First Time in NY Help...

[dr28326]

We are coming in to LGA the day before our cruise (get in about 10am) and have a hotel by the airport booked for the night. We already got 3pm tickets for 911 site. Would I be better using a private car for a tour or a bus tour off the internet? How far from LGA to the sites like 911 and statue of liberty?

[1025cruise]

LGA is in Queens, the WTC site is in lower Manhattan, as is the dock for the Statue of Liberty (which you should also pre-reserve).

 

I would see about taking the subway, probably allow an hour to get there. Which dock are you leaving from? An airport hotel by LGA is not really ideal for either Manhattan or Brooklyn.

[138east]

You're staying over on 10/20, right? Please provide more details. What hotel are you staying in? What are you paying and is it cancellable?

 

Please give details as to what you want to do besides visit the 911 Memorial at 3 pm.

 

As 1025 cruise pointed out, staying at LGA is not convenient for touring lower Manhattan, particularly if your hotel does not have good access to the subway.

[Keith1010]

If your cruise is leaving from Manhattan and you are also going in there for the 9/11 site you really should plan to stay in the city. Is there some reason you have booked a hotel at LGA?

 

Keith

[RMLincoln]

If your hotel near LGA has a free shuttle to/from LGA you could shuttle to the hotel, check in, drop you luggage and shuttle back to the airport and take the NYCAirporter bus that goes from LGA to Grand Central Station (railroad station) in mid-town Manhattan, then take the subway or taxi to the dock for the Statue of Liberty mid-day, and do the WTC in the afternoon... but it's tight arriving at 10am. By the time you getinto Manhatten and to the Statue of Liberty dock, get tickets for the ferry to Liberty Island, see what's to be seen there, take the ferry back and make your way to the WTC.... it's a lot!

 

The NYCAirporter.com has schedules but they run about every 20 minutes or so and cost $12.50pp payable in advance by credit card online, or in person by credit card or by cash in person as you get on the bus.

 

If you were to stay in Manhattan you could taxi or bus directly there from LGA and be that much closer to doing the other things you want to do.

 

If you just want a good view of the Statue of Liberty you can take the Staten Island Ferry across the harbor right in front of her; it's a 20-25 minute ride each way and they run about every 20 minutes. But that may be a poor compromise for you depending on what you envision your visit as.

 

Can you get a later time at the WTC? That could give you more time to be able to get out to the Statue of Liberty and open you plan up a bit.

 

Is this a weekday or a weekend day? Weekdays are busier with traffic but have more subway trains and ferries running. The NYCAirporter has the same schedule 7 days a week, check their website.

 

m-- (used to be a New Yorker, just got back from visiting family there, used the NYCAirporter bus very successfully!)

[dr28326]

Thank you for the suggestions. We will be there on a Saturday.

[dr28326]

I booked by the airport as I have never been there before and don't know anything about NY. I can cancel the hotel. I should look for a hotel in Manhattan then? Guess I have more investigating to do. I really appreciate all your help and DON'T STOP with the suggestions. I need all the help I can get.

[1025cruise]

The first question, which NY dock are you leaving from?

[dr28326]

Manhattan Terminal 12th ave

[138east]

Let's see what kind of hotel we can find for you on Oct 20. What are your sightseeing objectives beyond the 911 Memorial at 3 pm? What is your hotel budget? Do you actually want to go out to the Statue of Liberty or just see her? Your ship is going to go right past her when you sail. How comfortable are you with public transportation?

 

The problem is your 3 pm reservation for 911. You don't really have enough time to fly into LGA, drop off your bags at a hotel, go out to the SOL, and get back for 911. I think the statue is actually closed now but the grounds are open - perhaps someone can give an update on that.

[1025cruise]

I sailed on the Veendam last year out of Manhattan, and got some great shots of Lady Liberty from the ship. Definitely be out on deck for sail away.

 

In terms of a hotel, I'd probably look for someplace by Times Square, but without knowing your budget, this could be very expensive. I believe there are even hotels by the WTC site. Actually, I wonder if the Marriott in Brooklyn might not be a bad choice. Go straight there from the airport, then cross the bridge to be in the area of the WTC.

[dr28326]

Budget is cheap...although I see NY is not a cheap place to stay. The hotel I have booked by the airport was $105. Maybe I can change the tickets for the 911 site. We have all day and night as our cruise is on Sunday. I am not really sure about what we want to see. Definitely the 911 site and Empire State Bldg. Statue of Liberty if we are sailing by it that is all we need since I did read also that it is closed. Maybe a good night view of the lights.

[mrobstad]

I live an hour north of NYC and though perhaps I could help on this board. If I was cruising out of NY , there's no place I'd stay besides manhattan. I not know much about hotels, but my on and I styled at radio city apartments midtown. Great blue around 300 per night.

If you are downtown at the 911 memorial at 3, also see the statue of liberty or ride the staten island ferry for cheap great views. Thn head over to canal street, walk able, and eat in either chinatown or little Italy. I prefer the latter, and every restaurant is good and inexpensive. There is also a tkts booth downtown here you can get discount broadway tickets.

There might be a shuttle to grand central from the airports and taxis will be plentiful. The cruise port is very accessible from manhattan. Enjoy!

[jennmaybe]

We are coming in to LGA the day before our cruise (get in about 10am) and have a hotel by the airport booked for the night. We already got 3pm tickets for 911 site. Would I be better using a private car for a tour or a bus tour off the internet? How far from LGA to the sites like 911 and statue of liberty?

 

Hey fellow North Carolinian!

 

I agree with the others, I would definitely cancel your hotel by LGA. Not an ideal hotel at all for what you are wanting to do. (Completely your decision though)

 

Next, if you do cancel that one, decide on the absolute max you can spend on a hotel. The hotel by LGA is so much cheaper because of the location. Believe me, you would end up making up for that on transportation cost (taxi's) anyway (or walking 5 times as much):D.

 

I also agree with the poster that suggested you change your 911 Memorial time. 3pm is not good for you for that day. Arriving at 10am, getting transportation to your hotel, dropping luggage off, getting down to lower Manhattan to the 911 site, will all take quite a bit of time. Once you get there, you have to go through security, just like at an airport.

 

Since this is your first time in NYC, I would recommend booking a tour with a reputable company (check Trip Advisor), so you can see a lot of the good sites! Once you have been in the city, you know more what to expect and you can always do it on your own afterwards. However, you will be in a time crunch for booking with a company, so I'm not sure that will be an option for you. It's so hard for folks visiting the city pre-cruise for 1 night, because you really just don't have time to do much of anything.

[dr28326]

I canceled the hotel and got one in the theater district of Manhattan (not the best hotel but what I could afford). I also changed my 911 ticket to 4pm. I booked the hop on hop off double decker bus tours that leaves about a block from the hotel. That gives us 24hrs of on/off many stops for the items we wanted to see. Does this sound better? I know we will not see everything but at least get to ride by, take pictures and hopefully know more about what we wnat when we come back again. Thank all of you for your suggestions!

[Keith1010]

Enjoy your visit to NYC.

 

Keith

[jennmaybe]

I canceled the hotel and got one in the theater district of Manhattan (not the best hotel but what I could afford). I also changed my 911 ticket to 4pm. I booked the hop on hop off double decker bus tours that leaves about a block from the hotel. That gives us 24hrs of on/off many stops for the items we wanted to see. Does this sound better? I know we will not see everything but at least get to ride by, take pictures and hopefully know more about what we wnat when we come back again. Thank all of you for your suggestions!

 

Great plan for the hotel! You will be really glad you changed it. The Theater District is really close to so many things, that you will be able to walk to many of them.

 

The bus tour is a great idea.....just keep one thing in mind. The buses are not always on time and you may have to wait longer at certain stops than what you want to. Also, there are times when the bus will already be full when they get to your stop, so you may not get on that particular bus and may have to wait for another. Not saying this will for sure happen, but it can and does, so just keep that in mind.

[CupKayke]

I canceled the hotel and got one in the theater district of Manhattan (not the best hotel but what I could afford). I also changed my 911 ticket to 4pm. I booked the hop on hop off double decker bus tours that leaves about a block from the hotel. That gives us 24hrs of on/off many stops for the items we wanted to see. Does this sound better? I know we will not see everything but at least get to ride by, take pictures and hopefully know more about what we wnat when we come back again. Thank all of you for your suggestions!

 

Might I ask what hotel you booked?? We are also booked at an LGA hotel and we were planning to take bus into Manhattan for the day, return via taxi that evening, get on the ship the next morning. We would prefer a hotel closer to Times Square/Theatre District or somewhere that we could see a few good sites, this being our first jaunt to NYC... I can't find a room under $250... and that's about our max (I'm thinking it will be $300 after taxes, etc). How well did you do in the theatre district??

[138east]

What dates are you looking at? There's stuff out there, but you have to squirrel it out. Some dates are better than others, but you can never tell.

[CupKayke]

If they keep the "Sea View" rates up... we'll be booking this week... so we are looking at spending the evening of 11/13 in NYC area.

 

What do you think of this place... http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g46408-d551012-Reviews-Homewood_Suites_by_Hilton_Edgewater-Edgewater_New_Jersey.html

 

The reviews are fantastic and there is a free ferry to and fro Manhattan. Rates are only $177 per night.

[138east]

We recommend this hotel all the time, but I don't think it will really be cost effective for you. You're flying into LGA and will pay a at least $30+ more for a car service to NJ. The hotel has a free shuttle to the ferry, but the ferry costs about $9/pp each way to go to Manhattan, so 3 trips will be almost $60. I'm seeing a 4* hotel on Hotwire right now for 11/13 for $208 in midtown east with a 90% approval rating. This is likely to be the Barclay or the Grand Hyatt. This is a great deal for a 4* hotel and you can't go wrong with it. If you're serious, book it now and be done with it.

[CupKayke]

I had thought about those extra costs and wondered how they might add-up... and, while your advice sounds nice for "normal" people... my husband smokes... Priceline, Hotwire, Expedia, etc... are not options for us. Thanks anyway!

 

I've yet to worry about this as we only found this Carnival deal last night and now we must wait to see if my husband can get away from work around the holiday prior to booking anything. Sorry to hijack the thread ~ I was simply wondering where she might have found a deal as I can't seem to find anything even under $300.... plus the smoking room being a must for us, it adds a kink.

[sunshine002]

I live in NY (queens) and I would only stay at the airport if a flight is cancelled or I go bumped. There is not much in walking distance of the hotels there.

The hotline price mentioned sounds really good. If you are in Manhattan it will be easy to go back to your hotel and go out again. Many places to walk to with lots of restaurants open late. It will also be a snap to get to the Pier.

Taking the express bus from the airport is the way to go, if your a group of 4 people I would just hop a cab. Since the bus is about $10pp if you have more in your group it might be a wash in cost to hop a taxi. (there are set rates from the airport)

Enjoy your time in ny and your cruise.

 

PS there are tons of reasonable restaurant and also lot of very expensive ones. I always enjoy eating on 9th ave from 42nd st to about 55 st there are restaurants with food from over the world. There are many happy hour specials, for drinks and food.

[1025cruise]

I don't believe you will find a hotel in NYC that allows smoking inside at all.

 

If you are going to stay in NJ, fly into Newark. I would not fly into LGA to just travel to NJ.

[greatam]

I live in NY (queens) and I would only stay at the airport if a flight is cancelled or I go bumped.

 

The LaGuardia Plaza hotel (which used to be the Crowne Plaza) has a shuttle from the airport to hotel and a free shuttle to the train station where you can catch the #7 train directly into Times Square (30 minutes-as fast as you can make it via car most times of the day). Usually about $125.00 per night.

 

This is a very nice hotel, same service, same people as when it was still branded Crowne Plaza. And the food in the bar is very, very good and reasonable. On the weekends, the bar is packed with people eating, drinking and having a good time. There is also a white table cloth, fancy restaurant in the hotel that serves a very good breakfast at a reasonable price. I stay there frequently (Wednesday and Thursday this week alone, 2 nights in June also). I always ask for a room at the front of the hotel on the third floor. Those rooms have a "patio" outside facing the airport and you can sit out there, have a drink and watch the airplanes. They allow smoking in your room. I find it the BEST airport hotel in the NYC area whether I fly into JFK or LGA. If I fly into JFK, I ALWAYS take car service to the LaGuardia Plaza for lodging. The hotel is that good and offers just about anything a business or tourist traveler could need.

 

 

Taking the express bus from the airport is the way to go, if your a group of 4 people I would just hop a cab. Since the bus is about $10pp if you have more in your group it might be a wash in cost to hop a taxi. (there are set rates from the airport)

 

There are NO set rates on cab fare from LGA. ONLY from JFK. Fare from LGA to Manhattan is generally $30-35 but you need to tell the driver to take the 59th St bridge, Williamsburg, Manhattan or Brooklyn bridges (depending on where you are going in Manhattan) or you will get stuck additionally with a toll.

 

Some of the "express" buses are anything but express. Get on the wrong bus and you could take a sightseeing trip that takes 1.5-2 hours to get to your destination. And depending on where your Manhattan hotel is, you could be forced to take a cab in Manhattan just to get to the hotel if you use the NYAS bus (the $10.00 bus). It only has three stops-Grand Central, Port Authority and Penn Station.

 

DO NOT use SuperShuttle in NYC. They are absolutely horrible-dirty, nasty vans, drivers to match. And they may circle the airport for a loooooong time trying to find enough passengers to fill the van.