Hop on hop off NYC?

[smilejesuslovesu]

We are booked on a hop on hop off in NYC on Princess, the Caribbean Princess and I was wondering if anyone knows which hop on hop off company they use, there appears to be more than one.  I want to print a map so I have an idea of what we want to do so I can map it out, or even if anyone knows if the routes run the same.  I called Princess and they would not tell me they said they don't have that information listed.

 

Thank you all in advance

[Host Bonjour]

On 10/3/2019 at 12:13 PM, smilejesuslovesu said:

We are booked on a hop on hop off in NYC on Princess, the Caribbean Princess and I was wondering if anyone knows which hop on hop off company they use, there appears to be more than one.  I want to print a map so I have an idea of what we want to do so I can map it out, or even if anyone knows if the routes run the same.  I called Princess and they would not tell me they said they don't have that information listed.

 

Thank you all in advance

 

I live here and there are lots of different bus companies and routes offering tours (and even specifically themed tours if you were interested) so it's different than some cities and places where there are just a few main companies. I guess a big one here is Gray Line, Big Bus (I used in London and I think Berlin and I never do HoHo buses!) which are two that seem to be reliable. 

 

I see hawkers on the streets in midtown selling tours to...I don't know what bus tours sometimes. Probably fine, but lots of different companies, and on a crowded street trying to make a decision, well it annoys ME when I see them because I don't think this is the way to go about doing business, getting in people's faces and overwhelming them. I digress.

 

Anyway, here's the thing: I don't think doing a HoHo bus in NYC really is a good idea at all because traffic during the day is usually so intense that I don't see how it can be any fun or what anyone really gets to see on the tour in the amount of time it takes to get it done. One might possibly get lucky and the traffic is ok that day so things are moving but we're supposed to get congestion pricing next year I think (that's for bridges and tunnels, won't affect you!) so that provide an idea for what they're doing to try to minimize traffic in the city. It won't help, but they'll make money to use on the subways, I think. London has congestion pricing; don't know if it made a difference there, I doubt it.

 

That said, there are times of year when it's less busy than others, from a tourism standpoint, which is of course not in the summer or around Thanksgiving week and the Christmas/New Year holiday. Just after Thanksgiving weekend and before Christmas is a good time to be here as it's quite pretty all decorated and festive, but not yet mobbed. And of course in shoulder seasons, Spring/Fall. 

 

My suggestion, oddly, would be to get on another boat and take a Circle Line cruise which does a semi-circle from the west side of Manhattan, they are berthed right next to the Intrepid Museum at 42nd street, West Side Highway, and it cruises down to the Statue of Liberty, up close, then loops back around and up the East River, past Governors Island to the 59th Street/Queensborough/Ed Koch Bridge before turning around to dock back on the west side. There are snacks and drinks on board (if desired) and it's my favorite way to see the city, preferably at sunset if you don't have to be back on board too early. I've had this experience multiple times, on the Circle Line and on Spirit Dinner Cruise, and on private yachts, and there's nothing better.

 

I might look for walking tours, if you can manage, in certain areas that are of interest in the city such as Downtown: Financial District, Lower East Side, the Village (West, East, Greenwich) SoHo, Chinatown. Maybe choose some of those and finish up in Times Square...the later it is the more dazzling that is. 

 

You don't say if this is your first time to NYC and if you like big cities or might rather just have a small taste of that, say pop into Times Square, and possibly Bryant Park not faraway behind the landmark NY Public Library building, before then heading up to Central Park South/Columbus Circle Area, very nearby via two train stops, or 15-20 minute walk, go up 5th Avenue finishing near the Plaza Hotel (passing Tiffany's, Cartier, a certain Tower, Bergdorf's) and enjoy Central Park. The zoo is there. 

 

Everyone can find their own NYC. Not everyone likes the same things but there's a way to find and make your experience be more tailored to the way that you'll like it. If you're into food, maybe make it be centered around food more. Or whatever. We definitely have everything here, you don't have to do the obvious stuff. If heights don't bother you, go up the Empire State Building. It's one of my favorite views in the city because of where it is on 34th street so you see an ideal amount of Manhattan, both rivers, Queens, Brooklyn, tiny bit of Staten Island, New Jersey. There's a fancy, beautiful duck in Central Park that is not indigenous to these parts. No one knows how it got here, but it's here. 

 

But the HoHos will keep you stuck on a bus. I don't think they are allowed to use the bus lanes that are dedicated to mass transit and so to get around I'd say, hop on a bus. They move ok-ish if you need to go uptown or downtown but they can be crowded so you might not see much. 

 

I jumped all around I know but absent specific interests, dates, and other info (been here before?) it's hard to know what else to write to help. Let me know if I can help further. Hope this helps a little! 🙂 🗽

[smilejesuslovesu]

1 hour ago, Host Bonjour said:

 

I live here and there are lots of different bus companies and routes offering tours (and even specifically themed tours if you were interested) so it's different than some cities and places where there are just a few main companies. I guess a big one here is Gray Line, Big Bus (I used in London and I think Berlin and I never do HoHo buses!) which are two that seem to be reliable. 

 

I see hawkers on the streets in midtown selling tours to...I don't know what bus tours sometimes. Probably fine, but lots of different companies, and on a crowded street trying to make a decision, well it annoys ME when I see them because I don't think this is the way to go about doing business, getting in people's faces and overwhelming them. I digress.

 

Anyway, here's the thing: I don't think doing a HoHo bus in NYC really is a good idea at all because traffic during the day is usually so intense that I don't see how it can be any fun or what anyone really gets to see on the tour in the amount of time it takes to get it done. One might possibly get lucky and the traffic is ok that day so things are moving but we're supposed to get congestion pricing next year I think (that's for bridges and tunnels, won't affect you!) so that provide an idea for what they're doing to try to minimize traffic in the city. It won't help, but they'll make money to use on the subways, I think. London has congestion pricing; don't know if it made a difference there, I doubt it.

 

That said, there are times of year when it's less busy than others, from a tourism standpoint, which is of course not in the summer or around Thanksgiving week and the Christmas/New Year holiday. Just after Thanksgiving weekend and before Christmas is a good time to be here as it's quite pretty all decorated and festive, but not yet mobbed. And of course in shoulder seasons, Spring/Fall. 

 

My suggestion, oddly, would be to get on another boat and take a Circle Line cruise which does a semi-circle from the west side of Manhattan, they are berthed right next to the Intrepid Museum at 42nd street, West Side Highway, and it cruises down to the Statue of Liberty, up close, then loops back around and up the East River, past Governors Island to the 59th Street/Queensborough/Ed Koch Bridge before turning around to dock back on the west side. There are snacks and drinks on board (if desired) and it's my favorite way to see the city, preferably at sunset if you don't have to be back on board too early. I've had this experience multiple times, on the Circle Line and on Spirit Dinner Cruise, and on private yachts, and there's nothing better.

 

I might look for walking tours, if you can manage, in certain areas that are of interest in the city such as Downtown: Financial District, Lower East Side, the Village (West, East, Greenwich) SoHo, Chinatown. Maybe choose some of those and finish up in Times Square...the later it is the more dazzling that is. 

 

You don't say if this is your first time to NYC and if you like big cities or might rather just have a small taste of that, say pop into Times Square, and possibly Bryant Park not faraway behind the landmark NY Public Library building, before then heading up to Central Park South/Columbus Circle Area, very nearby via two train stops, or 15-20 minute walk, go up 5th Avenue finishing near the Plaza Hotel (passing Tiffany's, Cartier, a certain Tower, Bergdorf's) and enjoy Central Park. The zoo is there. 

 

Everyone can find their own NYC. Not everyone likes the same things but there's a way to find and make your experience be more tailored to the way that you'll like it. If you're into food, maybe make it be centered around food more. Or whatever. We definitely have everything here, you don't have to do the obvious stuff. If heights don't bother you, go up the Empire State Building. It's one of my favorite views in the city because of where it is on 34th street so you see an ideal amount of Manhattan, both rivers, Queens, Brooklyn, tiny bit of Staten Island, New Jersey. There's a fancy, beautiful duck in Central Park that is not indigenous to these parts. No one knows how it got here, but it's here. 

 

But the HoHos will keep you stuck on a bus. I don't think they are allowed to use the bus lanes that are dedicated to mass transit and so to get around I'd say, hop on a bus. They move ok-ish if you need to go uptown or downtown but they can be crowded so you might not see much. 

 

I jumped all around I know but absent specific interests, dates, and other info (been here before?) it's hard to know what else to write to help. Let me know if I can help further. Hope this helps a little! 🙂 🗽

Thank you sooooooooo much for the info...It will be our first time in NYC we have booked the hop on hop off through the ship because it includes our transportation to and from the Brooklyn port.  We are coming the day before the New York Marathon, we will be there on Nov. 2nd, so the traffic will probably be really bad.  Do you know which line we will need to get on to go to the 911 Memorial, if there is one that goes there?

 

Thank you again for the info

[138east]

20 hours ago, smilejesuslovesu said:

Thank you sooooooooo much for the info...It will be our first time in NYC we have booked the hop on hop off through the ship because it includes our transportation to and from the Brooklyn port.  We are coming the day before the New York Marathon, we will be there on Nov. 2nd, so the traffic will probably be really bad.  Do you know which line we will need to get on to go to the 911 Memorial, if there is one that goes there?

 

Thank you again for the info

From the Brooklyn pier you could just take the MTA South Brooklyn ferry to Pier 11 Wall St for about $3/pp and just walk to the 911 Memorial. https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/

 

 

[138east]

Here’s a video of the ferry at Red Hook.

 

 

[Host Bonjour]

On 10/10/2019 at 10:06 PM, smilejesuslovesu said:

Thank you sooooooooo much for the info...It will be our first time in NYC we have booked the hop on hop off through the ship because it includes our transportation to and from the Brooklyn port.  We are coming the day before the New York Marathon, we will be there on Nov. 2nd, so the traffic will probably be really bad.  Do you know which line we will need to get on to go to the 911 Memorial, if there is one that goes there?

 

Thank you again for the info

 

Traffic isn't so bad the day before the marathon and if you come into port early in the morning and are able to leave ship early, you'll be fine, no worries. As 138 mentioned, there is a ferry port not far off but since you already booked a trip that includes transport to Manhattan, and it included the HoHo bus, that should be ok going into the city over the Brooklyn Bridge or Manhattan Bridge mid-day. The marathon starts in Staten Island coming over the Verrazzano bridge near where I lived for 20 years and things are marked off, signs are up throughout the marathon route but the roads don't shut down until just prior to the race starting. We cannot withstand roads being shut down for any time longer than it has to be!

 

Since you want to visit the 9/11 Museum, I'd definitely take the downtown HoHo. Do you know which line it is? Big Bus, Gray Line? They all have downtown routes that then finish up around Times Square/Midtown but of course you can get off and just get a metro card and choose to go wherever you please based on your interests. The HoHo might not be too bad on a Saturday so it may be ok to do the ride, or, as I mentioned above, think about what interests you the most and definitely do not feel overwhelmed about mapping out your own route to see and do what interests you. For example, once you've finished at the 9/11 Museum and you feel like going to the Intrepid, or Central Park or MoMA or...a Fifth Avenue walk, which is ideal to maybe start around 34th street, or even 42nd, up to 57th (aka Billionaires Row) head west to Columbus Circle and then come down Broadway into Times Square after maybe a sojourn into the park? 

 

Have a think. Don't feel put off about asking someone on the subway, bus, or sidewalk for directions. We looked glazed over, hurried, or angry but we're not. It's just the city maze we all run through because we know where we are going, we move quick, and we are trying not to bump into anyone. Don't get me started about the ones looking at their phones while they walk!! We are happy to help once we're popped into consciousness because guess what: when we are other places and need to get somewhere, we need help too sometimes! It's just a busy place, lots of people, but mostly everyone is ok. A little cranky sometimes but who isn't? We probably just are more openly vocal sometimes but it releases the pressure 😉 

 

Ferry costs the same as the subway or bus by the way, $2.75 one way. 

 

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/new-york/red-route-new-york/

 

I linked here the Big Bus downtown route, but this may not be your bus. I would take the number 10 stop at Brooklyn Bridge/Park Row which would put nearest the World Trade Center, and from there you'd likely only need to walk a few blocks west, assuming it lets you off on Broadway. Maybe it stops near Dey or Fulton or Vesey? Walk straight west and you can't miss the new tower and then just adjacent to it is the museum. 

 

Any more questions, let me know! The ferry would probably be ideal for getting back the next morning but allow LOTS of time on the 3rd as everything will be closed before 8 or 9 am when the marathon gets its start. Subway might just be your best option, and then a taxi to port from the subway if you've got a lot of luggage.

[smilejesuslovesu]

11 hours ago, Host Bonjour said:

 

Traffic isn't so bad the day before the marathon and if you come into port early in the morning and are able to leave ship early, you'll be fine, no worries. As 138 mentioned, there is a ferry port not far off but since you already booked a trip that includes transport to Manhattan, and it included the HoHo bus, that should be ok going into the city over the Brooklyn Bridge or Manhattan Bridge mid-day. The marathon starts in Staten Island coming over the Verrazzano bridge near where I lived for 20 years and things are marked off, signs are up throughout the marathon route but the roads don't shut down until just prior to the race starting. We cannot withstand roads being shut down for any time longer than it has to be!

 

Since you want to visit the 9/11 Museum, I'd definitely take the downtown HoHo. Do you know which line it is? Big Bus, Gray Line? They all have downtown routes that then finish up around Times Square/Midtown but of course you can get off and just get a metro card and choose to go wherever you please based on your interests. The HoHo might not be too bad on a Saturday so it may be ok to do the ride, or, as I mentioned above, think about what interests you the most and definitely do not feel overwhelmed about mapping out your own route to see and do what interests you. For example, once you've finished at the 9/11 Museum and you feel like going to the Intrepid, or Central Park or MoMA or...a Fifth Avenue walk, which is ideal to maybe start around 34th street, or even 42nd, up to 57th (aka Billionaires Row) head west to Columbus Circle and then come down Broadway into Times Square after maybe a sojourn into the park? 

 

Have a think. Don't feel put off about asking someone on the subway, bus, or sidewalk for directions. We looked glazed over, hurried, or angry but we're not. It's just the city maze we all run through because we know where we are going, we move quick, and we are trying not to bump into anyone. Don't get me started about the ones looking at their phones while they walk!! We are happy to help once we're popped into consciousness because guess what: when we are other places and need to get somewhere, we need help too sometimes! It's just a busy place, lots of people, but mostly everyone is ok. A little cranky sometimes but who isn't? We probably just are more openly vocal sometimes but it releases the pressure 😉 

 

Ferry costs the same as the subway or bus by the way, $2.75 one way. 

 

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/new-york/red-route-new-york/

 

I linked here the Big Bus downtown route, but this may not be your bus. I would take the number 10 stop at Brooklyn Bridge/Park Row which would put nearest the World Trade Center, and from there you'd likely only need to walk a few blocks west, assuming it lets you off on Broadway. Maybe it stops near Dey or Fulton or Vesey? Walk straight west and you can't miss the new tower and then just adjacent to it is the museum. 

 

Any more questions, let me know! The ferry would probably be ideal for getting back the next morning but allow LOTS of time on the 3rd as everything will be closed before 8 or 9 am when the marathon gets its start. Subway might just be your best option, and then a taxi to port from the subway if you've got a lot of luggage.

Thank you,  The cruise line wont tell me which bus company it is they say they dont know.  We start by getting off the ship and onto our motor coach for transfer from the ship to Time Square at 8:30 am and we have to be back there(Time Square) by 1:30 or 2:30 pm (I am assuming)for the ride back to the ship I am not sure what time. 

 

So when we get to Time Square we should get on the Downtown Route for the 911 Memorial?  And then we will just see what we can fit in after that.

 

What stop should we get off on the downtown route to see the 911 Memorial?

 

Thank again for all your help I hope you have a Blessed day

 

[138east]

6 hours ago, smilejesuslovesu said:

Thank you,  The cruise line wont tell me which bus company it is they say they dont know.  We start by getting off the ship and onto our motor coach for transfer from the ship to Time Square at 8:30 am and we have to be back there(Time Square) by 1:30 or 2:30 pm (I am assuming)for the ride back to the ship I am not sure what time. 

 

So when we get to Time Square we should get on the Downtown Route for the 911 Memorial?  And then we will just see what we can fit in after that.

 

What stop should we get off on the downtown route to see the 911 Memorial?

 

Thank again for all your help I hope you have a Blessed day

 

That’s crazy.  I can understand the first part - take the transfer to Times Square and then the HOho downtown to see the sights along the way.  But once you’re at the 911 Memorial you should just walk down Wall St to pier 11 and take the ferry back to Red Hook.  It will cost you the same money as going back to Times Square, it will take less time, and you’ll get a nice minicruise of the East River to see the Brooklyn Bridge and the lower Manhattan skyline with lots of photo ops, particularly of your Princess ship as you approach her from the river.  https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/route/south-brooklyn/

 

[smilejesuslovesu]

49 minutes ago, 138east said:

That’s crazy.  I can understand the first part - take the transfer to Times Square and then the HOho downtown to see the sights along the way.  But once you’re at the 911 Memorial you should just walk down Wall St to pier 11 and take the ferry back to Red Hook.  It will cost you the same money as going back to Times Square, it will take less time, and you’ll get a nice minicruise of the East River to see the Brooklyn Bridge and the lower Manhattan skyline with lots of photo ops, particularly of your Princess ship as you approach her from the river.  https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/route/south-brooklyn/

 

We have already paid for the transfer back to the Brooklyn Port.  Would the ferry to Red Hook be the Brooklyn Port?  Our ship comes into the Brooklyn Port?

 

Thanks

[138east]

45 minutes ago, smilejesuslovesu said:

We have already paid for the transfer back to the Brooklyn Port.  Would the ferry to Red Hook be the Brooklyn Port?  Our ship comes into the Brooklyn Port?

 

Thanks

Yes - Red Hook is the location of the Brooklyn Cruiseport.  Take a look at the video that was posted.

 

Question - do you just want to see the 911 Memorial or do you want to pay to see the 911 Museum (reservations required)?  Pull up a map of Manhattan and take a look at downtown (the lower tip of the island). You can walk to Battery Park and get a nice view of the SOL.  You can take a look at Trinity Church.  You can go up the Freedom Tower.  Everything is very close in downtown Manhattan.  Then find Times Square in midtown and find the Brooklyn Cruiseport in Brooklyn and you will understand what I’m talking about.

 

You may have paid for the return to Brooklyn, but you’re going to have to either pay for a subway ride back to Times Square or sit on a Hoho bus all the way back to midtown to transfer to yet another bus to drive all the way back to Brooklyn.  Surface transportation can be very very slow in Manhattan (there’s a traffic light on almost every corner) whereas subway and ferry transportation is not subject to street traffic congestion.

 

Here’s a ferry ride showing the QM2 -

 

Edited October 14, 2019 by 138east

[Host Bonjour]

10 hours ago, smilejesuslovesu said:

for transfer from the ship to Time Square at 8:30 am and we have to be back there(Time Square) by 1:30 or 2:30 pm (I am assuming)for the ride back to the ship I am not sure what time. 

On 10/10/2019 at 10:06 PM, smilejesuslovesu said:

 

I'm of the same thinking: use the ship transport to get to Times Square and take the Downtown HoHo. As I mentioned above, if it was the Big Bus, I'd take stop 10, I believe it was, for Brooklyn Bridge/Park Row (Wall Street was next, that would be a bit too far past the WTC) or alternatively, you could stay on two more stops, loop around the tip of Manhattan, and get off at stop 12, Statue of Liberty/Battery Park (might be a bit south also, but a nice walk up West St to the WTC) and then indeed, visit the 9/11 Museum and perhaps go up to the top of the Tower if you wished, etc.

 

Trinity Church inside is closed to visits as it undergoes renovations but the churchyard can be explored and it is definitely an interesting place and worth passing by. Viewing the Oculus from the outside is a must, it's quite a thing to see (the large white dove-like installation that covers the subterranean mall and subway/train stations at the WTC plaza. I have only seen it up close myself just last summer, I wasn't ready to be near to it previously. I once worked up on the 101st floor of One World Trade Center and the views are brilliant, dining up there at Windows actually got boring but it was NOT boring at first. Admission to the tower is waived if you dine up there now so it might be nice? I think that goes for just having drinks at the bar too. On a clear day I could see my train (well, it will still be visible, the A train!) crossing a bridge over the water from Broad Channel in Queens.  

It's also lovely just to enjoy the green space along the Hudson River, you could get some lunch and sit down and relax before heading back over to the Oculus and down inside to get a subway train back up to Times Square to meet your shuttle back to the ship or....

 

....as has been suggested, maximize your free time and, keeping in mind the time you must be back aboard, choose a conservative time to hop aboard the ferry (it's a quick trip across to Red Hook, Brooklyn) and stay down town or, take your time getting down town, maybe visit SoHo first or Greenwich Village or, any other place along the way that might have interested you or which you hadn't considered. 

 

One of the best things about NYC, like London, or Paris, and other metropolitan cities around the world, there are many options for getting around. Any combination of a variety of options will get you from here to there successfully. Sometimes I change things up based on the weather, or traffic, or quite often construction on a subway line (the dreaded track work), or I'm just bored and want to go a different way, or I want a less crowded train. And don't think just because you don't live here that you can't do the same thing too. You can.

 

As I said, it's easy to use the transportation here and you can always ask people anytime. One thing is certain, there are always lots of police around the WTC, so if you weren't sure where to go, you can ask one of them, or pop inside anywhere to use wifi and check your maps, everything transit related is online but you can download the maps to your phone as well. Digital signs in/around the subways provide updates on train arrivals or delays and signs posted will indicate what to do if something isn't running, in other words, what line to take to get where you're going. Frequent announcements are also made. It wasn't always this way and I think some of those old stereotypes still linger, that people will become lost in the underground, never to return or get where they are going. It was once....challenging. Overall, it's just fine now. 

 

To sum up, use the transport to get from Red Hook to Times Square. Go via HoHo to...wherever you wish heading down town, eventually aiming for the ferry terminal to go back to Red Hook. While indeed there are lights on every street, sometimes lights are synced to be mostly green when heading northbound are southbound on avenues to keep traffic moving although less so on the weekends; events might be happening and there are fewer vehicles in the city. Nevertheless, no point in wasting valuable time you could be exploring, sitting back on a bus heading in the direction you have already been. Use the time creatively to your advantage exploring what interests you and don't worry, you'll make it back to the cruise port just find. The ferries run frequently.

 

A failsafe, if for some unimaginable reason the ferry wasn't running (it will be) is you can catch a subway to Brooklyn and an Uber or Lyft to the port. So, again, it will work out without returning to Times Square. And there are many subway lines running into Brooklyn too, so don't worry about that! 

 

 

[smilejesuslovesu]

59 minutes ago, Host Bonjour said:

 

I'm of the same thinking: use the ship transport to get to Times Square and take the Downtown HoHo. As I mentioned above, if it was the Big Bus, I'd take stop 10, I believe it was, for Brooklyn Bridge/Park Row (Wall Street was next, that would be a bit too far past the WTC) or alternatively, you could stay on two more stops, loop around the tip of Manhattan, and get off at stop 12, Statue of Liberty/Battery Park (might be a bit south also, but a nice walk up West St to the WTC) and then indeed, visit the 9/11 Museum and perhaps go up to the top of the Tower if you wished, etc.

 

Trinity Church inside is closed to visits as it undergoes renovations but the churchyard can be explored and it is definitely an interesting place and worth passing by. Viewing the Oculus from the outside is a must, it's quite a thing to see (the large white dove-like installation that covers the subterranean mall and subway/train stations at the WTC plaza. I have only seen it up close myself just last summer, I wasn't ready to be near to it previously. I once worked up on the 101st floor of One World Trade Center and the views are brilliant, dining up there at Windows actually got boring but it was NOT boring at first. Admission to the tower is waived if you dine up there now so it might be nice? I think that goes for just having drinks at the bar too. On a clear day I could see my train (well, it will still be visible, the A train!) crossing a bridge over the water from Broad Channel in Queens.  

It's also lovely just to enjoy the green space along the Hudson River, you could get some lunch and sit down and relax before heading back over to the Oculus and down inside to get a subway train back up to Times Square to meet your shuttle back to the ship or....

 

....as has been suggested, maximize your free time and, keeping in mind the time you must be back aboard, choose a conservative time to hop aboard the ferry (it's a quick trip across to Red Hook, Brooklyn) and stay down town or, take your time getting down town, maybe visit SoHo first or Greenwich Village or, any other place along the way that might have interested you or which you hadn't considered. 

 

One of the best things about NYC, like London, or Paris, and other metropolitan cities around the world, there are many options for getting around. Any combination of a variety of options will get you from here to there successfully. Sometimes I change things up based on the weather, or traffic, or quite often construction on a subway line (the dreaded track work), or I'm just bored and want to go a different way, or I want a less crowded train. And don't think just because you don't live here that you can't do the same thing too. You can.

 

As I said, it's easy to use the transportation here and you can always ask people anytime. One thing is certain, there are always lots of police around the WTC, so if you weren't sure where to go, you can ask one of them, or pop inside anywhere to use wifi and check your maps, everything transit related is online but you can download the maps to your phone as well. Digital signs in/around the subways provide updates on train arrivals or delays and signs posted will indicate what to do if something isn't running, in other words, what line to take to get where you're going. Frequent announcements are also made. It wasn't always this way and I think some of those old stereotypes still linger, that people will become lost in the underground, never to return or get where they are going. It was once....challenging. Overall, it's just fine now. 

 

To sum up, use the transport to get from Red Hook to Times Square. Go via HoHo to...wherever you wish heading down town, eventually aiming for the ferry terminal to go back to Red Hook. While indeed there are lights on every street, sometimes lights are synced to be mostly green when heading northbound are southbound on avenues to keep traffic moving although less so on the weekends; events might be happening and there are fewer vehicles in the city. Nevertheless, no point in wasting valuable time you could be exploring, sitting back on a bus heading in the direction you have already been. Use the time creatively to your advantage exploring what interests you and don't worry, you'll make it back to the cruise port just find. The ferries run frequently.

 

A failsafe, if for some unimaginable reason the ferry wasn't running (it will be) is you can catch a subway to Brooklyn and an Uber or Lyft to the port. So, again, it will work out without returning to Times Square. And there are many subway lines running into Brooklyn too, so don't worry about that! 

 

 

Sorry for the never ending questions, but if we take the ship transportation to Time Square we need to get on the downtown hop on and take it to stop 10 or 12 for the 911 Memorial, is one stop a better option than the other?

And then is it within walking distance to the Red Hook from the 911 Memorial or do we need to find a way to get there?

The Red Hook is the ferry that runs to Brooklyn and it looks like it is 2.75 pp?

How far is the ferry from Time Square?

 

Thank you all so much your info is very helpful

[138east]

Did you look at google maps?

 

911 Memorial area to Pier 11 Wall Street is quoted as an 18 minute walk - .9 miles

The ferry is $2.75/pp to go to the Brooklyn Cruiseport at Red Hook.

Times Square to Pier 11 is about 6 miles.

 

Have you been to Manhattan before?  As I said before, don’t underestimate how long it will take to go from point A to point B on surface streets.  6 miles could easily take you 30+ minutes on a hoho bus.  If it were me, I would cancel the hoho excursion, take the ferry to and from Wall Street, and explore downtown Manhattan.

[cruise.gal]

On 10/10/2019 at 7:06 PM, smilejesuslovesu said:

Thank you sooooooooo much for the info...It will be our first time in NYC we have booked the hop on hop off through the ship because it includes our transportation to and from the Brooklyn port.  We are coming the day before the New York Marathon, we will be there on Nov. 2nd, so the traffic will probably be really bad.  Do you know which line we will need to get on to go to the 911 Memorial, if there is one that goes there?

 

Thank you again for the info

Exactly what I'm wondering.  Been to NYC before...want to see the 911 Memorial and 

 

On 10/14/2019 at 5:06 PM, smilejesuslovesu said:

Sorry for the never ending questions, but if we take the ship transportation to Time Square we need to get on the downtown hop on and take it to stop 10 or 12 for the 911 Memorial, is one stop a better option than the other?

And then is it within walking distance to the Red Hook from the 911 Memorial or do we need to find a way to get there?

The Red Hook is the ferry that runs to Brooklyn and it looks like it is 2.75 pp?

How far is the ferry from Time Square?

 

Thank you all so much your info is very helpful

Great questions....am on same cruise!  Been to NYC before and now want to see 911 Memorial.  But it all sounds confusing to me.  Also want to go to Times Square again.  Hmmmm....maybe hire this informant as our tour guide???  Last time our Columbia U. son was our tour guide.