New Orleans: WWII Museum
I’m a big believer that anyone who has at least a day to spend in New Orleans before a cruise should visit the National WWII Museum.
This museum is better and more affordable than almost any excursion you can book on a cruise.
Visiting the WWII Museum is also extremely convenient for cruisers. In this case I parked at the most popular offsite cruise parking facility, Fulton Place. I booked two nights of hotel parking at $20/night after taxes and fees and seven nights of cruise parking at $12/night after taxes and fees.
I booked the Hilton Garden Inn – New Orleans Convention Center on Hotwire.com for $78 after taxes and fees. The Hilton Garden Inn is almost directly across the street from the parking facility.
When I parked I left my suitcase in the car, bringing only a backpack containing items I needed for my hotel stay. I walked across the street to the hotel and checked in. This is the view of Fulton Garage from my hotel room.
It’s only a few blocks walk from this or really any of the convention center hotels to the WWII museum.
Once you cross under the bridge you can enter the main building on the right.
On the left is a couple of displays you can view without even entering the museum.
Here are the hours:
They have equipment on display here that you can view without even buying a ticket to the museum, including a landing craft.
Here is a look at the ticket prices. There are a couple of add-ons you can do. I highly recommend the Beyond All Boundaries video if you haven’t seen it. It’s narrated by Tom Hanks and runs about 45 minutes. Final Mission is a Submarine experience. I didn’t enjoy that part personally. If you have kids they may want to do it.
In my case I got the military rate and none of the add-ons because I’ve already done both of them. So for me it cost $18.
Once you have paid they will give you a color coded clip that you can clip on your shirt so people will know you didn’t sneak in. They will also give you the dog tag card and campus guide seen below.
Once you’ve paid and received your campus guide, it’s time to get on the train.
This is where you will swipe your dog tag card. You will have the option to pick a specific service member or take one at random and follow them throughout the war as you progress through the museum.
I took one at random and received James D. Ramage.
Each section has mini theaters with movies that replay 15 seconds after ending.
This is a Jeep and a P-51 Mustang engine
They have a mock-up of a WWII era home you can tour.
They have some very creative exhibits
The Road To Tokyo section is where James D. Ramage’s journey begins
When I swipe my dog tag card at the kiosk is plays a video detailing his time in Naval Flight School. It ends with him being sent to Pearl Harbor to await assignment.
James D. Ramage’s story continues in the Guadal Canal section.
At this point he’s still waiting at Pearl Harbor for assignment. He uses connections to get on the USS Enterprise before it leaves for Midway. The job is as an air officer not a pilot. He wants to fly. Finally he gets assigned to the 10th bomb squadron.
In the battle of the Philippine sea, James D. Ramage leads dive bombing missions off the USS Enterprise, gets promoted to squadron commander, and is awarded the Navy Cross.
Next he goes to California to train other pilots.
At the museum store we come to the end of James D. Ramage’s story.
In addition to the Navy Cross he was awarded the Distinguished flying cross and six air medals. He moved on to flying jets with the F-9 Panther.
In 1963 He commanded USS independence. He retired as a rear admiral in 1975 and passed away in 2012.
If you want to spend the entire day here and eat lunch you can do so at the American Section Restaurant.
Construction is ongoing at the WWII museum. Right now they’re working on the Bollinger Canopy of Peace.
In the Boeing Center you can view airplanes and other equipment on different platforms from various height levels.
This is also the building where you will participate in the submarine experience if you purchased it.
They also have a number of oral history stations in this building.
Across the street you can try to catch a glimpse of what they’re working on inside the restoration center.
That about does it for the WWII museum. There is a lot more than to it than what I posted. I would plan for a minimum of three hours if you plan to visit. I think you would be better off with five hours.
For more information you can visit the National WWII museum website: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/
