First timers to NYC need help planning

[stunned]

Sailing out of NYC for the first time ever next year and want to go early and see the sights without breaking the bank.  Any suggestions?

[KKB]

Get the IHG credit card--there are 2, I believer 1 is $49 annual fee & 1 is $99. The BEST perk is 1 free night/year each. We were able to book the Intercontinental Times Square using that night (they are NOT always available so book early). It was the perfect location to walk the area. It goes for several hundred/night so the credit card more than paid for itself.

 

We booked a car service from the airport to our hotel as we had a party of 5 with luggage for a 9 day cruise--for 2 a cab is sufficient. Once you drop your bags, the subway is the easiest/cheapest way to get around. the New York Subway MTA Map app was a lifesaver.

 

SO SO many things to to in NYC, you will not be able to do them all. So visit with your party to determine priorities.

 

Unfortunately we just came in a day early which pretty much limited us to the immediate area; then it POURED ALL DAY. Best laid plans...we just wandered around the area. 

[paradiselivin1]

Too many to list and certainly depends on the type of things you like to do. I used to live in NYC many years ago and always acted like a tourist in my own back yard. Now, I only visit every year or so (pre - pandemic) but some favorites are walking the Highline; Brooklyn Bridge; DUMBO and museums nights that are free. Here's a tip: Google "Free and Cheap things in NY". There is a treasure trove out there to cull through. I actually bought a small paperback a decade ago by the same (or similar name) that I'd tuck in my suitcase every time I went. Enjoy ~ love that city!

[rkacruiser]

On 6/20/2021 at 4:09 PM, stunned said:

 Any suggestions?

 

A Circle Line cruise around Manhatten, a trip on the Staten Island Ferry, a tour company bus tour around Manhatten, bargain theater tickets from an outlet--the name of which I cannot recall--if that remains available, post-Covid.  These are a few things that ought not to be "break the bank" type activities.  

 

If your party enjoy walking, a really inexpensive way to see the city is to take the subway to the tip of the Island and then walk back to your hotel, assuming it is in mid-town Manhatten.  You can then stop at places that interest you en route.  My family did that when I was a teenager and it was/is memorable for me.  

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

On 6/20/2021 at 4:09 PM, stunned said:

Sailing out of NYC for the first time ever next year and want to go early and see the sights without breaking the bank.  Any suggestions?

Do a HoHo