Any tips on setting up reservations for mardi gras

Any tips on setting up reservations for mardi gras?

my mom says she will go with me this year - she has never flown and I've never gone so i want to make this a special event. only thing is I want to pay for it ALL myself and I don't have a lot of money. I'm looking for any tips on reservations for flight and hotel AND also helpful hints on how the time should be spent. ALSO what dates should we go and what is optimum stay time period? I'm just thinking as I type so what opinion do any of you have for New Orleans readiness to do a fun yet safe mardi gras in it's present circumstance/condition?

New Orleans - 4 Answers

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1 :

reserve now to get the room location you want & better prices on airline tickets. southwest usually has the best fares to new orleans...http://southwestairlines.com http://neworleansonline.com for mardi gras dates, parade schedule, routes & new orleans info....also reservations hotel ranking /prices & reservations at http://tripadvisor.com maybe you can get a fly/hotel package on http://expedia.com

2 :

Mardi Gras is EARLY next year--Feb. 5, 2008, which means the parades will start around Jan. 20th. It's highly likely it will be CHILLY, so bring some warm clothes. New Orleans has high humidity year round, so if it's 40 degrees outside, with 60% humidity and a 20-mile-an-hour wind, it WILL be COLD! Start looking now for flight and hotel reservations. You can check the discount airfare/hotel sites the other responder listed. You can go the week BEFORE Mardi Gras and still see some good parades, and it's likely to be much cheaper rather than going for Mardi Gras week-end, which will start Feb. 1, 2008, so come the week-end before that. New Orleans has successfully done two Carnival seasons and Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina; it will not be a problem. The parades still may not be as many as there were before Katrina, but they are all good ones to watch. If you come during the week, take a city tour, a river cruise, visit the Aquarium of the Americas, visit one of our many museums like the World War 2 Museum or the Cabildo in Jackson Square. I'm suggesting things to do inside, as the weather may not be that hospitable for outdoor activities. If you want souvenirs, visit the French Market area, past Jackson Square, and the flea market, which is in the same area as the French Market. There are plenty of restaurants open downtown, as well as Cafe du Monde, which is a must stop for beignets and cafe au lait. Those are the square doughnuts covered in powdered sugar, served with chicory coffee with hot milk added. Or you can get just milk, or hot chocolate with the beignets. Cafe du Monde is open 24/7. It is strictly a coffee and doughnuts place; no other food is served there. I don't think the hotels have minimum stay requirements the first week of the parades; it's the week-end immediately preceding Mardi Gras where you run into 3-4 night stay requirements. It's best and easiest to get a hotel ON the parade route; I would recommend staying at one on St. Charles Avenue, like The Garden District Hotel. I would not recommend staying in the French Quarter if you come the week-end immediately preceding Mardi Gras, as it tends to get a little crazy there. However, that may not be much of a problem this coming Carnival season, since Mardi Gras is so early and there won't be all the spring breakers in the Quarter. Here's a tip: Bring a cloth tote bag or two with you to hold all the beads and stuff you catch from the parades. The parades are held almost every day from about 2 weeks before Mardi Gras thru Fat Tuesday itself. On weekdays, the parades are held in at night; on week-ends, they run all day. Do not try go on tours when the parades are going on. If you DO decide to stay for Fat Tuesday, Feb. 5, know that that day IS a HOLIDAY in New Orleans and most businesses are closed, except for restaurants, hotels, and convenience stores. Banks and post offices are closed in New Orleans on Mardi Gras. If you really want to get into the spirit of the festivities, you can attend the masking market in the French Market area and you can find a unique mask to wear and bring home as a souvenir--most are made by local artisans. For more info on Mardi Gras, go to: www.mardigrasguide.com and be sure to pick up a copy of The Mardi Gras Guide by Arthur Hardy when you are in town, or you can order a copy for Carnival 2008 in advance from his website that I just gave. I get on every year myself; they are an indispensable guide to the Carnival season in New Orleans and surrounding area. Good luck and glad to hear you are coming to enjoy Mardi Gras!

3 :

I would make reservations now but staying in that area is not inexpensive. I'm going next month and when I was looking into hotels, the cheaper ones had pretty bad reviews. I'm spending $180 a night and that's cheap compared to many hotels. Flight advise is hard to give because I don't know where you are flying from. From what I understand..the French Quarter is back to what it was before Katrina. I have never been to mardi gras but I hear it's pretty wild...lots of drunks etc.

4 :

New Orleans already has had safe and fun Mardi Gras since the storm. My advice is not to come to Mardi Gras for Fat Tuesday. Come a week early and enjoy all the festivities without having to push through crowds and crowds of people. You enjoy all of the same things without the hassle. Also, definitely go to Mardi Gras Uptown on St. Charles. Downtown is more touristy. People feel that they hve to flash to get beads, which is no way true. (You will not want to be with your mom when this is happening, trust me!) Uptown has more families and is definitely more safe and enjoyable.