Gem Cruise Sep 8. Which New York Hotel Sep 7?

[russ331]

I'm flying from Heathrow to JFK on 7th September to join the Gem, which sails from Manhattan Cruise Teminal on 8th September. Cruise-only deal.

 

My initial thoughts are to travel from JFK by AirTrain & LIRR to Penn Station NYC, then stay overnight in a hotel near Penn Station, then take a taxi to the ship on 8th September.

 

My problem is which hotel, & how to get the cheapest deal for it? Not looking for 5 star accommodation, just a clean & (hopefully) quiet room in a reasonable neighbourhood.

 

Should I use, say, Priceline to get the best deal?

 

Your thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks.

[heyya604]

Here is my post from another thread," Hello We are staying at the StayBridge Suites,(Holiday Inn chain, I think) by Times Square in August for $243.00 per night for 4, includes full breakfast and managers reception(wine/beer, appies) Almost all reviews are really good. Check out TRIP ADVISOR etc. I found this my self but TA advised it was rated #7 out of 250 hotels. I heard that the street is only ok, but hotel is great and lots of positive reviews. Will let you know after we are back (after August 14th). You can book through them directly and there is a 100% refund if you cancel. Hope this helps"

[Inuvikcouple]

I'm flying from Heathrow to JFK on 7th September to join the Gem, which sails from Manhattan Cruise Teminal on 8th September. Cruise-only deal.

 

My initial thoughts are to travel from JFK by AirTrain & LIRR to Penn Station NYC, then stay overnight in a hotel near Penn Station, then take a taxi to the ship on 8th September.

 

My problem is which hotel, & how to get the cheapest deal for it? Not looking for 5 star accommodation, just a clean & (hopefully) quiet room in a reasonable neighbourhood.

 

Should I use, say, Priceline to get the best deal?

 

Your thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Hi Russ,

 

We are on the same cruise and we have a very active cruise thread going with a number of activites planned including a meet & greet. Have a look and join us if you can.

 

Dave

[Inuvikcouple]

Here is my post from another thread," Hello We are staying at the StayBridge Suites,(Holiday Inn chain, I think) by Times Square in August for $243.00 per night for 4, includes full breakfast and managers reception(wine/beer, appies) Almost all reviews are really good. Check out TRIP ADVISOR etc. I found this my self but TA advised it was rated #7 out of 250 hotels. I heard that the street is only ok, but hotel is great and lots of positive reviews. Will let you know after we are back (after August 14th). You can book through them directly and there is a 100% refund if you cancel. Hope this helps"

 

I just checked this place out and it is rated #29 and is $351 for the night you and I need.

[azappraiser]

I'm flying from Heathrow to JFK on 7th September to join the Gem, which sails from Manhattan Cruise Teminal on 8th September. Cruise-only deal.

 

My initial thoughts are to travel from JFK by AirTrain & LIRR to Penn Station NYC, then stay overnight in a hotel near Penn Station, then take a taxi to the ship on 8th September.

 

My problem is which hotel, & how to get the cheapest deal for it? Not looking for 5 star accommodation, just a clean & (hopefully) quiet room in a reasonable neighbourhood.

 

Should I use, say, Priceline to get the best deal?

 

Your thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

We're on the Gem in January. I found a reasonably priced hotel near Times Square (short cab ride from Penn Station, about 12 blocks) called Broadway @ Times Square. I got one night for two, on a Saturday and includes continental breakfast, for $158.00 after tax. Here's a link;

http://applecorehotels.com/broadway-at-times-square-hotel/

 

I also got a good price for a car service for our ride from the airport to the hotel, hotel to the cruise terminal and back to the airport after the cruise. The company is called "Groundlink" and they're a travel partner with NCL. Click on the following link, then select "Groundlink" to work up a quote. http://www2.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/getting-to-the-pier

 

A car service may cost a bit more than public transit, but it's a lot less hassle. ;)

[Clay Clayton]

Don't want to put a damper on your plans with Groundlink, but after reading your mention of them, I thought I might want to use them....but after reading the reviews on Yelp, I have decided I will try someone else:(

[emcelh]

I'm flying from Heathrow to JFK on 7th September to join the Gem, which sails from Manhattan Cruise Teminal on 8th September. Cruise-only deal.

 

My initial thoughts are to travel from JFK by AirTrain & LIRR to Penn Station NYC, then stay overnight in a hotel near Penn Station, then take a taxi to the ship on 8th September.

 

My problem is which hotel, & how to get the cheapest deal for it? Not looking for 5 star accommodation, just a clean & (hopefully) quiet room in a reasonable neighbourhood.

 

Should I use, say, Priceline to get the best deal?

 

Your thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

I'll second Inuvikcouple's invitation. Do consider joining our Roll Call.

[Sailor_Sally]

I would keep my eye on Travelzoo for hotel deals . I snagged The Hotel Cassa for $170 for Sept.6& 7th .It has great reviews on tripadvisor .

[Lou33]

We will be on the same cruise.

 

The hotels will be very busy and very expensive for the night of Sept 7. You should book something ASAP. You want a 3* or better hotel. The cheaper hotels can be really bad in Manhatten. It will be hard finding a decent hotel for less than $250/night. But if you are staying only one night, then that isn't so bad.

 

You can try priceline, but Manhatten is different than most other cities in that the hotels don't release good priceline deals until 5 days or less before your stay. Book a decent hotel that you can cancel now, then try priceline later. Try staying close to Time Square if you can. You don't need to stay close to Penn Station, because you will need to take a taxi no matter where you are staying. It won't matter if you take a taxi 1/2 mile or 3 miles. You can also consider just hiring a car service or take a taxi, direct from JFK to your hotel. It will be much more convenient, and just a few dollars more.

[Andee]

If there are only two of you willing to share a bed, I think Priceline is an excellent option--we've had very good results in NYC. Read betterbidding and biddingfortravel to learn the ins & outs.

 

Unless you're in NYC for a theater weekend (that's why we go), there's really no reason to stay in Times Square, which can be noisy and touristy.

[greatam]

You will be very lucky to find ANY kind of hotel for less than $250 per night.

 

New York Fashion Weeks starts Sept 6 and continues through the 13. The City will be PACKED and hotel rooms are already in very short supply.

 

Book something soon or you will either be staying in Queens, Brooklyn, NJ or Staten Island just to be able to afford a smallish hotel room. Most of the nicer ones are already booked solid.

[138east]

There's a 3* downtown hotel on Hotwire for $186. It looks like it could be one of the downtown Holiday Inns. It has a 90% approval rating, which is extremely high for any hotel.

 

To get to this area you would take Airtrain from Howard Beach (A subway train) to Fulton or Chambers St in lower Manhattan and then a short cab ride if the hotel is not within walking distance. This is the Financial District and it would likely be quiet on a Friday night. You can explore all the lower Manhattan sights or take a 15-20 minute subway ride to midtown. Cab to the port would be $20-25 the next morning.

 

If you decide to do this, we can provide more details when you know the exact hotel.

[russ331]

Thanks for all the replies. Very helpful advice.

 

I think I'll now book a hotel that I can later cancel with full refund, while trying to get a better hotel deal in the next week or so.