Driving Toronto --> Cape Liberty

Hi all, I'm driving down first week of March on our first cruise on the Anthem. Super excited and planning my route now. GoogleMap gives me two choices: 1) Take I90 East all the way to Syracuse then I81 South to I80 or 2) Take the I390 south to I86 to I81. Has anyone traveled both routes and have any suggestions? I've heard how bad the I90 NY Thruway can get with lake effect snow and all but I understand the I390 is mountainous roads. Which is the lesser of two evils?

Hi all, I'm driving down first week of March on our first cruise on the Anthem. Super excited and planning my route now. GoogleMap gives me two choices: 1) Take I90 East all the way to Syracuse then I81 South to I80 or 2) Take the I390 south to I86 to I81. Has anyone traveled both routes and have any suggestions? I've heard how bad the I90 NY Thruway can get with lake effect snow and all but I understand the I390 is mountainous roads. Which is the lesser of two evils?

Best to ask the experts on the East Coast Departures forum: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415

Not too sure which way is your best bet coming down through NY. I live in NJ, and I can give you one word of advice, stay away from NY bridges. When coming down the NY Thruway, hit up Waze or Google Maps to see traffic, but I would suggest taking 287 South to Exit 37 to Rt 24 to Rt 78 depending on time of day. The other way is to take 87 (NY Thruway) South to I think its either exit 14 or 15 to the Garden State Parkway South down to exit 142 to Rt 78 East. Both take you to the same place, but the Parkway backs up heavily during rush hour. Good luck!

A lot will depend on the weather when you get closer to leaving. 90 will be most likely be better maintained but if it is actively snowing there is no way to say which way will be better. 81 from Syracuse to Binghamton is pretty hilly and could be bad. 390 is hilly and could also be bad but it could be fine either way.

I’d keep an eye on the weather and use waze to keep an eye on traffic situations. Then go which ever way it says is faster in the moment. Either way there’s not going to be a huge time difference unless there is some huge accident or a lake effect snow band

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We have done both -- highway was better, less stopping and starting because I think through the mountainous roads, you are going through small towns

If the snow is bad, wide-spread...I would stay with the Thruway the whole way (I-90 East to I-87 South) rather than take either shorter route across Pennsylvania.... They don't make any toll money unless they keep the Thruway open....think about it.;)

Then the Garden State Parkway as noted above....

Hi all, I'm driving down first week of March on our first cruise on the Anthem. Super excited and planning my route now. GoogleMap gives me two choices: 1) Take I90 East all the way to Syracuse then I81 South to I80 or 2) Take the I390 south to I86 to I81. Has anyone traveled both routes and have any suggestions? I've heard how bad the I90 NY Thruway can get with lake effect snow and all but I understand the I390 is mountainous roads. Which is the lesser of two evils?

We took both. My hubby actually thinks the 390 to 86 and 81 is faster. And there are no NYS thruway tolls. We took I90 down to NYC for our cruise, and I felt it was fairly quick—maybe 5-6 hours from our WNY home. Then we took the other way back after cruise. But we cruised out of Manhattan.

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Hello. I grew up in Western NY, and now live outside of NYC. I made this drive on the regular for years. From Buffalo, I would highly recommend taking the 90 East, to the 690 south (just outside of Syracuse), to the 81 south, At Binghampton, take Rt 86 (former Rt 17).

From there I am not sure which way it will take you to get to Cape Liberty. I would highly recommend the Waze app from here. I use Waze (free traffic app) literally every day commuting in the NYC suburbs. It updates real time so if you're looking at traffic and weather, this will give you the shortest route. Lake effect snow is just around the lakes, so the further into NY you get, the less of a chance. It's all dependent on weather.

While I90 may be in better shape if weather is bad, I390 is a very nice road. It's been a few years but I used to drive between Buffalo and Corning on 390 a lot. I wouldn't at all call it mountaneous...more hilly at worst. It's mostly wide open with fewer cars than the Thruway. If you're looking to break up the trip, you could stop at the Corning Glass Museum. It's pretty impressive.

meemonkee, we now live east of Toronto; however, we did live in Stoney Creek and the west side of Toronto for a number of years and DW was a teacher so we made the trip south many March breaks....

My primary choice would be 90 to 81 to 80. 90 is much flatter and always seemed to be more travelled, and always clear and well salted/sanded. 390 as previously mentioned is not really mountainous, however, it is more hilly and always seemed to be less travelled. Never did it in the winter for those reasons. I think you may find it a bit more challenging as you get further south and cross into Pa., as that does turn mountainous, again the roads are well plowed and maintained as it is one of the primary north south routes.

As previously mentioned keep a close eye on the weather and plan a second or even third route.

as bob brown mentioned above if it is widespread snow 90 straight east to 87 would be a good option.

I use the Government of Canada weather radar site (www.weather.gc.ca) and the similar national weather service site from the US (www.weather.gov) to provide a good idea of what to expect.

For example right now (Saturday @ noon) the I90 route to I81 would be best but still in the midst of a storm, the Syracuse to Binghamton portion would be bad but the rest of the way once south of Binghamton would be clear. Going east to 87 would keep you in the storm.

Be flexible. Enjoy your cruise.

Just a small correction...if going south on I-81, you should use the 'shortcut' via I-84 and I-380 to reach I-80 East....cuts off a lot of miles;)

I don't drive along the NYS Thruway and I-81 down to the Delaware Water Gap to I-80 into/toward NYC as much as I used to ... some 20, 30 and 40+ (gasp, O.M.G.) years ago but I've done my share to drive thru & racing away from lake effect blizzards & snowstorms up in Eric County/Greater Buffalo area ... the toll is well worth it with DOT plowing & snow clearing operations, short of a full shutdown with declared SOE with zero visibility. Authorities will reopen it as soon as they can & plow one lane+ for passage ... have 4 good dedicated snow tires, will travel ... was my motto (+ chains, just in case ... before that, studded snow tires, Firestone branded)

If there is a mechanical issue, highway tows & service centers are well spaced between those MP (mileposts) to respond & give help quickly; In the winter months, I am less confident planning a drive using the alternate I-390, less used & traveled and of course, no tolls - and wonder if emergency 24/7 road services match that of what the NYST has established for decades ... cutting across Central NY into Binghamton & then down I-81 South into PA and/or shortcut as Bob B. mentioned.

Check weather ahead & use Google Maps/Waze to help with real-time navigation; and, allow extra travel time - make sure the vehicle used is fully serviced and in top conditions, fluids topped off & belts/hoses checked.

NYST has an alert system that you can subscribe to for warnings & closures, although Waze should have those data feeds integrated on their routing.

Happy cruising & have a safe drive/trip.

Hey thanks everyone for your great tips and suggestions! I'll definitely keep a close eye on the weather as sail date approaches. Looks like I90 is the way to go barring any huge snow storms.

We are teachers from near London, Ontario and have driven this route for March Break cruises a ton. The Syracuse way is more of a straight shot, and the other way does have a lot of hilly mountainous driving through small towns that I did not care for. We are also going this March Break.