Pre Cruise QOTS New York

[Pedro2400]

We are going on Quantum of the Sea Dec 12 2014, We are staying At Hilton Garden Inn , Staten Island New York. We took their park and Shuttle to Pier package.

 

Now Main question is , how do we go to New York to see Statue of Liberty, Times Square , and Empire state building . I am not big fan of driving in New York.

 

So how and where could we get Public transit, Subway to see all these?

 

Any suggestions would help....

[FSRoberts]

Getting to Manhattan on public transit from Staten Island is not hard, but it is time consuming.

 

You could take the S48 bus to the Staten Island Ferry. Here is the schedule. It sometimes runs as the S98 limited stop.

 

The other option is the X10 bus. Here is that schedule.

 

Both will be nearly 1.5 hours from the Hilton to get to the southern tip of Manhattan. The ferry offers the advantage of being a nice boat ride, and is quite convenient to the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferries. The bus, though can take you deeper into Manhattan without transferring to the subway.

 

Google Maps does quite well for public transit directions in New York.

Edited September 15, 2014 by FSRoberts

[Pedro2400]

Getting to Manhattan on public transit from Staten Island is not hard, but it is time consuming.

 

You could take the S48 bus to the Staten Island Ferry. Here is the schedule. It sometimes runs as the S98 limited stop.

 

The other option is the X10 bus. Here is that schedule.

 

Both will be nearly 1.5 hours from the Hilton to get to the southern tip of Manhattan. The ferry offers the advantage of being a nice boat ride, and is quite convenient to the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferries. The bus, though can take you deeper into Manhattan without transferring to the subway.

 

Google Maps does quite well for public transit directions in New York.

 

Thanks for the info

 

Just find out Hotel have free Shuttle to the Newark Airport, Would it be any Better from Airport , then Staten Island?

[FSRoberts]

Thanks for the info

 

Just find out Hotel have free Shuttle to the Newark Airport, Would it be any Better from Airport , then Staten Island?

 

Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe a small savings. It's 30-40 minutes by NJ Transit or PATH to Manhattan from there, but you also have to add time to the airport, and time to transfer to the train (which is designed to be accessed by people coming in off flights rather than from outside).

[njhorseman]

In the past this hotel has provided courtesy shuttle service to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. You need to check with them to arrange a time. This service has lower priority than their shuttles to EWR and Cape Liberty, so you should be prepared to be flexible.

 

You could also take a taxi from the hotel to the ferry terminal.

 

Taking the hotel shuttle to EWR and then train or bus to Manhattan is unlikely to be a time saver and will likely cost you more money.

 

BTW, contrary to what the other poster implied, you can't take PATH from EWR to Manhattan. The nearest PATH (an inexpensive subway-like train that runs between NJ and Manhattan) station to EWR is at Newark Penn Station and to get there from EWR you would have to take the airport AirTrain to NJ Transit to Newark Penn Station and then take PATH into NY City. It's much easier just to take the AirTrain to NJ Transit and then go directly into Manhattan.

[138east]

I have no problem with folks staying at the Hilton Garden to cruise out of Cape Liberty, but IMO it's not the best choice if you want to sightsee in Manhattan. Have you considered booking the Ramada at EWR through Trinityreservations.com for $208 tax included which also includes free parking for 21 days and round trip port transportation? This will put you in a much better position to get into Manhattan.

 

I just took the SOL Ferry ride a week ago Sunday from Liberty State Park in NJ. We drove there from our hotel in Jersey City in about 20 minutes. Parking was $7 and the ferries to Ellis Island and the SOL were uncrowded - no need to prepurchase tickets. It was a walk out to the ferry slip from the parking, so that's definitely a consideration in December.

 

There are more options for getting into Manhattan from EWR. Remember it's December and you might want to throw some money at parking to speed up your travel and cut down on your outdoor exposure.

 

What are you paying for the Hilton Garden and how many nights are you staying?

[Pedro2400]

At Hilton , We are paying $135 plus taxes for two nights.

For the third night , we are paying $209 plus taxes . This includes parking and shuttle to and from the Pier.

[138east]

Well, you can book two nights through Trinity at $132 tax included and one night at $208 tax included at the Ramada.

 

You have several options for getting in and out of NYC. Hotel shuttle to the P4 Airtrain station, free Airtrain to the Newark Airport Station, NJ Transit train to New York Penn Station for midtown, or to Newark Penn Station to pick up PATH to the World Trade Center. There is also a NJ Transit bus which runs along Frontage Road and goes to Newark Penn Station for transfer to NJ Transit or PATH. This will take a lot less time to go into Manhattan, particularly midtown Manhattan than staying on Staten Island.

 

It appears you are coming from Canada, so to stay on Staten Island you will pay a $13 bridge toll plus a little extra turnpike toll plus at least another 20-30 minutes to get there coming and going.

[Pedro2400]

Well, you can book two nights through Trinity at $132 tax included and one night at $208 tax included at the Ramada.

 

You have several options for getting in and out of NYC. Hotel shuttle to the P4 Airtrain station, free Airtrain to the Newark Airport Station, NJ Transit train to New York Penn Station for midtown, or to Newark Penn Station to pick up PATH to the World Trade Center. There is also a NJ Transit bus which runs along Frontage Road and goes to Newark Penn Station for transfer to NJ Transit or PATH. This will take a lot less time to go into Manhattan, particularly midtown Manhattan than staying on Staten Island.

 

It appears you are coming from Canada, so to stay on Staten Island you will pay a $13 bridge toll plus a little extra turnpike toll plus at least another 20-30 minutes to get there coming and going.

 

 

Thanks Carol for your expert advice.

 

Yes I am driving in from Canada.

My Dilemma is that I have already paid in full for Hilton Garden Inn at Staten Island. So now Only option is to stay at Hilton.

As it appears to be a bad choice on my part.

 

So best option for me will be to take Hotel Shuttle to Newark Airport and then Take Air Train to New York Penn Station to see Times Square.

 

How about going to Statue of Liberty? what would you recommend?

 

Regards

[njhorseman]

Carol's advice/directions are for someone staying at a Newark Airport area hotel. It's not geared to someone staying where you are because she wasn't aware of the fact that you're locked into staying on Staten Island. You could go back to the airport, but it will take you time and the train will cost you money you don't have to spend.

 

As I stated in my earlier post, your best option may be to take the hotel shuttle (or even a taxi if you want to spend a few dollars) to the Staten Island Ferry, take the ferry to Manhattan and then a subway to Times Square. To see the Statue of Liberty again take the Staten Island ferry to Manhattan, and walk to Statue of Liberty ferry ticket office/dock...probably less than 5 minutes from the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Manhattan.

 

You can find out about/plan your Statue of Liberty visit here: http://www.statuecruises.com/ . It's the official website of Statue Cruises. There's even a map with photos of how to walk from the Staten Island ferry terminal to the SOL ferry: http://www.statuecruises.com/pdf/StatenIslandFerrytoCC.pdf

 

While staying at the HGI on Staten Island isn't ideal for visiting Manhattan, you'll still be able to do what you want, with perhaps just a little more advance planning.

Edited September 17, 2014 by njhorseman

[dottiedef]

We will be in

Charleston for one day off the Ruby Princess on Nov 1st. Do not want to do a ship tour. Will there be things available to book right there at the dock or do I need to arrange something ahead of time and then figure out how to get to the start location. Would love a quick city tour and then a visit to Boone Hall Plantation.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

Dottie

[Pedro2400]

We will be in

Charleston for one day off the Ruby Princess on Nov 1st. Do not want to do a ship tour. Will there be things available to book right there at the dock or do I need to arrange something ahead of time and then figure out how to get to the start location. Would love a quick city tour and then a visit to Boone Hall Plantation.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

Dottie

 

Dottie,

Did you post your comment on wrong thread?

[Pedro2400]

Carol's advice/directions are for someone staying at a Newark Airport area hotel. It's not geared to someone staying where you are because she wasn't aware of the fact that you're locked into staying on Staten Island. You could go back to the airport, but it will take you time and the train will cost you money you don't have to spend.

 

As I stated in my earlier post, your best option may be to take the hotel shuttle (or even a taxi if you want to spend a few dollars) to the Staten Island Ferry, take the ferry to Manhattan and then a subway to Times Square. To see the Statue of Liberty again take the Staten Island ferry to Manhattan, and walk to Statue of Liberty ferry ticket office/dock...probably less than 5 minutes from the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Manhattan.

 

You can find out about/plan your Statue of Liberty visit here: http://www.statuecruises.com/ . It's the official website of Statue Cruises. There's even a map with photos of how to walk from the Staten Island ferry terminal to the SOL ferry: http://www.statuecruises.com/pdf/StatenIslandFerrytoCC.pdf

 

While staying at the HGI on Staten Island isn't ideal for visiting Manhattan, you'll still be able to do what you want, with perhaps just a little more advance planning.

 

 

Thank you njhorseman for your input.

[njhorseman]

By the way, I lived on Staten Island for many years, and commuted to Manhattan for school and work by bus, ferry and subway for part of that time. You shouldn't be deterred by having to do that for your sightseeing trips...it's a relatively minor inconvenience.

[Pedro2400]

By the way, I lived on Staten Island for many years, and commuted to Manhattan for school and work by bus, ferry and subway for part of that time. You shouldn't be deterred by having to do that for your sightseeing trips...it's a relatively minor inconvenience.

 

 

Thank you njhorseman

[Pedro2400]

Thank you njhorseman

 

 

 

Hello njhorseman,

Could you please let me know how much is the cost of ferry from Staten island to battery park?

[njhorseman]

Hello njhorseman,

Could you please let me know how much is the cost of ferry from Staten island to battery park?

 

It's free.

 

Centuries ago when I used the ferry regularly, there was a charge. And they used to carry motor vehicles too...but no longer.

 

Here's the official City of New York website for the ferry. It should have everything you'll need to know:

 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/staten-island-ferry.shtml

Edited September 18, 2014 by njhorseman

[Pedro2400]

So it is Free?

Wow

[njhorseman]

So it is Free?

Wow

 

It used to be 5 cents when I used it regularly. Eventually the fare went as high as 50 cents, but in the late 1990's the fare was eliminated.

[Brighton Line]

It used to be 5 cents when I used it regularly. Eventually the fare went as high as 50 cents, but in the late 1990's the fare was eliminated.

 

SI Ferry is still the cheapest way to see the Statue of Liberty ;)

 

I too would commute to from Staten Island thru Manhattan to Brooklyn. Payday all I had was my nickle and a ticket for the the Staten Railway. With paycheck in hand, walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, down Broadway to the Ferry and the Train home to Eltingville where I gave my Dad my check. He deducted "rent" and gave me cash.

 

Of course now the SIR takes Metrocard but you still get a free transfer to or from it at the subway stops near the ferry.

 

The Ferry is a great way to see the upper bay Statue of Liberty, Ellis and Governor Islands all for free. I miss that part of the commute, the Ferry.