Let a jazz historian and cocktail authority guide you through the birthplace of both art forms — from a storied Preservation Hall session to the legendary bars where the Sazerac and Vieux Carré were invented. The definitive New Orleans evening for the curious and discerning.
What to expect
Preservation Hall has presented New Orleans jazz in the same intimate, lamp-lit room since 1961; VIP seating places you feet from the bandstand as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band performs with joyful, roof-raising mastery. Before the set, a private cocktail guide walks you through the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone (home of the Vieux Carré cocktail) and Arnaud's French 75 Bar, explaining the history and craft behind each legendary pour. The sensory combination — the brass, the candlelight, the ice-cold Sazerac — is pure New Orleans magic.
Good to know
Preservation Hall shows typically run 45 minutes and begin at 8 PM, 9 PM, and 10 PM; pre-book VIP seats online well in advance. Check your ship's all-aboard time — an 8 PM show suits most evening port stays; confirm before booking.