Opinions please, Dayton to NYC and parking

[TwinCruiserMom]

I am planning our Veendam cruise out of Manhattan and have some questions.

 

First off, driving from Dayton, Ohio to Eighth Avenue Midtown Manhattan - which route will be best traffic wise and with the least amount of stress? We will probably be staying at the Hampton Inn Times Square North. I am leery of using Mapquest and Google for this trip as I do not want to travel on highways that are known to be difficult by locals.

 

Second, we are staying 3 nights pre-cruise and 2 nights post-cruise in Manhattan. I have read about the Icon Parking garage under the Skyline Hotel and it looks like I can get a rate of $20 a night through best parking which should come to about $240. That is a lot of nights in NYC and I was wondering if that was preferable to parking in NJ either at a hotel or other parking lot, and taking transit into the city.

 

Would the Icon Parking be safer than just leaving the car in a NJ lot? There are 4 of us so would the $240 be a good deal considering parking and transport for all of us from NJ?

 

We will be spending one night in an inexpensive hotel in New Jersey on June 1st. On June 2nd, we plan to drive into the city just after 9am, DH will drop everyone at the hotel with luggage and then he will continue on to the parking garage. It is not a far walk back to the hotel from the Skyline Hotel garage. The car would be there June 2nd - June 14th.

 

I have been going around and around with the planning of this part of the trip. I know I want the car to be in a lot that is fairly safe and I know I do not want to transfer several times, transportation wise, with the 4 of us and luggage too. Am I on the right track or should I look further into NJ hotels with parking and arrange transportation?

 

Is the drive through NJ, the Lincoln Tunnel and into Manhattan a very difficult one for someone new to NYC? We would be arriving and leaving on weekdays, so I would imagine the traffic will be horrible.

 

Thanks so much for any assistance!