Advice on Port New Orleans Experience and Timing

[cjbjones]

We are traveling in Mid March on the Disney Magic out of New Orleans. We have never sailed out of New Orleans and were wondering if anyone recently sailed out of Port New Orleans and could give advice on how embarkation went (did it go smoothly...any hiccups...anything we should know to avoid or check on?). We are also curious the earliest time you can/should get there. At Port Canaveral, you could get there around 10:15, then back to back guests board around 11:00 am and Boarding Group 1 boards at 11:30 am. Is that the same time for New Orleans (I know the first sailing this year was different but curious what is typical)? We are staying at a hotel on the river nearby and were planning to leave our hotel by taxi at 10:30 am for the 10ish minute ride to the port. Any advice or experiences are appreciated!

 

[anjuan]

We're also sailing out of New Orleans at the end of March. Our PAT is 11:00 so that's when we'll be arriving. You should arrive based on the port arrival time you select when you check in. I can't help out with what the embarkation is like since this is my first cruise out of New Orleans.

 

[cjbjones]

We're also sailing out of New Orleans at the end of March. Our PAT is 11:00 so that's when we'll be arriving. You should arrive based on the port arrival time you select when you check in. I can't help out with what the embarkation is like since this is my first cruise out of New Orleans.

Thank you! We also are at 11:00 am, but I can’t help planning to get there a little early just in case anything happens and we are running a little late (especially being a new port I am not familiar with) hope you have a great trip!

 

[auntlynne]

 

[jjjonesy]

I live in NO and just sailed on the Magic for Mardi Gras. Let me just say that the boarding process was a bit, chaotic. The ship was a little late arriving, and they (reportedly) had issues with the gangway. They were letting people in according to boarding group about 45min-1hr after their scheduled times. It was chaos outside the terminal, with people from all different times in one large mass, like an outdoor concert. With the lack of a PA system, they had to rely on word of mouth as to what group they were currently letting in. That being said, the cast members did a great job under the circumstances, and it was smooth sailing (pun intended) after being let into the terminal. There was very little disney theming since it is a shared terminal. There was another short wait to check in after the security screening, and we used the time to take pictures of the ship, and pictures with the family in front of the welcome signs.

 

[cjbjones]

I live in NO and just sailed on the Magic for Mardi Gras. Let me just say that the boarding process was a bit, chaotic. The ship was a little late arriving, and they (reportedly) had issues with the gangway. They were letting people in according to boarding group about 45min-1hr after their scheduled times. It was chaos outside the terminal, with people from all different times in one large mass, like an outdoor concert. With the lack of a PA system, they had to rely on word of mouth as to what group they were currently letting in. That being said, the cast members did a great job under the circumstances, and it was smooth sailing (pun intended) after being let into the terminal. There was very little disney theming since it is a shared terminal. There was another short wait to check in after the security screening, and we used the time to take pictures of the ship, and pictures with the family in front of the welcome signs.

Thank you! That is very helpful. I am sorry you had to deal with that, but it sounds like you made the most of it and still had a great time Ironically, we have sailed once on the Magic out of Dover, England, and we also had issues with the gangway when we got to port (it was also total chaos on the ship as people were waiting to get off!). Glad you had a good time and appreciate you providing this feedback!

 

[cjbjones]

_

 

[cjbjones]

I live in NO and just sailed on the Magic for Mardi Gras. Let me just say that the boarding process was a bit, chaotic. The ship was a little late arriving, and they (reportedly) had issues with the gangway. They were letting people in according to boarding group about 45min-1hr after their scheduled times. It was chaos outside the terminal, with people from all different times in one large mass, like an outdoor concert. With the lack of a PA system, they had to rely on word of mouth as to what group they were currently letting in. That being said, the cast members did a great job under the circumstances, and it was smooth sailing (pun intended) after being let into the terminal. There was very little disney theming since it is a shared terminal. There was another short wait to check in after the security screening, and we used the time to take pictures of the ship, and pictures with the family in front of the welcome signs.

One other quick question! We are staying (relatively) nearby at the Four Seasons the night before the trip. If we take a taxi to the port, do you think 10 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to plan? I have heard the roads can be busy or have construction so just want to make sure we give enough time. We thought about walking, but it looks like you have to walk through a mall rather than a pleasant stroll outside, so we are thinking it is better to take a taxi. Thank you!

 

[jjjonesy]

One other quick question! We are staying (relatively) nearby at the Four Seasons the night before the trip. If we take a taxi to the port, do you think 10 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to plan? I have heard the roads can be busy or have construction so just want to make sure we give enough time. We thought about walking, but it looks like you have to walk through a mall rather than a pleasant stroll outside, so we are thinking it is better to take a taxi. Thank you!

The terminals are kinda close to the Four Seasons, so car or walk would depend on how much luggage and time you have. The terminal that Disney uses is the farthest away, however, so it would be a bit of a hike (almost a mile). Could be inside the mall, or outside. I would let the weather be your guide on that decision. And taxis here suck, so I would use uber or lyft, unless hotel staff vouches for a taxi (they hate to run the meter, and try to charge you whatever they want).

 

[trente33trois]

One other quick question! We are staying (relatively) nearby at the Four Seasons the night before the trip. If we take a taxi to the port, do you think 10 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to plan? I have heard the roads can be busy or have construction so just want to make sure we give enough time. We thought about walking, but it looks like you have to walk through a mall rather than a pleasant stroll outside, so we are thinking it is better to take a taxi. Thank you!

Hi! I actually work in the office building right next to the FS, and drive that way home right past the port...it will take you almost exactly 10 minutes, with traffic...and probably less. I live about three blocks from the actual port and it takes me about 10-12 minutes at most to get from my office to my front door.

 

[cjbjones]

The terminals are kinda close to the Four Seasons, so car or walk would depend on how much luggage and time you have. The terminal that Disney uses is the farthest away, however, so it would be a bit of a hike (almost a mile). Could be inside the mall, or outside. I would let the weather be your guide on that decision. And taxis here suck, so I would use uber or lyft, unless hotel staff vouches for a taxi (they hate to run the meter, and try to charge you whatever they want).

Thank you! That is very helpful. Our original idea was to walk (we are light packers) but weren’t sure if that would be crazy to do. Sounds like it would be doable (and might be wise with everything we will eat on the ship ). Thank you for the advice!

 

[cjbjones]

Hi! I actually work in the office building right next to the FS, and drive that way home right past the port...it will take you almost exactly 10 minutes, with traffic...and probably less. I live about three blocks from the actual port and it takes me about 10-12 minutes at most to get from my office to my front door.

Thank you! That is extremely helpful, and I appreciate you letting me know! Sometimes it is hard to gauge timing in a city just from looking at the map!

 

[jjjonesy]

Thank you! That is very helpful. Our original idea was to walk (we are light packers) but weren’t sure if that would be crazy to do. Sounds like it would be doable (and might be wise with everything we will eat on the ship ). Thank you for the advice!

Its definitely doable (depending on weather), especially if you don't have small children who whine like mine . And walking through the Riverwalk is great, especially if you need any last minute items you may have forgotten.

 

[Travel60]

We did the Panama Canal out of NOLA last year. Walked over to the terminal from our hotel - no problem (we were 67 and 70 yo). The check-in line was long and a little chaotic but they that was when they were still testing for Covid at the port. I would not suggest getting there more than a couple of minutes early. Extra people milling around just add to the chaos.

 

[cjbjones]

We did the Panama Canal out of NOLA last year. Walked over to the terminal from our hotel - no problem (we were 67 and 70 yo). The check-in line was long and a little chaotic but they that was when they were still testing for Covid at the port. I would not suggest getting there more than a couple of minutes early. Extra people milling around just add to the chaos.

Thank you! What a great cruise to have taken. The Panama Canal is definitely on my bucket list. I cannot imagine going through the locks on such a big ship! Appreciate you taking the time to respond. This also makes me feel better about walking over.

 

[Travel60]

Thank you! What a great cruise to have taken. The Panama Canal is definitely on my bucket list. I cannot imagine going through the locks on such a big ship! Appreciate you taking the time to respond. This also makes me feel better about walking over.

Yes PC was great. The cruise wasn't full because of COVID. We had to miss Grand Cayman because they were not yet allowing ships but we've been there. My favorite stop was Cartagena - which I totally did not expect. Such history! The locks were fascinating and there was an expert on board who did several lectures about the history and building of PC.