NO to the gulf...how long does it take?

[Mr.Clean]

Going on Fantasy out of NO in August. Have to admit, one of the things I am looking forward to the most about this cruise is the river trip from the port to the gulf. How many miles is this and how long does it take? I was born in raised in the Baton Rouge area, but the closest I've been to the delta is Grand Isle. Can't wait!

[Slimpickins]

Going on Fantasy out of NO in August. Have to admit, one of the things I am looking forward to the most about this cruise is the river trip from the port to the gulf. How many miles is this and how long does it take? I was born in raised in the Baton Rouge area, but the closest I've been to the delta is Grand Isle. Can't wait!

 

I think this was asked once before and they said it took several hours. If I am wrong, I am sure I will get corrected:D.

[jessemon]

A long time.....About six hours I think it took us.....

[sharonh1885]

It took us 6 hours and unfortunately we cruised in the winter and didn't get to enjoy much of the river after sailing. We could see all the lights from the little towns along the river and watched the pilot boat come alongside about midnight when we reached the gulf. It was a great experience and the ship swayed back and forth with every bend in the river

[salty dingo]

I would love to do this cruise. Right about now, when the days are at their longest, you would see the most of the river part of the journey.

[nolaAlive]

Close to 100 miles. It will be dark before you get to the mouth, but all the oil rigs will be lit up, and the casino will be lit up a long time before you get there. Usually about 6 hours.

 

Cruising the river is something else unique to New Orleans. Enjoy!

[Vanessa L]

You know, when we sailed the Fantasy in May the captain came on and said that we would be in the Gulf around midnight (we'd sailed around 4:30 or so, a little late) and that he apologized in advance for the rocking and rolling as we went around the bends in the river. I didn't feel anything unusual so either he did a fabulous job winding around those bends or I am just so used to the movement of a ship that I didn't feel anything strange. I never once felt any movement and thought, "Oh jeeze, that must've been a bend in the river!" But yeah, it takes about 6-7 hours probably depending on several factors like traffic, etc.

[BrendaB1]

Cruising down the Miss River is always part of the adventure. I agree with the six hours. If you up late on the last night, you can tell when you enter the River too.

 

Have fun. :) Nola is my favotite port to cruise from.

[nolaAlive]

You may not feel the turn when the ship leaves the dock at slow speed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nolaAlive]

But they will soon be getting ready for the first bend...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr.Clean]

Wow! Thanks for the incredible picks. This cruise was going to be a surprise for my wife, immediately after she will spend 6 weeks in South Louisiana helping take care of her ailing and aging parents. But, I let the "cat out of the bag" and now we have 7 people total (all relatives in Louisiana) that are going. The more the merrier, IMO. They are going to have a hard time getting me off the deck after dinner that first night as we go down the river. I have sailed out of Miami, Port Canaveral, and Mobile, but obviously, this will be the first out of NO, and its my first time in NO since Katrina. I have read that the Fantasy will be replacing the Holiday in Mobile later this year. What ship is going to be based in NO?

[nolaAlive]

Wow! Thanks for the incredible picks. This cruise was going to be a surprise for my wife, immediately after she will spend 6 weeks in South Louisiana helping take care of her ailing and aging parents. But, I let the "cat out of the bag" and now we have 7 people total (all relatives in Louisiana) that are going. The more the merrier, IMO. They are going to have a hard time getting me off the deck after dinner that first night as we go down the river. I have sailed out of Miami, Port Canaveral, and Mobile, but obviously, this will be the first out of NO, and its my first time in NO since Katrina. I have read that the Fantasy will be replacing the Holiday in Mobile later this year. What ship is going to be based in NO?

 

Carnival Triumph, but NCL also has a ship there for a few months each year.

 

Enjoy! Laissez les bon temps roule!

[sandgrand]

Check Norwegion Spirit's schedule that also sails out of New Orleans - sometimes when you are sailing out (or back into port) on the Mississippi - you may be lucky enough to pass another cruise ship on the river - Talk about close up and cool!:cool:

 

We were sailing down the Mississippi on the Grandeur of the Seas a while back and passed the Conquest on her way back to New Orleans - what a sight. I seem to remember it takes about 8 hours from NO to the Gulf.

[lappy22]

What time does the casino open on a New Orleans cruise?

 

nolaAlive, Great Pics!

[pamp0227]

I've been on a cruise out of NO and it takes at least 6 hrs to go down the Mississippi. We did not reach the Gulf until after sunset but on the return trip we were able to see the oil rigs because we reached them in the late afternoon. It was a very intersting trip down the Mississippi seeing the barges and other ships. The ride was actually rougher than the rest of the cruise in the open ocean.

[krisbtr]

when we were on the fantasy a couple of years ago, on the last night, the captain came overhead and announced that because we were very early we were going to be in for a real treat. At just before sunset, we would be entering the Mississippi river, and if we wanted to see it to go up top. Well, it was amazing to see the blue/green waters of the gulf turn brown(muddy Mississippi), and then to see all the barrier islands that I have never seen before. We took lots of pictures and consider ourselves lucky indeed!

[chasinraynbowz]

We are on the Aug 31 sailing out of New Orleans and my DH is sooo excited. We took the Fantasy several years ago.. the first cruise after Katrina.. but left late (7pm) due to the festivities on deck, that we missed a lot of the river. We have early seating for dinner and I know we will miss the first night in the dining room... lol. He will want to be out on deck just watching!

[dimonzr4me]

We are cruising on the Fanatasy on Saturday and we are looking forward to going down the river in the daylight! We cruised on the Conquest in February one year but it was dark the whole trip down river. There are 8 of us going and 3 are first timers so the river is an added bonus for them.

[nolaAlive]

What time does the casino open on a New Orleans cruise?

 

nolaAlive, Great Pics!

 

Almost immediately after sailing and thank you!

[nolaAlive]

Check Norwegion Spirit's schedule that also sails out of New Orleans - sometimes when you are sailing out (or back into port) on the Mississippi - you may be lucky enough to pass another cruise ship on the river - Talk about close up and cool!:cool:

 

We were sailing down the Mississippi on the Grandeur of the Seas a while back and passed the Conquest on her way back to New Orleans - what a sight. I seem to remember it takes about 8 hours from NO to the Gulf.

 

This was from NCL Sun, but it is interesting... And both ships were booking it...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Maxax]

Yeah...its a good 6-7 hours...of river cruising...its really unique!!!

[canner]

When we left on the Fantasy 10.27.08 there was some mechanical issues and we were "parked" along the side of the Mississippi river while they made repairs. We had only travel maybe 3 hours when the issues began. For awhile we were wondering if we were going to head back to the port or not. At 4:45am they moved us back into the main channel of the river and we were on our way down and into the Gulf. It was quite interesting to see the land as we made it into the Gulf. And it was quite cool as well. Our Captain made up 4 of the 5 hours by the time we got to Progresso so all was good.

There are lots of lights along the river bank to help you watch the progress of your way down the river, but it will, in most cases, be dark when you reach the Gulf.

[cruise_pirate]

Thanks to the posters who posted the Great shots of the Fantasy leaving the dock and traveling down the river!!

:)