NYC - trip to Ellis Island from Red Hook

We have one day in NYC on our B2B transatlantic and I'm thinking about visiting Ellis Island (and Liberty Island as you can't just do Ellis Island). I'm trying to work out if we'll have enough time.

What time do you think would be realistic for us to get through immigration?

Ship is set to depart at 5pm, so would like to be back at the pier for 3pm. And we'll probably use public transport.

Please check to see if Ellis Island has reopened when you arrive. It has been closed for quite a long time due to damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Please check to see if Ellis Island has reopened when you arrive. It has been closed for quite a long time due to damage from Hurricane Sandy.

According to the NPS website it is open, but may still be a work in progress. Still plenty to see though :)

We have one day in NYC on our B2B transatlantic and I'm thinking about visiting Ellis Island (and Liberty Island as you can't just do Ellis Island). I'm trying to work out if we'll have enough time.

What time do you think would be realistic for us to get through immigration?

Ship is set to depart at 5pm, so would like to be back at the pier for 3pm. And we'll probably use public transport.

I'd say no problem.

Turn the music on...

...and follow this.

As you will be 'In Transit' you can be off the ship very early. We had cleared Immigration by 7.00 am. Now if you don't have any mobility problems you can follow what we did on this visit and follow the directions as far as Carroll Street Subway Station...

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/06/24/one-way-to-do-new-york-brooklyn-to-central-park-via-the-highline-walk/

You only have to work out the nearest subway station to Battery Park...

http://www.statuecruises.com/pd_directions.html

Big Tip Now: Pre purchase your tickets online and avoid the queues.

As you already say, skip Statue of Liberty stop, stay on the boat and get over to Ellis Island early before the crowds...

Fabulous visit.

And you will still have time to fit something else in.

We visited Ellis Island a couple of weeks ago and the only things missing following the flooding are the exhibits in most of the glass cases in the various rooms. Whilst it would have been nice to see them, it didn't detract from the experience in any way. There is still plenty to see and even as non-US citizens, to whom it would be more relevant, there was still enough to keep us occupied for a few hours.

The subway stop for the ferry out is just a few minutes walk from the ferry. We got there around 10.30am and just had a short wait before we were on the ferry. I'd guess it was about 15 minutes between collecting the tickets and getting on the ferry. By the time we returned at around 2pm the lines were huge with easily a 90 minute wait I'd imagine.

I don't think there is a subway stop within walking distance of the Red Hook Terminal, but you can check that. I know someone we spoke to got most of the way on the subway and then used a taxi for a remaining short journey.

Self disembarkation started at around 7am. We got off at around 8.10am and it took around 45 minutes to get through immigration, though the queues were building up after that. I don't think you would have any problem being off by 8am if you made sure that you were amongst the first off.

I'd say that the trip is perfectly feasible as long as you plan things in advance and aim to get to the ferry as soon as you can. I know the first ferry departs at 8am this time of year, but later in the season it doesn't start until 10.00am.

Thank you! Both your replies have been very helpful.

Richard, I'm amazed at how much you managed to fit into one day, well done! I've done the Highline Walk on my last visit, and have some very similar pictures. :)

Also good to know others have taken the public transport option from the terminal. I've had a look using my citymapper app and it should take about 40 minutes using the bus and underground to get to Battery Park.

Not quite sure yet what we'll do, but it's good to know what will be feasible. The husband hasn't seen Grand Central Terminal, the Public Library or the Chrysler Building, so I might take him on a walking tour of midtown and the upper east side.

We visited last summer for the second time (we were with our teenage children whonwereny born on our last visit) and were really disappointed becuase of the missing artefacts. It took a lot of the interest away.

If I may offer an alternative...

Ellis Island is physically close but perhaps not the best use of limited time, unless it's personally meaningful. As a visitor from the other coast who keeps a Metrocard with a positive balance in his wallet, I applaud the use of mass transit.

However, I recommend booking a local car service (I use Dial7, but there are many others) to pick you up and deliver you to a Manhattan attraction with good subway connections to midtown. (Battery Park - ferries to Ellis Island, World Trade Center/911, Grand Central Station, UN HQ). Rather than waste your time traversing parking lots and a quarter mile of interesting-but-not-stellar blocks to a distant subway stop, go direct to something you want to see - and also close to a subway stop (WTC) to take you to midtown sights (Times Square, Empire State Bldg, Broadway, Rockefeller Center, museums) and be a convenient spot for pick up on your return to Red Hook. This way, you use subways for fast, convenient transit within Manhattan, but bypass delays to the ship with your economically hired car.

(Do NOT plan on quickly grabbing a cab at the pier.)

I agree with the poster from San Francisco.

The closest subway to the Brooklyn dock is Carrol Street. A long walk that will be followed by many subway connections to get you to Battery Park - all during rush hour.

Have you visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum? I would recommend that highly. A very dignified and moving exhibit.

There will be taxis available at the Brooklyn terminal to take you wherever you want to go; however, you will be competing with the self-help disembarkation passengers also seeking cabs. A car service is the better choice.

Enjoy the Queen and your day in New York.

I've done the 9/11 memorial, along with most of the other usual touristy highlights in Manhattan on previous trips.

As as postgraduate student in American History I am keen to visit Ellis Island. And the student part of that sentence should explain the reason for public transport too... There's a bus stop close to the terminal, with a bus every few minutes which takes you to the subway station.

Currently I'm tempted to get the ship early and use public transport, go to Ellis Island and walk back to the ship over the Brooklyn Bridge.

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I've done the 9/11 memorial, along with most of the other usual touristy highlights in Manhattan on previous trips.

 

As as postgraduate student in American History I am keen to visit Ellis Island. And the student part of that sentence should explain the reason for public transport too... There's a bus stop close to the terminal, with a bus every few minutes which takes you to the subway station.

 

Currently I'm tempted to get the ship early and use public transport, go to Ellis Island and walk back to the ship over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Sounds like you're ready for the inconveniences of transit in exchange for a great day! Fingers crossed for good weather. Please report on your experience.

On a personal note, I found Ellis Island very stirring on my visit years ago. ...and I'm also a fan of using local transit when visiting a city. (Like I said, I keep a Metrocard with a balance)

Currently I'm tempted to get the ship early and use public transport, go to Ellis Island and walk back to the ship over the Brooklyn Bridge.

We did the ship to the far end of the Brooklyn Bridge walk and back recently. It's a reasonably straightforward route of approx 3 miles each way. But the first half from the ship was through a commercial area and devoid of any interest. The weather was hot and humid so we walked slower than normal and the 3 mile walk took approx 75 minutes leaving us very tired at the end. Although the views from the bridge nearly made it worth it, I wouldn't do it again.

Since your time ashore is so limited I suggest you do the Ellis Island / Statue of Liberty shore excursion as offered by Cunard. We live in the New York area and recently visited the two islands independently along with guests who debarked from the QM2. The tour took much longer than we anticipated even though we had pre-purchaed our tickets. There are a lot of time variables involved such as transportation from/to the ship, ferry schedules and rather long waiting times. Also, one never knows what kind of other delays can be encountered in New York. JMHO, but I really believe the extra cost doing the Cunard sponsored tour is well worth the certainty that the ship will be waiting for you when you return from your tour.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I really don't enjoy organised tours, especially ones organised by cruise lines. I find they are often patronising and tend to cater to the dumbest common denominator.

I think that if we get off the ship asap in the morning, I don't see any reasonable reason why we wouldn't be able to make it.

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I'm sure you're already ahead of me here, but looking at the MTA website, it looks like a couple of busses might minimize the dreary slog returning to the Red Hook piers. (The 25 bus services the Brooklyn Bridge and the 61 stops at the port) Perhaps take the 61 to Carroll St station at the start but I think you'd have to pay cash fare on the bus because you likely won't have Metrocards and I don't think they sell them on the bus or online. (maybe there's a machine at the port terminal)

Again, please share your experiences. I look forward to seeing your report.

..and when dealing with any transit, have at least one alternative available (and know when it'll be too late for that alternative) Just in case things happen ...as they tend to. Flexibility, alternatives, and scheduling for delays are all great skills to have.

A crossing is REALLY a case where you don't want to miss the boat!

..and when dealing with any transit, have at least one alternative available (and know when it'll be too late for that alternative) Just in case things happen ...as they tend to. Flexibility, alternatives, and scheduling for delays are all great skills to have.

A crossing is REALLY a case where you don't want to miss the boat!

The citymapper app is really quite handy and it did already suggest taking the 61 bus just outside Red Hook.

If for some reason, like delays in immigration, we'd be late starting off, we'll change our plans to spending the day on the Upper East Side and go to the Met. Basically, something where we don't have to rely on a ferry. Having worked at and organised plenty events has resulted in rather amazing time management skills and abilities to adapt plans when things go wrong 😉

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If your plans change and you have time, it's worth spending a couple of hours at The Cloisters, which is also part of the Met. We were there a couple of weeks ago and it was a real change of pace from Manhattan. Dead easy to get to on the express subway and free entry on the same day with a Met ticket.

Public transit, at the Red Hook end, is a way to use up a lot of your in-port time. Better to spring for a taxi to (and from) lower Manhattan where you can access time-efficient public transit.

However your day unfolds, best wishes for a great day in NYC. It's an amazing city.

Please be sure to watch your time. As MarkBearSF wisely noted "a crossing is REALLY a case where you don't want to miss the boat".

I agree with the poster from San Francisco.

 

The closest subway to the Brooklyn dock is Carrol Street. A long walk that will be followed by many subway connections to get you to Battery Park - all during rush hour.

 

Have you visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum? I would recommend that highly. A very dignified and moving exhibit.

 

There will be taxis available at the Brooklyn terminal to take you wherever you want to go; however, you will be competing with the self-help disembarkation passengers also seeking cabs. A car service is the better choice.

 

Enjoy the Queen and your day in New York.

Hi Bobby.

You hit the nail on the head there..."you will be competing with the self-help disembarkation passengers also seeking cabs"

Sounds like you're ready for the inconveniences of transit in exchange for a great day! Fingers crossed for good weather. Please report on your experience.

 

On a personal note, I found Ellis Island very stirring on my visit years ago. ...and I'm also a fan of using local transit when visiting a city. (Like I said, I keep a Metrocard with a balance)

So did I. I had no connection, just a desire to see that part of United States history.

I wasn't disappointed and so glad I'd made the effort.

I agree with the poster from San Francisco.

 

The closest subway to the Brooklyn dock is Carrol Street. A long walk that will be followed by many subway connections to get you to Battery Park - all during rush hour.

 

Have you visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum? I would recommend that highly. A very dignified and moving exhibit.

 

There will be taxis available at the Brooklyn terminal to take you wherever you want to go; however, you will be competing with the self-help disembarkation passengers also seeking cabs. A car service is the better choice.

 

Enjoy the Queen and your day in New York.

Hi again Bobby.

It was Carrol Street subway that I gave directions to in my review...

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/06/24/one-way-to-do-new-york-brooklyn-to-central-park-via-the-highline-walk/

Off the ship at 7.00 am and around 20 minutes later in Carrol Street subway.

You guys really don't know how lucky you are if that was rush hour that we witnessed on the subway at that time of day.