New york harbor highlights:

Here is my updated and revised guide to NY Harbor.

You might want to get up to the Bar and order a Manhattan!

Key: As on a boats bow light,

Red locations are on your Port (left) side

Green locations are on your Starboard (right) side

NEW YORK HARBOR HIGHLIGHTS:

For those who have not yet sailed from N.Y. :

One of this trips highlights are the views of the N.Y.C. skyline and N.J. shoreline during the 1 hour journey down the Hudson river and through N.Y. Harbor.

Right from port you will see the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier and Growler submarine. As we pull out, look towards the aft (rear) to see the GeorgeWashington Bridge then on port (left) side the Empire State building and the Chrysler building and the new One57, the tallest, thinnest, richest condo building in the western world. With the 96th floor selling for $95 million it is 150 feet taller than the Empire State building.

Looking ahead port side the new Freedom Tower is in view along with the waterfront 10 story glass Winter Garden Atrium which was the first building to be completely restored after 9/11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Garden_Atrium

Once we near the southern tip of Manhattan and Battery park, you want to be on starboard (right) side to see The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, a large brick building with a clock tower on the Jersey shoreline. Now a historic site, it was once home to the B & O, Reading, and Pennsylvania RR companies. This will be just passed the tall buildings and the Colgate ground clock on the Jersey side. Check out its history.http://njcu.edu/programs/jchistory/P...ages/CRRNJ.htm

Next will be Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty, the most beautiful and photographed woman in the world, get those cameras ready!

After we pass Lady Liberty and with binoculars you may be able to spot the 9/11 Teardrop Memorial at Harbor View Park, Bayonne N.J. http://www.911monument.com/

Now, for the grand finale, especially if you have kids, get up to the Freestyle Sundeck (deck 15 on the Gem class or 18 on Breakaway class) for the passage under the Varranzano Narrows Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the United States boasting 60 ft. longer than the Golden Gate Bridge and our gateway to the Atlantic ocean.

Last notable site past the bridge is the famous Coney Island amusement park and boardwalk, home to the original cyclone roller coaster and the fourth of July's Nathans hot dog eating contest.

Please search the web for the history behind all of these locations and share with your fellow cruisers. I have only listed a few of the harder to find ones.

Safe Travels and we hope to see all of you onboard.

Jimmy & Cyndi

The CAPERDUO

That is a nice sail-away guide that will be most useful. Thanks for sharing

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Wow! Thanks for putting this together.

We have a cruise next year that has New York as a port day ....8 am to 10 pm ... we are just starting to look at the ports and what to do .... Most of the info I find is on embarkation not just hanging out in the city for a day ....Is the dock somewhat close to downtown ??We are thinking of taking the Staten Island ferry in the morning and then doing the statue of Liberty, then maybe Times Square and finding a Deli ...yeah pretty touristy lol ... Is all of that close enough to do walking or would a cab be called for ...we walk a lot so a half hour walk to each place would not be a problem ....

Very thoughtful, thank you!!!

Thanks for sharing.

People often ask where the best place to be is. Generally, anywhere topside. If you can find a spot where you can see both sides of the ship, that is even better.

Don't eat an early dinner and miss things. It really is special sailing out of NY.

As to where the ship is located... about a mile straight west of Times Square. You can easily walk there from where the ship docks.

Some links to help:

Info On Manhattan Cruise Terminal

Information on Intrepid

New York Map

Map with Sat View

Statue and Ellis Island Page

We have a cruise next year that has New York as a port day ....8 am to 10 pm ... we are just starting to look at the ports and what to do .... Most of the info I find is on embarkation not just hanging out in the city for a day ....Is the dock somewhat close to downtown ??We are thinking of taking the Staten Island ferry in the morning and then doing the statue of Liberty, then maybe Times Square and finding a Deli ...yeah pretty touristy lol ... Is all of that close enough to do walking or would a cab be called for ...we walk a lot so a half hour walk to each place would not be a problem ....

You can walk to Times Square and a good deli since you are good walkers. Rockefeller Center w/ Top of the Rock is also walking distance. Downtown is a carbide or subway.

Born and raised NY and sailed out of harbor numerous times, never thought to look for Coney Island, learn something new everyday. Thanks

Will be doing that in two weeks and a day. Thank you so much!!!!

Nice of you to post this especially for those that are not familiar with New York.

We are thinking of taking the Staten Island ferry in the morning and then doing the statue of Liberty, then maybe Times Square and finding a Deli

the Staten island ferry is in lower Manhattan. you will need to take a cab from the cruise ship terminal to the ferry. traffic might be a bit of a nightmare depending on the time of day

Coney Island is very easy to see, but remember youhave to pass Manhattan and most of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges are not mentioned. You can see them too on port side.

I am from NY and sailed out of NY almost countless times, so all of this is not such a big deal to me, but my whole family still loves going under the Verrazano Bridge. It is fun and different.

You can also see the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges port side.

Coney Island is quite easy to see.

going underthe Verrazano bridge is fun and different. Have done the sail out out of NYC many times since i am from here.

jldevlin, i would suggest taking the train (subway) to where you takethe ferry. It would save you time and not tire you out. Then come up again to mid town by train, and walk around midtown, or you can stay downtown and see the 9/11 things. Hope you have a great time in my city!

Shortly after passing Lady Liberty on the right, you can look back to the left and see the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

That is where the QM2 departs from. So, depending on the date and time, you might see her there. Map View

You can also see the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges port side.

Coney Island is quite easy to see.

going underthe Verrazano bridge is fun and different. Have done the sail out out of NYC many times since i am from here.

 

jldevlin, i would suggest taking the train (subway) to where you takethe ferry. It would save you time and not tire you out. Then come up again to mid town by train, and walk around midtown, or you can stay downtown and see the 9/11 things. Hope you have a great time in my city!

This is such good info to help plan my day ... I have looked at maps and it is really hard to tell how far everything is from where we dock ..we want to make the most of our time there..We are not afraid to use public transportation in different cities ....But it really helps to look ahead to find the best and easiest routes Thanks so much

This is such good info to help plan my day ... I have looked at maps and it is really hard to tell how far everything is from where we dock ..we want to make the most of our time there..We are not afraid to use public transportation in different cities ....But it really helps to look ahead to find the best and easiest routes Thanks so much

Your welcome! sometimes people don't even reply to a post like mine. It is an experience to take the NY subway. Just be aware of your surroundings, trust your instincts,and you'll probably be fine. I have done it all my life! You said it is hard to tell how far everything is from where you dock (at about 55 st. on the west side). If you see a map of NYC, the blocks are generally rectangular. If you count on the short side of the rectangle, that is a short block. 20 of them make a mile.So for example, walking from 40th St. to 20th St. streight down is about a mile. With the long side, that is counted as 3 short blocks.So you see, walking all the way downtown from midtown is over 2 miles, and you reallydon't wantto do that if your priority is to take the ferry and seethe Statue of Liberty. Hope that helps, when you see a map of the city.

This is such good info to help plan my day ... I have looked at maps and it is really hard to tell how far everything is from where we dock .....

One of the cool things with Google Maps is to put in your start and end point, then click on which mode of transportation - Car, Transit, or walking. And you get the estimated time and distance for everything.

Hubby loves his map programs ... uses it all the time ...Never got lost once in Venice !!! But I like to know ahead where I am going .....then he gets his map out to make sure I am right ...of course I am right ....And we are really careful with our surroundings ...but we dont let it stop us from heading out ...

After 10 sailings out of NY, I never looked for Coney Island! Wondering how in the world we missed it...thank you!

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The return trip up the Hudson is also special especially if it is still dark or if it is sunrise. Very different than sailing down the Hudson.

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Also, almost opposite the terminal is Wehawken and the duelling ground where Hamilton met Burr.

In NJ, where the cruise ships dock ( Bayonne) is Black Tom, the site of the biggest? Non-nuclear explosion in the U.S. when German agents blew up ammunition being sent to the Allies in WW1.

Thanks for reminding us about the great things to see, I grew up in Brooklyn and love going past many of my childhood memories.

My favorites are in Coney Island, I would love to ride the Parachute Jump & the Wonder Wheel, both landmarks that can be clearly seen from the port side.

Thanks for reminding us about the great things to see, I grew up in Brooklyn and love going past many of my childhood memories.

My favorites are in Coney Island, I would love to ride the Parachute Jump & the Wonder Wheel, both landmarks that can be clearly seen from the port side.

I mentioned that Coney Island can clearly be seen---problem is that once the ship passes Manhattan, and you go under the bridge, people think its all over with, and leave the decks. They forget about Coney Island! i grew up about a mile from Coney, but we hardly ever went.

And goin away you do know your history!!

We have a cruise next year that has New York as a port day ....8 am to 10 pm ... we are just starting to look at the ports and what to do .... Most of the info I find is on embarkation not just hanging out in the city for a day ....Is the dock somewhat close to downtown ??We are thinking of taking the Staten Island ferry in the morning and then doing the statue of Liberty, then maybe Times Square and finding a Deli ...yeah pretty touristy lol ... Is all of that close enough to do walking or would a cab be called for ...we walk a lot so a half hour walk to each place would not be a problem ....

You cant rush the Statue of liberty. You are at the mercy of crowds and ferry's. But you do have the option to do or skip Ellis Island. I would suggest picking an area and sticking to it. Such as down town, Statue of liberty, Ground zero, south street seaport, freedom tower etc. Then go up to midtown if there is time. or Just do midtown, Empire state building, Time square, maybe a show, Rockefeller center, Bryant park, Central park, St Pats. etc. In any case look into express passes or pre tickets for locations first. A cab would only be needed to go from down town to midtown. Otherwise you can walk most. Plus there are plenty of refreshment stops. ie. Irish Bars. Enjoy

Coney Island is very easy to see, but remember youhave to pass Manhattan and most of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges are not mentioned. You can see them too on port side.

I am from NY and sailed out of NY almost countless times, so all of this is not such a big deal to me, but my whole family still loves going under the Verrazano Bridge. It is fun and different.

Thanks for the input and you are right I dropped the ball on that. The Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges are most important as it gives out of towners a perspective of the escape route for so many on 9/11.