What to do in NYC post-cruise

[Melbourne84]

Hi there, I'm probably not in the right forum. I have accessed port/excursion boards before, but when I try NY, all I get is CC's overview, no where to ask questions. So please feel free to guide me there to discuss this if needed.

 

Taking Breakaway cruise in October. Post-cruise, husband and I are stuck in NYC until 7:30pm.

 

The only excursion is $89, sounds like a bus ride around NYC. Just wondering, any advice for spending the day in NYC, since we'll have one large luggage, so we can't exactly walk around anywhere besides the airport. I couldn't find non-NCL bus tour/excursion in NY either. Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

[kac0426]

We did the $89 NYC tour through NCL and, even though it was pricey, I felt like it was worth it. The convenience of having a special time to get off the ship in a smaller group, a ride to the terminal of the airport, someone to load your bags into the bus, etc. was really fantastic. The tour was about 4 hours of nonstop sightseeing and information. Our guide was great. We only made 2 stops - one at the 9/11 memorial and one at a Statue of Liberty viewing point. I really wanted to see the 9/11 memorial so I was glad we stopped there. The way I look at it is, you can pay $40 per person for the NCL transfer to the airport or add on $50 more and get a tour. Now, that said, we still arrived to the airport around 1:30. Our flight was at 4:30. Since yours is later, you'd still have a lot of time to kill at the airport so it may not be worth it for you but I did want to weigh in on the NYC tour since I took it just last week and really enjoyed it!

[maywell]

Walk over to Columbus Circle and enjoy the Time Warner Building, Central Park. Walk down or catch a cab and enjoy Time Square (except from 42nd to about 47th Street and Broadway in the pm- its just one bad tourist trap of craziness) And if you have good stamina, head over to 57th and 5th Ave and enjoy the stores. Or to lincoln Center area, the Natural History Museum or Modern Art museums, Grand Central, Bryant Park, 14th St and Union Square - there's no limit around (except for that spot I mention) to explore!!

[njhorseman]

The best place to post your question is on the East Coast Departures board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415

 

Read through the threads on that board...there's lots of discussion of things to do in Manhattan. There are also facilities (the best known being Schwartz Travel http://www.schwartztravel.com ) where you can store your luggage while sightseeing.

 

When you post on the other board it would also be helpful to identify what airport you're flying out of and what time your flight departs. When you say "stuck in NY City until 7:30 pm" do you really mean your flight departs at 7:30 pm? (And by the way no one is "stuck" in NY City. There are enough things to do to occupy your lifetime.)

[conncr]

Melbourne84,

 

I used a company called familyinnewyork.com.

 

They picked us up at the pier, gave us a personal tour of the city, then delivered us to the airport in time for our flight. It was a wonderful day and couldn't be happier with their service.

 

conncr

[Melbourne84]

conncr, how much did that cost you, and for how many?

 

Thank you everyone for the advice. I suppose being 'stuck' wouldn't be so dreadful if I didn't have to work early Monday :)

[garycarla]

Walk over to Columbus Circle and enjoy the Time Warner Building, Central Park. Walk down or catch a cab and enjoy Time Square (except from 42nd to about 47th Street and Broadway in the pm- its just one bad tourist trap of craziness) And if you have good stamina, head over to 57th and 5th Ave and enjoy the stores. Or to lincoln Center area, the Natural History Museum or Modern Art museums, Grand Central, Bryant Park, 14th St and Union Square - there's no limit around (except for that spot I mention) to explore!!

 

Would you really do that with luggage to drag around?

[faeriedust101]

I would suggest calling around to the hotels around the pier and asking if they will check your luggage even if you are not staying there. Otherwise you don't want to be dragging luggage around when site seeing.

[Melbourne84]

I asked my TA if NCL can forward the bags directly to the airport. I believe Disney world resorts will do that for you, free of charge. Still, I'd be nervous of a bag being lost or misplaced. One large rolling luggage, and probably two small rolling carry-ons. However, I just realized I'm only checking the large luggage, so not sure what to do with the smaller ones...

[njhorseman]

I asked my TA if NCL can forward the bags directly to the airport. I believe Disney world resorts will do that for you, free of charge. Still, I'd be nervous of a bag being lost or misplaced. One large rolling luggage, and probably two small rolling carry-ons. However, I just realized I'm only checking the large luggage, so not sure what to do with the smaller ones...

 

NCL doesn't have this type of program (they call it BAGS) in New York. They will not transfer your luggage to the airport without your booking an airport transfer with them and being on that bus.

 

As I said in my first post, please look into Schwartz Travel http://www.schwartztravel.com . They have two locations where you can store your bags.

Edited September 24, 2014 by njhorseman

[maywell]

Would you really do that with luggage to drag around?

Yes, its possible to drag luggage around with wheels as long as you avoid 42nd-47th on Broadway - it extremely crowded in on weekends from about 10am to like 2am. Matter of fact, I'm dragging luggage from the Bronx to pier via the subway (bus to the #2 E. 180th St train station to Columbus Circle and then walking to the pier). Or you precheck your bags with NCL or the airline, so you have less stuff to carry. Besides, alots of people carry their luggage around in Manhattan when they should had checked it in or left it at hotels when visiting sites - they're in good company.[emoji1]

[njhorseman]

Yes, its possible to drag luggage around with wheels as long as you avoid 42nd-47th on Broadway - it extremely crowded in on weekends from about 10am to like 2am. Matter of fact, I'm dragging luggage from the Bronx to pier via the subway (bus to the #2 E. 180th St train station to Columbus Circle and then walking to the pier). Or you precheck your bags with NCL or the airline, so you have less stuff to carry. Besides, alots of people carry their luggage around in Manhattan when they should had checked it in or left it at hotels when visiting sites - they're in good company.[emoji1]

 

NCL offers no programs in NY that permit you to "precheck" your bags.

[ivanrocko]

Statue, Empire State B., Time Square, Broadway, Central Park, 9/11 Monument.

 

 

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