Breakaway at NYC port and disembarkation

I have cruised with other lines and out of other ports (including Bayonne and Red Hook( but this is my first NCL cruise and first out of the Manhattan port. The ship arrives at 8:00 am on 2/16/18 (friday). The cruise line said to book a flight after 1 pm. While I would like to fly out of LGA I am very concerned about what I am reading about construction and traffic nightmares trying to get to LGA. LGA has flights at 12:30 pm and 2:40 pm. Due to traffic & construction concerns I am seriously considering flying home from JFK. JFK has a 12:40 pm flight but the next one isn't till 5:00 pm. Should I be concerned about a 12:30 flight our of JFK? I would appreciate feedback from those with experience at this port. If anyone has any recent experience with LGA I would appreciate hearing about that as well. Thanks in advance!

You can also post on the East Coast Departures board for more suggestions

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415

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Thanks!

Friday, as a weekday morning still in the middle of winter ... I doubted that you will have any better luck and can get to JFK much faster for the 12:40 vs. 12:30 out of LGA.

Take the 2:40 PM out of LGA and you should be relatively safe and don't need to worry about the ship being late in docking, CBP delays inside the cruise terminal, taxi/car service issues & weather factors affecting the highways getting to the airport ... plus any airport roadway issues.

Unless you stand in line at 6 AM, skipping breakfast & try to be among the first 200+ to do the Express Self Walkoff (and, can pack light & without mobility issues) - it's not worth the stress & aggravation to get to charge ahead to make the flight. It hasn't been all that unusual for pax to still be coming off the ship's gangways at 10 AM ... which meant easily another 60 to 90 minutes to get downstairs, thru CBP and then outside to meet up with ground transportation. That's another 1 hour to 2 hours in getting to LGA and JFK respectively, some believed EWR is better ... well, United has 70% of the gate & capacity.

There are no clear cut answers - LGA is a metered fare with yellow taxi, about $45 to $50 with toll and JFK is $60 with toll on a flat rate, anywhere from Manhattan. East Coast destination forum has numerous Q&A, answers and ideas ... here's a fairly well known "secret" fast track - once you fight your way off the gangway and long lines down into the terminal building, find a porter for priority escort, well worth that $10 to $20 if you are running late & in a hurry, or simply don't feel like stand in those snake lines with just 6 or 7 CBP booth staffed & opened.

I will be there waiting to board, so I hope you get off as quickly as you hope. If you can manage bags, you may want to think about walking to the A train and taking the subway.

Be aware with the flights that there is no school in NYC on this Friday and the following week— the airports will be a zoo.

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Thank you for your input! I did post this in the departure thread after easyboy mentioned it and there was lots of good info there to. We won't be racing off the ship. Nothing like ending a cruise all stressed out about making a flight on time. I think the 2:40 at LGA is looking safer and I'm waiting on a price from dial7. We are definitely going to want to use a porter. Thanks again!

I would go with the 2:40 PM flight.

Things can happen.

I have seen too many disembarkations at Manhattan go later then planned.

The traffic can be horrendous.

At the airport if you do not have TSA Pre Check you can face long lines and even if you do sometimes the TSA Pre Check line has been longer then usual.

Keith

You can take a train to JFK from Penn Central station. We have done that and it works well. Not so well if you have large luggage - we only have roll aboard/carryons.

And, you will walk a LOT

I am very familiar with LGA...not a local but I do fly in and out of there 4 or 5 times a year. When we disembarked the Gem on a weekend this summer the cab driver told me that the weekend vs. weekday traffic is much lighter so I am planning on budgeting extra time on an upcoming cruise since we leave and also disembark on weekdays. We usually fly out somewhere mid-afternoon 2 or 3:00 depending on the airline we choose. hanging around LGA is not too much fun. It is under construction and the food offerings can be spartan. If your budget allows and you have to wait more than an hour I would spring for a private lounge. We usually don't but the one time we did it made a world of diffference.

Thanks for all the feedback! I was wondering last night about school breaks so I am glad denatravels mentioned that. I am wondering if we should just stay a couple days and come back on Sunday. There is a 9:15 am from LGA. We would be staying around 79th and Broadway so I would think if we were in a cab at 6 am on a Sunday we should be to LGA by 7 am. I know traffic is lighter on Sunday mornings. NYC people leaving for school break vaca should be gone. That would be too early for cruise ship passenger traffic to hit. Any thoughts?

Thanks again for the feedback everyone! Booked the flights and will be staying in NYC till Sunday. The stress is melting away already.

Thanks again for the feedback everyone! Booked the flights and will be staying in NYC till Sunday. The stress is melting away already.

Sounds like a splendid plan! I'd think most north easterners who are planning their winter break getaway are already well on their way to ensure their own trips. You should be great with this plan, Plus you can take your own time disembarking from your own cruise. Enjoy!!!!

You can take a train to JFK from Penn Central station. We have done that and it works well. Not so well if you have large luggage - we only have roll aboard/carryons.

 

And, you will walk a LOT

This is via Long Island RR, a superior way for my ease is to just to walk to 42nd St, at the Circle line, board the 42 bus, get off Port Authority, on to the A Subway- Far Rockaway, the same "off" for the Airtrain at JFK. $7.75 with a Metrocard.

I'd not have a problem getting a 12:30p flight, using subways/buses, to either JFK or LGA.

I did not read through all of the responses above but I would highly suggest you AVOID the departures before 1pm. You are taking too much of a chance. A few extra hours should not kill you...and honestly...do you want that extra stress during disembarkation?

I did not read through all of the responses above but I would highly suggest you AVOID the departures before 1pm. You are taking too much of a chance. A few extra hours should not kill you...and honestly...do you want that extra stress during disembarkation?

If you had read the responses or at least scrolled through to read OP replies you would have read that OP decided to stay until Sunday and fly out then.