Princess cruising from NYC---need logistical advice

[shiner6]

I think Princess sails out of Brooklyn Port near Redhook. Can anyone verify this?  I also wish to know what airport to fly into and which hotels are a good choice for this terminal?  I don't plan on doing a lot of sightseeing before my cruise, maybe just explore area around hotel.  Like to keep price around $300-450  a night.  Any help with logistics would be greatly appreciated since my last visit to the" Big Apple" was  over 30 years ago.  Also, what is easiest way to get from airport to Hotel with luggage?

Edited August 6, 2021 by shiner6

[geoherb]

We left on one cruise from the Manhattan terminal and sailed into Brooklyn on another. The Princess website still has the Manhattan port listed as a possibility. When we sailed into Brooklyn on a transatlantic, we flew home from LaGuardia. That is the closets airport. 

[MarkBearSF]

Assuming you sail out of Redhook (the largest/longest ships cannot dock in Manhattan) - there are no hotels in the immediate vicinity. It's an industrial/dock area that is getting gentrified, but still is mainly parking lots and construction. 

Of the three airports, LaGuardia, LGA, is closest (but still under construction in many areas. And you cannot fly from long distances there) Second is JFK and third is Newark, EWR. Depending on where you spend the night before, it may not matter (if you stay in the West Side of Manhattan, EWR can be convenient.) Your airport will likely be determined by your choice of airlines as much as anything.

I would recommend checking out Brooklyn for your overnight, but I love Manhattan and would personally stay there (and I'd try to fit in a Broadway show). Either would be great, but neither is near the airports. (I wouldn't recommend staying right near JFK or LGA).

I always recommend a car service for transportation with cruise luggage between airports, cruise and hotels. There are two highly competitive services in NY. We use Dial7 (dial7.com) or 1-212-777-7777, or their own app. The other company is Carmel (carmellimo.com) or 1 - 866-666-6666 or their app. We travel to NY and take the QM2 from Redhook often. We always do Dial7 from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship. Other options are taxi, Lyft/Uber or mass transit (I don't recommend for this port). There also is a wonderful passenger ferry that stops right next to the ship and travels to Manhattan for a few dollars. However, although they have racks to accommodate it, we're not crazy about doing that with cruise luggage.

Edited August 6, 2021 by MarkBearSF

[Iamcruzin]

15 minutes ago, MarkBearSF said:

Assuming you sail out of Redhook (the largest/longest ships cannot dock in Manhattan) - there are no hotels in the immediate vicinity. It's an industrial/dock area that is getting gentrified, but still is mainly parking lots and construction. 

Of the three airports, LaGuardia, LGA, is closest (but still under construction in many areas. And you cannot fly from long distances there) Second is JFK and third is Newark, EWR. Depending on where you spend the night before, it may not matter (if you stay in the West Side of Manhattan, EWR can be convenient.) Your airport will likely be determined by your choice of airlines as much as anything.

I would recommend checking out Brooklyn for your overnight, but I love Manhattan and would personally stay there (and I'd try to fit in a Broadway show). Either would be great, but neither is near the airports. (I wouldn't recommend staying right near JFK or LGA).

I always recommend a car service for transportation with cruise luggage between airports, cruise and hotels. There are two highly competitive services in NY. We use Dial7 (dial7.com) or 1-212-777-7777, or their own app. The other company is Carmel (carmellimo.com) or 1 - 866-666-6666 or their app. We travel to NY and take the QM2 from Redhook often. We always do Dial7 from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship. Other options are taxi, Lyft/Uber or mass transit (I don't recommend for this port). There also is a wonderful passenger ferry that stops right next to the ship and travels to Manhattan for a few dollars. However, although they have racks to accommodate it, we're not crazy about doing that with cruise luggage.

As a New Yorker and someone who has sailed from Red Hook this is spot on. We live on Long Island  and I can tell you getting a Taxi to the Long Island Railroad when returning to port was Hell. They tried to refuse us a ride which is illegal. They would rather an airport passenger.  I would definitely use a car service in the future.  It would rather sail from Manhattan than Brooklyn, even though Brooklyn is on Long Island.

[gerig]

12 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

As a New Yorker and someone who has sailed from Red Hook this is spot on. We live on Long Island  and I can tell you getting a Taxi to the Long Island Railroad when returning to port was Hell. They tried to refuse us a ride which is illegal. They would rather an airport passenger.  I would definitely use a car service in the future.  It would rather sail from Manhattan than Brooklyn, even though Brooklyn is on Long Island.

I also live on Long Island and prefer to go to Red Hook.  Getting to the piers in manhattan is a pain.

 

[Blondilu]

We flew into LaGuardia, took a taxi to a hotel about a block and a half from the World Trade Center Memorial.  I can't remember the name, but there are a few in that area.  It was within walking distance of the Statue of Liberty ferry, the World Trade Center and a subway station which we used to go to "Broadway" for a play.

 

We used a car service from the hotel to the port at Red Hook.

[skynight]

Princess has sailed from Redhook in Brooklyn for many years. I assume they will continue to do so. As far as I know they only used Manhattan piers the few times when NYC was a port of call on the itinerary.  La Guardia is the closest airport. JFK is also fairly close. There is no easy public transportation from either of these airports. You have to take a taxi or Uber. Newark is further away across Manhattan and into NJ. If you select Newark and if you are flying out on disembarkation day I would recommend purchasing a Princess transfer. For arrival there is a train service from Newark to midtown Manhattan. You can search details on line. It may be better to just select a taxi or Uber. 

There is a ferry service from pier 11 in the Wall St. area that actually docks right in Atlantic Basin adjacent to the ship. If you stay in one of the Wall St area hotels pre-cruise it would be easy to get to the pier. You may require ferry tickets in advance. 

[shiner6]

Thank you very much! My husband does not want to sail out of NYC because of past miseries ( very long time ago), so I am trying to convince him that I have it figured out ahead of time.  Your help is very much appreciated.

[caribill]

Unless there is a very good reason to fly into Newark (EWR), I would fly into either LGA or JFK. Let the airline and/or flight pricing be your guide as to which airport to pick.

 

If you are just flying in the day before and do not want real sightseeing, I suggest either staying at a hotel or in downtown Brooklyn (Hotels such as Holiday Inn and Hilton are there).

 

I echo the others and suggest using Dial7 for transportation for airport to hotel and hotel to ship or airport to ship.

[George C]

I love sailing out of nyc , have sailed Princess out of Brooklyn a couple of times, we prefer flying to LGA and getting a hotel in midtown close to Times Square so we can possibly see a play or show , some of my favorite restaurants are in this area, we either take taxi, Uber or Lyft, my favorite hotel is michealanglo on 51st and 7th it’s a small elegant place in a great location. 

[lenquixote66]

18 hours ago, gerig said:

I also live on Long Island and prefer to go to Red Hook.  Getting to the piers in manhattan is a pain.

 

I never cruised from Red Hook but I may just do that one day.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, George C said:

I love sailing out of nyc , have sailed Princess out of Brooklyn a couple of times, we prefer flying to LGA and getting a hotel in midtown close to Times Square so we can possibly see a play or show , some of my favorite restaurants are in this area, we either take taxi, Uber or Lyft, my favorite hotel is michealanglo on 51st and 7th it’s a small elegant place in a great location. 

We prefer driving to Bayonne than to Manhattan even though we lived much closer to Manhattan.

[GTJ]

9 hours ago, skynight said:

There is no easy public transportation from either of these airports.

 

Public transportation from the airports is decent (though it could be better), but the real issue is the public transportation to the Brooklyn Cruise Port. There's a local bus route, B61, from non-obvious stand in downtown Brooklyn, and it leaves cruise passengers on a street corner in Red Hook that requires an additional non-obvious five block walk on residential and industrial streets to the passenger terminal. There's also a ferry from Manhattan, from Pier 11, near Wall Street, which, while itself is well-developed, is somewhat isolated from connecting transportation.

 

I am not especially inclined to pre-arrange ground transportation with a particular dispatcher of car service, given that so many things can disrupt even the best-laid plans; to me the appeal of flexibility favors making arrangements when needed. But that's a matter of individual preference (and since I almost always use public transportation to and from airports, it fits right in).

 

In sum, you may well want to rely on public transportation between the airports and hotel, depending on where the hotel is located. But between the hotel and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, and unless you're staying in downtown Brooklyn or in Manhattan near Pier 11, it is more likely that a taxi-like service would be most useful.

 

Since pre-cruise sightseeing is not on your list of priorities, you might want to consider staying at the Marriott in downtown Brooklyn (I believe that it is marketed as the "New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge) or one of the other hotels in downtown Brooklyn within a few blocks thereof. Downtown Brooklyn, along with adjacent Brooklyn Heights and other immediately surrounding areas, can make for a pleasant stroll and visit, largely devoid of tourists, and perhaps an interesting new experience distinct from being in Manhattan. It is very close to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, and a street-hail taxi or Uber/Lyft would be convenient for that journey (but the hotel is also convenient to the B61 bus). The hotel is also relatively convenient to public transportation from both LaGuardia and JFK airports (from LaGuardia, Q70 express bus to Jackson Heights subway station, then "F" train to Jay Street; from JFK, AirTrain to Howard Beach, then "A" train to Jay Street); taxi-like service from JFK would be comparable in cost to Manhattan, from LaGuardia probably slightly higher cost, from Newark probably fairly greater.

[GTJ]

19 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I can tell you getting a Taxi to the Long Island Railroad when returning to port was Hell. They tried to refuse us a ride which is illegal. They would rather an airport passenger.

 

Knowledge of TLC regulations, coupled with New York aggressiveness and demonstrated willingness to call for police intervention, is useful to possess in such circumstances. That said, on those rare occasions when I use a taxi for a short trip (such as the relatively short distance between LaGuardia and my home in Flushing, Queens), I have never been resisted by a driver.

[George C]

40 minutes ago, GTJ said:

 

Knowledge of TLC regulations, coupled with New York aggressiveness and demonstrated willingness to call for police intervention, is useful to possess in such circumstances. That said, on those rare occasions when I use a taxi for a short trip (such as the relatively short distance between LaGuardia and my home in Flushing, Queens), I have never been resisted by a driver.

I also have never had a issue with driver not wanting to go wherever, need to get in taxi before giving them the address where you are going. But Uber and Lyft cars are normally nicer and fare is cheaper.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

 

Knowledge of TLC regulations, coupled with New York aggressiveness and demonstrated willingness to call for police intervention, is useful to possess in such circumstances. That said, on those rare occasions when I use a taxi for a short trip (such as the relatively short distance between LaGuardia and my home in Flushing, Queens), I have never been resisted by a driver.

 

I have been refused by NYC taxi drivers when I was outside the cab and told them where I wanted to go.

 

I have learned to get into the cab and then tell them my destination. Almost impossible for them to refuse the ride at that point.

 

Also, a significant number of cab drivers do not know how to get to the Red Hook cruise terminal. It helps if you can provide directions to them.

[George C]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

I have been refused by NYC taxi drivers when I was outside the cab and told them where I wanted to go.

 

I have learned to get into the cab and then tell them my destination. Almost impossible for them to refuse the ride at that point.

 

Also, a significant number of cab drivers do not know how to get to the Red Hook cruise terminal. It helps if you can provide directions to them.

Taxi industry has lost lots of business since Uber and Lyft arrived , those that own there own taxi lost lots of money 

[GTJ]

On 8/6/2021 at 6:55 PM, caribill said:

Also, a significant number of cab drivers do not know how to get to the Red Hook cruise terminal. It helps if you can provide directions to them.

 

NYC taxi drivers are supposed to have an atlas to guide them to unfamiliar locations, but there is also fault with the TLC itself if it does not examine taxi drivers on their knowledge of NYC transportation terminal locations . . . inclusive of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

 

Several years ago I was returning home to New York City from a business meeting in Irvine, California, and had traveled via Celebrity Cruises from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale. My wife and I had alighted from the vessel at Port Everglades and boarded a taxi at the passenger terminal. When giving our destination to the driver--the railroad station in Fort Lauderdale--the driver professed not to know the location of the station, and I had to guide him from the port to the station not ever having been in Fort Lauderdale before (other than having just passed through previously on the train from Miami to New York, or the commuter train to West Palm Beach). Then there was an occasion a few years ago where I was traveling on a regular route motorcoach operated by Lakefront Lines into Chicago. It was a late night trip, and approaching the penultimate stop, the 95th Street station on the south side of Chicago, it was clear that the driver had no clue how to get there. I was in the front seat, and despite the darkness and having never lived or traveled much on the south side of Chicago, I was able to guide the driver off the Skyway and Dan Ryan Expressway and into the 95th Street station. It is amazing how some professional drivers are ignorant of routes and destinations, or to even have the ability to "feel" their way around geographically where they don't have precise knowledge. Such a disappointment.

Edited August 8, 2021 by GTJ

[GTJ]

23 hours ago, George C said:

Taxi industry has lost lots of business since Uber and Lyft arrived, those that own their own taxi lost lots of money 

 

The sad part is that individuals who bought medallions--many of whom were immigrants of very modest means--borrowed heavily, sometimes giving mortgages on their homes, to buy those medallions. Now they're underwater on the medallions, with their American dream at risk of being lost. It is difficult not feeling bad for those persons.

[FritzG]

We're (hopefully!) sailing out of Red Hook in November, and since we're only staying one night I booked the Marriott Brooklyn Bridge.  United only flies into EWR, and we'll be taking a car service to Brooklyn so we probably won't get there until mid afternoon.  I don't remember which car service we used the last time we arrived in Red Hook, but once I find it in my paperwork I'll be booking them again.  

 

We've sailed into Red Hook several times previously, and we were going straight to EWR so we've used the ship's shuttles.  As long as you don't have an early flight they're pretty reliable.

 

[George C]

14 hours ago, GTJ said:

 

The sad part is that individuals who bought medallions--many of whom were immigrants of very modest means--borrowed heavily, sometimes giving mortgages on their homes, to buy those medallions. Now they're underwater on the medallions, with their American dream at risk of being lost. It is difficult not feeling bad for those persons.

There was a article about someone killing himself because of his loss, this was a couple of years ago had a long talk with taxi driver about this two years ago in nyc , they sold for about a million before Uber and Lyft. My dad had a medallion that he bought in the 1970’s for 25k sold in 80’s for 50k. 

[njhorseman]

On 8/5/2021 at 10:13 PM, MarkBearSF said:

(the largest/longest ships cannot dock in Manhattan)

FYI, I've sailed on the QM2 from Manhattan before the Brooklyn terminal opened and the QM2 is bigger than the largest Princess ship, Sky Princess, in all the usual measures: gross tonnes, length, beam, and draft. I've also sailed on NCL's Breakaway and Escape from Manhattan several times and they equal or exceed Sky Princess in all those measures but length, being shorter by 12 and 11 feet, respectively...but since QM2 exceeds Sky Princess in length by 52 feet the NCL ships could still be accommodated if they were as long as the Sky Princess.

[GTJ]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

FYI, I've sailed on the QM2 from Manhattan before the Brooklyn terminal opened . . . .

 

The question I see is what the decision calculus is for carriers determining the particular terminal they use in New York Harbor. I can see Royal Caribbean (including corporate affiliate Celebrity Cruises) wanting to use Cape Liberty in Bayonne for the purpose of having an exclusive home for the brand not used by its competitors. But on what bases do the other carriers decide to port in Manhattan or to port in Brooklyn? Cost? Prestige? Convenience (to carrier or to passenger)? Something else?

[MarkBearSF]

Most everyone would prefer to dock in Manhattan vs Red Hook. 

I believe the factor is the length of the ship. if she sticks out too far into the Hudson she becomes a hazard. So the QM2 docks there, but her smaller sisters Vickie and Liz will usually dock in Manhattan. The larger ships in the Princess fleet require Red Hook. Conceivably, there could be a situation where a Manhattan berth is unavailable pushing the ship to Brooklyn, but rare. And likewise, a larger ship can be granted an exemption to dock in Manhattan (I think it happened once with the QM2). 

I believe that they're expanding the facilities in Red Hook to handle two simultaneous ships in port, but it was likely delayed with the COVID freeze and I don't know its current status. By the way, I also believe that Carnival financed much of the port to accommodate the QM2. 

So, yes, RC and Celebrity ships dock in their pier at Cape Liberty, the NCL ships, although big, are short enough to dock in Manhattan, and do. And Carnival-related ships dock in either Manhattan (if they can) or Red Hook (if they're too big for Manhattan)

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

 

The question I see is what the decision calculus is for carriers determining the particular terminal they use in New York Harbor. I can see Royal Caribbean (including corporate affiliate Celebrity Cruises) wanting to use Cape Liberty in Bayonne for the purpose of having an exclusive home for the brand not used by its competitors. But on what bases do the other carriers decide to port in Manhattan or to port in Brooklyn? Cost? Prestige? Convenience (to carrier or to passenger)? Something else?

NCL has had first dibs (and I'm pretty sure it's their contractual right) on Manhattan berths because they ran two ships year round from the port. Anyone else fits in where they can. Royal and Celebrity have a similar hold on Cape Liberty, which doesn't offer much flexibility because there's only a single berth there. Carnival and Disney, when cruising from NY, get the Manhattan leftovers.

 

There have been rare exceptions due to emergencies but cruise lines using NY as a home port have to have space available at the same terminal complex for both the ship's arrival and departure. You can't have passengers leaving from Manhattan but returning to Brooklyn or vice versa. So, it just makes sense that cruise lines stake out space at a single terminal for homeport cruises.

 

When NY is a port of call almost everyone berths in Manhattan for obvious reasons, with a few in Brooklyn . Once in a great while a ship docks at Cape Liberty if absolutely no space is available elsewhere but that's strictly a last resort due to lack of easy access to Manhattan.