Cruising from NYC

This is the first time I am driving to my cruise port and going out of NYC! I'm excited. Has anyone cruised from NYC before and have any tips?

This is the first time I am driving to my cruise port and going out of NYC! I'm excited. Has anyone cruised from NYC before and have any tips?

Use a park and cruise package (search the departures section for recommendations). We used one in NJ that was great at a Hilton Garden Inn. It included our hotel stay, breakfast, parking, and round-trip shuttle for less than it would have cost us to park at the port.

Grab a porter when you disembark. They are really great at getting you where you need to go for your ride.

It looks like you're going to take a 4 day Bermuda cruise leaving on a Thursday. Are you planning to drive down the night night before or the morning of the cruise? Parking at the pier would be $160 for 4 days. Probably not cost effective to do alternative parking/hotel arrangements.

Do you have the cars only directions for getting through NYC?

It looks like you're going to take a 4 day Bermuda cruise leaving on a Thursday. Are you planning to drive down the night night before or the morning of the cruise? Parking at the pier would be $160 for 4 days. Probably not cost effective to do alternative parking/hotel arrangements.

 

Do you have the cars only directions for getting through NYC?

We are driving that morning. We are going to leave around 5or 6 in the morning and it’s about a 4hr drive. We’re going with another coupleso the parking cost is split in half for us.

I’m not sure what cars only directions means?

I live in the same area as you and make this basic trip from NW of Boston to NY/NJ several times a year.

If you come out the Mass Pike, you pick up I84 west in Auburn and I91 south in Hartford. From Tyngsboro I would take route 3 to I495 to I290 through Worcester to the Mass pike. Route 3 to I495 absolutely requires a very early departure on a weekday morning.

From I95 you take exit 17 marked W Cross Parkway. This becomes the Merritt Parkway at Milford.

If you come down I95 there is a cutover to the Merritt at Milford CT exit 38. At Rye NY there is another cutover to the Hutchinson River Parkway South exit 21 immediately after exit 2 in CT (no exit 1). This cutover is longer than the one at Milford and involves getting off onto I287 West and following the signs to the Merritt/Hutch. You get off onto a service road, go through a few lights and take the turn for the Hutch south.

The Merritt Pkwy becomes the Hutchinson River Pkwy at the NY/CT line. From the Hutch take exit 15 in New Rochelle to get on the Cross County Pkwy. Stay in the middle left lane, which will become the left lane when the road "scrunches". This leads onto the Saw Mill River Pkwy South which becomes the Henry Hudson Pkwy at the NYC line ($5.50 toll - if no EZPass they will bill you in the mail and you need to pay it!). The toll is worth every penny. The HH Parkway/West Side highway ends at the Manhattan cruise terminal.

The are no trucks on this route from Meriden CT to the Manhattan cruise terminal and you will avoid any traffic issues on the Cross Bronx Expressway or the intersection of I95 and I87.

Reins Delicatessen in Vernon CT is a good pit stop - exit 65 on I84 - go right from the exit and make a left at the first light into a strip mall. Reins is at the back across from the motel parking.

The other tip is to have your camera ready for sailaway. Two weeks ago I took 200 pictures between the pier and Coney Island. I also got up early for sunrise over Manhattan on the return trip.