Tough traffic in the big easy

Cruise Travel, July-August, 2005 by William Hoversten, Annetta Hoversten

In November 2003, we arrived in New Orleans at the conclusion of the repositioning cruise of NCL's Norwegian Dream and found the traffic handling and debarkation at the Port of New Orleans to be in chaos. We assumed this to be caused by what we believe was the first call at this port for the Norwegian Dream.

During Thanksgiving week of 2004, we again cruised aboard the Norwegian Dream via the Port of New Orleans. The traffic handling to and from the pier for passengers arriving by private car or taxi was worse than the year before. Passengers arriving by airport buses were better off, as police escorted most of the buses on the wrong side of the street past the convention center. This sort of chaos appears to be the normal Saturday or Sunday event for the area.

The various cruise lines calling at New Orleans are doing their best, but until the Port of New Orleans can improve its traffic flow, we cannot recommend this port to anyone. We have embarked and debarked through some 14 different ports, both foreign and domestic, and none have handled ground transportation as poorly as New Orleans.

William & Annetta Hoversten Mountain Home, AR