Transatlantic - both ways

[Ichabod123]

Hello.I am considering a transatlantic cruise to New York and back. Will that cruise allow time in New York (with tours) or do the ships simply change passengers and set off back to Southampton?

[majortom10]

4 minutes ago, Ichabod123 said:

Hello.I am considering a transatlantic cruise to New York and back. Will that cruise allow time in New York (with tours) or do the ships simply change passengers and set off back to Southampton?

No you have time to explore New York yourself. Very easy with NYC ferry which docks at side of where QM2 berths in Brooklyn and takes you to Wall Street or other piers. Or they do a small selection of yours or a very expensive transfer from ship to Macy's and return.

 

Edited August 9 by majortom10

[Ichabod123]

I'd ideally like to visit the 9/11 museum and memorial - is that likely to be possible - organised tour by the ship?

[Pushpit]

That NY ferry would make 9/11 quite easy to get to (and I can recommend it too), it's about a mile from Wall Street Pier 11, But yes there are tours in NYC which will show up in my.cunard and available to book on board for transfer passengers. There are usually several to choose from, some are drive by tours, so more suited for those less mobile, and some involve more walking. There is also some trips to the shopping area.

[Ichabod123]

Many thanks - I really didn't want to spend a week getting there and a week returning to Southampton without being able to visit the 9/11 museum & memorial.

 

It will be a "special" cruise to celebrate my 75th birthday 🙂

 

Thank you, again - that has put my mind at rest

[Winifred 22]

41 minutes ago, Ichabod123 said:

Hello.I am considering a transatlantic cruise to New York and back. Will that cruise allow time in New York (with tours) or do the ships simply change passengers and set off back to Southampton?

I did a return T A last summer. Went on an

excellent Cunard Tour lasted about 4 and half hours by coach saw all the main sites. As a solo female in her mid sixties it was perfect for me to get a quick taste of New York. We had an half hour stop at the 9/11 memorial. Well worth it in my opinion. There were other Cunard options  available.

 

.

 

[Cdogg]

9/11. Very worth seeing. Absolutely need to book a time slot - and have confidence you will make it in time. You can see the above ground part without a booking of course but most want to see the museum and underground exhibits.

[D&N]

We'll have enough time to take the ferry to Bay Ridge and back for QM2 photos, then lunch at Red Hook Lobster Pound. That should cover the ships clearance for immigration.

 

We've another lunch idea for 2026, which may give some longer distance views of QM2.

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, Ichabod123 said:

Many thanks - I really didn't want to spend a week getting there and a week returning to Southampton without being able to visit the 9/11 museum & memorial.

 

It will be a "special" cruise to celebrate my 75th birthday 🙂

 

Thank you, again - that has put my mind at rest

If you get up early to see your arrival into New York and then catch early ferry to Wall Street it is walkable to 911 museum/memorial. You should get there before museum opens so should be no great queue. Be prepared for 911 museum it is enthralling but very upsetting but well worth the experience.

[MylesS]

2 hours ago, Ichabod123 said:

I'd ideally like to visit the 9/11 museum and memorial - is that likely to be possible - organised tour by the ship?

We did an organised tour last summer to the memorial & museum, it was absolutely worth it.

If you take the ferry from the terminal as others suggested to Wall Street, it's only a 15 minute walk if you are able & willing.

I'd say the only benefit of taking a tour with the ship (other than the ship waiting if you're late back) is the tour guide, who in our case was fantastic. They didn't take you around the museum, but they explained parts of it & explained a lot about the memorial and the One World Trade.

[Germancruiser]

I always take the ferry over to Wall Street at the only port day on my double TA´s! Very easy, very cheap- very connvienent. You can either go the same way back to Red Hook or you can use a cab. Depending where you exploring takes you. Last time ( June) we took the cab back to Red Hook, since we ended up at the Corner of Central Park and 5th. Ave. On the way back we a massive line waiting for the ferry. So if you go back by ferry make sure to be on time.

[BigMac1953]

If you are going to the 911 Museum, book a slot around 11:00am. This will give you time to clear immigration and queue for a ferry.

 

They used to have a line for those "in transit", but last year we just had to join the main line which took about an hour.

 

We also missed a ferry as a passenger was having problems with the ticket machine and we all had to wait. The next one was one hour later which meant we didn't get to Wall Street until 11-ish.

[majortom10]

On our last roundtrip TA we disembarked QM2 at the same time as self disembarked on one way. We walked the short distance to the ferry and was in Wall Street by 7-30 am. A nice stroll then to 911 museum/memorial and we had plenty of time to view the memorial crowd free and then purchased our tickets ready for the museum opening.

[Pushpit]

2 hours ago, BigMac1953 said:

We also missed a ferry as a passenger was having problems with the ticket machine and we all had to wait. The next one was one hour later which meant we didn't get to Wall Street until 11-ish.

The ticket machine is somewhat user-unfriendly, particularly if paying by card. The machines are quite old and somewhat battered. I know it probably seems over-reach for just buying one or two tickets but the NYC Ferry App is a great way around this. Plus in the case of the OP and indeed anyone over 65 years old, if you send in a photo of your passport the ferry ride costs only $1.35 - they change something behind the scenes in the App so you get the cheap tickets. You can buy tickets up to 90 days in advance and then use the App to enable them on the day. You send the photo in via the website and select the option "already have app". 

Edited August 10 by Pushpit

[*Miss G*]

Agree with @Pushpit.  The ferry app is super simple to use and you can do it without a whole pile of people standing behind you!  I hate machines.

[DameB]

Drat! With all my obsessive research for my first TA, how in the world did I miss that ferry senior discount!

[D&N]

Only issue we had with the app was returning from Rockaway. Our French sims allow massive amounts of data and unlimited calling in the US and lots of other countries. But the problem was I couldn't get a signal at the terminal to validate the tickets. The guy at the pier believed me, we went and sat on the ferry, I picked up signal there and returned for him to scan the ticket (at least I think he scanned it, it was over two years ago).

That shouldn't be an issue around Red Hook or Manhattan.