Tell us how you got the best hotel/parking deal

[sea_u_onboard]

I know there are some hotels that offer parking during a cruise, some even offer a shuttle. For those of us driving tell us how you spent one night in New Orleans without spending a fortune on a room and parking. Don't get me wrong - I want to stay someplace nice - near the port. I'm not real keen on Priceline or any of the other auction sites so I guess what I'm looking for here is what was your action plan to get the most for your money. I've heard some talk about parking at the casino for the night (not sure how that works) so they could avoid paying the parking at the hotel. If I could find someplace near the hotel that might work - then for during the cruise park at one of the places that shuttle you - as the pier parking is outragous. Convenient - but pricey.

 

The other potential problem I'm seeing is we are going out the Friday after Thanksgiving and the couple places I have called say they have a minimum 2 night stay. Most aren't booking yet - so I'll have a wait a couple more weeks before I call.

 

Thanks!

[nolaAlive]

You get free parking at Harrah's with a minimum of 30 minutes tracked play. It is often cheaper to pay for parking. On the other hand, you get free drinks while gambling.

 

Every year, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is the Bayou Classic football game between Grambling and Southern that will attract 100,000+.

http://www.statefarmbayouclassic.com/index.shtml

 

I wouldn't expect to find any bargains, and I would book sooner rather than later preferably something refundable in case you find a better deal.

 

Friday night you may want to avoid driving on Canal St unless you like riding in a cruising party.

[sea_u_onboard]

Thanks for the heads up. I have been looking. Some hotels haven't even posted their rooms yet.

[cruisegal07]

I have been looking and looking for a good deal on hotel and parking combo.... I found one that included a one night before your cruise, parking while on your cruise and a shuttle to the port. However, they will not come pick you up from the port after your cruise and bring you back to the hotel.. I think it was around 99. before taxes and whatever fees are involved. Does this seem to be a good deal?? Also, how much are cabs and is it hard to get a cab from the port? We have always just parked at the port there the day of... But when parking is 70 bucks and I could stay in NOLA and go out on Bourbon for just 30 bucks more..hey why not!!?? It seems like a good deal... I just really didn't know how much of a hassle getting a cab would be... Thanks in advance for any info that can be shared.. Oh and I think the hotel was the Holiday Inn downtown by the Superdome... safe area??? :)

[nolaAlive]

Holiday Inn Superdome is ok. They will shuttle you to the port and also the shuttle will take you anywhere within a 3 mile radius (which is plenty).

 

Drury Inn has a similar cruise package, but no shuttle.

 

There are some others.

 

For the Thanksgiving time frame, I think I would pick somewhere other than the Holiday Inn Superdome - it will probably be wall to wall people.

[sea_u_onboard]

There should be plenty of cabs around.

[arpie05]

http://www.neworleanscvb.com/static/index.cfm/contentID/505/sectionID/1/subsectionID/0

Check out for list of deals.

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

I know there are some hotels that offer parking during a cruise, some even offer a shuttle. For those of us driving tell us how you spent one night in New Orleans without spending a fortune on a room and parking. Don't get me wrong - I want to stay someplace nice - near the port. I'm not real keen on Priceline or any of the other auction sites so I guess what I'm looking for here is what was your action plan to get the most for your money. I've heard some talk about parking at the casino for the night (not sure how that works) so they could avoid paying the parking at the hotel. If I could find someplace near the hotel that might work - then for during the cruise park at one of the places that shuttle you - as the pier parking is outragous. Convenient - but pricey.

 

The other potential problem I'm seeing is we are going out the Friday after Thanksgiving and the couple places I have called say they have a minimum 2 night stay. Most aren't booking yet - so I'll have a wait a couple more weeks before I call.

 

Thanks!

 

We're sailing on the Spirit 3/8. We'll drive from Atlanta on 3/7 and stay overnight at the Holiday Inn French Quarter. They have a stay and park package for 169.95.

 

http://www.hi-frenchquarter.com

 

I looked at other options but like this one because the rate is reasonable and the parking is on site.

[peptobysmol]

i used bookit.com and chose the "mystery 4 star hotel" in downtown N.O. (not the one in the french quarter). The hotel that we "got" was the Intercontinental. I must say it was one of the more enjoyable parts of my vacation. I booked 2 rooms for 3 weekend nights (friday-sunday) for $536.00. We got club level rooms on the 14th floor which is key access only. The club level also has a complimentary breakfast. This was fantastic because the food was plentiful and diverse, including scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit as well as the usual trappings. There was also a waiter/attendant that was Very courteous and helpful. In the evening, the lounge also hosted a hors devours snack time from 5-7 with a SELF-serve bar. Hotel staff were amazing and on Saturday morning they had a Christmas scene with Santa, Mrs. Claus and rudolph for picture taking and a ginger bread cookie making area - ALL FOR FREE!

 

This was just the beginning of a wonderful stay in N.O. and the cruise to follow. Parking was next to the hotel in a lot for $15.00 /day.

 

Hope that helps!

 

P.S. We stayed at the hotel Dec. 5,6,7th checked out on the 8th.

[sea_u_onboard]

i used bookit.com and chose the "mystery 4 star hotel" in downtown N.O. (not the one in the french quarter).

How did you get a Mystery 4 star - never used bookit.com. Can you select an area you are or aren't interested in?

[sara072100]

We are staying at the Drury Inn - the lady I talked to said it was something like 6 blocks from port. It has free parking while youre on your cruise, free snacks/drinks the night you check in and a hot free breakfast in the AM. Looked on yahoo and other sites and it got GREAT reviews - http://www.druryhotels.com. Ask for the CruisinNOLA package. All for $97-ish before taxes.

[benvan2]

We have a group of 45 so far going on the Fantasy in Aug., and I am trying to find a hotel for 1 pre night stay for most of us. I am trying to decide between the Holiday Inn- French Quarter or the Drury Inn. They both have free parking during the cruise and the rates are very reasonable. Has anyone stayed at either of these? I have read good and bad reviews on both. I know it is just one night but I'm really nervous about picking out a hotel for everyone else.

[sea_u_onboard]

The problem I'm running into is that since the weekend is a special event weekend they require a minimum 2 night stay OR you have to book a non-refundable. One hotel once you booked you were stuck - which I could probably get a better rate on Priceline and be under the same restriction. Another gives you 30 days. I don't want to book this far out not knowing what tomorrow brings. If I'm going to "lock it in" I'm going to wait until I pay final payment - but by then all the good places will be gone. Still searching.

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

The problem I'm running into is that since the weekend is a special event weekend they require a minimum 2 night stay OR you have to book a non-refundable. One hotel once you booked you were stuck - which I could probably get a better rate on Priceline and be under the same restriction. Another gives you 30 days. I don't want to book this far out not knowing what tomorrow brings. If I'm going to "lock it in" I'm going to wait until I pay final payment - but by then all the good places will be gone. Still searching.

 

Holiday Inn French Quarter - I can cancel up until Feb 28th which is one week before our reservation.

[Gingeries]

We stayed at the Drury the night before our cruise in Feb 2007. The evening "snacks" were more like a meal, and the a.m. breakfast was wonderful! Our room had REAL furniture, not cheap hotel furniture. The entire stay was wonderful! They have an hour's free long distance every day too! You WON'T go wrong here...

[curcurt]

Did you try Hampton Inn & Suites at the New Orleans Convention Center or the Marriott New Orleans at the Convention Center? Both of these hotels are very close to the port and the Hampton has a cruise parking special & shuttle to port if you did not wish to walk it.

 

The port is located behind the New Orleans Convention Center and these hotels are across the street from it.

[hapi2cruz]

I had a group of (49)family & friends stay at the Drury January 07. It is a very nice property and was easy to work with blocking rooms for a group. Everyone was happy the choice. It is a couple of blocks from French Quarter. They have gated parking at side entrance to motel. The food and drinks are a nice plus.

[JudgeDred]

We stayed at the Drury and we were very pleased indeed with the location, the rooms, and the amenities. The lobby is beautiful. Parking is safe and essentially unlimited in and out priviledges. Elevators need a keycard to operate for security reasons. Happy hour was 3 free cocktails made to order, or wine or beer plus lots of snacks. Free one hour long distance per day per room. Full cooked buffet breakfast. Full time coffee and sodas in the lobby. One of the streetcars stops right outside the hotel. The walk to Bourbon Street was about 15 minutes and is well lit, well travelled, and safe (it was Saturday night and the place was hopping). One question would be if they have enough parking spaces for all guests at a busy time of year. We made sure our reservation emphasized the need for parking. If you check Google maps I would guess it's a 20 to 25 minute walk to the ship. We chose to pay for the parking at the cruise terminal for the convenience (there were 5 of us) and to get on the road for our two day drive home as soon as possible after docking, and we got a slightly better rate at the hotel ($10 or so cheaper internet rate and we had free parking for the day we were there).

[GORDONCHICK]

The problem I'm running into is that since the weekend is a special event weekend they require a minimum 2 night stay OR you have to book a non-refundable. One hotel once you booked you were stuck - which I could probably get a better rate on Priceline and be under the same restriction. Another gives you 30 days. I don't want to book this far out not knowing what tomorrow brings. If I'm going to "lock it in" I'm going to wait until I pay final payment - but by then all the good places will be gone. Still searching.

 

Many of the hotels that have a park & cruise package have a special code for the free parking and pricing. If you did get a better price on the room, you probably wouldn't get the parking deal.

 

We are staying at the Drury Inn. It has great reviews on Travel Advisor and here. Our room was $99+tax, but no parking while we're there and on the cruise. We love that it has a full hot breakfast and not just a continental breakfast (that alone saved us money beecause I must have protein for breakfast). We will drive our luggage down to the pier, drive back to the hotel, and if the weather is nice, we'll walk it. If not, we may catch a streetcar or taxi. The parking prices in NOLA are higher than in Galveston (the only other port we've driven to), and even there we parked at the hotels, but most of them don't have a regular daily parking fee like in NOLA, and many have a special parking lot for cars during the cruise.

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

Many of the hotels that have a park & cruise package have a special code for the free parking and pricing. If you did get a better price on the room, you probably wouldn't get the parking deal.

 

We are staying at the Drury Inn. It has great reviews on Travel Advisor and here. Our room was $99+tax, but no parking while we're there and on the cruise. We love that it has a full hot breakfast and not just a continental breakfast (that alone saved us money beecause I must have protein for breakfast). We will drive our luggage down to the pier, drive back to the hotel, and if the weather is nice, we'll walk it. If not, we may catch a streetcar or taxi. The parking prices in NOLA are higher than in Galveston (the only other port we've driven to), and even there we parked at the hotels, but most of them don't have a regular daily parking fee like in NOLA, and many have a special parking lot for cars during the cruise.

 

I will contact the Drury to get their rates for the park and cruise package if it is available and will post it here. I can't see the price being much lower that the HI French Quarter at 169.95 for a room and a week's parking.

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

Called the Drury and asked about the "NOLACRUISE" special. Got a king with a view and a whirlpool plus a week's parking for $99.99. I don't think this deal can be beat!

[BABYJOSIE98]

Glad I read it...We needed a room for Jan 18th and I had one booked in the French Quarter, but was paying $145 a night and was still going to have to pay for parking....

 

So I switched us to Drury!! I just called and booked a double for 3 adults with free breakfast and snacks in the evening...Plus the free cruise parking for $109!! Soooo now my question is...How do we get too the port in the morning??? Taxi I assume??? How much does that usually run????

 

 

Just wondering how the others got around the morning of the cruise when they stayed at Drury...Are we within walking distance of the French Quarter??

 

Michelle

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

Glad I read it...We needed a room for Jan 18th and I had one booked in the French Quarter, but was paying $145 a night and was still going to have to pay for parking....

 

So I switched us to Drury!! I just called and booked a double for 3 adults with free breakfast and snacks in the evening...Plus the free cruise parking for $109!! Soooo now my question is...How do we get too the port in the morning??? Taxi I assume??? How much does that usually run????

 

 

Just wondering how the others got around the morning of the cruise when they stayed at Drury...Are we within walking distance of the French Quarter??

 

Michelle

 

Michelle, you can take a taxi for about 7-8 dollars per person from what I've been told. I asked the Drury about a shuttle but they do not offer one to the cruise terminal.

[GORDONCHICK]

We will drive to the terminal with our luggage and unload it with the ports (tags attached), and drive back to the hotel and park. We were told that it's very walkable, but not as much with luggage. We will find this out when we take the luggage. If not, we can always take a streetcar as close as possible and walk from there.

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

We will drive to the terminal with our luggage and unload it with the ports (tags attached), and drive back to the hotel and park. We were told that it's very walkable, but not as much with luggage. We will find this out when we take the luggage. If not, we can always take a streetcar as close as possible and walk from there.

 

Sounds like a good plan and saves you cab fare.