qm2 transatlantic round trip nov 12

we are booked on the qm2 round trip in nov 12 having previousely done southampton new york and flown home. we are seeking some advice on new york tours for the day we have in new york. cunard apparently do a 4 hour or 7 hour tour - has anyone any experience of these if so what are they like - is there enough time for the 7 hour trip etc also any advice about tours welcome

we are booked on the qm2 round trip in nov 12 having previousely done southampton new york and flown home. we are seeking some advice on new york tours for the day we have in new york. cunard apparently do a 4 hour or 7 hour tour - has anyone any experience of these if so what are they like - is there enough time for the 7 hour trip etc also any advice about tours welcome

We have done the roundtrip twice in the last couple of years, and are doing it again 7 weeks today.

Cunard offer various trips, but the one we've taken each time is the coach only option.

You are collected from the ship and dropped off near the Empire State Building and have about 4 hours free time to eat, shop, sight-see (or in our case a couple of years ago, get engaged), before being picked up at the same place the coach dropped you off and driven back to the ship.

If I remember rightly it costs approx $45-$50. It's a short time in New York, but worth it.

Have a great time.

Denise

I believe Cunard do other options, but this is the one that suits us.

Thank you. But i mean from the airport prior to boarding. We have to fly out on the day of departure.

Thank you. But i mean from the airport prior to boarding. We have to fly out on the day of departure.

I am confused by your response as the OP isn't doing this :confused:

We are doing a roundtrip in August and have booked a private driver to pick us up from the ship and drop us back

While I appreciate it's not the cheapest option, I did the same with my daughter in 2009 and didn't regret it one bit, we had 8 hours touring round wherever we wished to go, with a very knowledgeable driver who lives in NY! :cool:

snoozy, kevaniki

thank you that is very helpful. i have the itinerary for the roundtrip due in a few days this shows an excursion called new york and seaports a 7 hour trip. does anyone have any experience of this one?

we were there Nov last year on a B2B and did the NY coach tour, drive through the city, past Central Park, Fifth Av, stops at the Top of the Rock, (trip up included), ground zero, where we spent far too much time! and lunch stop at Pier 17, there are many food outlets here of all types, we sat outside in the sun with real fish and chips, there is also a market, but we were there on a Sunday and traffic was very light, you are there on a Tuesday?, so may be different. Cost was $90 each!

Dont forget your visa if not already done and get your landing form from the Pursers office in plenty of time, we missed this and had to fill it in in the queue at disembarking.

My post on this voyage is here.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=31181673#

I suspect that with the Cunard Tour there is a fair amount of walking involved, also one is governed by where the tour takes you (don't like coach tours for this reason), plus I wouldn't want to waste time sitting around eating (do enough of that on board :D) Last time my DD and I just grabbed a sandwich from a deli and ate it in the car en route to the next venue

I have MS and this reduced the amount of walking, also our driver was able to direct us to toilets (another issue of mine!), and he was happy to wait outside a store until we had finished - in this case the Tarina Tarantino store DD wanted to visit - we must have been in there for about 2 hours :eek:

He had a good knowledge of the city, took us to our chosen places, plus others we wouldn't have thought of, and all the while gave us a running commentary. I'm looking forward to the next time as I've forgotten a lot of what he said (MS again :()

Yes, it was a lot more expensive, but for me it was worth every penny, sorry cent. I don't drink, so there is no huge bar bill run up, just don't ask me about my laundry bill :o

trevgbb and kevankiki

thanks again most helpful

trevgbb your post has made our minds up we'll book the coach tour.

regards