If you love sea or river cruises, consider taking one that sails from New Orleans. If you stay a couple of days, you can enjoy two vacations in one trip.
The Port of New Orleans:
New Orleans has been a major port since its inception in 1718. Its location at the lower end of the Mississippi has always made it a prime choice for moving cargo throughout the nation and the world. Through the port moves more than 500 million tons of cargo every year. At the same time, New Orleans has also been a prime port for destination cruising up the Mississippi and out to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The location of the port, so close to most of the major attractions, makes it nearly impossible to resist spending some extra time here when you cruise from the city. The Julia and Erato Street cruise terminal complex is in the same building as the Riverwalk, and those terminals are on the Riverwalk streetcar line.
Homeport Cruises:
Carnival Cruise Lines features a Western Caribbean cruise. The Fantasy has recently relocated to Mobile, but Carnival is replacing it with a larger, newer ship, the Triupmh in November of 2009.
The Norwegian Spirit also cruises the Western Caribbean from April through October.
If river cruising is your thing, the Majestic America Line has the Delta Queen, the Mississippi Queen, and the American Queen that sail the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers from March through December.
River Barge Excursions take you up and down the Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee, Illinois and Kanawha rivers, as well the Atchafalaya River Basin and the Texas-Louisiana Inland Gulf Intracoastal Waterway throughout the year.
What's Nearby:
Across Convention Center Blvd. from the Riverwalk is Harrah's Casino. Adjoining the Riverwalk is the Hilton Hotel, just across the way from the Aquarium of the Americas and Canal Place Shopping Center. Walk out of Canal Place and you are in the French Quarter, where loads of restaurants, bars, and other entertainment are all within walking distance. The Convention Center is the river end of the Arts/Warehouse district, where more hotels, restaurants, museums and art galleries are well within walking distance.
