5 Dinner Experiences in New Orleans Worth Booking

1.New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise with Dinner Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 7,533 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $58Our pick

Board the Steamboat Natchez at Toulouse Street in the French Quarter for a 3-hour evening on the Mississippi. Enjoy a calliope concert, narration, city views, and live jazz from the Dukes of Dixieland. Add a Southern buffet with gumbo, crawfish etouffee, fried chicken, and bread pudding.

“The dinner cruise was wonderful from several standpoints. The food and service were great. I am an engineer and the ship itself was fascinating to me. We cruised on a very cold night so we had to stay inside to avoid the weather. I want to do the cruise again in warm weather to enjoy the night views along the river. Highly recommend”

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2.Evening Steamboat Jazz Cruise + Optional Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 4,548 reviews · 2 hours · from $58

Board at 6pm for a 7pm to 9pm Mississippi River cruise aboard the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS. Hear live jazz from the Grammy-nominated Dukes of Dixieland, listen to the captain’s narration, explore four decks, and add a Creole buffet dinner if you wish.

“This was such a fun, relaxing, and educational experience. The staff was super friendly and engaging, the jazz band was great and had fun with the crowd, and I loved getting to hear a little bit of history and facts about the buildings and sites we saw down the river. I think reminders or announcements that there are bars on all the levels would help. The third floor’s bar had continuously long lines, but the bottom floor’s bar was empty. That’s an easy fix with reminders and signage. Loved the experience overall!!”

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3.Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Jazz Dinner Cruise in New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,469 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $107

Board the Creole Queen at 1 Poydras Street for a 7 p.m. Mississippi River cruise with live jazz, optional Creole buffet, and city views from the promenade deck. Expect a friendly, festive evening, but arrive early because the boat leaves promptly and narration is not provided.

“We throughly enjoyed the meal, music and experience cruising on the river in an old style river boat”

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4.Evening Jazz Boat Cruise with Optional Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,024 reviews · 2 hours · from $60

Spend two hours aboard the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen with live jazz from Sullivan Dabney Jr. and the Muzik Jazz Band. Add a buffet-style Creole dinner, dance after the meal, then head to the promenade deck for cocktails and views of Jackson Square, the French Quarter, and the city lights.

“Amazing team, food, music. Well put together and the views amazing. Bring a jacket or sweater does get cold at night.”

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5.VIP Jazz Dinner Cruise with Private Tour and Open Bar Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 838 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $190

Board near the French Quarter for a three-hour VIP evening on the Mississippi. You’ll get a Champagne cocktail, reserved front-row seating for the Dukes of Dixieland, a Louisiana buffet, souvenirs, and a private boat tour. Hosts such as Marlon and Alex are known for attentive service, but the vessel may be the City of New Orleans instead of Natchez.

“Dwayne and Captain Mitchell were phenomenal. The 2 downsides were the amount of stairs for my husband and not having a seat before departing, was alot of walking/standing for him. Otherwise the experience was incredible.”

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