My cruise out of NY is leaving same day as NYC Marathon!

[2boyzmom]

I live on Long Island and wondering how this will affect my drive in to NYC. Hotels are double the price so that's out.  Considering the train instead of a limo. Anyone have any history taking the LIRR to Penn to cruise port? 

[shof515]

i cruise during this date and never had any issues. lirr to penn and then uber to the port is the best thing to do 

[cruiseny4life]

It wasn't the NYC Marathon, but we cruised out the same day as the Easter Parade this year. We did get a hotel the evening before so we could just walk to the terminal. You could stay over in New Jersey and take a ferry across or stay at one of the NJ hotels that have a shuttle to the cruise terminal. 

 

I like @shof515's idea too. Though you could just walk from Penn Station and not worry about ground transportation at all.

[shof515]

20 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I like @shof515's idea too. Though you could just walk from Penn Station and not worry about ground transportation at all.

its a very long walk from penn station to the port. with luggage its not a very fun nor easy walk 

 

to give an idea of the walk the port is by 48 st and 12th ave, penn station is usually around 34th st and 7-8th ave 

[cruiseny4life]

Just now, shof515 said:

its a very long walk from penn station to the port. with luggage its not a very fun nor easy walk 

 

to give an idea of the walk the port is by 48 st and 12th ave, penn station is usually around 34th st and 7-8th ave 

Oh I know! We've done the walk from 50th and 3rd before (that's where our hotel was). But we only had a backpack and carry on for our cruise, so I suppose if you're bringing your entire wardrobe, it may be a bit longer...I did help someone carry a 75 lb trunk from Grand Central to Penn Station and that was a giant pain in the arse! I'd prefer to never do that again haha.

[tetleytea]

My cruise out of NY is leaving same day as NYC Marathon!

 

That is a brilliant idea!   Makes you have to run fast or else you'll miss the ship.  

[Proud Dance Mom]

49 minutes ago, 2boyzmom said:

I live on Long Island and wondering how this will affect my drive in to NYC. Hotels are double the price so that's out.  Considering the train instead of a limo. Anyone have any history taking the LIRR to Penn to cruise port? 

We are on the same cruise as yourselves.  As we have arranged our flights thru NCL, and with the mess that the airlines are in at the moment, we are considering cancelling our flights from Montreal to NYC and having our son drive us to Albany, and take the Amtrak from Albany to NYC.  Priced it out, and at the moment it would be $36 usd each for the train.  This might be worth it to reduce the stress of wondering if we are going to make it to the ship, or will we have to join in Dominican Republic 😒. 

 

[2boyzmom]

7 minutes ago, Proud Dance Mom said:

We are on the same cruise as yourselves.  As we have arranged our flights thru NCL, and with the mess that the airlines are in at the moment, we are considering cancelling our flights from Montreal to NYC and having our son drive us to Albany, and take the Amtrak from Albany to NYC.  Priced it out, and at the moment it would be $36 usd each for the train.  This might be worth it to reduce the stress of wondering if we are going to make it to the ship, or will we have to join in Dominican Republic 😒. 

 

That sounds like a good idea. My friend has done Penn Station to port and sounds easy as long as taxi stays south of marathon route. See you onboard 🙂

[2boyzmom]

40 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

It wasn't the NYC Marathon, but we cruised out the same day as the Easter Parade this year. We did get a hotel the evening before so we could just walk to the terminal. You could stay over in New Jersey and take a ferry across or stay at one of the NJ hotels that have a shuttle to the cruise terminal. 

 

I like @shof515's idea too. Though you could just walk from Penn Station and not worry about ground transportation at all.

Knowing me on a 14 night cruise i will have huge baggage !

[cruiseny4life]

13 minutes ago, 2boyzmom said:

Knowing me on a 14 night cruise i will have huge baggage !

Nevermind my walking advice haha!! You're so going to enjoy that cruise - oh to have the time to do a 14 day cruise! We better hear all about it.

[jpc763]

Only way I go from Long Island to the cruise terminal.  Have walked it and have taken a cab, depending on the day.  Very simple.  As a walk off on return I have made the 8:11 train all but one time.

[mking8288]

We've disembarked twice on NYC Marathon Sunday ... the key is to avoid Brooklyn, western Queens that bordered East Side of Manhattan & part of the Bronx, the published maps for runners & drivers alike show highways & road closures.  One of the problems faced is that whether you are going to or from MCT is that many taxi, licensed car service & Uber/Lyft drivers simply take a vacation day to stay off the road ... surge pricing kicks in for "ride shares" and you need to plan for extra travel time; and, use mass transit when possible.  

 

Some folks coming in from points north, west and south of NYC stay in NJ and come in from those direction, which typically bypassed & avoided the runners & spectators that lined the route ... Long Island City, First Avenue & of course, all around Central Park on the home stretch.  Take the ferries that do run & operate to cross the Hudson River, and walk that last 1/2 mile with (pack & travel) light luggage that you can navigate in the concrete pavement jungle of NYC.  

 

We grab a yellow taxi across 12th Avenue at the taxi stand, the driver zoomed north on the Henry Hudson Pkwy, across upper Manhattan to Queens (Bronx-Whitestone Bridge or Throgs Neck Bridge) are the best & faster route into Queens, Long Island - including LGA and JFK for those with flights to make.  It will be more expensive but works, quite fast as there are fewer vehicles & drivers that annual Sunday morning with folks staying away.  More difficult, challenging but not impossible - Google Maps & Waze had been reliable to plot alternate routes to navigate ... also, avoid and stay clear of downtown East River crossings including the toll-by-mail tunnel to/from Brooklyn.    

[NYcruzzer]

I live on Long Island. In your case best option would be any route (Whitestone, Throgsneck or RFK bridge) to GWB, then Henry Hudson straight down to MCT...

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, shof515 said:

its a very long walk from penn station to the port. with luggage its not a very fun nor easy walk 

 

to give an idea of the walk the port is by 48 st and 12th ave, penn station is usually around 34th st and 7-8th ave 

 

it's usually around 34th street? where is it located when it's not at that location? : )

 

as for how long one perceives the walk to be... this is really a question of mobility and how used to walking you are. if one typically gets in a car to go to a store three or four blocks away, then, yes, it will likely seem like a long walk. if you typically walk a couple of miles a day, the walk is easy.  (and will give you a head start on keeping fit before indulging in all the ship has to offer.)

 

most new yorkers are baffled when they read people asking advice about transportation from midtown hotels to the cruise ship terminal. it's eminently walkable. but we're used to walking everywhere. why somebody might choose to take a cab from the marriott marquis at broadway and 45th street or from penn station eludes us.

 

again, mobility is key. if you are physically impaired, have a disability of some kind or can't physically manage your luggage, then, of course, you are not going to walk. but the distance from penn station to the MCT is about a mile and a half. at a very slow walking pace, that's about 25 minutes. you'd walk more than that in a shopping expedition at your local mall. with traffic, a cab ride could actually take you longer.

 

as for luggage... that is indeed another factor. i maintain that if you have more than one large bag, a carry on and a brief case and/or purse, you've packed too much. each person should be able to manage those items. i live in midtown and always walk to the terminal and i carry those three items every time.

 

as for the marathon... what effect the marathon has on manhattan traffic depends most on what time of day you're in motion. but the marathon route is mostly on the east side and in and near central park and not on the west side, so unless people are coming from a hotel in the central park area or on the east side, there is likely to be  minimal inconvenience. also, while the marathon can go on for seven or eight hours or longer, most of the action in manhattan happens from Hour 2 to Hour 4, so the impact is felt from approximately 11 AM to 1 or 2 PM or so.

[shof515]

16 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

it's usually around 34th street? where is it located when it's not at that location? : )

 

depending on which exit i take out of penn station i find myself lost at either 33rd st or 34th st. Also on 35th st there is subway only entrance/exit. it can be get confusing 

[lx200gps]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

 

Some folks coming in from points north, west and south of NYC stay in NJ and come in from those direction, which typically bypassed & avoided the runners & spectators that lined the route ... Long Island City, First Avenue & of course, all around Central Park on the home stretch.  Take the ferries that do run & operate to cross the Hudson River, and walk that last 1/2 mile with (pack & travel) light luggage that you can navigate in the concrete pavement jungle of NYC.  

 

 

We did exactly this just a few weeks ago. Drove down to NJ from up north, stayed in Weehawken, at a hotel right on the Hudson, literally across the river from the MCT. The hotel is even coincident with the Ferry parking garage, where we parked for half the price of Manhattan parking. Took the 8 minute/$9 ferry across the Hudson and walked, slowly with bags, 13 minutes north to the terminal.  After disembarkation, did the opposite to return to the car. Much cheaper hotels and parking than Manhattan, this is how we will visit NYC in the future, the ferry system is excellent.

[Laurab23]

On 7/8/2022 at 9:44 AM, Proud Dance Mom said:

We are on the same cruise as yourselves.  As we have arranged our flights thru NCL, and with the mess that the airlines are in at the moment, we are considering cancelling our flights from Montreal to NYC and having our son drive us to Albany, and take the Amtrak from Albany to NYC.  Priced it out, and at the moment it would be $36 usd each for the train.  This might be worth it to reduce the stress of wondering if we are going to make it to the ship, or will we have to join in Dominican Republic 😒. 

 

Have you looked at Yankee Trails Cruise Express?  They are located right outside of Albany.It might be an option for you. They take you right to the port.

 

Laura

Edited July 9, 2022 by Laurab23
added info

[navybankerteacher]

On 7/8/2022 at 9:53 AM, 2boyzmom said:

That sounds like a good idea. My friend has done Penn Station to port and sounds easy as long as taxi stays south of marathon route. See you onboard 🙂

Penn Station to port comes nowhere near Marathon route.

[Got2Cruise]

On 7/8/2022 at 8:50 AM, 2boyzmom said:

I live on Long Island and wondering how this will affect my drive in to NYC. Hotels are double the price so that's out.  Considering the train instead of a limo. Anyone have any history taking the LIRR to Penn to cruise port? 

I once had a cruise when there was a big bike race. The limo driver took the George Washington Bridge and then 12th Ave Straight down. We were with my elderly parents so the LIRR and cab would be too much walking for them. But I think LIRR is a  good idea. 

[2boyzmom]

On 7/8/2022 at 11:08 AM, NYcruzzer said:

I live on Long Island. In your case best option would be any route (Whitestone, Throgsneck or RFK bridge) to GWB, then Henry Hudson straight down to MCT...

That makes sense! 

[2boyzmom]

On 7/10/2022 at 1:01 AM, Got2Cruise said:

I once had a cruise when there was a big bike race. The limo driver took the George Washington Bridge and then 12th Ave Straight down. We were with my elderly parents so the LIRR and cab would be too much walking for them. But I think LIRR is a  good idea. 

Yes that drive sounds reasonable but knowing mu husband we will take the LIRR. It's a repositioning to New Orleans so we cannot take our own car which gets pricey and I've already spent a small fortune on this upcoming trip 🙂

[gwesq]

On 7/8/2022 at 11:08 AM, NYcruzzer said:

I live on Long Island. In your case best option would be any route (Whitestone, Throgsneck or RFK bridge) to GWB, then Henry Hudson straight down to MCT...

We came in via car service from Suffolk the day the UN opened.   Our froends also came from Suffolk. We left same time - we were there an hour before them. Our driver knew the best way (what you described), their driver took midtown tunnel!      During the marathon, I'd suggest coming in from NJ - if have to fly on ady of cruise (not a good idea) best bet to fly to Newark.

 

[lenquixote66]

On 7/8/2022 at 8:50 AM, 2boyzmom said:

I live on Long Island and wondering how this will affect my drive in to NYC. Hotels are double the price so that's out.  Considering the train instead of a limo. Anyone have any history taking the LIRR to Penn to cruise port? 

We live on Long Island and always take a Car Service because the drivers know the best way to avoid traffic.We have never gone on Marathon Day but have gone on Parade days with no problem.

[oasisorbust]

On 7/8/2022 at 11:39 AM, shof515 said:

depending on which exit i take out of penn station i find myself lost at either 33rd st or 34th st. Also on 35th st there is subway only entrance/exit. it can be get confusing 

Me too 😂🤣. I’m also from Long Island and debating on the train vs having my daughter drive me.