.svg)
.jpg)
Cruises out of New Orleans are more popular than most people realize - and the city earns every bit of that reputation. Port NOLA sits right in the heart of downtown, putting it within walking distance of the French Quarter, the Warehouse Arts District, and some of the best food, music, and street life in the country. Unlike many cruise ports, which exist at a remove from the city itself, New Orleans hands you an entire destination to explore before you even step on the ship.
That makes the pre-cruise day one of the better arguments for arriving early. Flying in the morning of departure is the most common mistake cruise travelers make - a delayed flight, a missed connection, or heavy traffic from the airport can turn a stressful travel day into a missed sailing. Getting in the night before sidesteps all of that, and gives you an evening in a city that knows how to fill one well.
This guide covers the best things to do before and after a cruise from New Orleans, how to handle parking if you're driving in, and what to look for when choosing where to stay near the terminals.
Why New Orleans Is Worth Arriving Early For
Most cruise ports don't offer much reason to linger. New Orleans is the exception. The city has an outdoor culture, a music scene, and a food tradition that can't be absorbed on a quick transfer from the airport. A single evening in the Warehouse Arts District or the French Quarter gives you enough of a sense of the city to understand why so many travelers choose New Orleans as a destination in its own right — not just a departure point.
The neighborhood around Port NOLA is particularly well-suited to a pre-cruise evening. The Warehouse Arts District sits between the terminals and the French Quarter, with walkable streets, excellent restaurants, and a quieter energy than the Quarter itself. It's a good place to have dinner, catch some live music, or simply walk and take the city in before an early embarkation morning.
Park and Cruise New Orleans: Your Parking Options
If you're driving to New Orleans and leaving your car while you sail, you have a few solid options depending on your budget and how close you want to be to the terminals.
Fulton Place Parking (Next Door to the Hotel)
The most convenient option for Riverfront Hotel guests is Fulton Place Parking at 901 Convention Center Boulevard, located immediately next to the hotel. At $17 per day, it's one of the more affordable parking options in the area. The garage also offers a free shuttle service to the cruise terminals, running from 7 AM to 3 PM on embarkation days. Reservations are recommended, particularly during peak cruise season.
Port NOLA Terminal Parking
Both major cruise terminals offer on-site parking for multi-day stays. The Erato Street Terminal has a large garage situated directly on top of the terminal, and the Julia Street Terminal offers more than 500 spaces in an adjacent lot. Both charge flat rates for multi-day stays and offer the convenience of being steps from check-in. The tradeoff is that terminal parking tends to cost more per day than nearby options like Fulton Place.
The Riverfront Hotel Advantage
Valet parking is available at the hotel. If you're staying the night before your cruise, this is the simplest option - pull up, hand off the keys, and let the hotel handle the rest. You can arrange to continue parking with the hotel while you sail, or transition to Fulton Place Parking for the duration of your trip.
Fulton St. Bistro & Bar - breakfast before you go!
The Night Before: What to Do
A pre-cruise evening in New Orleans is one of the more pleasant pre-travel experiences you'll find anywhere. The city is built for a good night out, and the neighborhoods around The Riverfront Hotel give you several directions to explore.
Dinner at Fulton St. Bistro & Bar
Start close to home. Fulton St. Bistro & Bar is The Riverfront Hotel's on-site restaurant, serving an eclectic French and Southern menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and happy hour. For a pre-cruise evening, it's hard to beat the combination of classic New Orleans cocktails, a Louisiana-influenced menu, and the option to walk straight upstairs to your room when you're done. The bar serves until late, and the kitchen is open through dinner.
Walk the French Quarter
The French Quarter is about a 10 to 15-minute walk from the hotel and is the obvious first stop for first-time visitors. Royal Street is a good starting point - 13 blocks of galleries, antique shops, wrought iron balconies, and architecture that gives you the full New Orleans visual experience without the noise of Bourbon Street. The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone is worth a stop for a pre-departure Sazerac.
Mardi Gras World
If you want to do something distinctly New Orleans on your pre-cruise evening, Mardi Gras World is located within walking distance of the terminals and offers behind-the-scenes access to the artists and float-builders who create the city's most famous celebration. Tours run daily and typically take about an hour - a good way to spend an early evening before dinner.
Woldenberg Riverfront Park
For a quieter option, the expanded Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park runs along the Mississippi just steps from the hotel. An evening walk along the river, with views of the ships passing on the water and the city skyline behind you, is a genuinely pleasant way to spend the hour before dinner. You'll be walking the same river your cruise ship departs from the next morning.
Embarkation Morning: Getting to the Ship
The practical case for staying near Port NOLA comes into sharpest focus on embarkation morning. Both the Julia Street and Erato Street terminals are within a 5 to 10-minute walk of hotels on Convention Center Boulevard, which means no shuttle to catch, no rideshare to book, and no traffic to worry about.
- Breakfast first. A full breakfast before boarding — rather than grabbing something rushed at the terminal — is a much better way to start a cruise. Fulton St. Bistro & Bar at The Riverfront Hotel opens at 7 AM daily, and Café du Monde's Riverwalk location is 0.2 miles from the Julia Street Terminal for a beignets-and-café-au-lait send-off on the way to the ship.
- Walk to the terminal. Depending on how much luggage you're carrying, the walk to either terminal is easy and flat. Guests with heavy bags can use the hotel's valet or bell services to manage luggage, or arrange a short rideshare for the last stretch.
Leave the car behind. Whether you've used hotel valet, Fulton Place Parking, or a terminal garage, the logistics of multi-day parking are simpler downtown than at most other cruise ports in the country. You leave the car, walk to the ship, and it's there when you return.
Post-Cruise: Extending the Stay
One of the best-kept secrets of the New Orleans cruise experience is the post-cruise extension. After disembarkation, most travelers head straight to the airport. But with Port NOLA sitting in the middle of a world-class city, spending a night - or even a half-day - after the cruise gives you access to everything New Orleans does best.
The National WWII Museum
The National WWII Museum is a short walk from The Riverfront Hotel in the Warehouse Arts District and consistently ranks among the top museums in the country. Plan two to four hours minimum. It's the kind of experience that justifies a post-cruise night on its own, and it's close enough to the hotel to fit easily into a morning before an afternoon flight.
Royal Street and the French Quarter
If you didn't get enough of the French Quarter the night before your cruise, the morning after disembarkation is a good time to revisit. The streets are quieter on weekday mornings, the galleries are open, and the pace is more relaxed than the evening crowd. Jackson Square, the French Market, and the Cathedral are all within easy walking distance.
The St. Charles Streetcar
For a final slice of New Orleans before heading to the airport, the St. Charles streetcar runs from Canal Street through the Garden District - one of the most scenic urban transit rides in the country. The $1.25 fare gets you past century-old mansions, Tulane and Loyola universities, and blocks of live oaks that make the Garden District one of the most photographed neighborhoods in the South. Ride it one-way and catch a rideshare back to the hotel or airport.
Park and Cruise Hotels New Orleans: What to Look for When Booking
If you're comparing park and cruise hotels in New Orleans, a few factors make a significant difference in how smoothly the trip goes:
- Distance to the terminals. Both the Julia Street and Erato Street terminals are on the downriver end of the city. Hotels on Convention Center Boulevard - like The Riverfront - are closest to both.
- Walkability. The best park and cruise setup is one where you don't need a car between check-in and boarding. The Riverfront Hotel's location puts the French Quarter, the riverfront, Fulton St. Bistro & Bar, and the terminals all within walking distance.
- Parking flexibility. Look for a hotel that either has its own parking, or easy access to a nearby garage with good daily rates.
- On-site dining. Having a restaurant in the hotel matters for pre-cruise evenings and early embarkation mornings. Fulton St. Bistro & Bar handles both.
Book Your Park and Cruise Stay at The Riverfront Hotel
New Orleans rewards the travelers who give it a little extra time. Arriving the night before your cruise - and staying for a day after - turns a logistics stop into one of the better parts of the trip. The city earns it.
The Riverfront Hotel sits on Convention Center Boulevard, a short walk from both cruise terminals, with parking options next door and Fulton St. Bistro & Bar on-site. Book your stay and let New Orleans set the tone before and after you sail.
