Cruise from NY worth it?

[booboo925]

Did the Miracle out of NY in May 2 years ago, and it was awesome - nothing like Sail Away in NYC. I will agree that the first day at sea was a bit chilly, however that didn't seem to stop me from getting a really nice sunburn on my knees. How embarassing - friends on the ship kept checking to see if the rest of me was catching up in color to my knees. *sigh*

 

I would do it again in a heartbeat - loved HMC and Grand Turk. Nassua - eh. Not much to do IMO. I do love love love that there are 4 sea days on this itinerary. It was so peaceful - and it was one of my favorite cruises.

 

I say go for it! But bring a sweatshirt AND sunblock for that first day at sea. :rolleyes:

[Katiebug430]

We're taking our second cruise to Canada out of NYC this summer and are very much looking forward to it.

 

We chose a cruise from New York because we live in the Hartford suburbs and have our baby coming with us. I have zero desire to wrangle an infant and all of her gear on a plane. It's an easy, relatively short drive to the Manhattan cruise terminal (it was about 90 minutes last time). Also, our pediatrician isn't keen on taking babies to certain destinations in the Caribbean due to disease risk so we chose a Canada itinerary.

 

$150 for five nights of parking is still substantially less than we would pay for airfare for three plus a hotel the night before (and possibly a night after) the cruise.

[madgally]

New York is the closest port to our home, but we've always flown to Florida and departed from there. We are only interested in Caribbean cruises and would like to leave from NY. I've noticed that 8 day cruises from NY visit HMC, Grand Turk, and Nassau. Are these cruises worth it, in your personal opinion? Or, should we just make the trip to Florida?

 

Depends on how close, the cost is more due to the port. If you don't have to fly. If you need to park it could be an issue or expensive. when I cruise from NYC I love it, but I'm dropped off and picked up. I hate flying to a cruise. Takes up so much darn time.

[janetz]

Seems like many of you have sailed the Miracle. Not to change the subject, but can you all tell me is there enough onboard to keep a 14 and 17 year old busy? :confused:

[sciencegal]

We are sailing out of NYC on the Miracle this July so I was happy to see so many good reports. We have sailed out of Baltimore twice and that is great but have always wanted to sail from NY. The Florida ports have many good points. Flying to them isn't one of them. Plus, as others have mentioned, the hotel the night before and several meals adds to the price. i just can't wait to be onboard!!!

[cruisinbulldog]

I have done two cruise out of NY south to Bermuda, two out of NY to Canada and one cruise to nowhere.

 

I will never go south again, because the seas are so rough - at least to and from Bermuda. Both times were over July 4 - supposedly decent crusiing weather and I have not had problems anywhere else.

But it is a different experience than cruising the caribbean.

 

I do not doubt your experiences.. But have sailed twice in the end of January out of NYC.. Both times with different sailing conditions.. Good and bad.. Point being, you are in the Atlantic Ocean, going through the gulf stream.. One has to realize the chances taken at anytime of the year..;) For me, that is part of the adventure..

 

Bulldog

[*Luv2Cruz*]

We've cruised outta NYC many times and only had one rough day at sea on an August sailing returning from Bermuda!;) But sailing outta NYC in the winter, even with the much lower prices, is not for me!:eek:

[KCTravel]

We have cruised out of NYC five times and it just starts our vacation off on the right note! The morning of the cruise we get a ride to the NJ Transit train and have a 90 minute train ride to Penn Station, then right to the cab. I don't have the anxiety of flying, packing, weighing, worrying about making the flight back etc.

This May is our third cruise out of NYC on the Miracle. It is always a little breezy going out of NYC and the view is awesome! We've been lucky to have sunny warm weather the next day. Also, we enjoy the four sea days. There is as much as you want to do or not. The Spirit class ships are our favorite and we enjoy the Miracle.

Have fun with your decision!

Karen

[luv2gonow]

IMO....We are lucky to have such a great port....I have sailed out of NY 3x....2x Canada and 1x Caribbean.

 

The Miracle is my favorite ship so far....she is awesome and has the best layout of any other ship I have been on.

 

They also do a Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and Nassau. This is the itinerary I did....was awesome.

 

I can't begin to tell you how awesome it is to leave your house at 10:30....and be on board eating lunch by 1.

Sailing out of NY harbor is spectacular.

Happy planning

Kerri

[MMMD]

New York is the closest port to our home, but we've always flown to Florida and departed from there. We are only interested in Caribbean cruises and would like to leave from NY. I've noticed that 8 day cruises from NY visit HMC, Grand Turk, and Nassau. Are these cruises worth it, in your personal opinion? Or, should we just make the trip to Florida?

 

For me, anything is worth bypassing having to fly.

 

If your close to the Manhattan port, your also close to Brooklyn and Cape Liberty in New Jersey. That's quite a few options.

 

I recently cruised out of the Manhattan Terminal and it was far easier than flying from any of our airports.

[JPH814]

I do not doubt your experiences.. But have sailed twice in the end of January out of NYC.. Both times with different sailing conditions.. Good and bad.. Point being, you are in the Atlantic Ocean, going through the gulf stream.. One has to realize the chances taken at anytime of the year..;) For me, that is part of the adventure..

 

Bulldog

 

Hi Bulldog -

I agree that the possibility of rough weather crossing the gulf stream is to be expected. But being sick and missing meals for one day south and one day north is not my idea of an adventure. I was just making sure others considering a cruise south out of NY are aware of the possibility of rough seas that are somewhat more common in this area than others.

 

Love your picture by the way

[cruisinbulldog]

Hi Bulldog -

I agree that the possibility of rough weather crossing the gulf stream is to be expected. But being sick and missing meals for one day south and one day north is not my idea of an adventure. I was just making sure others considering a cruise south out of NY are aware of the possibility of rough seas that are somewhat more common in this area than others.

 

Love your picture by the way

 

I agree.. People should be aware that if they are prone to motion sickness they need to take precautionary measures.. One of which could be chosing a different cruise out of a more southern port.. Personally I like some motion, it enhances my cruising experiance.. My first cruise out of NYC on the Noordam we had 30' seas on the way down, it was quite the ride and there were a lot of paxs that remain in their cabins.. I had no problem finding a barstool anywhere!!;) Outside decks were out of bounds.. But it did not stop me from rebooking more cruises out of NYC..

 

Bulldog

[x lindsay x]

If you love sea days than you should definitely do it, if sea days are more of a means to an end for you than I wouldn't recommend it. Last year we did the 9nt trip on the Caribbean Princess from Brooklyn and those two sea days set a great tone for the vacation, two days to have nothing to worry about. I've done a large portion of the Caribbean islands over the past few years so the ports are pretty much secondary but now that Carnival is hitting HMC from NYC I booked my first Carnival cruise for May out of New York and really look forward to an easy/cheap/convenient vacation.

 

Sleeping at home the night before (leaving time for super last minute packing) and a 20 minute cab ride to the pier beat flying any day.

[Brighton Line]

Nothing beats sailing down the Hudson, loved it. I'm jaded as I live in Brooklyn was a breeze with a cab ride to and from the pier. No worry about liquids or taking shoes off.

Then again just sailing under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is fun.

 

[WillieD13]

Seems like many of you have sailed the Miracle. Not to change the subject, but can you all tell me is there enough onboard to keep a 14 and 17 year old busy? :confused:

 

Our cruise on Miracle had a LOT of teens on it, and the "Fun Times" listed a lot of activities for them to do, aside from the normal teen things such as sitting around the pool, hanging out, and consuming copious amounts of pizza and ice cream (which they can do most of the day). Keep in mind one thing however, the time of year you go. In cooler/colder weather, some of the outside activities may not be available. I do not know if the pools are heated or not (the hot tubs are), or if they are even open some months of the year while up north, likewise the water slide. Also, the basketball court, miniature golf, and ping pong are outside. None the less, there are seperate lounges for each age group of teens, and the crew seems well versed in keeping them entertained.

[janetz]

Thank you. :)

[abby and nathan's mom]

Okay...Guess we're the exception to the norm...We live in Kentucky so we're about the same distance to Tampa, Orlando, or New York...After leaving from the Florida ports for the past 3 cruises, we've decided to try New York for a change....We usually drive...However, this year we're flying to LaGuardia, and then after the cruise, we're staying 2 nights near Times Square...My children are more excited about the New York sightseeing than the cruise....I am excited about the Miracle because my favorite ship that we've cruised on has been the Legend, and I'm looking forward to the extra days in New York...Much different from the Nick Hotel last year...lol...:):)

[med2cruise]

WillieD13,

 

We are on the Miracle this summer, any recommendations for ports?

 

Karen