cruising from New York for dummies?

[sjb.illinois]

Hi All-

We've booked our next cruise, which will be a repositioning cruise from New York (Manhattan). We've only ever sailed from Florida, and I'm not at all familiar with NYC, so I feel like I don't know where to start. Can someone recommend a good starting place? I've been reading through the boards, as I normally do, but I feel like this time I'm starting the instruction manual at step 15 in Turkish. We will be flying in with 12 days worth of luggage the night before late - DH and I and the two kids 10 and 13. I gather it's cheaper to stay by EWR, and since this appears to be equidistant to the port from LGA this would make sense. But then how to get to the port? And what else do I need to know? Someone point me in the right direction please!

Thanks in advance!

[138east]

Exact date? Hotel budget? Bed configuration? Sightseeing plans, if any?

 

How much luggage will you have?

[sjb.illinois]

Flying in Thursday night November 17 (2016), staying one night - due to not wanting the kids to miss any more school than possible - so this will not be a sightseeing trip. Looking for reasonable, safe, convenient (we usually do Holiday Inn Express, La Quinta, Comfort Suites etc. - something good for the kids, free breakfast- 1 room, 2 queens plus couch/rollaway -) but I don't know what a comparable place is for NYC- we usually pay anywhere from 75-130 on Priceline etc. with good results.

We are normally fine with a rental car and public transit - but I don't think that's an option this time - too complicated and too much luggage. We are NOT light packers.

[Langoustine]

Are you flying into LGA or EWR?

[mking8288]

Let me help with the easiest part & let 138east/Carol do the rest:

 

Trip from hotel to port for 4 people with generous luggage will require a minivan - Dial7 or Carmel are the usual recommenations here (ours being the latter) -

From downtown Newark/Cape Liberty Cruise Port area to Manhattan Pier (#88) - approximately $61 plus $15 tunnel toll into NY and 15% tip (online coupon discount is available for $3 or $4) - about $83

From hotels near LGA in Queens to Pier 88, approximately $50 (possible midtown tunnel or RFK Bridge toll, $7.50 in cash (EZ-Pass toll rate is under $6) & tip - about $70.

Weekend morning travel time is roughly 30 minutes to the pier, allow extra 15 minutes for unexpected traffic/road conditions, etc.

[sjb.illinois]

Thank you MKing - that is very helpful!

I had looked at Carnival's transfer to port from EWR (30pp) and thought if worst came to worst we would just take the hotel shuttle back to the airport in the morning to grab the Carnival shuttle. One of the car services you mention would be cheaper and certainly more convenient - so thank you!

 

Langoustine we haven't narrowed down which airport yet as flight schedules aren't loaded out that far. Our preference is Southwest to use points - not an option as they don't use either airport - and next choice would be cheapest and nonstop - which based on current flights means EWR.

[138east]

Flying in Thursday night November 17 (2016), staying one night - due to not wanting the kids to miss any more school than possible - so this will not be a sightseeing trip. Looking for reasonable, safe, convenient (we usually do Holiday Inn Express, La Quinta, Comfort Suites etc. - something good for the kids, free breakfast- 1 room, 2 queens plus couch/rollaway -) but I don't know what a comparable place is for NYC- we usually pay anywhere from 75-130 on Priceline etc. with good results.

We are normally fine with a rental car and public transit - but I don't think that's an option this time - too complicated and too much luggage. We are NOT light packers.

 

It's way too soon to look at hotels for Nov 2016. La Quinta, Holiday Inn Express, and Comfort Suites are not hotel brands that are close enough to either airport to offer a free airport Shuttle or be a place that we would recommend. Newark is a highly urban area and you must be selective about your hotel.

 

Food acquisition is also an issue. Full service hotels with restaurants usually don't offer free breakfast. Hotels offering free breakfast don't have restaurants and there are likely not not be places nearby to eat, so takeout may be your only choice. The one exception to this are the hotels on Glimcher Realty Way in Elizabeth near the Jersey Gardens Mall - Country Inns, Embassy Suites, Courtyard Elizabeth, and Residence Inn. Not every hotel has a pool.

 

Rooms with two queens and a sofabed are scarce and you may have to pay a premium to get what you want. Prices will be higher on a Thursday night. I'd budget at least $200 for your special requirements. Look at Springhill Suites.

 

When picking an airport, remember that Newark Airport offers a bigger pool of reasonably priced hotels than LaGuardia.

[maritaysa]

Hi All-

We've booked our next cruise, which will be a repositioning cruise from New York (Manhattan). We've only ever sailed from Florida, and I'm not at all familiar with NYC, so I feel like I don't know where to start. Can someone recommend a good starting place? I've been reading through the boards, as I normally do, but I feel like this time I'm starting the instruction manual at step 15 in Turkish. We will be flying in with 12 days worth of luggage the night before late - DH and I and the two kids 10 and 13. I gather it's cheaper to stay by EWR, and since this appears to be equidistant to the port from LGA this would make sense. But then how to get to the port? And what else do I need to know? Someone point me in the right direction please!

Thanks in advance!

 

I'll be on the same cruise, and will be traveling with my family of 4. I'm hoping more people answer. To reduce the stress, I think that we'll be flying in to EWR the day before. We'll stay at a hotel nearby, then go back to the airport to take the Carnival shuttle.

[138east]

The Carnival web site says the cost of the transfer is $30/pp. For that kind of money you can arrange for a car service to take you to the Manattan pier.

 

If you're willing to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport, you can take the airport bus to Port Authority for $16/pp for the adults and the kids under 12 go free. If you're flying out of Newark, the adults can go round trip for $28/pp. From Port Authority you can take a cab (or two cabs if you have a ton of luggage) to the port for about $10-12/cab. http://www.coachusa.com/olympia/ss.newarkairport.asp

Edited March 8, 2015 by 138east

[maritaysa]

The Carnival web site says the cost of the transfer is $30/pp. For that kind of money you can arrange for a car service to take you to the Manattan pier.

 

If you're willing to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport, you can take the airport bus to Port Authority for $16/pp for the adults and the kids under 12 go free. If you're flying out of Newark, the adults can go round trip for $28/pp. From Port Authority you can take a cab (or two cabs if you have a ton of luggage) to the port for about $10-12/cab. http://www.coachusa.com/olympia/ss.newarkairport.asp

 

Thanks for the info. My children will be 5 & 2 at that time, so I've also got to figure out what to do about car seats. Thank goodness I've got a lot of time to figure it out.

[TruckerDave]

Langoustine we haven't narrowed down which airport yet as flight schedules aren't loaded out that far. Our preference is Southwest to use points - not an option as they don't use either airport - and next choice would be cheapest and nonstop - which based on current flights means EWR.

 

 

:confused::confused::confused:

Southwest flies to both LGA and EWR.

[mohawk1129]

Will also be sailing out of NY in Nov 2016. Looking to fly jetblue as they have a direct fight from Buffalo to NYC. Southwest takes me to Chicago then NYC. With the weather in Buffalo lately not going to take a chance not flying direct. Jetblue flys into JFK

Is there an airport bus from JFK to cruise port?

Cost of taxi from JFK?

How much time should I plan for transport as am flying in that morning?

[mking8288]

Will also be sailing out of NY in Nov 2016. Looking to fly jetblue as they have a direct fight from Buffalo to NYC. Southwest takes me to Chicago then NYC. With the weather in Buffalo lately not going to take a chance not flying direct. Jetblue flys into JFK

Is there an airport bus from JFK to cruise port?

Cost of taxi from JFK?

How much time should I plan for transport as am flying in that morning?

Fares, schedule & equipment for B6's BUF-JFK route aren't out yet for Nov. 2016 - but, IMO, you should consider additional flight options to/from LGA, which often have more flight options due to weather & other unforeseen circumstancs - especially flying in on the morning of embarkation ... which, given Erie Co's unpredictable early winter/snow history for the past 40 years that I've come to know, can be challenging & somewhat *risky.

 

Take into consideration B6 is currently flying this route nonstop using E190's or small regional jets - they are most prone to delays & cancellations, and, as much as we loved the carrier & use them for leisure travel - especially now that United has basically abandoned JFK & LGA for its major EWR hub/base - I'm always mindful of their flight ops & recovery due to unexpected delays.

 

If your options or choices are set, book & take the first flight out before sunrise so that you can be landing at JFK very early - and have access to variety of options getting to MCT, joining the weekday commuters on the busy highway. Jet's overhead bins are practically useless for most cruise pax's carry-ons so be prepared to check luggage (and, now - fees are added for 1st. bag, as you should know) so allow time for reclaiming your luggage at the jetway or out at the luggage carousal - Terminal 5 at JFK.

 

Yellow taxi will be a flat rate to the pier, currently about $54 + about $6 in toll & tipping per vehicle (3 plus luggage will fit for sure, 4 is possible) - car service will be priced about the same - fares likely to be slightly higher by then. Travel time will be 90 minutes on average as you will likely be still in the mid/late morning rush hour coming into Manhattan.

 

A wiser alternative for many business traveler with a roller & small bag is AirTrain to Jamaica, then connect to LIRR (train) to NY Penn Station, about 1 hour or less, then a short taxi ride to the pier - much more predictable & fool-proof, usually. Or, with an early morning JFK landing, AirTrain to Jamaica to connect to the E express subway train to Time Square/west side of Manhattan, only 15 extra minutes vs. the LIRR train - and then a short taxi ride to the pier ...

 

There are no direct airport bus from JFK to the pier, the closest would be Port Authority Bus Terminal at 42nd. Street & 8th Avenue - MCT for Carnival (and NCL) is at 48th Street & 12th Avenue, which some considered to be walking distance. The NYC Airporter Bus might be the slowest as it's known to be stopping at LGA on its way to/from Manhattan - fares for 2 people is about $32 each way ($16 p/p x 2) & you are better off taking a taxi - as long as you aren't landing around 10 AM & need to wait for luggage, etc. - depending on what time you plan to board the ship.

 

Still plenty of time to consider all options :D

[mohawk1129]

Thank you for this terrific information! Thanks also for taking the time to answer

[Nitemare]

Do we know which cruise port mohawk is sailing out of? That might enter in to the conversation here regarding where to fly in to.

[mohawk1129]

Cruising carnival out of manhattan

[George C]

Love cruising out of Manhattan, passing the NYC skyline and new World trade center and of course the Statue of Liberty, wish more cruise lines would leave from NYC. Have a great cruise, be great to spend sometime in NYC

[tazprey]

Hi All-

We've booked our next cruise, which will be a repositioning cruise from New York (Manhattan). We've only ever sailed from Florida, and I'm not at all familiar with NYC, so I feel like I don't know where to start. Can someone recommend a good starting place? I've been reading through the boards, as I normally do, but I feel like this time I'm starting the instruction manual at step 15 in Turkish. We will be flying in with 12 days worth of luggage the night before late - DH and I and the two kids 10 and 13. I gather it's cheaper to stay by EWR, and since this appears to be equidistant to the port from LGA this would make sense. But then how to get to the port? And what else do I need to know? Someone point me in the right direction please!

Thanks in advance!

 

We are on the cruise just before, leaving and returning to N.Y. and feel the same way. We have a young child traveling with us to. I think N.Y. Is way different than going out of Miami. Will be following for major hand holding help.

Edited August 1, 2015 by tazprey
Typo

[sjb.illinois]

:confused::confused::confused:

Southwest flies to both LGA and EWR.

 

Thanks -- my initial search was for service out of our hometown. If we drive to the next (larger) city, we can get a SW flight to EWR (connecting, though). That may be what we do, but as schedules are loaded we will have a better idea.