Mark Romig with the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation states “What you have in New Orleans is unusual for a port, and that is basically you’ve got two vacations happening.”
More and more passengers either boarding or disembarking from a cruise ship are choosing extend their vacations with stayovers in the Big Easy.
Romig says the ability to walk to most major attractions, restaurants, and venues plus the ease of getting around without the need of a car makes a stay over an added benefit for cruise passengers.
“You go in and out of Miami, in and out of Fort Lauderdale, you might stay a day,” Romig explains. “But in New Orleans people say, ‘oh we’re gonna this not only a seven day cruise, but a ten day vacation!’”
New Orleans compact layout makes accessing the French Quarter and its great restaurants, and venues like the World War II Museum an easy walk from hotels catering to every taste and budget.
Cruise ship stay overs are doing more than just filling rooms, the ships and their crews are adding to bottom line as well: “The cruise ship being here, they’re filling their pantries, the crew is buying their own souvenirs, lots of goods and services are being transacted along the wharf there.”
As Romig puts it: “That’s a little economic engine coming up and down the river, and we’ve got several of those on a regular basis.”