New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Where jazz spills into the street, beignets dust your shirt, and every block between the river and the Quarter tells a story 300 years in the making.
Where jazz spills into the street, beignets dust your shirt, and every block between the river and the Quarter tells a story 300 years in the making.
New Orleans is a docked port — ships tie up at one of two terminals on Port of New Orleans Place, steps from the riverfront.
💡 Pro move: New Orleans is often a homeport, so many passengers board or disembark here. If you're on a port call, confirm your all-aboard time — it's usually later here than at smaller ports.
Two adjacent docked terminals on the Mississippi riverfront serve all major cruise lines calling New Orleans.
| Cruise Line | Typical Berth / Arrival | Dock or Tender |
|---|---|---|
| Carnival Cruise Line | Erato Street Terminal, 1100 Port of New Orleans Place📍 | Docked |
| Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney | Julia Street Terminal, 920 Port of New Orleans Place📍 | Docked |
New Orleans packs an astonishing amount into a walkable footprint — and longer excursions into the bayou or plantation country are all within an hour.
Explore the oldest neighborhood in the USA: wrought-iron balconies, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Royal Street galleries, and the infamous Bourbon Street. Guided tours add the ghost stories, voodoo history, and Creole architecture details that make the Quarter genuinely fascinating.
Find French Quarter tours →Head 30–45 minutes outside the city into Louisiana bayou country for an airboat ride through cypress swamps teeming with alligators, herons, and turtles. A genuine taste of the Louisiana wetlands that made this city what it is.
Find swamp tours →Consistently ranked among the top museums in the USA, the National WWII Museum is an immersive, moving experience covering every major theater of the war. Allow at least 3 hours — the 4D film alone is worth the trip.
Book WWII Museum tickets →About an hour upriver, Oak Alley Plantation and Laura Plantation offer contrasting but equally compelling windows into antebellum Louisiana — the iconic live-oak canopy at Oak Alley, the Creole Francophone story at Laura. Most tours include round-trip transport.
Find plantation tours →Taste your way through the Quarter and Marigny: po'boys, gumbo, red beans and rice, charbroiled oysters, pralines, and the city's legendary cocktails (Sazerac, Hurricane, Pimm's Cup). Small-group walking tours hit the spots locals actually eat.
Find food tours in New Orleans →New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, and live music is on nearly every corner in the Quarter and Frenchmen Street. Frenchmen Street in the Marigny is where locals go — a string of clubs with free or cheap cover and world-class musicians every night.
Find jazz tour experiences →The French Quarter, riverfront, and Warehouse District are flat, compact, and designed for walking — you can cover the city's highlights entirely on foot.
Walk along the Mississippi riverfront through Woldenberg Park to Jackson Square, then cut into the Quarter via St. Ann or St. Peter Streets, strolling past St. Louis Cathedral and Café du Monde. Loop back along Decatur Street to the French Market for souvenirs.
Head uptown from the terminal along Camp Street through the Warehouse Arts District — galleries, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the Contemporary Arts Center are all within a few blocks. A quieter alternative to the Quarter crowds.
Climate normals for New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (2014–2023 averages). Pack for the month you sail — highs, lows, and how many rainy days to expect.
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Rainy Days | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61°F / 16°C | 47°F / 8°C | 11 | 6:56 AM | 5:23 PM |
| Feb | 66°F / 19°C | 52°F / 11°C | 12 | 6:39 AM | 5:49 PM |
| Mar | 71°F / 22°C | 58°F / 14°C | 12 | 7:09 AM | 7:08 PM |
| Apr | 76°F / 24°C | 63°F / 17°C | 12 | 6:33 AM | 7:27 PM |
| May | 82°F / 28°C | 70°F / 21°C | 13 | 6:06 AM | 7:46 PM |
| Jun | 86°F / 30°C | 76°F / 24°C | 18 | 5:59 AM | 8:02 PM |
| Jul | 88°F / 31°C | 78°F / 26°C | 20 | 6:09 AM | 8:02 PM |
| Aug | 88°F / 31°C | 78°F / 26°C | 20 | 6:28 AM | 7:40 PM |
| Sep | 85°F / 29°C | 75°F / 24°C | 15 | 6:45 AM | 7:04 PM |
| Oct | 79°F / 26°C | 67°F / 19°C | 9 | 7:02 AM | 6:28 PM |
| Nov | 69°F / 21°C | 56°F / 13°C | 9 | 6:25 AM | 5:03 PM |
| Dec | 65°F / 18°C | 53°F / 12°C | 11 | 6:48 AM | 5:02 PM |
Source: Open-Meteo ERA5 (10-yr daily averages)
Transport options from the pier — taxis, shuttles, transit passes, and whether ride-share apps work here.
A complimentary shuttle runs from the cruise terminal to Canal Street and Convention Center Blvd, dropping you steps from the French Quarter. No reservation needed — just follow signs at the terminal.
Taxis are metered at $3.50 plus $2.00/mile; minimum fare is $14 for a single rider or $8 per person for two or more. The French Quarter is roughly 1–2 miles from the terminal.
Both Uber and Lyft are fully operational in New Orleans and can be requested from the terminal. Fares to the French Quarter typically run $8–$15 depending on surge pricing.
The Canal Street streetcar stops near the terminal drop-off zone and travels through the French Quarter and beyond. At $1.25 per ride, it's the most affordable option for getting around the city.
Upcoming cruises that call at New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Dates, prices, and ports of call change — always confirm with the cruise line before booking.
Itineraries and prices change — always confirm with the cruise line before booking. Some links are affiliate links that may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.