's revels simmers in the heat.

The good thing is that they will pick up the garbage and wash down the banquettes and be ready to do it all again.

 

 

Or, on a hot, smotheringly humid August evening where you can almost DRINK in these smells. I believe DH described it something akin to the inside of a moldy dumpster that had been working double-time as a recepticle for various other bodily fluids. :eek:

Edited March 4, 2014 by christyran1228

[jetskier]

Here is one of the light tower with the oil rigs in the distance.

Edited March 4, 2014 by jetskier

[WLHyatt]

That light tower has some history to it as well. It is one of the the that stood at the various passes and it has been in at least 3 different locations. The last location is the beacon at the end of the river with the audible alarm and was placed there after Katrina destroyed the bigger concrete one that also acted as a house for pilots. The pilots now have a separate house near the end of Southwest pass before the jetties. The big concrete one was a replacement for the metal one in the picture above which started sinking into the sandy soil shortly after it was installed.

 

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[Mysticks1]

Or, on a hot, smotheringly humid August evening where you can almost DRINK in these smells. I believe DH described it something akin to the inside of a moldy dumpster that had been working double-time as a recepticle for various other bodily fluids. :eek:

 

I agree with your husband. Bourbon St smells even in the mornings after it has been cleaned. It is definitely a unique smell. It reminds me of a port-o-let out in the sun in the summertime, or those they put out here for Mardi Gras on the day after Mardi Gras :eek:.

[ale4692]

That light tower has some history to it as well. It is one of the the that stood at the various passes and it has been in at least 3 different locations. The last location is the beacon at the end of the river with the audible alarm and was placed there after Katrina destroyed the bigger concrete one that also acted as a house for pilots. The pilots now have a separate house near the end of Southwest pass before the jetties. The big concrete one was a replacement for the metal one in the picture above which started sinking into the sandy soil shortly after it was installed.

 

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Great Pic

[tallyho8]

I agree with your husband. Bourbon St smells even in the mornings after it has been cleaned. It is definitely a unique smell. It reminds me of a port-o-let out in the sun in the summertime, or those they put out here for Mardi Gras on the day after Mardi Gras :eek:.

 

It wouldn't smell so bad if the drunk tourists would stop urinating and vomiting in every alleyway they can find.

[monakayk]

We specifically picked our April cruise on the Dream so we could visit New Orleans for a few days before and could sail down the Mississippi. There is a CC post from 2010 where the poster lists all the historic sites as you sail towards the Gulf. I will be printing this out and bringing it with us.

firespud,

 

:confused:Would you mind sharing (posting) the link to that thread? CC-Search option has been down for a month and still not working.

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited March 4, 2014 by monakayk

[WLHyatt]

firespud,

 

:confused:Would you mind sharing (posting) the link to that thread? CC-Search option has been down for a month and still not working.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Both of the tour down the mississippi river links were posted in this thread, Mysticks1 posted the one I wrote, then someone else posted the previous one a little later.

Edited March 4, 2014 by WLHyatt
because I can never remember to add the K.

[monakayk]

The CC member that wrote that is on my roll call for our May 11 cruise on the Dream. He re-posted the information for us. Here is a link to that post. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=41184442&postcount=84

 

Thanks for this link!:D

[monakayk]

I've cruised out of New Orleans 6 times over the years. I don't remember the smells but it's possible they existed as after all - it's a river. When it rains here the Ohio gives off a musty smell. So maybe it was the Marsh like someone above posted.

 

Embarkment / Disembarkment has varied but that happens in any port. But yes, like when RCCL came back we were on the 2nd sailing and it was disorganized. But the next time it was a breeze.

 

It is interesting going down the river but also coming back. You can see the shrimp boats at the mouth of the river all lit up at night. One thing we like to do is bring our GPS and watch the navigation of the river. There are lots of twists and turns. I don't think it takes 8 hours but more like 6 to get to the Gulf. Still, it's a while and many don't know that until they board the ship.

 

Our next cruise out of New Orleans is in December. :)

 

Hi Maureen,

 

I am on the same cruise/Roll Call with you for the CCL-Dream NO cruise.:confused: By chance...do you know what time on the last evening of the cruise...that the ship starts to enter the Mississippi heading back to NO?

[WLHyatt]

They usually enter the Mississippi between 10:30 and 11:30. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later. It depends on how many pier runners they have in the last port, weather, pilot availability, and other factors.

 

You usually know when you are entering the Mississippi because the ship will slow down to take on a pilot, and you can feel the momentum change if you are aware that it will happen.

[RMcoolX]

We did a B2B out of NO on the Fantasy a few years ago, and I didn't know about the 8 hour sail, going 5 miles an hour, with the smell of oil refineries everywhere, up the Mississippi. I was like others, who look at NO right on the gulf and couldn't believe we had to sail 8 hours to get out into open water. Then we had to do it all over again. I will never sail out of NO again.

Maybe it didn't bother others, but it did bother us.

 

I wish I had paid more attention at Cruise Critic class.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

Wow, are you serious?!? You smelled oil refineries? So much so that you will never cruise out of NO again? Ok, so you're the one that purchased all the sail-away drinks while still docked!

 

The trip from NO through the Mississippi is one of the highlights of the cruise. My wife and I sat on the balcony for the evening portion of the trip and just marveled at the sunset and the river itself. I took some stunning pictures with my wide angle lens camera, shots that were just as gorgeous as anything I've taken on trips to Hawaii and Alaska. To each his own I suppose, but it makes no sense to me that you will not cruise out of NO any more, because if it was that bad of an experience, why didn't you just stay inside?!?

[tracyd1014]

We sailed out of New Orleans a couple of years ago and I don't remember any smell. I do remember how interesting it was to weave back and forth in the inlets/river to get to the gulf. I do remember seeing oil rig platforms further out and thinking how pretty the lights looked again against the dark sky. And I do remember the skyline of New Orleans as the sun set. It was impressive. I guess it's all attitude. Funny how you can read 2 reviews from the same cruise and one is the best vacation EVER and the other review says it was a terrible trip. We liked sailing out of New Orleans so much that we have booked another cruise that leaves from there in January 2015 - our group is up to 10 couples!

[firespud]

firespud,

 

:confused:Would you mind sharing (posting) the link to that thread? CC-Search option has been down for a month and still not working.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi Mona -

 

We are on the same cruise!! There are now 2 posts that list sites to see as we sail down the Mississippi.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=41184442&postcount=84

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1211622&highlight=river

 

Maybe we will run into each other on the ship as we are sailing down the Mississippi, using our guides.

[ajtaylor29]

Both of the tour down the mississippi river links were posted in this thread, Mysticks1 posted the one I wrote, then someone else posted the previous one a little later.

 

Thanks so much for sharing these "river guides"! My husband loves all things historical and was excited/impressed to see that I had printed them for him. We sailed out of NO 2 years ago and we really enjoyed watching all the activities as we sailed down the river, now we'll have more info to follow which we'll really enjoy!

Since I think I read in an earlier post that you're a long-time NO resident, maybe you could offer me some advise?!? We're driving into to NO Saturday from Dallas, arriving late afternoon and staying downtown at the Staybridge Suites, leaving on the Sunshine on Sunday. We'll have just a few hours to spend but I'd love to see some sights other than Bourbon Street, what would you suggest? We could even drive and see some other things before we check in downtown? We've got 3 18-year-old boys/men coming with us, meaning food and Bourbon Street is probably all they care about, but if I could slip in some history or beauty to the trip they might not even notice?!?! Thanks!

[jgmpuma]

Casino & shops open shortly after the ship leaves the dock.

[WLHyatt]

Thanks so much for sharing these "river guides"! My husband loves all things historical and was excited/impressed to see that I had printed them for him. We sailed out of NO 2 years ago and we really enjoyed watching all the activities as we sailed down the river, now we'll have more info to follow which we'll really enjoy!

Since I think I read in an earlier post that you're a long-time NO resident, maybe you could offer me some advise?!? We're driving into to NO Saturday from Dallas, arriving late afternoon and staying downtown at the Staybridge Suites, leaving on the Sunshine on Sunday. We'll have just a few hours to spend but I'd love to see some sights other than Bourbon Street, what would you suggest? We could even drive and see some other things before we check in downtown? We've got 3 18-year-old boys/men coming with us, meaning food and Bourbon Street is probably all they care about, but if I could slip in some history or beauty to the trip they might not even notice?!?! Thanks!

 

I do not live there currently, but lived there about 15 years ago. I still call it home, and the city is still where I would like to wind up.

 

There is not a list I can provide of things to do and see, but my favorite places are Jackson Square then a walk through the Woldenburg riverfront park, which is directly across from Jackson Square and follows the river up to the Aquarium. From there I would walk up to Royal street and walk through and enjoy the Galleries.

 

The other fun thing to do with limited time is a ride through the Garden district on the street cars. Just ride to the end, then back and enjoy the houses and parks out that way.

[iluvcruzin]

Hi Maureen,

 

I am on the same cruise/Roll Call with you for the CCL-Dream NO cruise.:confused: By chance...do you know what time on the last evening of the cruise...that the ship starts to enter the Mississippi heading back to NO?

 

As WLHyatt mentioned the timing can vary but usually sometime between 10:30pm - 12:30am. I've done this itinerary on RCCL, CCL and Princess and it varies. Just make sure you don't go to sleep early on the final night. :)

[skya]

I can't wait until August, sailing out of New Orleans on Sunday but decided to fly into New Orleans on Thursday and spend a fews days. Who cares about a smell, living in New York you can withstand anything. lol

[tncap]

They usually enter the Mississippi between 10:30 and 11:30. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later. It depends on how many pier runners they have in the last port, weather, pilot availability, and other factors.

 

You usually know when you are entering the Mississippi because the ship will slow down to take on a pilot, and you can feel the momentum change if you are aware that it will happen.

 

You will also see hundreds of cell phones out and lit up. :p

[winddawn]

We did a B2B out of NO on the Fantasy a few years ago, and I didn't know about the 8 hour sail, going 5 miles an hour, with the smell of oil refineries everywhere, up the Mississippi. I was like others, who look at NO right on the gulf and couldn't believe we had to sail 8 hours to get out into open water. Then we had to do it all over again. I will never sail out of NO again.

Maybe it didn't bother others, but it did bother us.

 

I wish I had paid more attention at Cruise Critic class.

 

Cheers

 

Len

I guess it is a matter of preference. I think the ride down the Mississippi is interesting, and especially at night getting to see the oil rigs lit up. Being on the river vs. open water doesn't affect things opening on the ship. And coming back home, most people will be asleep for the return ride back up the river.

[jetskier]

Casino & shops open shortly after the ship leaves the dock.

 

No longer true....only the casino opens. The shops open up the next day. They do the liquor tasting outside the locked doors of the gift shop.

 

This only affects ships sailing from New Orleans.

Dave

[welldone60]

We just sailed from NOLA on the Sunshine. There was low fog and made for an eerie view.

 

 

Edited March 6, 2014 by welldone60

[Waterloomarc]

Nice pics.

 

 

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