New Yorkers - help/advice needed re 9/11 memorial visit please!

[Mysticalmother]

Hi

 

We are arriving in New York on the QM2 TA on 27 September and then continuing on the voyage up the East Coast the same day. We have managed to book passes for the new 9/11 memorial on the day but not until 2.30 pm. Will that give us sufficient time to get back to the Brooklyn Cruise terminal? I have no idea what time we will need to get back to the ship nor the quickest way to do so!. Any help, advice or suggestions gratefully received. We have never been to NY before but are very keen not to miss the opportunity of paying our respects to those who perished on that terrible day.

 

Thanks

[CateW]

Hi

 

We are arriving in New York on the QM2 TA on 27 September and then continuing on the voyage up the East Coast the same day. We have managed to book passes for the new 9/11 memorial on the day but not until 2.30 pm. Will that give us sufficient time to get back to the Brooklyn Cruise terminal? I have no idea what time we will need to get back to the ship nor the quickest way to do so!. Any help, advice or suggestions gratefully received. We have never been to NY before but are very keen not to miss the opportunity of paying our respects to those who perished on that terrible day.

 

Thanks[/quote)

 

I think you may be cutting it close depending on how much time you are going to spend at the memorial. If you are only going to spend 30-45 minutes you should be fine, but I would arrange for a private car vs. a taxi. Taxi's at that time of day could be scarce since they change over at 4:00; even though they are not supposed to turn you down, some will do that anyway, not wanting to go to Brooklyn. Traffic could also be iffy at that time of day as well. If it were me, I would spend no more than 45 mintues and then yead back to Brooklyn.

[BlueRiband]

With the QM2 docked in Redhook, I don't recommend going down to Ground Zero for a 2:30 PM tour if the ship leaves at 5PM. Taxi travel between Redhook and lower Manhattan will require going over the Brooklyn Bridge or through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. This is just when the afternoon rush is starting up. (And if POTUS comes to town, as he frequently does, entire streets will be closed down.) You will be dying a thousand deaths in the cab with worry if you can return to the ship in time.

[zipadeedoodaa]

Wouldn't be the end of the world if you missed the "boat", pardon the pun, she docks up the road the next day at Newport.

 

Not like someone we left behind in Sicily a couple of years back, Next port of call, Alicante,Spain. They had to be flown to Rome, stay overnight, fly to Madrid then on to Alicante. Both in their late 80's in tee shirts and shorts with no medication.

 

Neville

[BlueRiband]

Why risk it? And turn a serene side trip into a logistical nightmare?

 

The OP sought advice from New Yorkers and, as a New Yorker, I gave it. If they literally miss the boat it won't be because nobody warned them.

[Mysticalmother]

Thanks very much for your advice guys and gals. Looks like we will have to give the memorial a miss this time unfortunately - I certainly do not want to "miss the boat!" I don't do stress these days!

 

And that's exactly why I posted for advice as I was getting an uneasy feeling that it may be very tight for time - but we simply couldn't get an earlier slot. I'm not in the habit of asking for advice from the "experts" and then ignoring it!

[capnpugwash]

Thanks very much for your advice guys and gals. Looks like we will have to give the memorial a miss this time unfortunately - I certainly do not want to "miss the boat!" I don't do stress these days!

 

And that's exactly why I posted for advice as I was getting an uneasy feeling that it may be very tight for time - but we simply couldn't get an earlier slot. I'm not in the habit of asking for advice from the "experts" and then ignoring it!

 

Whilst you may not be able to go into the memorial in the time allowed, you will certainly be able to get there in the morning and see the place from the outside or in the distance. If you go to http://visit.911memorial.org/WebStore/shop/ViewItems.aspx?CG=WSCG&C=TKTCAT you will find that passes are available all morning on September 27th

[Boytjie]

Taxi's at that time of day could be scarce since they change over at 4:00; even though they are not supposed to turn you down, some will do that anyway, not wanting to go to Brooklyn. Traffic could also be iffy at that time of day as well.

 

Many taxi companies are based in Brooklyn. ;)

 

From Ground Zero it could be a quick ride via the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.

 

But 2:30 pm may be cutting it a bit short. As the memorial is not open yet, nobody knows how crowded it may get or how long it would take to go through it.

[Boytjie]

(And if POTUS comes to town, as he frequently does, entire streets will be closed down.)

 

If the President is in town he usually does not travel around the memorial area. His helicopter lands at the Downtown Heliport and is is usually driven up the FDR on the East Side of Manhattan or he goes to to the Wall Street area- which is near Ground Zero but to the East of it. The entrance to the memorial seems to be on the West side of Downtown and near West Street which will be a good area to get to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to get to Brooklyn.

 

The President was in town Thursday; his motorcade went past my office building (a block away from the Heliport) around 5:30 pm and the streets opened up pretty fast. The big street closures are usually Midtown around where he stays or appears.

[Salacia]

Hi Mysticalmother. As others previously wrote, if all aboard is 5pm, you likely will not have time to visit the new Memorial. (Just to mention that a quick subway ride will get you from Manhattan to downtown Brooklyn where you are likely to get a taxi to the Redhook Terminal fairly easily.)

Personally, I find just walking around Ground Zero and seeing the construction of the Freedom Tower very moving. If you go to that area, you might also wish to pay a visit to the British Garden at Hanover Square which was constructed as a memorial to the 67 British Subjects who perished in the World Trade Center on 11 Sept. For more information see http://www.britishgarden.org/background.html

 

 

As a life-long New Yorker, I thank you for your efforts in honoring the memory of the innocent lives lost that day.

 

Regards,

Salacia

[BlueRiband]

The OP however doesn't know the subway system and may or may not want to try navigating tunnels that would drive rats insane. And NYC cabbies don't get the stringent examinations of competancy as do UK cabbies. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal directional signs are well marked but the drive does involve going through local residential and industrial streets.

 

Under the best circumstances, a 2:30PM tour in lower Manhattan is cutting it close for a 5PM saling from Redhook. Which is why the OP was advised not to do it rather than try to squeeze it in. (Are you sure that time of sailing isn't 4PM? My own 9/5 departure reads that check-in closes at 3:45PM.)

[Salacia]

Mysticalmother, I'm sorry if my previous post was not clear: you can achieve your goal as stated that you are "very keen not to miss the opportunity of paying our respects to those who perished on that terrible day". As Capnpugwash wrote "Whilst you may not be able to go into the memorial in the time allowed, you will certainly be able to get there in the morning and see the place from the outside or in the distance". My post was in support of his suggestion.

 

All aboard time varies, depending on many factors. The voyage you are taking is not on the same schedule as a trans-Alantic Crossing as there are more in-transit passengers with a port stop included in the itinerary. But you will have at the very least several hours docked in New York. Please enjoy your time in port, seeing the things you want to see in the time alloted - just adjust your plans accordingly, meaning your 2:30 tour might not work given the time alloted, but go earlier in the day if you so desire (as others have suggested).

 

Note to mariepr: As far as subways are concerned, I've taken the Tube in London, the Rome Metro, and just about all the subway lines in NYC. Can't say I love 'em, but they do get you where you want to go. Surprisingly enough, there are some people who manage to use these subway systems on a daily basis. Go figure.

 

Regards,

Salacia

[BlueRiband]

...Note to mariepr: As far as subways are concerned, I've taken the Tube in London, the Rome Metro, and just about all the subway lines in NYC. Can't say I love 'em, but they do get you where you want to go. Surprisingly enough, there are some people who manage to use these subway systems on a daily basis...

 

As a daily NYC subway rider I know the drill, including the tendency of "first timers" to get on a train going in the opposite direction. If the ship was sailing later, docking in Manhattan, or if a subway station opened in front of the Redhook pier, my advice would have been different. But given the tight schedule and the OP's lack a familiarity with the area (or she wouldn't be asking us for advice) the timing is just too close for comfort and leaves little margin for error.

 

Now I'm sorry I got involved in this thread, especially since my advice was seen as throwing a wet blanket over her plans.

[Salacia]

self edited.

[capnpugwash]

As I said in my earlier post (see #7) plenty of tickets ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE MORNING OF THE DAY THAT THE OP WANTS TO VISIT THIS MEMORIAL so missing the sailing and getting lost on the subway system are nor real concerns. All that is necessary is for the OP to go to the website quoted and get an earlier ticket.

[Mysticalmother]

Thanks - all of you for your advice and help!

 

It's interesting because when I first booked these tickets there were NO MORNING TICKETS AVAILABLE at all. Not sure why it has changed, but I have now changed my booking for 11am in the morning. Thanks for alerting me Capn'. We have booked the Cunard excursion which visits the Winter Gardens anyway and we will leave the coach at that point and make our own way back - we should have plenty of time now!

 

Mariepr - please don't think your advice was throwing a wet blanket, it is very much appreciated. You are absolutely right that as a first time visitor to the big apple the potential for ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time is very real! As someone who used to work in central London (and I know my way around there like the back of my hand!) I spent many a time helping Americans to find their way around - what seems very straightforward to a native, isn't to a new visitor.

[D2 in Safety Harbor]

I had to read all the way to find that you have tickets for the morning. AM will give you plenty of time and as someone said even if you didn't have a ticket, just walking about is quite moving. I second the thank you expressed above.