JFK to cruise port w/kids

[BalancingWanderlust]

We are looking into doing a Bermuda cruise from New York next year (2024). What are some transportation option from JFK to a cruise port hotel and then hotel to cruise port that don't require a car seat (if any exist)? Our children would be 2 and 4 at time of travel and we were hoping to not have to take car seats with us. Thanks 🙂

[njhorseman]

22 minutes ago, BalancingWanderlust said:

We are looking into doing a Bermuda cruise from New York next year (2024). What are some transportation option from JFK to a cruise port hotel and then hotel to cruise port that don't require a car seat (if any exist)? Our children would be 2 and 4 at time of travel and we were hoping to not have to take car seats with us. Thanks 🙂

In NY City children are exempt from the usual car seat laws when riding in taxis and car services, so if you were willing to risk having your children ride without a child safety seat you may do so.

Some car services will provide car seats for a fee.

[BalancingWanderlust]

2 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

In NY City children are exempt from the usual car seat laws when riding in taxis and car services, so if you were willing to risk having your children ride without a child safety seat you may do so.

Some car services will provide car seats for a fee.

 

Thanks for the info. I will look into a car service.

 

Any public transportation options? 

[Rubyfisch]

What cruise line/cruise port are you going from? There are three in the NYC area.

[BalancingWanderlust]

51 minutes ago, Rubyfisch said:

What cruise line/cruise port are you going from? There are three in the NYC area.

 

Not sure yet we haven't picked a specific cruise yet. Is there a big difference between the transportation options from JFK to the different cruise ports? 

[GTJ]

1 hour ago, BalancingWanderlust said:

Any public transportation options? 

Yes. At John F. Kennedy International Airport the on-airport automated transportation system, AirTrain, connects with public transportation at two points. At the "Jamaica" AirTrain station, you can find the Long Island Rail Road and the "E," "J," and "Z" subway trains. The Long Island Rail Road is a 20-minute ride, either to Pennsylvania Station in midtown Manhattan or to Atlantic Terminal in downtown Brooklyn. These stations are close to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, respectively, and many of the hotels serving each. The "E" subway train goes closest to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (50th Street station), and many of its stations in midtown Manhattan are close to hotels near the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. At the "Howard Beach" AirTrain station, you can find the "A" subway train. This train goes into downtown Brooklyn and to midtown Manhattan. If you're destined for the cruise terminal in Bayonne, public transportation is a bit complex. (Once in Manhattan, you would then need to travel additionally on the PATH train to Jersey City, where many hotels serving the port in Bayonne are located.)

 

You would not need a child seat when traveling by AIrTrain, by Long Island Rail Road, or by subway train. Moreover, there would not be any easy way to secure a child seat. Children travel regularly on all of these trains without any special protective seating.

Edited May 21, 2023 by GTJ

[BalancingWanderlust]

9 minutes ago, GTJ said:

Yes. At John F. Kennedy International Airport the on-airport automated transportation system, AirTrain, connects with public transportation at two points. At the "Jamaica" AirTrain station, you can find the Long Island Rail Road and the "E," "J," and "Z" subway trains. The Long Island Rail Road is a 20-minute ride, either to Pennsylvania Station in midtown Manhattan or to Atlantic Terminal in downtown Brooklyn. These stations are close to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, respectively, and many of the hotels serving each. The "E" subway train goes closest to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (50th Street station), and many of its stations in midtown Manhattan are close to hotels near the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. At the "Howard Beach" AirTrain station, you can find the "A" subway train. This train goes into downtown Brooklyn and to midtown Manhattan. If you're destined for the cruise terminal in Bayonne, public transportation is a bit complex. (Once in Manhattan, you would then need to travel additionally on the PATH train to Jersey City, where many hotels serving the port in Bayonne are located.)

 

You would not need a child seat when traveling by AIrTrain, by Long Island Rail Road, or by subway train. Moreover, there would not be any easy way to secure a child seat. Children travel regularly on all of these trains without any special protective seating.

 

Thank you so helpful 🙂

[Rubyfisch]

5 minutes ago, BalancingWanderlust said:

 

Not sure yet we haven't picked a specific cruise yet. Is there a big difference between the transportation options from JFK to the different cruise ports? 

Yes - as @GTJ described. If you were going on Royal out of Cape Liberty (Bayonne), you'd likely be better off going into Newark.

 

Also, public transit with luggage (even without small children) can be a lot in NYC if you aren't used to taking public transit.

[markeb]

Are you set on JFK? Where in Canada are you coming from?

 

If you're unsure of the cruise, it may be premature to look too closely at JFK. Any of the three airports may work depending on whether you're cruising from Cape Liberty (Bayonne, NJ), Manhattan, or Brooklyn. If you're cruising from Bayonne, if may make much more sense to fly into Newark, for instance. Newark is a Star Alliance hub, so I'd expect a good choice of Air Canada flights. And it's the closest airport to Cape Liberty.

 

For all travel into the NYC metro area, understand your total cost of transportation before settling on your flights and airports. You can eat a lot of airfare savings on transportation costs from New York to New Jersey (or vice versa)!

[BalancingWanderlust]

1 minute ago, Rubyfisch said:

Yes - as @GTJ described. If you were going on Royal out of Cape Liberty (Bayonne), you'd likely be better off going into Newark.

 

Also, public transit with luggage (even without small children) can be a lot in NYC if you aren't used to taking public transit.

 

Thanks. Yes, we have used public transportation in a few countries now and are very comfortable with it. This would the first time with kids though. 

[BalancingWanderlust]

1 minute ago, markeb said:

Are you set on JFK? Where in Canada are you coming from?

 

If you're unsure of the cruise, it may be premature to look too closely at JFK. Any of the three airports may work depending on whether you're cruising from Cape Liberty (Bayonne, NJ), Manhattan, or Brooklyn. If you're cruising from Bayonne, if may make much more sense to fly into Newark, for instance. Newark is a Star Alliance hub, so I'd expect a good choice of Air Canada flights. And it's the closest airport to Cape Liberty.

 

For all travel into the NYC metro area, understand your total cost of transportation before settling on your flights and airports. You can eat a lot of airfare savings on transportation costs from New York to New Jersey (or vice versa)!

 

Thank you that is a very good point. And no we are not stuck on flying into JFK. We would be coming from YVR and we have flown into JFK before so know we can get direct flights, etc. I will definitely look at which airport is closest to our cruise terminal once we decide on our cruise and factor in ground travel costs. 

[markeb]

1 minute ago, BalancingWanderlust said:

 

Thank you that is a very good point. And no we are not stuck on flying into JFK. We would be coming from YVR and we have flown into JFK before so know we can get direct flights, etc. I will definitely look at which airport is closest to our cruise terminal once we decide on our cruise and factor in ground travel costs. 

 

Pre-pandemic, there was a fairly frequent theme on this board of someone who'd gotten a great deal on a flight, usually into Newark, and was now trying to get to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. (Sometimes it was La Guardia to Cape Liberty.) They'd saved $50 per ticket, and were suddenly looking at a car service from Newark to Manhattan, round trip, that would eat their entire savings, sometimes many times over. You can get from Newark to Manhattan by public transportation, but these were often families with children or older travelers who just didn't use public transportation. I laugh sometimes at GTJ, but they know the public transportation system! Unfortunately, not every traveler does, and many cruisers just don't do trains...

[BalancingWanderlust]

25 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Pre-pandemic, there was a fairly frequent theme on this board of someone who'd gotten a great deal on a flight, usually into Newark, and was now trying to get to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. (Sometimes it was La Guardia to Cape Liberty.) They'd saved $50 per ticket, and were suddenly looking at a car service from Newark to Manhattan, round trip, that would eat their entire savings, sometimes many times over. You can get from Newark to Manhattan by public transportation, but these were often families with children or older travelers who just didn't use public transportation. I laugh sometimes at GTJ, but they know the public transportation system! Unfortunately, not every traveler does, and many cruisers just don't do trains...

 

Lol yes total cost of getting from point A to point B can definitely have many variables! My husband and I are usually more backpacking style travelers but now that we have young kids are looking at cruising as a bit of an easier way of traveling with kids. We have done two cruises kid free and feel it's a good fit for our family but we still aren't your "typical" cruisers (absolutely no offense to "typical" cruisers!) 🙂

[GTJ]

26 minutes ago, BalancingWanderlust said:

My husband and I are usually more backpacking style travelers but now that we have young kids are looking at cruising as a bit of an easier way of traveling with kids.

If you and your family are okay traveling together on SkyTrain and TransLink, you'll do just fine on the trains here in New York City. The scale of things might be a bit larger here, and there's quirks here and there, but you know how to deal with transportation systems generally. Be assured that, no matter which airport you do in fact use (J. F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, or Newark), and no matter which sea port you do in fact use (Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Bayonne), there is good public transportation between the airport and the hotels near the sea port. (There are also airport at White Plains and Islip, but these airports are not very convenient.) There is also good public transportation between those hotels and the sea ports, and in some cases you might just walk, except for the port in Bayonne (which has public transportation between the nearby hotels in Jersey City and a station in Bayonne, but a taxi or other for-hire vehicle is necessary from the station to the port itself, absent a long and not entirely pleasant hike).

 

Because traveling on a cruise vessel can be so easy and convenient--many vessels can be described as a mobile hotel and resort--a substantial number of passengers are older, disabled, and less mobile than the larger population of Canada and the United States. As well, many people who travel by cruise vessel don't want to do or think about anything, wanting everything to be taken care of for them. Accordingly, many posts and responses you find here relate to doing things the "easiest" way, concluding that travel by public transportation is too difficult, confusing, or exhausting, especially while on vacation.

 

Younger people who are more adventurous with their interests are not rare on cruise vessels, but are usually in the minority. I would not consider myself to be the "backpack" style, which I generally regard as being driven by a desire to minimize travel cost, but as someone who seeks active travel and good value. So I do not consider myself to be a "typical" cruise passenger either, but nonetheless part of a minority that appreciates cruise vessel travel for the places one can visit, the value that it offers, and the opportunity to do the things I enjoy at the various ports visited.

[navybankerteacher]

12 hours ago, BalancingWanderlust said:

 

Thanks for the info. I will look into a car service.

 

Any public transportation options? 

Yes, but are you certain you’d like to take on the NY Transit system with two small children and cruise luggage in tow?

[Got2Cruise]

If you want to use public transportation, choosing a cruise that leaves from Manhattan is the easiest. From JFK there’s the AirTrain to the LIRR into Penn Station or Grand Central Station in Manhattan. LGA has a bus into Manhattan. You would then switch to a local bus or subway to get closer to the pier. 

[GTJ]

1 hour ago, Got2Cruise said:

If you want to use public transportation, choosing a cruise that leaves from Manhattan is the easiest. From JFK there’s the AirTrain to the LIRR into Penn Station or Grand Central Station in Manhattan. LGA has a bus into Manhattan. You would then switch to a local bus or subway to get closer to the pier. 

For the sea ports, Manhattan is most accessible, Brooklyn is in the middle, and Bayonne is the least accessible.

 

Note that there is no longer direct bus service into midtown Manhattan from either LaGuardia or J. F. Kennedy airports; only the airport in Newark continues to have direct bus service into Manhattan. From LaGuardia, there is a local transit bus to upper Manhattan (Harlem, Morningside Heights). Also from LaGuardia there is a free express shuttle to the intermodal bus-subway terminal in Jackson Heights, where one can board "E," "F," M," "R," and "7" trains, and the railroad station in Woodside, where one can board Long Island Rail Road trains, all into midtown Manhattan.

[BalancingWanderlust]

11 hours ago, GTJ said:

If you and your family are okay traveling together on SkyTrain and TransLink, you'll do just fine on the trains here in New York City. The scale of things might be a bit larger here, and there's quirks here and there, but you know how to deal with transportation systems generally. Be assured that, no matter which airport you do in fact use (J. F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, or Newark), and no matter which sea port you do in fact use (Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Bayonne), there is good public transportation between the airport and the hotels near the sea port. (There are also airport at White Plains and Islip, but these airports are not very convenient.) There is also good public transportation between those hotels and the sea ports, and in some cases you might just walk, except for the port in Bayonne (which has public transportation between the nearby hotels in Jersey City and a station in Bayonne, but a taxi or other for-hire vehicle is necessary from the station to the port itself, absent a long and not entirely pleasant hike).

 

Because traveling on a cruise vessel can be so easy and convenient--many vessels can be described as a mobile hotel and resort--a substantial number of passengers are older, disabled, and less mobile than the larger population of Canada and the United States. As well, many people who travel by cruise vessel don't want to do or think about anything, wanting everything to be taken care of for them. Accordingly, many posts and responses you find here relate to doing things the "easiest" way, concluding that travel by public transportation is too difficult, confusing, or exhausting, especially while on vacation.

 

Younger people who are more adventurous with their interests are not rare on cruise vessels, but are usually in the minority. I would not consider myself to be the "backpack" style, which I generally regard as being driven by a desire to minimize travel cost, but as someone who seeks active travel and good value. So I do not consider myself to be a "typical" cruise passenger either, but nonetheless part of a minority that appreciates cruise vessel travel for the places one can visit, the value that it offers, and the opportunity to do the things I enjoy at the various ports visited.

 

Thank you! We sound like very similar travelers 🙂 We like to adventure and move around while traveling, experience the local culture etc....hense cruising with kids. 

[BalancingWanderlust]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Yes, but are you certain you’d like to take on the NY Transit system with two small children and cruise luggage in tow?

 

Thank you. We are very very light packers (carry-on only) and are use to taking public transport in other counties 🙂 I will look into car service too though depending on flight times and kids bed times etc. it may be more a sensible option. 

[mking8288]

Depending on the amount of luggage you are carrying or bring along, with 2 little ones in tow - navigating elevators & escalators, the AirTrain, and transfer isn't exactly fun but doable (as many off-duty airline crew members do it with their rollerboard & cabin bags on a routine basis)  

 

Until the OMNY system fully integrated with the AirTrain fares, you will need to pay for the JFK AirTrain when exiting at Jamaica terminal to transfer (not free) to LIRR train or subway into Manhattan, depending on your choice of hotel destination in town.  Subway fares are now OMNY friendly, contactless tap-n-go system (Metro Card for fare payment no longer needed) 

 

You can rent a luggage cart @ arrival / luggage carousal area for $7 (non-refundable - isn't free) to use it, to haul most if not all your luggage on it, take it onto the AirTrain ... a lot easier if your partner/spouse need to be mindful of the 2 little ones.  

 

Here's a video about the journey, worth 10 thousands words as you'll see it virtually in play -  

 

The current fare for the AirTrain has gone up, slightly, to $8.25 p/p for each trip.  

[BalancingWanderlust]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Depending on the amount of luggage you are carrying or bring along, with 2 little ones in tow - navigating elevators & escalators, the AirTrain, and transfer isn't exactly fun but doable (as many off-duty airline crew members do it with their rollerboard & cabin bags on a routine basis)  

 

Until the OMNY system fully integrated with the AirTrain fares, you will need to pay for the JFK AirTrain when exiting at Jamaica terminal to transfer (not free) to LIRR train or subway into Manhattan, depending on your choice of hotel destination in town.  Subway fares are now OMNY friendly, contactless tap-n-go system (Metro Card for fare payment no longer needed) 

 

You can rent a luggage cart @ arrival / luggage carousal area for $7 (non-refundable - isn't free) to use it, to haul most if not all your luggage on it, take it onto the AirTrain ... a lot easier if your partner/spouse need to be mindful of the 2 little ones.  

 

Here's a video about the journey, worth 10 thousands words as you'll see it virtually in play -  

 

The current fare for the AirTrain has gone up, slightly, to $8.25 p/p for each trip.  

 

Thanks for the video!!