Carnival Triumph Questions-New York

[xz3k3x]

My flight doesn't leave until 6pm on Sat Sept 10th.

 

What can I do with my luggage so I can do something in New York during the day?

 

What do you recommend doing in New York?

 

Should I line up a car service now to get me back to LaGuardia Airport or would it be better to play it my ear?

 

If I should get a car service, who do you recommend for returning to LaGuardia?

 

Thanks in advance.....You guys have always helped me out a lot in the past.

[xz3k3x]

Still trying to get some answers.

[OHCruiser]

Well, it's hard to tell exactly when you'll debark the ship. We debarked in the 2nd to the last group and it was at 10:45 am. By the time the ship's transfer company got us to LaGuardia, it was 12:45 pm. Our plane left at 1:25 pm, so it was close.

 

If your plane leaves at 6:00 pm, you probably need to be at the airport by

4:30 pm at the latest. The trip from the port area is at least an hour--more at this time because it's right in the middle of rush hour--so your sightseeing time is greatly impacted by the traffic patterns. If you are last off the ship, you could have as little as 2 hrs. of "free" time.

 

Best case scenario: First off ship (9am), go straight to LaGuardia (10:30am), check luggage with airline, take taxi/bus/? to tourist destination (11:30am), leave tourist destination (3:30pm), check in at LG (4:30 pm). This leaves about 4 hrs. of "free" time and has significant cost involved given all of the transportation--with taxis about $60+.

 

Worst case scenario: Last off ship (11:00am), go straight to a tourist destination with luggage and hope to find nearby hotel that will check it-because of terrorist problems, most won't if you're not a registered guest--(1:30pm), leave destination (3:30pm), check in at LG (4:30pm). This leaves 2 hrs. or tour time and is again, costly.

 

Obviously, all of this depends on traffic & transportation types and availability. The traffic in NY is horrendous--don't let anyone tell you differently. There's a lot of construction around LG that slows traffic to a dead halt. It takes no less than one hour to go 20 miles, so plan accordingly. One chink in the plans above and you don't make your plane.

 

Good luck!

[xz3k3x]

Thanks, OHcruiser, I appreciated you laying it out like that. Sounds like a book in the airport is the right way to go. I will just take my time getting off the ship.

 

Thanks, again.

[OHCruiser]

Sorry to put a damper on sightseeing plans, but NY is one of those cities where it takes soooooo long to get around! Your plan for a book and a long sit is probably the safest, if not the most enjoyable.

 

We went out on ATA and that concourse area is pretty primitive--I think it was B concourse. I can't speak to what food service might be available in the airport, so one suggestion I have would be to get to LG and then take the shuttle to the Wyndham Garden hotel--it's visible across the highway from the airport. They have a very nice bar & restaurant. You could have lunch or an early dinner there. They have a few TVs in there and some nice chairs in the small lobby. The shuttle goes back to the airport every 20 mins. so you could spend quite a bit of time in relative comfort.

 

If you are leisurely about leaving the ship, all the better for you--easier to find luggage, get a cab, etc. You can have a nice breakfast in the dining room or on the Lido deck and just stroll off. It's kind to vacate your room ASAP so that the steward can ready it for the incoming--the new passengers start arriving around 12:00pm, so the ship has to be clear before then. We ate breakfast on the Lido and went to the Oxford Lounge to wait. One drawback is that they allow smoking in there, but it wasn't too bad. We were pretty tired and the overstuffed leather chairs were worth it.

 

Have a great trip!

[serene56]

Airports no longer allow you to check luggage before 3 hours before the flight. Checking luggage in at noon for a 6pm flight will not be allowed.

[Fern Crest]

Airports no longer allow you to check luggage before 3 hours before the flight. Checking luggage in at noon for a 6pm flight will not be allowed.

 

Thanks, serene, I was just going to respond similarly. :)

 

What you *can* do, if you'd really like to see a little bit of the Big Apple, is to call a car service company (sorry, I don't know any to recommend, but they're usually very reliable) and tell them that you'd like to go to "X" location, or maybe tell them that you'd like to drive downtown and see the Empire State Building or Ground Zero before your flight. Just remember that you're paying by the hour, in case you want to get lunch. I wouldn't recommend actually stopping to sit down for lunch, but an excellent slice of New York is the Carnegie Deli, 854 Seventh Ave. (at 55th Street). You could jump out, have the driver circle the block while you get your mountainous sandwich (take pictures, they're used to it! ;) ), (don't forget your cheesecake!), and head over to the airport for a relaxed check-in, a great lunch, and a good book.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[OHCruiser]

Perhaps the "3 hr. rule" is loosely applied at airports other than those in NY?? When we left on our trip for NY, we arrived in CHI at 10:30 am to help our 16 y.o. make a connection to PHX and we checked our luggage with 4.5 hrs. before our flight.