Transportation and Accomodations in New Orleans

[squirk]

There will absolutely be parades in the 2 weeks leading up to Mardi Gras

Not on the days the OP will be there - arriving late on a Wednesday, embarking on the cruise the following Friday morning. Only Thursday the 13th is open.

That early in MG season, the parades are only on the weekends, and those are usually smaller ones in the suburbs.

 

[LNMom]

CBD/Warehouse district/Convention Center Blvd are all good with easy walkability to the French Quarter. Mardi Gras season begins in early January. February 14 will begin the busy two weeks of parades almost daily, with the weekend running up to Mardi Gras day being the busiest (we refer to the first weekend as “Mardi Gras light” but it’s still busy). Friday, the 21st, has great evening parades and Saturday and Sunday of that weekend have wonderful day parades. It’s worth staying over that night/weekend if can. It’s a lot of fun.

We have a home on the parade route. I want to do the Mardi Gras week cruise, but my kids are insisting that we are home for Mardi Gras this year (we sailed Disney during that week last year and it was great with clear, warm weather).

I recently learned that it takes 10 hours to get down the MS river from NOLA! How cool to go down and out the Mighty Mississippi! I am hoping for a 2021 out of NOLA!

 

[squirk]

CBD/Warehouse district/Convention Center Blvd are all good with easy walkability to the French Quarter. Mardi Gras season begins in early January. February 14 will begin the busy two weeks of parades almost daily, with the weekend running up to Mardi Gras day being the busiest (we refer to the first weekend as “Mardi Gras light” but it’s still busy). Friday, the 21st, has great evening parades and Saturday and Sunday of that weekend have wonderful day parades. It’s worth staying over that night/weekend if can. It’s a lot of fun.

The OP is going to miss all that, though. The only evening they will be in town to see a parade is on Thursday the 13th, and krewes generally don't ride on a weeknight that early in the schedule - at least, not in New Orleans proper. Maybe something smaller in Slidell or on the West Bank.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

recently learned that it takes 10 hours to get down the MS river from NOLA

This sounds like fun!

recommend the Drury Inn.

I currently have this hotel booked. I like to pick 4 or 5 hotels I’m comfortable with and then price watch securing lower prices up until we leave.

The OP is going to miss all that, though. The only evening they will be in town to see a parade is on Thursday the 13th, and krewes generally don't ride on a weeknight that early in the schedule - at least, not in New Orleans proper. Maybe something smaller in Slidell or on the West Bank.

We would have loved to have caught a parade or have come down closer to Mardis Gras but this is our February Break in NY.

 

[squirk]

We would have loved to have caught a parade or have come down closer to Mardis Gras but this is our February Break in NY.

That is too bad. They don't do parades on weeknights (until the week right before Mardi Gras Day) in New Orleans because the parades pretty much shut down traffic for a huge hunk of the city. Doing that on a Wednesday or Thursday night is going to be problematic, to put it mildly, when you have people trying to get home from work and kids trying to get home from school/extracurriculars.

That week right before Mardi Gras Day, the kids aren't in school. So that makes nighttime parades a little more feasible. People generally leave work early on those days, if they can, to get past the parade routes before the police start putting up barricades and blocking off streets.

I don't bring all this up to be a killjoy. I'm just waving the red flag in case you have kids and were telling them that they were going to get to see a Mardi Gras parade, only to have them disappointed.

 

[LNMom]

This sounds like fun!



I currently have this hotel booked. I like to pick 4 or 5 hotels I’m comfortable with and then price watch securing lower prices up until we leave.



We would have loved to have caught a parade or have come down closer to Mardis Gras but this is our February Break in NY.

Now you have more info for future years!!! Keep it in mind for future Feb. breaks. My kids all adore Mardi Gras, so do DH and myself. We have friends with kids who come down from New York and DC, usually for the first weekend of parades because flights and hotels are reasonably priced compared to Mardi Gras weekend (the Friday, Saturday, Sunday prior to Mardi Gras day). It’s always a great time!!

 

[DISfirstTimer]

I don't bring all this up to be a killjoy. I'm just waving the red flag in case you have kids and were telling them that they were going to get to see a Mardi Gras parade, only to have them disappointed.

NP. The more information the better. I like to over prepare and then just go with the the flow! I’m thankful for these boards for all there advice and place to chat about the trip. My kids won’t know until Christmas and my husband isn’t into details- he just wants to show up!

 

[ludari]

I stayed in the French Quarter once and near the airport most recently. I do prefer staying in the French Quarter area for the food, sites, tours and even Bourbon Street (I'm not a fan of crowds but you have to do it). I took an Uber from our hotel to the port and to be honest I believe that port area where you get dropped off or picked up is the worst of all the ports I've done. Disembarkation was so bad that my friends and I walked a couple blocks away from the port to order our Uber to our hotel. Good luck and have a great cruise.

 

[shoes99]

We are on the 2/7/2020 cruise. Booked Embassy Suites 2 nights pre—Cruise and will probably fly back to EWR on a late afternoon flight on 2/14. My other option is to stay overnight 2/14 and fly home Saturday morning 2/15.

 

[mickey0930]

As of now I only show 1 parade in the city the night of the 14th. Something else to keep in mind is the new airport should be open by then so a lot will be unfamiliar to many. The airport is on the same property but completely new layouts. Beside the Drury Inn I would recommend the Omni Riverside. It is centralized and a very nice.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

We are on the 2/7/2020 cruise. Booked Embassy Suites 2 nights pre—Cruise and will probably fly back to EWR on a late afternoon flight on 2/14. My other option is to stay overnight 2/14 and fly home Saturday morning 2/15.

I think we are going to fly home on the day we disembark 2/21. Right now its the cheapest flight and it would allow us 2 days home before heading back to work and school.

 

[Henwen88]

We are on the 2/7/2020 cruise. Booked Embassy Suites 2 nights pre—Cruise and will probably fly back to EWR on a late afternoon flight on 2/14. My other option is to stay overnight 2/14 and fly home Saturday morning 2/15.

The Embassy Suites (on Julia?) is very close to the port, and the riverwalk, and aquarium, and many great restaurants. It also has a free breakfast buffet (with made to order eggs/omelets, bacon, grits, fruit, the works). This is where we typically stay after parades since it makes such great hangover food!

 

[Kathlini]

I guess I better do a little more research of what we want to do while there before searching for a hotel. I wasn’t sure if I would need a rental car but it’s looking like I can get by with just an Uber or 2!

No need for a rental car. It’s all rather close together. Look for hotel that has a airport shuttle. Decide what you want to do ahead of time. If you are just coming into city to take the cruise than Metairie is right by airport and has lots of free shuttles to their airports and you can Uber/Lyft to port. If your goal is to sight see first, stay down by FQ or Garden District and Uber\Lyft there from airport. That area is very walkable and can visit things on street car. Love NOLA as a port as I have family there. If you are a martini drinker make sure you hit the Columns (also a hotel) and right on street car line. I love the Roosevelt Hotel but it’s pricier. There is a Hampton on ADT Charles for more budget minded lovely area. Uptown is my favorite part of the city. The alligator cheesecake is amazing at Jacques. Don’t forget to try the beignets (think hot powdery doughnuts but way better) at Cafe Du Monde you can compare them with what you will have on the ship.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

Ian 1:15 late enough for a flight light home? It’s Mardi Gras and I hear something about construction at the airport? This flight saves me a few hundred &$ per ticket though

 

[celina14]

NP. The more information the better. I like to over prepare and then just go with the the flow! I’m thankful for these boards for all there advice and place to chat about the trip. My kids won’t know until Christmas and my husband isn’t into details- he just wants to show up!

We have the same cruise booked and are also arriving Wednesday night! We are doing the same thing, telling the kids on Christmas and my husband is also pretty much not involved in the planning of it! I've been to NO before with my friends and it was super fun but we will obviously not be looking for the same type of scene with the kids. We definitely plan on going to Cafe Du Monde since I missed that on my last trip. I'm following here because would also love some fun ideas to do with the kids on the Thursday before the cruise.

 

[greencandi]

We are on the 2/14 cruise out of NOLA and are flying in on the 12th. We rented an Airbnb for a great price because we wanted more room, a living room, and a backyard to relax in. And because we are traveling with my mom. We have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. We have another Airbnb in the Garden District close to the parade route for two nights at the end of the cruise so we can see some of the Mardi Gras parades on Friday and Saturday.

 

[greencandi]

We have the same cruise booked and are also arriving Wednesday night! We are doing the same thing, telling the kids on Christmas and my husband is also pretty much not involved in the planning of it! I've been to NO before with my friends and it was super fun but we will obviously not be looking for the same type of scene with the kids. We definitely plan on going to Cafe Du Monde since I missed that on my last trip. I'm following here because would also love some fun ideas to do with the kids on the Thursday before the cruise.

I plan to do the French Quarter that Thursday before the cruise since it will be too crazy afterward. This will be my 5th time in NOLA. I'm fairly familiar with the city. We're doing a swamp tour on Wednesday since we'll be tired from traveling and that trip is fairly low intensity.

 

[DisneyEcho]

New Orleans’ Erato Street Cruise Terminal is where the Disney Magic will sail from in 2020. Parking is $140 for seven days.

Erato Street Cruise Terminal
1100 Port of New Orleans Place
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
+1 (504) 522-2551
https://www.portnola.com/

 

[DisneyEcho]

Bad news about the new New Orleans airport: https://www.nola.com/news/article_e4924320-0403-11ea-aacf-ab379d2b1af6.html

 

[DisneyEcho]

Great food and drink at the new Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport: https://www.nola.com/multimedia/photos/collection_8298aa30-0267-11ea-8d65-ab6f9cf9e8a8.html