Travelling to Manhattan Cruise Terminal from Stamford CT

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

Visiting a friend in Stamford, CT prior to cruise.  Any reliable and affordable suggestions for transportation to the termina the morning of embarkation please and thank you?

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, whenisthemidnightbuffet? said:

Visiting a friend in Stamford, CT prior to cruise.  Any reliable and affordable suggestions for transportation to the termina the morning of embarkation please and thank you?

Take Amtrak (either Regional or premium Acela) from Stamford to New York Penn Station. Take a short taxi or Uber ride from Penn Station to the pier. 

[njhorseman]

In addition to Amtrak there's Metro North train service from Stamford to Grand Central Terminal . Then a short taxi or Uber ride from Grand Central to the cruise terminal.

[GTJ]

22 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

In addition to Amtrak there's Metro North train service from Stamford to Grand Central Terminal.

Generally, Metro-North Commuter Railroad is the better choice of the two. Both take the same amount of time, about 50 minutes, and both have similar high levels of reliability. Both railroads travel on the same tracks from Stamford to New Rochelle; Metro-North then travels the direct route into midtown Manhattan, while Amtrak then travels on the indirect route through Queens into midtown Manhattan. Amtrak is better to the extent that its seats are generally more comfortable than Metro-North, and its Manhattan terminal, Pennsylvania Station, is slightly closet to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal than the Manhattan terminal for Metro-North, Grand Central Terminal. Metro-North is better to the extent that its trains are more frequent and its fares are usually lower. The one-way fare for Metro-North is $11.50 ($7.50 senior-disabled), except trains arriving in Manhattan between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., when the fare is $15.25. The one-way fare for Amtrak on other than Acela trains is $73.00, with limited-availability discount tickets being $41.00 and $13.00; on Acela trains is $167.00, with limited-availability discount tickets being $104.00 and $71.00. Amtrak ticketing is more cumbersome and takes longer, requiring the provision of personal information, and requires the inconvenience of making reservations; Metro-North ticketing is quick, impersonal, and anonymous.

[princeton123211]

3 hours ago, GTJ said:

Amtrak is better to the extent that its seats are generally more comfortable than Metro-North, and its Manhattan terminal, Pennsylvania Station, is slightly closet to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal than the Manhattan terminal for Metro-North, Grand Central Terminal.

Not to mention that if traveling with a bunch of luggage for a cruise, Amtrak has Red Cap porter service in Penn Station which can be very helpful getting through the station to your cab/Uber. 

[GTJ]

2 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Not to mention that if traveling with a bunch of luggage for a cruise, Amtrak has Red Cap porter service in Penn Station * * *

No red caps at Grand Central Terminal, though one can walk from platform to street with no steps or elevators. At Pennsylvania Station there might not be any red caps on the platform when an Amtrak train arrives, and in that case, if service is desired, one may need to call for a red cap. On a related baggage note, Amtrak imposes limits on the amount of baggage one can bring--two personal items, 25 lbs. and 14 x 11 x 7 inches each, and two carry-on items, 50 lbs. and 28 x 22 x 14 inches each--while Metro-North has no formal limitations on baggage. Notwithstanding the Amtrak limitations, I would not expect strict enforcement at the Stamford station, other than, perhaps, at peak travel times.

[navybankerteacher]

19 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Not to mention that if traveling with a bunch of luggage for a cruise, Amtrak has Red Cap porter service in Penn Station which can be very helpful getting through the station to your cab/Uber. 

While Metronorth offers more frequent trains and is less expensive than Amtrak, there is very limited luggage space on their trains, so if you have large bags, or many pieces, you will find the Amtrak equipment more convenient and comfortable - as well as the availability of redcap service at Penn Station - worth the price differential.

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

Thanks for the train service info.  Are there no ground transportation that are reliable and affordable - mini van, bus, etc.  We are a party of 2 and just need one way service.  Thanks.

[princeton123211]

7 minutes ago, whenisthemidnightbuffet? said:

Are there no ground transportation that are reliable and affordable - mini van, bus, etc.  We are a party of 2 and just need one way service.  Thanks.

Trains are really the fastest and most reliable for this routing. You can get caught in a ton of traffic on that stretch of I-95 in a bus as well as the bottleneck of getting into Manhattan itself depending on the time of day. 

 

Even Greyhound bus only runs one daily route from Stamford into New York and its off peak at 9:50pm and only 4 days a week-- its all because the train service along this route is so good that it precludes most other options. 

 

You could always hire a car service or rent a car one way but that would be a lot more expensive than taking the train and in the case of the rental car a lot more hassle and wasted time. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, whenisthemidnightbuffet? said:

Thanks for the train service info.  Are there no ground transportation that are reliable and affordable - mini van, bus, etc.  We are a party of 2 and just need one way service.  Thanks.

Lots of “reliable and affordable” car services - but not particularly more reliable, and certainly not as affordable - to get you to Manhattan:  it would be about $190 -$200.  “Affordable” is a term with various definitions — in this case the car service would be well over $100 more than train to NYC plus taxi to cruise terminal.

 

You might find a bus for less - if you really hated yourself.

[GTJ]

6 hours ago, whenisthemidnightbuffet? said:

Are there no ground transportation that are reliable and affordable - mini van, bus, etc.

Correct. There are no such scheduled services, absent a long and complex trip using the local transit bus services provided by CTtransit, Westchester County Bee Line, and New York City Transit Authority. (Both CTtransit and Westchester County Bee Line have announced free service this summer, on account of high gasoline prices, so the dollar cost of doing such a transit trip, from Stamford to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, would be $2.75 per person for such an extended journey.) You might find non-scheduled services, such as taxis and hired cars, but they tend not to be all that affordable. For the criteria you have specified--reliable and affordable--the railroad, be it Metro-North Commuter Railroad or Amtrak, is the only practicable means.