We are just back from NYC and the Emerald Princess. We flew in to JFK and stayed a night at the TWA Hotel there. Very interesting and a nice hotel. The next morning we had a Carmel Car Service ride arranged to the port.
After the cruise, we stayed a few days in NYC and then flew home through LGA. Again, we had a Carmel Car Service ride.
between the taxi ride from the cruise port to our hotel in the theater district and our Carmel rides, I highly recommend Carmel. I think the price was reasonable and the service was great.
as for the airport, they were both rather easy to navigate. It did seem like we had longer walks at LGA though.
and yes, the hotels in NYC are so very expensive!