Brooklyn - a couple of questions....

We will be flying into EWR the day prior to our QM2 trip next May. First question.... is Carmel, Arecibo or Dial 7 the best way to get to a hotel in Brooklyn from EWR airport?

I've booked The Look Hotel - Red Hook on Seabring St. Is this in a decent area? I know it's a short cab ride to the Red Hook terminal, and it's one of the more reasonably priced. The other option is the Insignia Hotel on 61st St. A little further away, the hotel tells me approx. 30 minute drive to the cruise terminal.

I would really appreciate any input from those who know the Brooklyn area. Many thanks in advance.

In my opinion car service is the best way. Depending on traffic a taxi with the meter running can be expensive.

The Look Hotel is in a mostly industrial area...not much to do around there but you could hop on the ferry over to Manhattan :

https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/route/south-brooklyn/

The Insignia is in a more residential neighborhood.

Have a great trip!

I recommend Dial 7 and Carmel car services from personal experience ..... both very good. Oh the two hotels The Look would be my last choice. The OP may want to see if any other hotels in Brooklyn are within their budget.

The Insiginia Hotel, Sunset Park section of Brooklyn is basically NYC's 3rd. Chinatown, the Express "N" subway line is 1/2 block away on 8th Avenue, 5 stops to Lower Manhattan (except, not always on weekend & late night) - on an industrial block, mixed with lumber yards, warehouse & stores, car repairs, and Chinese restaurants, and a Popeyes (Fried) Chicken ... but, no Dunkins or Starbucks. There are a # of radio-dispatched local car services for the 15 to 20 minutes drive to Red Hook pier via 4th. Avenue with some traffic lights, no need to get on the elevated highways.

It's probably fine for an overnight stay, a place to sleep, although for the rates I'm seeing, you might want to look for a competitive price in the Park Slope area, closer to the pier, in Brooklyn. It's a newly constructed hotel with limited amenities - do read some of the Google/Tripadvisor's reviews for comments. It's in a safe area but after dark, somewhat quiet but the 24/7 subway stations below ground, residents will be moving about. There are also a # of Latino mom-n-pop eateries in the area, some doing deliveries but not to expect any kind of fine area dining. It's a toss-up, IMO, on whether to choose it or not - maybe do a fully 100% refundable booking while continue to shop around for a better/closer property. If it's a Friday or Saturday night, maybe even a Lower Manhattan/Wall Street/Seaport area hotel with a hotwire or similar discount rates

Question for OP next May's hotel stay in Brooklyn - flying into EWR, assumed it's a one-way on the QM2 - please factor ground transfer costs into airfare, is to see whether JFK and/or LGA is comparable - and, can be easiest to get around. Extra toll for crossings & travel time, NJ into Brooklyn, NY - is going cost generally $30 to $50 more

For a hotel, what about the Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge?

And if you have some free time, the New York Transit Museum is very close by and interesting

https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/

Much rather stay at the many hotels in lower Manhattan

The Marriot near the Brooklyn Bridge is the only one I would suggest.

There is also a Holiday Inn Express on Union St in Park Slope.... subway is right there on 4th Ave and lots of restaurants and shops one block up on 5th Ave.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I think I'll have to delve a bit deeper to check out your suggestions. We will probably be checking into the hotel mid afternoon and won't need to sightsee etc. Just need a clean bed for the night and somewhere to grab something for supper.

We were planning on flying Porter Airlines from Toronto Island but may have to re-think that too if the tolls are added in from EWR. It can get quite pricey I guess.

Again thanks for all your help, it's really appreciated.

If you stay with your flight scheduled into EWR, Arecibo would be #3 on the list to call/use as they are based on Brooklyn, even with advanced booking, the wait would be longer than going with Dial 7 or Carmel, as both of these do have their own lot/staging & waiting area/garage near the airports for quicker pickup.

Depending on the exact route taken, the tolls will be charged & added to your base fare coming from the airport, about $20 vs. zero coming from LGA or JFK, plus the extra miles/time to be used to get to Brooklyn from NJ. It will also be a bit faster to be driven from LGA or JFK to Brooklyn's area hotels.

Take a look on Hotwire or other hotel search engine compare rates & amenities in downtown Manhattan vs. Brooklyn, downtown here ... also Park Slope, Grand Army Plaza & the 3rd. & 4th Avenue corridors, all of them closer to Red Hooks pier than the one in Sunset Park. See this link on a somewaht related discussion about Brooklyn hotels ... the one mentioned in Bay Ridge section would be further out, nicer with Italian restaurants, many with fixed price dinner specials.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2621692&highlight=Brooklyn

I recommend using Google Earth & Maps' street view to check out the hotel's immediate surroundings ... some of these motels are used sometimes by the City of NY for social services, not all of the homeless families relocated for emergencies are staying near JFK area motels & hotels.