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Time Square to pier 88


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Hello all,

 

Quick question for you experienced NYC travelers...

 

Can you walk from time square to pier 88, if so how long of a walk? Or what would be the best way to get to the ncl breakaway on November 29th..

 

Weather could be cold and damp..:

 

Thanks in advance

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Hello all,

 

Quick question for you experienced NYC travelers...

 

Can you walk from time square to pier 88, if so how long of a walk? Or what would be the best way to get to the ncl breakaway on November 29th..

 

Weather could be cold and damp..:

 

Thanks in advance

 

Yes, it is walkable--although your "walkability" may vary, depending on the amount of luggage you have and how well you can handle it, and on the particular weather conditions that day.

 

Here's the general route from Times (not "Time") Square:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Times+Square,+Manhattan,+NY+10036,+United+States/40.7656561,-73.9979627/@40.7622413,-73.9962452,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c25855c6480299:0x55194ec5a1ae072e!2m2!1d-73.985131!2d40.758895!1m0!3e2

 

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Port captain,

 

If you were starting at 800 Plaza Dr, Secaucus, NJ 07094 ( residence inn) what would be the cheapest and easiest way to get to pier 88 for our cruise?

I have 4 people in my party also..

 

Would you take a bus into Times Square then cab it over to the pier 88 or take a bus to ferry port in Hoboken and take ferry to midtown drop off and walk to the pier?

 

Thanks again!

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Port captain,

 

If you were starting at 800 Plaza Dr, Secaucus, NJ 07094 ( residence inn) what would be the cheapest and easiest way to get to pier 88 for our cruise?

I have 4 people in my party also..

 

Would you take a bus into Times Square then cab it over to the pier 88 or take a bus to ferry port in Hoboken and take ferry to midtown drop off and walk to the pier?

 

Thanks again!

The bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal (which is the destination for all buses from Secaucus to Manhattan; it's in the general vicinity of Times Square) would be the cheapest, though not necessarily the "easiest." (Using a car service door to door would be easiest, though not the cheapest--though, with four people sharing the ride, it might not necessarily be prohibitively more expensive than taking the bus plus taxi, although the hefty toll at the Lincoln Tunnel will add considerably to the price.)

 

The bus stop is very close to your hotel, so that is convenient. The trip would take at least 25 minutes, though on occasion it can take much more, depending on traffic going into the Lincoln Tunnel. The regular adult fare is $3.50; $1.55 for senior/disabled/children.

 

You would then take a taxi from the Port Authority terminal--though I'm not sure if four people & luggage will fit into one taxi. It would be about a ten-minute ride, if that.

 

There's been some discussion about the advantages/disadvantages of taking this bus previously--I forget whether you carry your luggage onto the bus, or if it is stored in a compartment underneath the passenger area. If you do a search in the East Coast threads, the topic should come up. The question of whether four people + luggage will fit into one taxi is also frequently discussed. (Sorry, I don't have any personal experience of this particular bus, nor of sharing an NYC taxi with three other people.)

 

As for the ferry... Your best bet would be the NY Waterway ferry from Port Imperial (Weehawken) to Midtown (W. 39th Street). (Not from Hoboken.) As far as I can figure out from the NJ Transit website, there is no bus from the vicinity of your hotel to Port Imperial--I might be wrong, but I don't think so. So, you would have to take a taxi from the hotel to the Port Imperial ferry terminal. Not sure of the taxi price, but my educated guess is that the cost of this taxi + the ferry would be more than the cost of the bus to NYC + taxi from Port Authority to pier 88.

 

FYI, here's the ferry schedule & prices:

 

http://www.nywaterway.com/PortImperialWeehawkenRoute.aspx

 

(For what it's worth, DW & I have taken the ferry with luggage, & walked from the 39th St. ferry terminal to the pier, on several occasions.)

 

 

Edited by Post Captain
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Thanks again for all of your help, it's much appreciated! 30 days till our cruise!

You're welcome.

 

Just a few more useful bits of information:

 

The bus into NYC (Port Authority Bus Terminal) is number 320. You can download a pdf timetable here (where it says "Select Bus Route(s)," under "Bus Timetables":

 

http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=BusTo

There are a couple of bus stops on Plaza Drive in the Harmon Meadow complex; both are a very short (few minutes) walk from the Residence Inn. The trip into NYC is much faster on weekends than on weekdays. (Less traffic, as a rule.)

 

You had asked about walking to the pier from Times Square. It's certainly possible to do this from the Port Authority Bus Terminal as well--though your desire to do so may depend on the amount of luggage you have, and on the weather. It's about a mile, and there are a variety of routes you can take, via various avenues and streets:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40.7568769,-73.9900494/40.7656461,-73.9979991/@40.7609855,-74.0000373,15z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e2

Bon voyage!

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You Keep referring to 35 e Hudson street.. Is that the same as 711 12th avenue, the Manhattan pier 88?

 

Hmmm... For some reason, Google Maps (not me!:D) identifies the location as "35 Hudson River Greenway" when I click on that spot on the map. But rest assured, that location is pier 88, on 12th Avenue.;)

 

(Actually, 711 12th Avenue is the official address of pier 90, and is used as the location of the road entrance to Passenger Ship Terminal, the newfangled name for the conglomeration of piers 92/90/88. But if you take a taxi, just tell the driver you want pier 88. If he doesn't know how to get there, his license should be revoked! On the other hand, only the people at Google would have any idea where "35 Hudson River Greenway" is located. Nobody in NYC would use that address, including the USPS.:D)

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When I click on pier 88 itself, Google Maps still identifies it as 35 Hudson River Greenway. And when I click on pier 90 next door, Google Maps identifies that as 50 Bond Street.:eek::confused::rolleyes: Which it certainly ain't!

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40.7568769,-73.9900494/40.7661578,-73.9992621/40.7675634,-73.998643/@40.7648819,-74.0016685,16z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e2

 

Moral of the story? Don't believe everything Google tells you.;)

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Is port authority closer than Times Square to the pier?

 

Roughly the same distance (about a mile), give or take a few hundred feet. Why do you ask?

 

One thing to note (and this applies to all visitors to NYC): The term "Times Square" is often used pretty loosely, especially on hotel and other tourist websites, brochures, and guidebooks. In its strictest sense, Times Square is the narrow triangular area bounded by West 42nd Street (at the southern end), Broadway, and Seventh Avenue. (Broadway and Seventh intersect at West 45th St.) But--more as a state of mind--"Times Square" extends from this triangle for a number of blocks in all directions, much in the same way that "Broadway" often refers to places that aren't actually on Broadway.

 

Frankly, I avoid Times Square like the plague. To call it a seething mass of humanity is to put it mildly, IMHO; it's an assault on the senses and on one's sanity. But for some reason, tourists always seem drawn to the place.:D

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Port Authority Bus Terminal occupies the city block between 40th and 41st St and 8th and 9th Ave with an 'L' extension to 42nd St along 8th Ave. Since it is west of 42nd St., 7th Ave, and Broadway it is slightly closer to the Manhattan Cruiseport than the center of Times Square and you would be walking away from the heart of the congestion.

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When I click on pier 88 itself, Google Maps still identifies it as 35 Hudson River Greenway. And when I click on pier 90 next door, Google Maps identifies that as 50 Bond Street.:eek::confused::rolleyes: Which it certainly ain't!

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40.7568769,-73.9900494/40.7661578,-73.9992621/40.7675634,-73.998643/@40.7648819,-74.0016685,16z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e2

 

Moral of the story? Don't believe everything Google tells you.;)

 

Someone on this board said that the only entrance to Pier 88 is at either 55th or 57th Streets. Would you agree? We are arriving by Greyhound from Philly area next Sunday. I calculated that taxi fare from Port Authority to Terminal is about $7.50. Do you think we'll run into heavy traffic and should avoid 12th Avenue?

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Someone on this board said that the only entrance to Pier 88 is at either 55th or 57th Streets. Would you agree? We are arriving by Greyhound from Philly area next Sunday. I calculated that taxi fare from Port Authority to Terminal is about $7.50. Do you think we'll run into heavy traffic and should avoid 12th Avenue?

 

The motor vehicle entrance to the cruise terminal is at 55th St. The pedestrian entrance to Pier 88 is at 48th St. If you want to avoid the traffic on 12th Ave. to save a couple of dollars on taxi fare, have the driver drop you at 12th Ave. and 48th St. Then you can cross the street to the pedestrian entrance. You have to be willing to cross a 6 lane heavily trafficked road with your luggage in tow, but there is a crosswalk and traffic light.

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Regarding the above post....we've done it. It just sounds more intimidating than it actually is.

 

I agree...I've done it myself, but I wanted to make sure the poster understood that they would have to make their way across a very busy, wide street while dragging their luggage. What may not be intimidating to you or me as New Yorkers might be to someone from out of town.

 

On the other hand I see that the poster is from Philadelphia...so undoubtedly they're familiar with urban traffic.

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The pedestrian entrance to Pier 88 is at 48th St. If you want to avoid the traffic on 12th Ave. to save a couple of dollars on taxi fare, have the driver drop you at 12th Ave. and 48th St. Then you can cross the street to the pedestrian entrance. You have to be willing to cross a 6 lane heavily trafficked road with your luggage in tow, but there is a crosswalk and traffic light.

Exactly. And there's a median strip in the middle of 12th Avenue. Rather than trying to dash across all six lanes of 12th Ave in one go, we usually cross to the protected pedestrian area of the median and wait there until the next "walk" signal.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7653764,-73.9976786,3a,90y,311.14h,70.84t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s68Rn93G0Cc9bPXhUwiBb-A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7654603,-73.9976169,3a,75y,284.35h,70.17t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQ6VGGz92wPX8Y4tY2H6gtA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

 

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I agree...I've done it myself, but I wanted to make sure the poster understood that they would have to make their way across a very busy, wide street while dragging their luggage. What may not be intimidating to you or me as New Yorkers might be to someone from out of town.

 

On the other hand I see that the poster is from Philadelphia...so undoubtedly they're familiar with urban traffic.

 

NJ, you are right in that I'm really used to urban traffic; however, taking the taxi to 55th Street is a much better idea for us. The difference in cab fare is nothing compared to trying to navigate many lanes of traffic pulling suitcases. Would you still go up another street other than 12th? I hope the cabbie understands that I need to pass the NCL pier to get to 55th Street where he can enter. Thank you for your able assistance.

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NJ, you are right in that I'm really used to urban traffic; however, taking the taxi to 55th Street is a much better idea for us. The difference in cab fare is nothing compared to trying to navigate many lanes of traffic pulling suitcases. Would you still go up another street other than 12th? I hope the cabbie understands that I need to pass the NCL pier to get to 55th Street where he can enter. Thank you for your able assistance.

 

Any NYC cabbie worth his or her salt should know that the motor vehicle entrance to the piers is at 12th Ave & West 55th Street.

 

The road entrance to the terminal is well signposted. Here we are (going north) at 12th & W 54th:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7692003,-73.9948927,3a,25.2y,23.82h,93.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sARnDrZGOFyeiZwwCgnGcyA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

At 12th & W 55th, the driver makes a left and goes across the opposite (southbound) lanes of 12th Ave to the service approach road to the piers (aka "Ship Terminal"):

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7697386,-73.9946097,3a,52.9y,352.63h,80.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdYYgx8-qYRrMpPLqlATFpQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

 

So you're now going south on the service road, and in another hundred yards or so you're here:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7697302,-73.9951066,3a,31.8y,219.96h,85.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSw38Cad8CSrpy_wdLY5evw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

Straight up the ramp--the gate will be open--and you'll be deposited right at the doorway to the pier. Easy peasy.

 

Traffic shouldn't be heavy on a Sunday, so it won't make much difference if the driver goes up 12th Avenue, or if he goes up 10th or 8th and cuts across on 55th. It's the same distance either way. (In general, I'd say that traffic is heaviest on 8th Ave.)

Edited by Post Captain
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