Princess cruise stopping in New York, how to get to battery park/statue of liberty

[diverdon48371]

Hello,

 

I will be on a princess cruise in July that stops in New York city (I think the Manhattan Cruise Terminal). We want to visit the Statue of Liberty on our own. It looks like the ferries leave from battery park. I am exploring different options on how to get from the cruise terminal to battery park. It looks like there might be a ferry that leaves from the cruise port area that goes to battery park. Other options I have seen talks about walking a few blocks and taking the subway (not sure about the subway). If anyone has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. I did do searches on cruise critic, but the only one I found was from 2012.

 

Thank You in advance.

 

Don

[diverdon48371]

Additional information. I looked on the website nycruise.com and it looks like the ship maybe docking at the Brooklyn terminal.

 

[GTJ]

39 minutes ago, diverdon48371 said:

I will be on a princess cruise in July that stops in New York city (I think the Manhattan Cruise Terminal). We want to visit the Statue of Liberty on our own. It looks like the ferries leave from battery park. I am exploring different options on how to get from the cruise terminal to battery park. It looks like there might be a ferry that leaves from the cruise port area that goes to battery park. Other options I have seen talks about walking a few blocks and taking the subway (not sure about the subway). If anyone has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

Most often Princess Cruises vessels call at Brooklyn, not Manhattan. Here, I assume that you're on the July 22, 2023, sailing of the Caribbean Princess, from Fort Lauderdale to Québec, which is scheduled to call at Brooklyn on July 26, 2023. Refer to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal timetable here: http://www.nycruise.com/brooklyn-terminal/schedule-bct

 

Vessels that travel to Liberty Island depart from both the Battery, in Manhattan, and Liberty State Park, in Jersey City. It is substantially easier to travel from Brooklyn to the Battery than to Liberty State Park. To do so, board a NYC Ferry from the Red Hook landing, immediately adjacent to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, and travel to Pier 11. You can find the ferry schedule here: http://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules Upon arrival at Pier 11, leave the pier and immediately turn left to walk alongside the water. Walk past the Battery Maritime Building and the Staten Island ferry terminal, and into Battery Park. Continue walking into the park and you will soon find the Liberty Island ferry ticket office and departure area. http://www.cityexperiences.com/new-york/city-cruises/statue In total, it is about three-fourths of a mile, and will take about 15 minutes to walk.

Edited June 11, 2023 by GTJ

[diverdon48371]

GTJ,

 

Thank you for replying to my post. I really appreciate all the information you provided as well as the links to the web sites. I think your response is the best one I have ever got on CC, and you were correct on what cruise I am on. 

 

Thanks again

 

Don

Edited June 11, 2023 by diverdon48371
added information

[GTJ]

The one concern that I do have is that there is the possibility that the ferry could be overwhelmed. Ordinarily, Brooklyn is an embarkation and disembarkation port, where only a minority of vessel passengers utilize the ferry. Here, however, as an intermediate port of call, a much greater proportion of cruise vessel passengers might seek to use the ferry, for the same reason you: touring on their own. Some numbers might be helpful. The Caribbean Princess carries 3,142 passengers and 1,200 crew. Most ferry vessels carry 150 passengers, but a few carry 350 passengers. The ferry serving Red Hook generally operates every 50-65 minutes.

 

Alternative public transportation is available but not as attractive. About four blocks inland from the port, on Van Brunt Street, the B61 bus operates into downtown Brooklyn. From the last stop on the bus route, walk 1-1/2 blocks north to Jay Street-MetroTech subway station, and travel on the "R" train two stops to Whitehall Street station . . . that is where Battery Park is located. Bus and subway maps are here: http://new.mta.info/maps Credit cards can be used on the bus and subway. It is not as easy as the ferry, and it does take a bit longer as well (about 45 minutes), though slightly less expensive. But it is an alternative if the ferry gets filled with other cruise vessel passengers, either going or returning, and you don't want to wait for the next ferry departure.

[mjkacmom]

If you want to go into the SOL, make reservations now, especially if you want crown tickets. Only one company allows access to the SOL, statue cruised. I love Ellis island. Security lines to get on the ferries will be long.

[Got2Cruise]

StatueofLiberty.org is the only place you should get the tickets if you want to use the official ferry. Don’t be tricked by third party providers. 

[diverdon48371]

Would taking a uber to battery part be an option in the ferry is overwhelmed? 

 

The ship pulls in at 7, so I was thinking that I would try to get tickets for 10am? I am going to try to get the tickets today. Do I need advanced tickets for the ferry?

 

Thanks everyone.

 

Don

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, diverdon48371 said:

Would taking a uber to battery part be an option in the ferry is overwhelmed? 

 

The ship pulls in at 7, so I was thinking that I would try to get tickets for 10am? I am going to try to get the tickets today. Do I need advanced tickets for the ferry?

 

Thanks everyone.

 

Don

I can’t think of any reason an Uber wouldn’t work.

[GTJ]

14 hours ago, Got2Cruise said:

StatueofLiberty.org is the only place you should get the tickets if you want to use the official ferry. Don’t be tricked by third party providers. 

While it is very good advice to not be tricked by third party providers, the website www.statueofliberty.org is, in fact, a third party. It is the website for The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation created to head a private sector effort to raise funds for the restoration and preservation of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for their respective centennials. The foundation does NOT provide any transportation. The entity that does provide transportation to and from Liberty Island, and the sole concessionaire for doing so, is Statue Cruises, LLC. In turn, Statue Cruises, LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hornblower Cruises and Events, LLC, the latter company also being the parent company to HNY Ferry, LLC, and HNY Ferry II, LLC, both of operate the NYC Ferry service (including the ferry to and from Red Hook). Hornblower does business using several brand names, mostly widely as City Experiences, and the Statue Cruises, LLC, service as Statue City Cruises. At the end, the correct website to purchase tickets directly from the operator of the service--the "official" site, so to speak, is that of City Experiences. That is the website I provided in an earlier post here, i.e., http://www.cityexperiences.com/new-york/city-cruises/statue, or alternatively to www.statuecitycruises.com, which will then forward to the foregoing City Experiences website. Do not bother going to the www.statueofliberty.org website. You cannot buy ferry tickets from the third party foundation. There is interesting information at that website, but it is a website for donating money for the purpose of continued restoration and preservation the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and related charitable purposes. Go to the City Experiences to buy ferry tickets.

[GTJ]

9 hours ago, diverdon48371 said:

Would taking a uber to battery part be an option in the ferry is overwhelmed? 

 

The ship pulls in at 7, so I was thinking that I would try to get tickets for 10am? I am going to try to get the tickets today. Do I need advanced tickets for the ferry?

Yes, of course taxis and other hired cars could be used as an option. Taxis will not drop you off at the ferry itself, as it is located within Battery Park: you will still need to walk within Battery Park. Hopefully NYC Ferry will use the 350-passenger vessels that day so that the likelihood of any individual ferry trips being overwhelmed will be minimized (imagine, too, if that were the case, likelihood of taxis and other hired cars also being overwhelmed by cruise vessel passengers!).

 

I cannot advise as to the necessity of advanced tickets to visit Liberty Island. I was last at the island many years ago, and never reserved tickets, but procedures have since changed. I will note that your vessel will be in port mid-week, and therefore I would expect tourist visits to be lighter compared to weekends, but this is speculation on my part.

[Nitemare]

To confirm the above:  New York City Statue Tickets & Tour Experiences | City Experiences is the official seller of tickets for the SoL.  The SoL website listed above does link to here, but it's a couple of steps to get to there

[diverdon48371]

Thanks again everyone for all on the great information.  I called and they told me I will need to be at the ferry 30 minutes prior to sailing, so I made a reservation for 11am. I figured that should give us plenty of time to get there. I'm  so looking forward to seeing Ellis island, in 1914 my grandmother came to America through Ellis island.

 

Thanks again

 

Don

[mjkacmom]

9 hours ago, diverdon48371 said:

Thanks again everyone for all on the great information.  I called and they told me I will need to be at the ferry 30 minutes prior to sailing, so I made a reservation for 11am. I figured that should give us plenty of time to get there. I'm  so looking forward to seeing Ellis island, in 1914 my grandmother came to America through Ellis island.

 

Thanks again

 

Don

The last time we went we left from liberty state park (we live in NJ) and the security line after check in took about an hour (it was a Saturday in July but lines in NY tend to be longer). At Ellis island they give you headphones to do a self tour.

[Nitemare]

Agreed.  The check in line is Airport style security, so get there a good hour before your ticket time.  If the line is shorter you can take an earlier boat

[George C]

I would take Uber or Lyft we were in New York a couple of weeks ago there are plenty around short drive over the Brooklyn bridge. Battery park is also walking distance to World Trade Center memorial and trinity church where Alexander Hamilton is buried.