If you are moving 20, 40, or 56 conference attendees through the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the single question that keeps an organizer up at night is simple: where exactly will the bus drop everyone off, and where does it wait? It is the one detail most rental pages get vague about — and the one that decides whether your group walks straight into Lobby G or scatters across six lanes of Convention Center Boulevard.
This guide answers it plainly, using the venue's own published information, then walks you through everything else a group trip needs: which vehicle fits your party, what shapes the price, and how the drive runs from the airport, your hotel, or the French Quarter. The Morial Convention Center is one of our most-requested destinations, and we book these conference and tradeshow shuttles all season — so the advice below comes from doing it, not from a brochure. For the full picture of how we handle business groups, see our New Orleans corporate event transportation service.
Address
900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70130
Where your bus drops off
The Transportation Center bus bays near Hall G
Exhibit space
1.1 million sq ft — largest contiguous hall in the U.S.
Charter bus parking
Lot J, 102 Henderson St · ~$40/day flat
From MSY airport
~14 miles · ~20–25 minutes
French Quarter
Less than 2 miles away
Why Rent a Bus to the Morial Convention Center?
It can be a headache to organize convention travel for a big group. Between coordinating who rides with whom, hailing enough rideshares to move 40 people at once, and explaining to out-of-town attendees how to find a building that runs nearly a mile end to end, the logistics eat your morning before the keynote even starts. Rideshares fragment the group across separate cars and separate ETAs; everyone-drives means everyone hunts for parking in a cashless garage.
A New Orleans charter bus, minibus, or party bus rental changes all of that. Your whole group rides together, somebody else handles the driving and the loading zone, and you step off as a unit at the door closest to your hall. We gather your team from the airport, the host hotel, or anywhere across the metro, drop you right at the Transportation Center, and wait nearby to pick everyone up when the session lets out.
One vehicle, one quote, one headcount — instead of a scattered caravan that has to regroup on the sidewalk.
Charter Bus Drop-Off & Pick-Up at the Morial Convention Center
Here is the part most rental pages get wrong or leave fuzzy. Some claim buses pull up to a specific hall door on the main boulevard; others name loading lanes that no longer exist. So let's go straight to the source.
The Convention Center opened a dedicated Transportation Center — a hub of roughly 19 bus bays under the elevated Crescent City Connection approach, near Convention Center Hall G — and per the venue, all buses, shuttles, taxis, and ride-shares now pick up and drop off passengers there. It was built specifically to pull those vehicles off Convention Center Boulevard, so your group loads and unloads in one spot instead of fighting for curb space out front. Your bus takes your group directly to the bay, where the entrance to the halls is steps away.
That single fact is the whole reason a coordinated bus beats a pile of separate rideshares. The Morial is the largest single contiguous exhibit hall in the country — 1.1 million square feet, divisible into 12 halls, with 140 meeting rooms strung along it — so a building this long is exactly where a scattered group gets separated. From the Transportation Center bays, your whole party walks in together, at the same door, at the same time.
The one-line version: your bus drops your group at the Transportation Center bus bays near Hall G, not on the main boulevard curb. That single fact — published by the venue itself — is what keeps a 50-person conference group together instead of strung out along a quarter-mile of sidewalk.
Where the Bus Parks — Lot J and the Henderson Street Lots
Here is the detail that catches first-time organizers off guard: dropping the group is one thing, parking the bus all day is another. Select areas are reserved for charter buses in Lot J, located at 102 Henderson Street, at a base flat rate of about $40 per day. One catch worth knowing — there are no in-and-out privileges at that lot, so once the bus is parked, it is parked.
For day-long conventions where the bus stages and returns, that is fine; for trips that hop around the city, we plan the parking differently.
The standard garages handle oversized vehicles too: Lot F (400 Calliope Street) and Lot G (355 Henderson Street) run about $23 per day for a standard vehicle and $42 per day for an oversized one. The whole campus is cashless and runs on the ParkMobile app, so there is no cash booth to fumble at on the way in. Charter spots and multi-day parking can be reserved in advance through the Convention Center's parking office at parking@mccno.com — which is exactly the kind of detail we sort out for your group when you book, so your bus has its spot before it arrives.
Confirm the Plan When You Book — Here's Why
The Morial is in the middle of a $557 million capital improvement plan that has been reshaping the campus since 2018, with work slated to run through late 2029 — and construction on the new Omni New Orleans hotel is expected to begin in late 2026. That means roadways, lobbies, and the linear park along Convention Center Boulevard have opened and closed on dated schedules, and the approach you used last year may not be the approach this year.
What that means for you: any guide quoting a fixed "pull up to door X" instruction is a coin flip on whether it is still accurate. When you reserve with us, we confirm your group's exact drop point, bus bay, and parking for your specific event date — because we keep up with the construction so you do not have to. We always recommend checking the official MCCNO getting-here page for current roadway notes before your event, too.
Morial Convention Center Transportation: Every Option Compared
New Orleans gives a convention group plenty of ways to reach Convention Center Boulevard — rideshare, taxi, the streetcar, the RTA bus, hotel shuttles, and everyone driving themselves. We're a bus company, but we'll be straight with you: a private bus isn't automatically the right call for every group. Here's an honest look at how each option stacks up for a group.
| Option | Best group size | Arrive together? | One coordinated pickup? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private charter bus | 15–56 | Yes — one vehicle | Yes — Transportation Center bays | One quote, one drop point, no regrouping |
| Rideshare (Uber / Lyft) | 1–4 per car | No — multiple cars, multiple ETAs | No | Fine solo; fragments a big group, surges at event close |
| Taxis | 1–4 per car | No | No | ~$35–$50 from MSY per car; multiplies fast for a group |
| Streetcar (Riverfront line) | Any, with a walk | Loosely | No | Scenic but slow; not practical with luggage or a schedule |
| Everyone drives & parks | 1–2 cars | No — caravans split | No | Each car pays its own daily parking in a cashless garage |
The honest read: for one or two people, a rideshare or the streetcar is the cheaper, simpler call — no reason to charter a bus for a pair. But the moment your party grows past a few cars' worth of people, the coordination cost of separate vehicles — different arrival times, scattered parking, multiple fares, and someone always running late — tips decisively toward one bus. A single coach turns a logistics headache into a non-issue.
That's the group the rest of this guide is written for.
What Size Bus Does Your Conference Group Need?
The right vehicle is the one that seats everyone and swallows the rollaboards and trade-show materials, with a little breathing room. We offer a wide range of vehicles so your group is comfortable and you never pay for seats you do not need. Here is how the fleet breaks down for a Morial run.
| Vehicle | Typical capacity | Luggage / materials | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprinter van | Up to ~14 passengers | Modest — carry-ons and a few cases | Executive teams, small breakout groups, VIP speakers |
| 15–35 passenger minibus | ~15–35 passengers | Good — overhead plus some underfloor | Mid-size departments, sponsor teams, hotel shuttles |
| Party bus | ~15–50 passengers | Lighter — built for the ride | After-hours receptions, client entertaining, group dinners |
| 40–56 passenger charter bus | Up to 56 passengers | Excellent — deep undercarriage bays | Full delegations, association conventions, exhibitor crews |
A full-size charter bus seats up to 56 passengers with deep luggage bays underneath — the workhorse for moving a whole delegation between the host hotel and the halls, banners and booth crates included. For smaller groups, a minibus or Sprinter gives you the same single-pickup convenience at a right-sized cost. Running a recurring shuttle loop across multiple days?
A minibus on a fixed circuit keeps attendees flowing between the hotel block and the Transportation Center without anyone waiting on a rideshare. ADA-accessible vehicles are always available — just tell us at least 48 hours before your departure date and we'll have the right vehicle ready.
Morial Convention Center Bus Rental Prices
Group bus pricing is not a single sticker number, and any honest operator will tell you that. Your quote is shaped by a handful of clear factors:
- Vehicle size — a 56-passenger coach and a 14-passenger Sprinter are different rates.
- Total hours — how long the vehicle is dedicated to your group, including any standby between the morning drop and the afternoon pickup.
- One-way vs. round-trip vs. multi-day shuttle — an airport transfer prices differently than a three-day conference loop.
- Date and demand — a quiet Tuesday prices differently than a Jazz Fest or Mardi Gras week, when the whole city's vehicle supply tightens.
- Mileage and route — an airport-to-Morial run is a shorter job than a sweep of several hotels across the metro.
Here's the value point worth knowing. Once you split the cost of one bus across 30, 40, or 56 attendees, the price per head routinely beats coordinating separate cars — each paying for its own cashless daily parking, each adding a chance for someone to get separated. One private bus gives you a single, predictable quote and keeps everyone in one place.
The more people you bring, the better that math looks. Note that the venue's parking pass for the bus is a separate, on-site cost from your charter rate.
The fastest way to a real number is to tell us your group size, date, and where you are coming from. Review how our pricing works and request a transparent, itemized quote — no hidden fees — or call 504-264-9422 any time for a free price quote at no obligation.
Getting There: Routes, the Airport & Drive Times
One of the easiest things about the Morial is how central it sits — on the riverfront edge of the Warehouse District, less than two miles from the French Quarter and a short hop from the airport. Drive times below are typical estimates; we confirm the live routing for your day, since conventions, festivals, and the ongoing boulevard construction can shift things.
| From… | Approx. distance | Typical drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Louis Armstrong Airport (MSY) | ~14 miles | 20–25 minutes |
| French Quarter | ~1.5–2 miles | 5–10 minutes |
| Caesars Superdome | ~1.5 miles | 5–10 minutes |
| Garden District | ~3 miles | 10–15 minutes |
| Metairie | ~7 miles | 15–20 minutes |
| Baton Rouge | ~80 miles | 75–90 minutes |
A few route notes we keep in mind. The airport run is a straight shot down I-10 most of the day, but it backs up at peak hours — we build a buffer so a flight delay or a slow merge never costs you the opening session. The French Quarter and downtown have narrow streets and 15-minute limits in loading zones that oversized vehicles can't ignore, so we route around the tight blocks and wait in a spot that works.
For groups arriving by air, our MSY airport shuttle guide covers the baggage-claim meet point in detail, and our New Orleans airport transportation service handles the whole arrival.
Trips We Book to the Morial Convention Center
Different groups, same goal: everyone arrives together, relaxed, and on schedule. A few of the runs we handle most often:
- Conference and convention delegations. Move your whole attendee block between the host hotel and the halls on a schedule that respects everyone's day — the heart of our corporate event transportation.
- Exhibitor and trade-show crews. Booth teams hauling banners, samples, and crates — the undercarriage bays carry the gear so nobody's wrestling it through a rideshare.
- Multi-day attendee shuttles. A minibus or coach on a fixed loop between the hotel block and the Transportation Center, running on a clock instead of an app.
- Airport arrivals and departures. One coordinated transfer gathers a flying-in group at MSY baggage claim and runs them straight to the convention hotel.
- After-hours receptions and group dinners. When the sessions end, the same bus takes the team to a French Quarter restaurant or a riverfront reception — perfect for a private event built around the conference.
Booking Your Morial Convention Center Shuttle
Booking a bus to the Morial is straightforward, and a little planning makes it seamless:
- Request a quote with your group size, pickup location, event dates, and whether you need a one-way transfer or a multi-day shuttle loop.
- Confirm the vehicle, the drop point, and bus parking. We lock in the right vehicle and verify the current Transportation Center routing and Lot J / Henderson Street parking for your dates.
- Set your pickup windows. Arrange the morning drop and the afternoon pickup in advance so the bus is waiting nearby and right there when your sessions let out.
A few questions we hear constantly: How early should we book? The sooner the better for big convention weeks and festival overlaps, when the city's vehicle supply goes first. Can one bus run multiple hotel pickups?
Yes — a single coach can sweep several hotels and consolidate the group on the way in. Can the bus wait through the day? The bus is reserved as a block of hours, so it can drop your group, park in Lot J, and wait for the afternoon pickup.
Why do New Orleans groups book with us for the Morial run? We know this campus — the Transportation Center bays, the construction detours, the cashless garages — because we book it constantly. We offer a range of vehicles from a Sprinter to a 56-seat coach, our booking is straightforward, and our reviews come from real local groups who've made this exact trip.
Want to confirm we cover your pickup point? Check our service area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly does a charter bus drop off at the Morial Convention Center?
At the venue's dedicated Transportation Center — a hub of roughly 19 bus bays near Convention Center Hall G, under the elevated Crescent City Connection approach. The venue routes all buses, shuttles, taxis, and ride-shares through that hub rather than the main boulevard curb, so your whole group loads and unloads steps from the hall entrance. We confirm your exact bay and approach for your event date when you book.
Where do buses park at the Morial Convention Center?
Select charter-bus spaces are in Lot J at 102 Henderson Street, at a base flat rate of about $40 per day — note there are no in-and-out privileges there. Standard garages (Lot F at 400 Calliope Street and Lot G at 355 Henderson Street) take oversized vehicles at about $42 per day. The campus is cashless and runs on ParkMobile, and charter parking can be reserved in advance through the venue's parking office.
How much does it cost to rent a bus to the Morial Convention Center?
Pricing depends on vehicle size, total hours (including any daytime standby), whether it's a one-way transfer or a multi-day shuttle, the date and demand, and mileage. Split across a full group, the per-person cost routinely beats separate cars once you factor in each car's cashless daily parking. We provide a transparent, itemized quote with no hidden fees; the venue's bus-parking pass is separate.
Call 504-264-9422 or request a quote online.
How far is the Morial Convention Center from the airport?
About 14 miles from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), typically a 20- to 25-minute drive down I-10 outside of rush hour. We track your flight and time the pickup to your actual arrival, so the bus is ready when your group reaches baggage claim.
Can one bus run a multi-day shuttle between our hotel and the convention center?
Yes. A minibus or coach can run a fixed loop between your hotel block and the Transportation Center across the length of your convention, on a schedule you set — far more reliable than asking attendees to summon their own rideshares each morning.
Do you have ADA-accessible buses?
Yes — ADA-accessible vehicles are always available. Just let us know your needs at least 48 hours before your departure date and we'll arrange the right vehicle.
How early should we book for a big convention week?
As early as your dates are confirmed. Major convention weeks and festival overlaps tighten the whole city's vehicle supply, and the best vehicles go first. For quieter dates, a couple of weeks of lead time is usually workable — but the earlier you reach out, the better your options.
Book Your Morial Convention Center Bus Today
Skip the rideshare scramble and the cashless-garage shuffle. Whether it's a full convention delegation, an exhibitor crew with a load of gear, a multi-day attendee shuttle, or a one-way airport transfer, Party Bus New Orleans has the fleet to fit your group — and we drop your team at the Transportation Center bays, steps from the halls, while everyone else hunts for a curb. Tell us your group size, your dates, and where you're coming from, and we'll send a transparent quote and confirm exactly where your bus will be waiting.
Call 504-264-9422 any time for an all-inclusive quote — or use our online tool for instant availability.
