What is reasonable time to book 9/11 after flight arrives?

[KKB]

We arrive 10:15 am into Newark Fri 12/28. 

Staying at Intercontinental Times Square. 

The one thing we want to do is the 9/11 museum. I know we need to book ahead. What time should we book? We probably need to grab lunch too.

2:00 too early?

thx

[ericosmith]

I'm not sure it it's too early, but we were able to enter about an hour earlier than the time on our ticket.  That was on a very busy day. 

[mking8288]

EWR is among the worst-rated airports for on-time arrivals & departure, although that Friday/week should be somewhat slower - still in the middle of winter.  Look at the flight's on-time performance to get an idea, are you on a non-stop or connecting via an airline hub - checking luggage or doing carry-on ?

 

Allow 30 to 45 minutes from wheels down, taxi-to & park-at-the gate, walk into terminal & luggage retrieved, and outside to ground transportation.  Assumed you would use a car service (Carmel & Dial 7 are what Flyerstalk & we on CC's East Coast forum recommend ... and we use Carmel on a periodic basis) into mid-town hotel, transit time can vary - about an hour on average, maybe less, could be more.  If everything goes well, should be checked-in by 12 to 12:30 pm ... will it then be a quick lunch ?  Subway is the fastest & easiest way to get downtown to the WTC area, less than 30 minutes - buying Metro fare card is easy self-service inside the station.  

 

Depending on your evening plans, allow 2.5 to 3 hours to do the tour ... maybe book it for 2:30 PM or even 3 PM, just to be on the safe side.  If you are early & ready, perhaps they will allow you in.   

[Got2Cruise]

I would book 3:00. This will give you time for lunch and to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Occulus and perhaps St Paul’s Church before entering museum 

[KKB]

mking--we were thinking Lyft. Ride guru quotes it at $52. But Carmel limo is quoting me $62.

Any thoughts?

BTW, thanks for all your help!

 

[mking8288]

@KKB - Is the Carmel quote over phone or online, I just did a quick lookup - showing the base rate for a full-size sedan (good for 3 pax, maybe 4 - and 3 large bags plus hand/carry-ons) at $46, tolls is about $20 - tips are additional.  There are discount codes & web-based ones to deduct $3 to $6 off the fare, the digital discount is valid for $6 off when prepaid in advance ... pretty close inside the ballpark/in-field.  Most of the time, when the basic sedan is available, we booked it & twice lately, got a free upgrade to something much nicer - a luxury SUV and minivan.  Booked a mini-van & they dispatched a SUV, one of those monster XLT Suburban.  

 

It's hard to verify/confirm the pricing quotes from Uber & Lyft - since it's dynamically priced, subject to surge & congestion pricing (and, other disclaimers/exceptions for added fees) - they are generally quoted & known to be cheaper.  But, come January 1, 2019 - NYC is enforcing/charging a congestion surcharge (whatever it's called) of $2.50 to $2.75 per trip, for pickup & dropoff south of 96th Street in Manhattan .. higher prices will be a direct pass-thru to all riders.  

 

Caution flag for the in-bound (and, outbound sailing RCL) is the ongoing long-term construction at Lincolon Tunnel, connecting NJ-NY under the Hudson River, and if your ride run into a gridlock or bad congestion, total costs will go up for sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic vs. saving the nominal difference over Carmel (as they don't typically impose/charge for delays & detours ... almost all the drivers are eager to get you form Point A to B, as fast as safely possible & earn their incentives (tips)  Perhaps others will add their recent experience shortly.  

 

You can check & reference their routing by using Google Maps or Waze for real-time traffic based navigation riding in the backseat.  If you are comfortable with Uber/Lyft & use them before, go with them if you feel it's fine.  For a $52 trip before a $20 charge for tolls, and a 30 to 60 minutes drive - I don't see how ride-share drivers can make a living wage, well, that's just me.   Enjoy your winter visit to NY - happy cruising - & let us know how it worked out afterward, always good to get first-hand feedback.   (We are doing our own 14 days in a few weeks out of Manhattan cruise terminal ... Carmel, again.) 

[KKB]

Mking--thanks for your thorough response. There are 5 of us so we need a Lyft XL which could take longer. 

 

I think you are right--the limo (van) price is set & the Lyft price could easily go higher with traffic or surge pricing. 

 

My husband did Uber one summer just to make a few extra $. I cannot imagine in such a pricey place as NYC that you could easily pay the bills with it. 

 

We do Vegas several times a year & Lyft/Uber has been a godsend there after cabbies were hell bent on "long hauling" customers. Being a frequent visitor I was always very specific about which way I wanted them to go, but most visitors would have not idea. I also find Lyft/Uber cars to be nicer. I always leave a nice tip as I realize it is a tough business.

[mking8288]

@KKB - Dial 7 and/or Carmel's typical minivan will fit 5 adults & 5 large pc. of luggage plus smaller carry-on/cabin bags (especially backpacks & duffles, easily to stash & stack in the back)  ... check & compare prices w. Uber/Lyft.  

 

Carmel (pretty sure, Dialy 7 too) has their own fleet base/garage/fuel depot near the airports and usually able to dispatch a vehicle to arrive for pickup in 10 minutes or less.  When we disembark our cruises in NY, I wait till we clear CBP & then on the way out, request a vehicle & set it to pick up in 15 minutes - enough time to make a quick bathroom stop & get to the meet-up locations to wait for the driver ... wait time should be competitve & equal to Lyft/Uber.