Paddlewheeler Creole Queen

If I could give them more than 5 stars, I would. Definitely a 10 out of 5! The whole experience was amazing! (Not to mention, we had good weather on our side.)
Onboard, we were treated as esteemed guests from start to finish.
And the food!!! Honestly, the food aboard the boat was some of the best we had throughout our 5-day stay in New Orleans. My favorite was the Red Beans and Rice, the Smoked Brisket, and the Gumbo. Seriously! Many thanks to the chef who prepared such a delicious buffet!
After my fill of amazing New Orleans flavors, we strolled around the deck to enjoy the sights of the cityscape while a live band completed the experience with some jazz classics that this area is so famous for.
Definitely a must-do-again the next time we visit.

Needs to focus on individual experiences rather than packing people on the boat.

This was supposed to be one of the highlights of my wife's and my trip to New Orleans. We purchased our tickets online a week ahead, and it indicated that we should arrive at 6:15 for our 7:00 PM Jazz Dinner cruise. We opted not to do the dinner. We were in line at 6:15 and there was the usual "take your picture" stop before boarding. About this time two full busses of kids arrived behind us in line. As we approached the point in line for pictures, the man announced "if you bought your tickets online, you need to go to the ticket booth first". That ticket booth is about 75 ft. away. I was mad. What is the point of an online ticket, if I need to go get a paper one anyway?

Suffice it to say, we lost our place in line. Once on the boat, the only seat left was next to the ladies room door (more on that later).

The jazz music is average at best. The singer spends most of his time making small talk with people who tip heavily wanting certain music played. They also do not play for the whole cruise, most of the time it is recorded jazz music. I am trained in music, and performed on stage, and I know good quality music when I hear it. The jazz was improvisations of the same riffs rather than changing the feel from song to song.

The boat is showing its age, with cracking paint and mold in places. The tables on the level we were at consisted of knicked formica tops with lots of chips.

As the cruise progressed we noted why this is popular, as the line to the bar was never ending throughout the cruise. That seems to be why people go. The table of younger women next to us had a table of empties by the end.

Nature does take its course, and we spent the cruise watching women go to the restroom.

As for the sights, you have to remember the city is pretty at night, but you pretty much go down river for 30 minutes, and the city is out of sight in about half that. The Mississipi is all business at this juncture, and there is just old docks, and tons of shipping to watch. Going back up river is against the current and takes the other 90 minutes of the cruise.

I expect more out of a $100 boat ride (two tix). It is worth maybe $25 a person in its current form, if you aren't a drinker who won't notice redundant and repetitive jazz music.

We really enjoyed this guided paddleboat tour of the Mississippi River and nearby Chalmette Battlefield stop. The narrator was extremely knowledgeable and kept us entertained and informed throughout the journey.

Time at the battlefield site was just about right for a walkabout and climbing of the tower before heading back to the port.

We did not eat or drink on this cruise, so I cannot comment on those aspects.

We went on afternoon cruise to the fort and back. We were given an hour at fort. They did have lunch options although we didn't eat. The bartenders were very friendly and the lines moved fast. Boat was clean and you could hear the guide well over speakers.

Food was ok. View and Jazz was nice but the dining bartender lady was very rude.

When I found a straw wrapper in my drink but I didn't use a straw she accused me and putting that in there. I did not ask for a refund or anything free I just wanted her to remake it with a clean cup.

She refused to give me garnish and dropped the cup in front of me intentionally

Paddlewheeler Creole Queen was one of the attractions offered with the Go City Pass. There were so many raving reviews, we made it one of the priority reservations for our visit. In retrospect, it was one of the more less exciting tours of our visit and one that I could have done without.

From a processing point of view, most place would allow you to show your email confirmation as a ticket, but they make you go to their kiosk and check in for physical tickets before boarding. This adds an unnecessary part to the process, where we had to stand in the hot humid sun in an extra line, before getting into another line to board the ship. Outside food and drinks not allowed on board.

There is a photo opportunity while boarding the ship with one of those floaty thingys. My poor boyfriend is always a victim to these photo traps. They have them ready and available for purchase during the second half of the trip back down the river.

Seating is on a first come first serve basis. Normally when I go on these ship trips I like the top deck at the front of the boat with the wind in my face, but it was too hot and humid for that. There was also benches on the lower level exterior, or an indoor space that has a bar and air conditioned. For the indoor space, try to get a table against the window on the dock side. The other side does not have as great of a view. There are also tables farther out from the window, in which you lose the value of the view and this trip completely. If it wasn't obvious, I got a window seat in the indoor AC area by the bar where I enjoyed a few Makers and Ginger Ale.

It's nice to say I was able to experience the Mississippi River and all of its' wonder. On the route there, we got some historical and cultural fun facts. I think the reason why I was less impressed is because I already heard two superior versions of the similar stories from other tour companies and the other experience was more upbeat and funny. The facts were on point but the energy level couldn't compare.

To my surprise, they actually let us off the ship halfway through to walk around the Chalmette Battlefield for a bit under an hour to explore the grounds and the visitor's center. The National Cemetery was also nearby, but they told us we would not have time to travel that far. There was also the option to leave the tour and figure out a way to get back on your own. Just let them know.

Try to get back a little earlier to secure a good seat once again. On the way back, the tour guide was to tell the story of Hurricane Katrina. What I don't get is that the audio was only available to those in the outdoor space, and not the indoor space. There were so many people who were interested who piled outside to listen to the story in the now overly crowded exterior HOT HUMID SUNNY area.

Probably my least favorite tour during my visit to New Orleans, and in general my least favorite water tour in all of the country to date. Not impressed.

We had a great time on our dinner jazz cruise on the Creole Queen. I bought tickets online for a Saturday evening. We boarded around 6:15 to leave around 7 pm. We went straight to the kiosk and they handed us our boarding passes. The kiosk is near the Riverwalk Outlets and next to the aquarium.

We boarded right after picking up our boarding passes. The photographer took our photo before boarding. We ended up purchasing the printed copy for $24 once we were on board. They take card or cash.

We boarded and went to a bar on the second floor and then headed to the first floor where they serve a buffet dinner. They checked our boarding passes to see that we purchased dinner and seated us at a table next to the window. The buffet was hot and ready before we even left the dock. We loaded a plate and tried everything. Plenty of cajun/creole staples. You can check the menu on the website. All the gumbo your heart desires. There were three proteins including chicken, beef and a fish. I was just happy to see some vegetables including a heavily dressed caesar salad.

When we had our fill for dinner, we headed up to the top deck to enjoy the views and our ride along the Mississippi. The jazz band on board is great. They play for most of the 2 hour ride with a short break.

Everyone looked like they were having a good time. 2 hours was a perfect amount of time.

Recommend a jazz cruise if you're looking for something romantic and fun to do in NOLA.

I'm a big fan of riverboats and couldn't pass up the opportunity for a brunch cruise in New Orleans. While the food is standard buffet food, it's good enough and very filling. After stuffing myself with French toast, scrambled eggs and potatoes, I enjoyed the scenic views from the Mississippi. It's a fun way to spend a morning in New Orleans!

Decent experience, but I definitely was hoping for a bit more.

I am from NC, but visited NOLA for a friend's birthday trip in a group of 8 people. We purchased the Groupon for the Jazz Brunch Cruise. We all purchased the Groupon individually, but my friend was able to call and ensure that we were all able to be seated at the same table so that was convenient and good.

Make sure you have your tickets when you go to present prior to boarding the boat. Although the line forms, seating is fine so no need to rush to the be in the front because you'll just be standing in the sun.

When you board, there are some individuals who are just on the boat to ride while others are there for the brunch cruise so be aware of that. Those boarding for the brunch will go down the stairs and will be lead to their tables once entering the doors after checking in with the host. If you have a large group and you bought tickets separately, call to ensure that you're able to sit together and make sure you all come together to be sat quickly.

Once you come on, you can go ahead and head to the bar or the buffet. They offer $20 unlimited mimosas if you'd like to purchase that on board as well as other drinks at the bar, including sodas since they aren't included in the brunch price.

The food was was ok. Don't have high expectations for the food, especially because it is a buffet and they are pumping out mass amounts of food quickly. I know that NOLA is known for food, so I must say I was a bit disappointed, but in all honesty when it comes to buffets the quality may lack some.

Once brunch was on it's way, the ship started moving, and about 30-45 minutes into the ride, they informed us we could go upstairs for the jazz band. You could also hear the bad playing throughout the ship through the speaker systems. I didn't really love the band. It was slow and not what that great. Most of the songs played were slow and just didn't work well for my liking. I was not impressed. They weren't bad, it just wasn't my style or what I wanted to hear.

The ride was nice to spend time with my friends, but I wouldn't do this again on my next trip. I'd prefer to just grab brunch and explore the city on my own.

The tour guide was great, but did talk a little fast. The tour of the Chalmette battlefield was rushed. The buffet was underwhelming, and the drinks were overpriced.