9/11 Museum & Memorial from NCL Gem

[bob4cruise]

we are doing a back to back cruise and will have the day from 8-2pm on Sept 12 in NY City.

we want to see the 9/11 Museum & Memorial..

what is the most cost effective way to get from the ship & back to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial. limited on walking with a cane. but have walked in the city b4 quicker then traffic was moving going to the pier ! tks in adv

[George C]

I would just take a taxi or uber, my guess is fare is about 25 each way, get a ticket online before you go for museum, Ride is only about 15 or 20 mins. Also can now go to the of the new WTC which was not yet open on my last trip, but of course you pay extra for that also.

[CruiserBruce]

If mobility isn't an issue, I would give some thought to the subway. Very easy to use and inexpensive. Just takes a little research.

 

As to the Memorial, I was just there in June. The first 2 hours went by before we knew it. You could spend 3 hours pretty easily. Budget your time wisely. As a firefighter, it was tremendously emotional.

[138east]

we are doing a back to back cruise and will have the day from 8-2pm on Sept 12 in NY City.

we want to see the 9/11 Museum & Memorial..

what is the most cost effective way to get from the ship & back to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial. limited on walking with a cane. but have walked in the city b4 quicker then traffic was moving going to the pier ! tks in adv

 

You really don't have that much time. Will you really be able to be off the ship at 8 am? Or will you waste some time checking out and in again for the B2B?

 

You will be docked on 12th Ave. From there it is a straight shot down the west side to the World Trade Center area. Traffic usually moves very well on this route. I'd be hopping in a cab both ways to maximize my time.

[bob4cruise]

You really don't have that much time. Will you really be able to be off the ship at 8 am? Or will you waste some time checking out and in again for the B2B?

.

 

1st time doing a back to back, and we could not get the same cabin.. so not sure how long moving will take and check-in & out..

[Got2Cruise]

1st time doing a back to back, and we could not get the same cabin.. so not sure how long moving will take and check-in & out..

 

 

I'm sure someone on NCL board can give you the details how that would work. But, you should get timed tickets for the museum, not just show up, especially since you have no time to waste.

[luvtheships]

You need to move to a new cabin....Which needs to be cleaned after the previous cruisers depart so unless you can arrange for your steward...who will be very busy...to move your stuff for you .....you will have at most 2 hours...from 11 am to 1 pm to visit the museum....if you are lucky...and getting a hailed cab back to the ship will not be easy even if you can call one as the area is just so vast and crowded not to mention that when you depart the ship you will be competing with the other pax for a taxi.

 

Also being it is Saturday September 12 the museum will be extra mobbed! As will the reflecting pool...as will the entire area.

 

I have been there with timed tickets and still needed to queue up 30 minutes early

 

There were easily 300 plus people on the timed admission queue line 30 minutes before the timed slot

 

It's too risky a venture especially on a Saturday especially on sept 12...

 

If it were a Thursday in November and you weren't changing cabins it might be a different story.

 

Plus you mentioned you use a cane which tells me that you might want to have more time versus less for your plan.

 

A very cost ineffective plan might be to hire a private driver for a few hours this way you have door to door guaranteed service. It will cost a fortune though

 

Of course there is no way to tell what time you will get thru customs and get your bags moved to the new cabin

 

 

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Edited August 14, 2015 by luvtheships

[George C]

There should be no problem getting a taxi both ways you can walk a block or so from the ship since you will not have luggage and then grab a cab and it is easy to get a taxi on way back, reflecting pools are huge, I went there on Memorial day a couple of years ago and it was not that bad. Museum will take time and you need the ticket so to be safe might want to skip that but I would still go down there.

[Got2Cruise]

Wouldn't there be an area for those doing b2b to store their luggage on the ship? It shouldn't take hours. When OP returns to the ship he can unpack then.

[138east]

You need to ask on the NCL board how the B2B is handled. On RCL you pack up, leave your hanging clothes, and the room steward moves you.

 

In Barcelona we went through all the formalities early and were able to just walk off the ship early. In Cape Liberty we were taken as a group off the ship around 10 am for the C&I formalities. If folks were going into NYC I think they would have been able to go earlier, but that day no B2Ber's were going anywhere in a major snowstorm.

 

For the Gem New York is an attractive port, so I would imagine they make it possible for their B2B guests to enjoy a full port day.

[luvtheships]

There should be no problem getting a taxi both ways you can walk a block or so from the ship since you will not have luggage and then grab a cab and it is easy to get a taxi on way back, reflecting pools are huge, I went there on Memorial day a couple of years ago and it was not that bad. Museum will take time and you need the ticket so to be safe might want to skip that but I would still go down there.

 

I was there Memorial Day 2015 with timed tix and it was ok as well....however the Freedom Tower observation deck is now open .... meaning more visitors

 

But what I don't think anybody is realizing is that I am saying that September 12 is a Saturday.....and also 1 day after the 9/11 commemorations....the area will be 3x as busy on 9/12 than it normally is.....primarily because people want to visit the area around the anniversary....but not on the anniversary because of the enormous ceremony...which takes most of the day.....and the difficulty of regular folks even being allowed in the area ....if at all

 

 

 

It's the date that is at issue....and the op may not even be able to get timed tix to meet his timeframe

 

 

But give it a shot and if you can get a 10 or 11 am entrance and are ok with the huge masses that will be there on 9/12 and you aren't concerned about your cane use...go for it....but expect longer lines for security

 

Alternately.....just hang out by the reflecting pool and skip the museum.

 

 

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Edited August 14, 2015 by luvtheships

[Brighton Line]

There will also be expanded security the entire weekend at the WTC/Freedom Tower site and the blocks imeaditly around it. There may even be restricted movement on the streets as well.

Subway even with a cane in one direction may be the answer, even subway to/from a cab.

[George C]

You need to ask on the NCL board how the B2B is handled. On RCL you pack up, leave your hanging clothes, and the room steward moves you.

 

In Barcelona we went through all the formalities early and were able to just walk off the ship early. In Cape Liberty we were taken as a group off the ship around 10 am for the C&I formalities. If folks were going into NYC I think they would have been able to go earlier, but that day no B2Ber's were going anywhere in a major snowstorm.

 

For the Gem New York is an attractive port, so I would imagine they make it possible for their B2B guests to enjoy a full port day.

 

I agree, 1st thing is to figure out approx. when you will be able to get off the ship, I have not done a back to back in ages and when I did not have to change cabins. You will get a great view of WTC when your ship enters and exits the pier. Love leaving from NYC.