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lepidoptera
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I am looking at Amtrak tickets for my NCL Breakaway cruise October 16-27. I will be travelling to NYC the day before and staying the night. The post cruise is what is causing me issues. I am debating between a 10:20 and a13:20 departure time from NY Penn. I prefer the earlier time, but am worried that would be difficult to make. I have never cruised on a ship as big as Breakaway and a coworker told me that she found disembarkment on it to be a mess when she sailed on her a couple of years ago.

 

Any one have any experience or opinions?

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To be safe, I'd book the 1:30 train. If you do the self walk-off and grab a cab to Penn and get there early enough for the earlier train, would they let you take it? We're close enough to the city that we always use just MetroNorth and you just buy a ticket for any departure. I don't know who rigid Amtrack is about changing trains, but if you're there in time for the earlier one, could you just take it with no hassle or additional charge?

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You might have to pay a higher price if you change as the lowest Saver fares(if you have one) is 14 days in advance of travel so you could not get that fare at the last minute. My opinion. also go with the 120pm departure. You can always store your bags and look around the Penn Sta area (Macy's is nearby!)

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Even if you packing light and can do Express Self Walkoff, ready to eat super early breakfast & join the lines among 500 to 1,000 fellow cruisers at 6:45 or 7 AM to rush off ... there is no guarantee that ship will arrive back, dock & cleared to start disembarkation at 7:30, 7:45 or 8 AM. If you are sailing in a suite or Haven and have priority disembarkation (escorted by concierge's team to bypass ahead ...) - odds are still 50:50 from other unforeseen delays, beyond NCL's control, i.e. CBP & port operations/unscheduled ship inspection of crew members, etc.

 

The AidaLuna is overnighting over at the next pier, with the port a little busy - my recommendation ... don't join the herb, sit back & relax. Enjoy a full breakfast onboard (usually vacate the staterooms requested by 8 AM to no later than 8:30 AM) - find a comfortable place to sit back & wait, and, walk off leisurely among the later crowd. It can sometimes still take another 30 to 90 minutes - gangways to curbside - (I am serious about this, unless you opt to consider using porter services, as they do have exclusive bypass or fast track) on 12th Avenue for transportation & pickup by car service, join the line for taxi queues, etc.

 

We sailed NCL twice last year out of NYC, both times - the ships were late returning, and pax still coming off the gangways at 10 AM ... slowly waiting, with one long, single line, to get inside for the "Down" escalators or accessible elevator into the luggage hall, with hundreds in queues - to clear CBP, with about 6 to 8 booths staffed by uniformed officers.

 

Chances and odds, not to be played - IMHO.

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Thanks everybody!

 

I am going to book the 13:20 train, the earlier train sounds like it will be cutting it close. It would be nice to be home earlier, but I don’t want to spend the last day of my cruise stressed and hurried.

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Check the Amtrak schedule for trains from Newark Penn or Newark Airport. We easily made a 11:30 am train from Newark Penn. We got an early luggage number and took a cab to the train station.

 

That works if you're coming into Bayonne, but there's absolutely no reason to get an insanely expensive cab or car service out to Newark when you're coming into Manhattan. New York Penn Station is about a mile and a half from the cruise terminal.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We are in the same boat for our June Sailing on the Escape. I took the chance with the Early Train and will roll the dice. The next one for us was not until 5pm and I REALLY didn't want to spend the day in the city. We are Haven and always do self-disembark. Fingers crossed it works. I already lost the dice roll on the number of snow days for school this year so hopefully this goes our way!

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We are Haven and always do self-disembark.

 

If you are in the Haven just talk to your Concierge, you don't even need to do self-assist and they will get you off the ship almost the first person. Down a crew elevator and out to the gangway.

 

They did it for us, even had our bags in the first group for pickup in the terminal.

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I have used Amtrak for 4 cruises and each time I buy my return ticket at the station. Three times we made it in time to take the 8:15AM train, but one time we missed it by a few minutes. You pay a little more but you do not have to stress about what time you make it to the station by.

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I am looking at Amtrak tickets for my NCL Breakaway cruise October 16-27. I will be travelling to NYC the day before and staying the night. The post cruise is what is causing me issues. I am debating between a 10:20 and a13:20 departure time from NY Penn. I prefer the earlier time, but am worried that would be difficult to make. I have never cruised on a ship as big as Breakaway and a coworker told me that she found disembarkment on it to be a mess when she sailed on her a couple of years ago.

 

Any one have any experience or opinions?

 

Book the 13:20 so you don't have to stress too much. Sometimes we've gotten to Penn Station quickly and other times it has taken 90 minutes to get a cab there. There's a lot to see and do in Penn Station to kill time, it's also huge so having the extra time to navigate would be less stressful.

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  • 4 months later...

OP is traveling back to Rochester NY so all trains originate Penn Station NY.

Disembarkation is a Saturday with 3 ships in port so customs will be fully staffed.

If you self-carry all luggage you can be off the ship at 8am very often. 9 is safe. As long as the taxi stand is not empty it's a short ride to Penn Station. With 3 returns to NYC City under my belt I would probably take the chance, EXCEPT - your cruise has a later return time for Breakaway than normal. It's almost always an 8am return to port but you are scheduled for a 10am return!

 

So you have no choice but to take the later train. Get yourself down to Penn as soon as you can, then find a classic NYC pizza or deli lunch. Get food to go for the train since the train food stinks.

 

By the way I am on the train from Rochester to NYC the day before, as I get on the Breakway after you for the repositioning.

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Related question, any concerns about catching a train at 10:52? We'd be traveling in the Haven which gets its choice of departure times plus the concierge escort to leave the ship.

 

Same cruise? See above. Different ship, different date? What time are you scheduled to be back in port. read my views above. I would say yes if your disembarkation time is 8am.

 

Especially since in 2 out of 3 times they start early - about 7:30 for the 8:00 time as they dock at about 6:00am.

 

That 10:00am disembarkation time is a wildcard!

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Same cruise? See above. Different ship, different date? What time are you scheduled to be back in port. read my views above. I would say yes if your disembarkation time is 8am.

 

Especially since in 2 out of 3 times they start early - about 7:30 for the 8:00 time as they dock at about 6:00am.

 

That 10:00am disembarkation time is a wildcard!

 

Sorry, I should have specified. It's the Escape to Bermuda next June. Scheduled arrival time is 8:00 AM.

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OP is traveling back to Rochester NY so all trains originate Penn Station NY.

Disembarkation is a Saturday with 3 ships in port so customs will be fully staffed.

If you self-carry all luggage you can be off the ship at 8am very often. 9 is safe. As long as the taxi stand is not empty it's a short ride to Penn Station. With 3 returns to NYC City under my belt I would probably take the chance, EXCEPT - your cruise has a later return time for Breakaway than normal. It's almost always an 8am return to port but you are scheduled for a 10am return!

 

So you have no choice but to take the later train. Get yourself down to Penn as soon as you can, then find a classic NYC pizza or deli lunch. Get food to go for the train since the train food stinks.

 

By the way I am on the train from Rochester to NYC the day before, as I get on the Breakway after you for the repositioning.

 

Thanks for the advice, I ended up finding a really good deal on a flight to EWR so I won’t be taking the train. It will give me more time in the city the day before the cruise, planning on visiting the museum of natural history.

 

Hope your train ride goes smoothly, will try not to break the boat before you get on.

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Thanks for the advice, I ended up finding a really good deal on a flight to EWR so I won’t be taking the train. It will give me more time in the city the day before the cruise, planning on visiting the museum of natural history.

 

Hope your train ride goes smoothly, will try not to break the boat before you get on.

 

Excellent! And try to leave it fairly clean, too, wouldya?

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OP is traveling back to Rochester NY so all trains originate Penn Station NY.

Disembarkation is a Saturday with 3 ships in port so customs will be fully staffed.

If you self-carry all luggage you can be off the ship at 8am very often. 9 is safe. As long as the taxi stand is not empty it's a short ride to Penn Station. With 3 returns to NYC City under my belt I would probably take the chance, EXCEPT - your cruise has a later return time for Breakaway than normal. It's almost always an 8am return to port but you are scheduled for a 10am return!

 

So you have no choice but to take the later train. Get yourself down to Penn as soon as you can, then find a classic NYC pizza or deli lunch. Get food to go for the train since the train food stinks.

 

By the way I am on the train from Rochester to NYC the day before, as I get on the Breakway after you for the repositioning.

 

A year ago we debarked in Manhattan - we were the only ship in, and there was little problem with customs and immigration, but ground transportation was terribly handled. You had to cross the avenue to get a taxi or even a scheduled car for pickup. With more than one ship in, even if debarkation starts as scheduled, it is risky to shoot for the earlier train.

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