Flying In/Out of LGA for Sunshine Cruise

Has anyone sailing out of Manhattan flew into and out of LGA? I read about the massive construction going on and how it is a traffic nightmare. I have a flight out of LGA at 3:40pm after our Sunshine cruise. There will be two cruise ships debarking at the Manhattan pier so I'm worried I won't make it to LGA in time. When I debarked the Breakaway last week, there were huge delays at customs and with two ships I'm very worried as they don't seem to have enough staff. For the Breakaway cruise, I flew out of EWR the following day after a night stay in NJ so it wasn't a problem. This time we're flying out the same day from LGA (didn't know about the construction when I booked). Was planning to either reserve a car or take a taxi to LGA. Any comments or advice appreciated. Thanks all.

If your flight is at 3:40 in the afternoon, as massive and unpredictable as traffic has been at LGA, I wouldn't worry. Even if you got off the ship at 9, took an hour to get through customs (as has happened to us at that terminal) and hit crazy bad traffic going into LGA, we haven't heard of more than it taking 2 hours to get into the LGA terminals- and that is at it's worst. If you said your flight was at 12 or 1 I would maybe be concerned, but not at the time you are scheduled for. As for reserving a car or taking a taxi - it might be worth taking a car service instead. Picking up a car and then dropping it off may be a hassle, and a taxi fare with traffic may end up costing way more than a car service would.

3:40pm is more than enough time to get to LGA, even if you're the absolute last passengers to disembark the ship. LGA and Manhattan can be a mess, but you've got lots of time. It can be unpredictable so just pack a little extra patience, you'll be fine :)

You will be OK, even with the back-ups at LGA. Either taxi or car service (Dial 7 or Carmel are popular) will work. Enjoy your cruise.

Unless this is on a weekday coming off the Sunshine, it is very unlikely that you will have major issues getting out of MCT, thru customs hall (and probably) across 12th Avenue - where it is EASIEST to meet your car service (on W. 48th Street just around the corner of 12th Ave.)

The construction at LGA will not be done until 2020 at the earliest but it is moving along and lately, the traffic congestion has been easing - unless there's a bad mix of weather, accident & roadway closure compounded by midday baseball game nearby (NY Mets) - we lived about 2.5 miles from LGA (actually 1.5 mile direct line of sight across the runway) ... the worst congestions had been in the late afternoon & evening rush hour in that area. Mornings & midday to/from LGA, it's generally fine - car services & taxi drivers had been "coping" and they don't like to sit in traffic with upset passengers either.

There had been traffic issues on the East River crossing, both weekdays & weekends, between Manhattan & Queens (LGA) on both bridges & tunnels - the car service/taxis will come up with a longer & faster route to get you to the airport.

We just returned sailing NCL's Gem at MCT earlier this month on a Saturday - to/from Queens - drivers took the north route, up the Henry Hudson Pkwy, onto I-95 to the Bronx, across CBE to the Whitestone Bridge back into Queens ... it would be a big & very long loop from the cruise terminal to LGA.

Unless you are still "trapped" inside the terminal and can't get into a car service at 1 PM, you will still have up to 90+ minutes to get to LGA to do your check-in and get thru TSA screening ... not, if there is a backup there at the checkpoints, it's entirely unrelated to the cruise (there would be hundreds, if not thousands of travelers stranded and unable to catch their flights, you won't be alone & odds are that airlines would be pressed to mitigate on their end.)

On the morning of disembarkation, use your navigation/map App on your smartphone to run a quick route/traffic check, from the pier to LGA - before you head for the gangway to come off the ship. Odds are that, if there is a massive & unexpected delay, it will be on the "radar" as alert already - if not, relax & have patience in getting thru CBP downstairs - and connect to your car service, sit back & relax, enjoy the scenic ride to the airport.

Worry about what to eat for lunch before your late afternoon flight to get home: pre-security inside the terminal @ the food courts, pricey but not too bad.

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice! I feel so much better knowing that it is doable. Thank goodness it is a Saturday that we will be debarking and not a work day.