|
The South
New Orleans
Cruises in and around New Orleans have a special spicy flavor, much like the gumbo for which the region is famous. Ingredients include the Missippi River, world class restaurants, and all the shopping, entertainment, history and arts you can handle, right in New Orleans. Whether New Orleans is the departure city for your cruise to other destinations, or whether you are vacationing with a luxury cruise right in and around the New Orleans area, you'll find so much to do and see. 11 million vacationers per year (in 2004) can't be wrong! The New Oreans luxury cruise industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the past ten years, and along with this growth has been substantial investment in the infrastructure of the industry. For example, there's the Julia Street Cruise Terminal Complex with the RiverWalk Shopping Mall, which offeres shopping and dining to luxury cruise passengers right on the water near their luxury cruise ship.
|
|
Luxury cruise ships who dock at the cruise terminals offer their New Orleans-bound passengers the chance to visit the city itself, via the RiverFront streetcar (trolley) line, which has two stops adjacent to the cruise terminals. It cost just a mere $1.25 per ride and in ten minutes you can find yourself at the IMAX Theater, Aquarium of the Americas, French Quarter or Harrah’s Casino.
The city of New Orleans has spent millions of dollars upgrading the two cruise terminals at the Julia Street Wharf. Improvements have been made to the customs and baggaage area, the drop-off area, and a new cruise terminal is even planned for the neighboring wharf, the Erato Street wharf. At the Julia Street Wharf, there is now an elevated passenger walkway for luxury cruise passengers boarding or exiting their ships. It's air conditioned, which is a wonderful bonus in the hot humid weather of New Orleans in summertime. The ports can handle the largest luxury cruise ships, and luxury cruise passengers find New Orleans to be one of their favorite points of embarkation for luxury cruises.
You may be wondering about the effects on the ports of New Orleans made by Hurricane Katrina. While of course the deadly hurricane did damage many areas of the Port as well as the city, the areas tourists love the most: the French Quarter, the cruise terminal area, and the Warehouse District, did not get flooded and suffered very little damage. Building of the new terminals has been delayed, and only after one year since Hurricane Katrina have the cruises begun coming and going from New Orleans.
|
|
Activities
Home