Can you do this cruise port on your own?
New Orleans
DIY Score
Easy DIY
The French Quarter is a 15-minute walk or a cheap streetcar from the ship.
Tender or Docked?
Docked beside the Riverwalk, about a 10-15 minute walk to the French Quarter. You can even cut through the mall in the air conditioning.
How to Get Into Town
The French Quarter is a 15-min walk or a $1.25 Riverfront streetcar ride. Rideshare is only $8-10 if you'd rather ride.
Main Attractions
The French Quarter is the headline: beignets, jazz, and Jackson Square. The Garden District and riverfront round it out.
How Much Time You Need
A couple of hours does the Quarter; a full day or extra night does the city. Everything core is close.
Keep in Mind
Keep normal city awareness, day and night. The tourist core is easy and close, but wander a few blocks off it and stay alert.
Safety & Comfort
Easy and walkable, with more street awareness needed than most US ports. The tourist core by day is straightforward.
Tips from Cruisers
"We walked to the Quarter in about 15 minutes on embarkation morning, straight to Cafe du Monde for beignets, powdered sugar everyw…" — by Angela P.
We walked to the Quarter in about 15 minutes on embarkation morning, straight to Cafe du Monde for beignets, powdered sugar everywhere, then looped Jackson Square and back. Didn't spend a cent on transport. Best turnaround morning we've had.
took the little riverfront streetcar in, buck and a quarter, rode it just for the fun of it. wandered the french market, listened to a busker for a while. easy morning, loved it.
Did the Quarter by day with the kids and it was great, beignets and the square. We steered well clear of Bourbon Street in the evening though, definitely not a kids scene once it gets going. Day is the time to go with little ones.
Walked a few blocks the wrong way off Canal at night looking for a bar and it got sketchy fast. Nothing happened but I turned around quick. Stick to the busy streets, the difference is block by block here.
The heat in August was brutal, but the walk through the air-conditioned Riverwalk mall to get to Canal Street was a lifesaver. Flat the whole way. We took our time, sat in the cathedral to cool off, and had a lovely gentle day.