Getting from JFK or LGA hotel to Brooklyn Cruise Terminal/Red Hook

We will be flying into JFK or LGA the day before a QM2 cruise. Since we are likely to arrive in the late afternoon, we will probably stay at an airport-area hotel. The next day, we will head to Red Hook.

What are our options (and costs) to get to Red Hook? In the past, we have stayed in Manhattan or with friends and used a car service such as Dial 7. Do you know if they also operate from the airports?

Any info would be most appreciated.

<snip> ... flying into JFK or LGA the day before a QM2 cruise ... likely to arrive in the late afternoon ... probably stay at an airport-area hotel. The next day, we will head to Red Hook.

 

What are our options (and costs) to get to Red Hook? ... and used a car service such as Dial 7...

OK, not a stranger coming back to Big Apple so you knew some of the drills.

Short answer, both Dial 7 and Carmel have their own garage/staging near all 3 area airports, you will be fine even booking them on the App directly upon arrival with all your luggage, belongings & spouse/partners, etc. in tow ... ready to go.

LGA - there's ongoing long-term construction (there's a 411 on that) - all of the airport area hotels have free shuttles, downside - you need to take an in-airport transfer bus to a remote lot to meet the hotel shuttle - small hassle, extra 10 to 15 minutes, some days, it's a mess, mostly not. Choice of dinner & meal options are limited, still better than JFK - there's always pizza & Chinese takeout delivery. Car service to Red Hook, probably around $40 to $45 plus tip in 45 to 60 minutes, less time on weekend morning.

JFK - all of the hotels are in the middle of nowhere & again, free shuttles from Federal Circle stop of the free AirTrain, connecting to all the airline terminals. Choice of dinner & meal options are limited - like above, not recommended to work around on your own. Negative element - some, if not all of the hotels are used by NYC Dept. of Social Services for emergency & short term housing, including homeless & displaced families, women's shelters program for DV and also local chapter of Red Cross for disaster servics (fire, etc.) - most travelers opt for the NIMB mindset, so it's heads up as you likely won't know till checked-in time if their "contracts" are in place. But, airline themselves also house their flyers and crew on layoffs at some of these hotels ... big names/chains. Car service to Red Hook will probably be at least 1 hour & longer - more miles to be driven in traffic or even without traffic, fares will NOT be a flat rate (unlike going into Manhattan) - probably $50 to $60 range, but - like LGA, no tolls, just add tips for good service by the driver.

With either airport options, once you have narrow down your choice & preference (airline miles, points or vouchers, etc.) please do a Google virtual earth or map view to see where the property is located ... sometimes, the online description is a "little" off as being LGA or JFK, when in fact, it is several miles away & that isn't exactly walking distance or just 1 or 2 highway exits away.

If price is a consideration & brand loyalty or preference isn't - and it's just 2 of you with minimal requirement, just looking for a clean & comfortable bed for a good night sleep, simple meal & to rest for the trip - Hot wire can be a good last minute friend to find deals, aside from booking P L - with comp'd airport shuttle, you would only pay the car service fare once, from hotel to Red Hook.

Sometimes, we tend to recommend folks going into Manhattan, which usually involved at least a $50 to $70 taxi (car service) ride/toll/tip once - and, again, 2nd. time going to the ship on the day of ... not a consideration for "been there, done that, not interested, etc. etc.) There's also the Lower Manhattan/East River ferry to Red Hook for those who can travel light & manage their rollers - if staying in the Wall Street area on a good deal. Downtown Brooklyn's Marriott is 10 to 15 minutes away, but pricey, IMO.

OK, not a stranger coming back to Big Apple so you knew some of the drills.

 

Short answer, both Dial 7 and Carmel have their own garage/staging near all 3 area airports, you will be fine even booking them on the App directly upon arrival with all your luggage, belongings & spouse/partners, etc. in tow ... ready to go.

 

LGA - there's ongoing long-term construction (there's a 411 on that) - all of the airport area hotels have free shuttles, downside - you need to take an in-airport transfer bus to a remote lot to meet the hotel shuttle - small hassle, extra 10 to 15 minutes, some days, it's a mess, mostly not. Choice of dinner & meal options are limited, still better than JFK - there's always pizza & Chinese takeout delivery. Car service to Red Hook, probably around $40 to $45 plus tip in 45 to 60 minutes, less time on weekend morning.

 

JFK - all of the hotels are in the middle of nowhere & again, free shuttles from Federal Circle stop of the free AirTrain, connecting to all the airline terminals. Choice of dinner & meal options are limited - like above, not recommended to work around on your own. Negative element - some, if not all of the hotels are used by NYC Dept. of Social Services for emergency & short term housing, including homeless & displaced families, women's shelters program for DV and also local chapter of Red Cross for disaster servics (fire, etc.) - most travelers opt for the NIMB mindset, so it's heads up as you likely won't know till checked-in time if their "contracts" are in place. But, airline themselves also house their flyers and crew on layoffs at some of these hotels ... big names/chains. Car service to Red Hook will probably be at least 1 hour & longer - more miles to be driven in traffic or even without traffic, fares will NOT be a flat rate (unlike going into Manhattan) - probably $50 to $60 range, but - like LGA, no tolls, just add tips for good service by the driver.

 

With either airport options, once you have narrow down your choice & preference (airline miles, points or vouchers, etc.) please do a Google virtual earth or map view to see where the property is located ... sometimes, the online description is a "little" off as being LGA or JFK, when in fact, it is several miles away & that isn't exactly walking distance or just 1 or 2 highway exits away.

 

If price is a consideration & brand loyalty or preference isn't - and it's just 2 of you with minimal requirement, just looking for a clean & comfortable bed for a good night sleep, simple meal & to rest for the trip - Hot wire can be a good last minute friend to find deals, aside from booking P L - with comp'd airport shuttle, you would only pay the car service fare once, from hotel to Red Hook.

 

Sometimes, we tend to recommend folks going into Manhattan, which usually involved at least a $50 to $70 taxi (car service) ride/toll/tip once - and, again, 2nd. time going to the ship on the day of ... not a consideration for "been there, done that, not interested, etc. etc.) There's also the Lower Manhattan/East River ferry to Red Hook for those who can travel light & manage their rollers - if staying in the Wall Street area on a good deal. Downtown Brooklyn's Marriott is 10 to 15 minutes away, but pricey, IMO.

Excellent analysis and suggestions!

I would also avoid the JFK area hotels. If the OP doesn't want to stay in Manhattan (which would be my recommendation) the LGA area hotels are of good quality but food availability is a problem.

Suggest the OP do research and the math and see which is best for them.

Side note for Noxequifans and OP

However, being a local - we live 3.5 miles from LGA (actually, across the bay's runway, less than 1 mile in a straight line) but still prefer to fly in/out of JFK, that's 15 miles away, much further. Reasons: all weather handling for aircrafts, ILS system & 12,000 ft. runways vs. 7,000 ft. at LGA with smaller & regional jet (and, turboprop) services.

JFK has the advantage to stay open longer & recover faster ahead of and post-storm recovery, usually. However, it lost a little shine 2 weeks ago with that nasty winter storm, ground operators lost it at T-4 (Delta got the bad rap) but it was actually just as bad at Terminal 1, with most of the international airline flights & pax getting shafted ... as of yesterday, they still got luggage in lost-n-found and not "United" & trying to recover the mis-routed pieces to their intended destination & owners. Still, I much rather feel "wheels down" out in Jamaica Bay (JFK) - unlike LGA, where we had a few planes that skipped & left the taxiway. Sometimes, these decisions require some - I swear - Calculus work ... not easy.

If you fly into JFK its not far to take Uber or Dial 7 to a LaG area hotel. You'd be there in fifteen twenty minutes probably.

You can also look at this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2480807&highlight=Red+Hook to see options taking the ferry from lower Manhattan to Red Hook.

Thanks for all of the info.

If we were staying longer, then we would probably go into Manhattan. However, given that we will be arriving late afternoon, we have been looking at an airport hotel with shuttle service. I understand the pros and cons of LGA vs JFK. We have stayed at JFK area hotel and had none of the problems mentioned by a couple of posters but, yes, it could happen. Right now, we can get a nonstop from the West into JFK at a significantly lower price than what's available into LGA.

I know that the hotels in Brooklyn are a bit expensive but we are thinking of taking a car service or Uber/Lyft to possibly a Marriott or Hilton property. We would be able to have a nice dinner and we could actually do something the next morning other than wait around the hotel to be picked up.

I do have two more questions:

1. mking8288 - you mention that car service from JFK would not be a flat rate. That seems odd. Were you thinking about taxi service?

2. How reliable is Uber/Lyft from LGA and JFK as well as the airport hotels?

Thanks for your help.

.. hotels in Brooklyn are a bit expensive but we are thinking of taking a car service or Uber/Lyft to possibly a Marriott or Hilton ... a nice dinner ... do something the next morning other than wait around the hotel ...

 

1... car service from JFK would not be a flat rate. That seems odd. Were you thinking about taxi service?

2. How reliable is Uber/Lyft from LGA and JFK as well as the airport hotels? ...

Good evening & great catchon the flat rate - my bad, apology for info overloading & flip-flopping between LGA & JFK, car service vs. taxi, etc.

Q # 2- as faras Uber & Lyft, don't think there's much variation among them 2, whether it's airport's satellite terminal pickup or nearby off-airport pickup on-site at the property. Unless it's a new driver on her/his first week, their Apps should result in getting lost for the pickup. Personal disclaimer: not a fan of ride-sharing fare model but I will ride them on client's expense account or use mine as, more or less, last resort.

If your non-stop into JFK is a PM/early evening arrival - you will be hit with surge/rush-hour pricing, whatever $$ is, heads up - I've read on Flyertalk of a one-way ride $200 total between midtown Manhattan & JFK or 3.5 to 4x the "normal" For some of the shorter trips as I'm near LGA, they seem to beat Carmel or Dial 7.

Question #1 - car service fare from LGA or JFK to anywhere is flat rate, taxi fare to Manhattan is flat rate but to Brooklyn/Queens is metered fare (taxi)

I just did a quick weekday PM fare quote from JFK to Red Hook Terminal (which would be about the same as the downtown Marriott nearby - $41 for a std. 4 door sedan (nice rate) or $48 for a luxury/deluxe sedan - all 3 options are good for 2 to 3 riders plus up to 3 checked bags ... minivan is usually about $10 more. Sometimes, I book on the App & get confirmed for a basic sedan & get a comp'd upgrade at no extra charge for a mini-van or deluxe/luxury sedan with Carmel - probably not as new or nice as Uber or Lyft, but - I am not looking for a limo ride & don't need the free bottled water en route.

Going from JFK to downtown Brooklyn - car service's flat rate in the afternoon would be much better - give how predictable our congested highways & major roadways are daily at rush hour ... very unlikely that a yello taxi can beat them, on a metered fare. Heading to somewhere Manhattan, both groups are about the same.

The few times I book on a moment's notice to the airport or pier, car service & Uber/Lyft are about 10 minutes or less from pickup @ our house ...

Take a quick look at Google Map/Nav and Waze usually give a good idea of traffic & possible fare surprises after getting in ... but, since you aren't in a hurry - pick whatever is comfortable to us at that time, sit back & enjoy the ride. It's going to be bumper to bumper no matter what you are sitting in - just make sure to do a bathroom stop before leaving the terminal in case it turn to a 90+ minutes gridlocked trip.

Hopefully, this helped - have a safe flight, trip & enjoy sailing out of NYC.