Ease/time to get to Penn station after docking in Brooklyn

[wenlyn]

Hi

 

New to the forums (and only cruised once before) but we're sailing to New York on QM2 in October and I've booked seats (2pm) on Amtrak to travel on to friends further south. Having read around it seems the most viable option is taxi or perhaps private hire car to get the 2 of us & our 3 bags to Penn station. However I'm having great difficulty establishing what time I might reasonably expect to arrive at the station. I don't know if I gain anything by disembarking myself or going with Cunards schedule. If we can get across there in reasonable time I'll need to look into left luggage options as if we could get a quick bit of sightseeing in it would be great but I'm currently just worried that a 2pm slot is going to be hard to achieve. Reassurance and advice most welcome.

[Post Captain]

Following normal disembarcation and immigration procedures, you certainly should be able to reach Penn Station with plenty of time to spare. In light traffic (though I wouldn't count on "light traffic"), the ride could take as little as 20 minutes, door to door; to be on the safe side, I'd allow 30 to 45 minutes.

 

See other threads for recommended car services and estimated prices. I'd definitely book a car service, as the queues for regular taxis outside the terminal can be quite long and slow-moving.

 

As far as I'm aware, there is a left luggage storage room in the Amtrak section of Penn Station. The fee is $5.50 per bag, and you will need to show your Amtrak tickets and a photo ID. However, assuming you arrive at the station any later than 10:30 or 11:00, you really won't have a tremendous amount of time to leave the station and do some exploring; ideally you should be back at the station by 1:30 pm at the latest to collect your bags and queue for boarding the train.

[wenlyn]

Thanks for that. I knew we wouldn't have long but I'm thinking we could get something to eat & maybe walk to the bottom of the empire state building so my partner can get a sense of NYC and it seems that would be doable even with normal disembarkation if we get reserve a private hire car. I'm feeling a little happier now :)

[smeyer418]

Thanks for that. I knew we wouldn't have long but I'm thinking we could get something to eat & maybe walk to the bottom of the empire state building so my partner can get a sense of NYC and it seems that would be doable even with normal disembarkation if we get reserve a private hire car. I'm feeling a little happier now :)

 

Amtrak has a storage facility at Penn Station.

Penn Station is at 33rd Street and 7th avenue. The Empire state Building is at 33rd Street and 5th avenue. Its a short but crowded walk. You will also pass by Macy's at 34rd street and 6th avenue on the way back. You can get a discount on most things by showing your passport at customer service at Macys and get 14% off on most things including sales items. They have places to snack and a restaurant in the basement(not subject to the discount).

A yellow metered cab will cost about 30 plus toll and tip. A car service you self hire(call yourself) about the same. The pier has hired car services that you can just get in but they charge about twice that much. The fastest way is through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and then up the west side to 23rd street and then across to eight avenue and then up to Penn Station.