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NY 1 day touring options after disembarking the Anthem of the Seas


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We are sailing on the Anthem of the Seas on November 3. 2108 out of Cape Liberty. Our domestic flight leaves JFK at 7:30 pm on the day we disembark. We had planned on booking Royal Caribbean's Manhattan Highlights tour which includes transfers to JFK. Reviews indicate it is a bus tour with only 1 stop at the 911 Memorial and are now wondering if we would prefer a tour with more stops.

 

I am wondering if it would be feasible to self disembark as early as possible. We would take either a taxi or car service to a luggage storage facility in NY and explore on our own, or join a tour from there. We would have to get transportation to JFK later in the day. This is our first time in NYC and welcome any suggestions or feedback if the luggage storage and self/guided tour would work with our time limitations. Thanks!

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We are sailing on the Anthem of the Seas on November 3. 2108 out of Cape Liberty. Our domestic flight leaves JFK at 7:30 pm on the day we disembark. We had planned on booking Royal Caribbean's Manhattan Highlights tour which includes transfers to JFK. Reviews indicate it is a bus tour with only 1 stop at the 911 Memorial and are now wondering if we would prefer a tour with more stops.

 

I am wondering if it would be feasible to self disembark as early as possible. We would take either a taxi or car service to a luggage storage facility in NY and explore on our own, or join a tour from there. We would have to get transportation to JFK later in the day. This is our first time in NYC and welcome any suggestions or feedback if the luggage storage and self/guided tour would work with our time limitations. Thanks!

It's a Saturday. We usually recommend Schwartz Travel on W 37th St for luggage storage. This is within walking distance of Times Square and NY Penn Station. For a domestic flight you'd have to leave Manhattan by 4:30 pm. Airport bus from nearby Port Authority Bus Terminal, Long Island Railroad train from nearby Penn Station to Jamaica plus Airtrain to JFK, subway to Jamaica plus Airtrain to JFK, and cab, car service, or Uber are all options to get to JFK.

 

What are your specific sightseeing objectives in Manhattan?

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We do not have any set agenda. I am thinking Empire State Building or the Top of the Rock, 911 Memorial and Times Square but am unsure what is realistic for 1 day. Thank you so much Carol for your recommendations.

Do you want to buy timed tickets for the 911 Memorial Museum and the EOS or TOR or do you want to wing it? The EOS and TOR open at 8 am (crowds should be less early in the day) so you might want to do one of those first. Then take the subway downtown to the 911 area and then the Subway back to Times Square, which is an easy walk to Schwartz Travel. IMO Times Square will be better later in the day - more people and more going on.

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Right. There are a number of options in the area - the Memorial, the Memorial Museum (tickets), the Freedom Tower (tickets), the Tribute Museum plus some combo tour options. You have limited time so you'll have to make some choices.

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I am hesitant to have timed tickets since I am unsure of the travel times. Thank you for the input. I will do more research to better plan out our time. It's very helpful to know we can walk to Times Square. Every bit of information is appreciated.

 

Study a map of Manhattan. From W 37th & 8th you can easily walk to Times Square and the Empire State. Top of the Rock is only 1.1 miles. New Yorkers do a lot of walking. Subway is the fastest way to go between midtown and downtown. http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf

 

The subway stations in lower Manhattan are actually all very close together whereas the ones in midtown tend to be a full avenue apart.

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We do not have any set agenda. I am thinking Empire State Building or the Top of the Rock, 911 Memorial and Times Square but am unsure what is realistic for 1 day. Thank you so much Carol for your recommendations.

 

Times Square, in and of itself, doesn't take much time to see. TOR is closer to Times Square than the ESB so I'd opt to head there and go up to the observation deck. If you get timed tickets in advance and don't make it, they'll let you in later though there's no way to say when it would be. Then subway downtown for 9/11. You can view the outdoor memorial on your own at no charge. The museum is amazing, and you could easily get lost in there for hours. Subway back up to midtown to get your luggage and get to the airport. If you can self disembark I'd do so, in order to maximize your day!

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Go to TripAdvisor and look at the “things to do” to read up on all the sights. For example if you choose only to go to the Memorial and not the museum then you’d have time to walk over to Wall Street or Battery Park.

 

 

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