Sailing Princess NY to New England/Canada October 20

[G-Muddy]

I think I have messed up and need to fix things. (This in only our 2nd cruise, so a real newly). At present I have us flying on Southwest Air into LGA on Thursday night, using hotel shuttle to get to a Fairfield in Queens, trying to figure out ferry/subway to get into and out of Manhattan on Friday for day of sight seeing, then hotel shuttle back to LaGuardia to catch Princess transfer shuttle bus. After reading posts from helpful locals, it looks like I should cancel Princess transfer option (I guess I will get shipboard credit?), take taxi from LGA to Manhattan (where I will try to find reasonably priced hotel - no points of any kind here) and then morning of cruise either take ferry with luggage from Pier 11 or another car service. Did I learn my lessons correctly? Thanks all! Will take any and all advice!!!

[138east]

I think I have messed up and need to fix things. (This in only our 2nd cruise, so a real newly). At present I have us flying on Southwest Air into LGA on Thursday night, using hotel shuttle to get to a Fairfield in Queens, trying to figure out ferry/subway to get into and out of Manhattan on Friday for day of sight seeing, then hotel shuttle back to LaGuardia to catch Princess transfer shuttle bus. After reading posts from helpful locals, it looks like I should cancel Princess transfer option (I guess I will get shipboard credit?), take taxi from LGA to Manhattan (where I will try to find reasonably priced hotel - no points of any kind here) and then morning of cruise either take ferry with luggage from Pier 11 or another car service. Did I learn my lessons correctly? Thanks all! Will take any and all advice!!!

All is not lost if you have cancellable reservations. What would you be paying for the Fairfield in Queens?

 

Lastminutetravel.com is offering two Fairfield Inns downtown for $256 and $263 as well as other options like Holiday Inn and Sheraton 4 points in that price range. Join LMT to get the best deals. Marriott has lower nonrefundable rates for those dates. All the Wall St area hotels have good access to subways that will take you anywhere in midtown. The subway stations in lower Manhattan are very close together (as opposed to the midtown subway stations which can be far apart). http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf

 

Book a car service to your Manhattan hotel. Cab ( or walk) to pier 11 for the Red Hook ferry.

 

It will be much better staying 2 nights in Manhattan than trying to sightsee from Queens.

[G-Muddy]

All is not lost if you have cancellable reservations. What would you be paying for the Fairfield in Queens?

 

Lastminutetravel.com is offering two Fairfield Inns downtown for $256 and $263 as well as other options like Holiday Inn and Sheraton 4 points in that price range. Join LMT to get the best deals. Marriott has lower nonrefundable rates for those dates. All the Wall St area hotels have good access to subways that will take you anywhere in midtown. The subway stations in lower Manhattan are very close together (as opposed to the midtown subway stations which can be far apart). http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf

 

Book a car service to your Manhattan hotel. Cab ( or walk) to pier 11 for the Red Hook ferry.

 

 

It will be much better staying 2 nights in Manhattan than trying to sightsee from Queens.

 

Thanks! My rate in Queens wasn't much cheaper than that. Good to know about distance between subway stops. Is downtown as safe to walk from subway stations to hotel as midtown at night? The only time I've been there I stayed in midtown, and I "kind of" learned how to take the subway - although I inevitably got turned around once I surfaced to the street level again :-)

[138east]

Thanks! My rate in Queens wasn't much cheaper than that. Good to know about distance between subway stops. Is downtown as safe to walk from subway stations to hotel as midtown at night? The only time I've been there I stayed in midtown, and I "kind of" learned how to take the subway - although I inevitably got turned around once I surfaced to the street level again :-)

I haven't spent time in downtown for many years, but I have been there intermittently. I've always felt safe in downtown. It's really been buffed up and I felt very safe there wandering around and taking the subway in the early evening last Jan.

[mking8288]

Downtown Manhattan is safe and fine to walk around ... areas around most, if not all, hotels and subway stations, etc. and area business also funding/supporting its own security & safety patrol as part of the Downtown Alliance ... not to mention networks of high tech security cameras installed by corporate entities and businesses. Additionally, a growing residential community who choose to live and work in the same area in the post 9/11 era. IMHO, nothing really to worry about ... there aren't as many 24/7 deli's as it used to be, finding a liquor store and grocery store is a bit of a challenge, but major chain drug stores like CVS and Walgreen, etc. in the area are stock with soda, water & other essentials for travelers.

[Nitemare]

Double check that hotel shuttle, not many hotels have their own shuttles. You may be better off in a cab or uber depending on what you're paying for the shuttle

[CarolRoy]

Princess usually leaves from Red Hook in Brooklyn. We had done two Princess from Brooklyn. Are you going out of Manhattan? Check to make sure where you are embarking.

[mking8288]

Good point about those AP to/from hotel shuttle services (in Queens, none offered for Manhattan ones), most/some are complimentary, not all run 24/7 while others aren't free ...

 

As for the Fairfields by Marriott, I know of 4 of them in Queens that considered/advertised as being LGA based ... sort of, kind of, 2 of them offered comp'd shuttle that's generally 10 to 15 minutes away from the airline terminals/designated A/P pickup area at the parking lot(s) - one in N. Flushing/College Point, NW of the airport/further away from Manhattan. The other one is in Astoria neighborhood, closer to Manhattan but the nearest subway line isn't exactly easy walking distance.

 

It's not clear whether OP is now changing the booking & staying somewhere in Manhattan or staying somewhere in Queens - even if true, it doesn't make sense to shuttle back to A/P to transfer to Princess shuttle to the pier, unless it's a solo traveler. Typical fares would most certainly be lower by using a direct transfer by car service, door-to-door-, curbside-to-curbside at the pier dropoff ... and, far less time-consuming & complicated.

[njhorseman]

Princess usually leaves from Red Hook in Brooklyn. We had done two Princess from Brooklyn. Are you going out of Manhattan? Check to make sure where you are embarking.

 

The OP knows the cruise is leaving from Red Hook. Note the next to last sentence in the first post: ..."either take ferry with luggage from Pier 11 or another car service."

The ferry from Pier 11 goes from Manhattan to Red Hook.