Tour Statue of Liberty on Day of Sailing

[jcscv]

I am arriving in New York on a Saturday evening for a Sunday sailing (NCL, out of Manhattan Cruise Terminal).  Do you think I would have enough time to visit the Statue of Liberty on the day of the cruise?   I've been looking for a hotel within a mile or two of Battery Park. It looks like the first ferry leaves at 9am. I would need to go back to the hotel, after the tour, to pick up luggage and arrange a Lyft/Taxi to the cruise terminal too.

 

Thanks for any input you can give me!

[princeton123211]

2 minutes ago, jcscv said:

Do you think I would have enough time to visit the Statue of Liberty on the day of the cruise?   I've been looking for a hotel within a mile or two of Battery Park. It looks like the first ferry leaves at 9am. I would need to go back to the hotel, after the tour, to pick up luggage and arrange a Lyft/Taxi to the cruise terminal too.

You could technically pull it off but it will be a lot of rushing around. Ferries run about every half hour and then about a 20-30 minute Uber from Battery Park to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. You wouldn't get much time to spend on Liberty Island and because of the time crunch would most likely not be able to do anything inside the statue itself-- just meander around outside before catching a ride back to Battery Park. 

 

Frankly your ship will give you a great view of the statue when you sail down the Hudson-- given the time constraints I would much rather stay closer to the pier in Midtown (as opposed to staying in Battery Park to get to the ferry) and have a leisurely morning and then make sure to view the statue sailing out that afternoon. 

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, princeton123211 said:

You could technically pull it off but it will be a lot of rushing around. Ferries run about every half hour and then about a 20-30 minute Uber from Battery Park to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. You wouldn't get much time to spend on Liberty Island and because of the time crunch would most likely not be able to do anything inside the statue itself-- just meander around outside before catching a ride back to Battery Park. 

 

I agree with this poster.  I wouldn't try to do it.  

[Noxequifans]

Agree that it may be too hurried (things can delay) and a hotel location midtown would permit walking around and sightsee before going to the pier. 

[Capt_BJ]

#3 to agree ...... to do the statue with no stress is a full day (you get Ellis Island too)

 

[GTJ]

2 hours ago, jcscv said:

Do you think I would have enough time to visit the Statue of Liberty on the day of the cruise?

Much depends on the vessel departure time and the requirements for presenting yourself at the departure port in advance thereof. I assume that departure is at 5:30 p.m., and that you need to be there 90 minutes prior, or 4:00 p.m. In that case, you should be able visit Liberty Island, though you might be distracted by your watch throughout the visit. The ferry transportation itself requires just under one hour (the cycle time is scheduled for 55 minutes). You would want to allow time for security screening prior to the 9:00 a.m.departure (perhaps 30 minutes, so being at Battery Park at 8:30 a.m.), and if you are on that first vessel you would arrive at Liberty Island at 9:15 a.m. Now working backwards from the time you need be at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, 4:00 p.m. at the latest, you would want to depart your hotel in lower Manhattan no later than 3:00 p.m. Depending on the location of your hotel, it is likely you would need to be back at Battery Park by 2:30 p.m., so that you can walk to your hotel, retrieve your baggage (hopefully you will already have previously checked-out early morning, and the hotel is just holding your baggage now), and meet the ride you have already arranged. Typically there are three ferries operating to and from Battery Park, with departures every 25 minutes, and the trip back from Liberty Island to Battery Park requires 30 minutes travel time (it takes longer for the return because the vessels make a stop enroute at Ellis Island . . . which you could visit, if desired, at no additional charge). So that means you should allocate a total of 55 minutes for the return ferry (up to 25 minutes waiting time plus 30 minutes travel time). So that means being ready to depart Liberty Island no later than 1:35 p.m. (typically, there are vessels scheduled to depart Liberty Island at 1:30 p.m. and 1:55 p.m., arriving back at Battery Park at 2:00 p.m. and 2:25 p.m., respectively). So that means, at most, you would have from 9:15 a.m. until 1:35 p.m., a bit over four hours, to visit Liberty Island and to reasonably expect to get to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal by 4:00 p.m. That is probably enough time to visit (possibly even to stop off at Ellis Island), though you may want to use less time sightseeing so that you can have greater assurance in getting to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on time.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

You could technically pull it off but it will be a lot of rushing around. Ferries run about every half hour and then about a 20-30 minute Uber from Battery Park to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. You wouldn't get much time to spend on Liberty Island and because of the time crunch would most likely not be able to do anything inside the statue itself-- just meander around outside before catching a ride back to Battery Park. 

 

Frankly your ship will give you a great view of the statue when you sail down the Hudson-- given the time constraints I would much rather stay closer to the pier in Midtown (as opposed to staying in Battery Park to get to the ferry) and have a leisurely morning and then make sure to view the statue sailing out that afternoon. 

Good advice --- and for "three point sailaway":  a) you should find an upper deck on the port side to view Manhattan as it slides by,  then:  b) cross to port side to view the Statue, finally: c) after passing the Statue go to highest forward upper deck to see the Verazzano Narrows Bridge as you leave the upper harbor.

[jcscv]

Thank you all for your input, I appreciate it.  I figured it would be rushing things to try and do this.  Last time I did this cruise I did the Hop ON/Off bus day of cruise and had to get off a few blocks from my hotel and run back to my hotel to get my luggage and head for the ship. It was a little harrowing.

 

Right now, I'm booked at a hotel by LaGuardia. I'll probably just relax, have a leisurely breakfast, catch a Lyft directly to the cruise port, and get a good viewing spot from this ship as we pass.

[Got2Cruise]

What time is your flight arriving the day before? You can do the Staten Island Ferry or a sightseeing cruise that goes real close for photo ops but you don’t get off the boat during the evening. The hotel properties in the Financial District are so much nicer than anything near LaG. Look at the DoubleTree on Stone Street it’s usually a good value. 

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, jcscv said:

Right now, I'm booked at a hotel by LaGuardia. I'll probably just relax, have a leisurely breakfast, catch a Lyft directly to the cruise port, and get a good viewing spot from this ship as we pass

 

A much better plan.  I'd suggest a hotel on Manhatten rather than at LGA.  Probably would be a nicer hotel with many dining options nearby.

[GTJ]

19 hours ago, jcscv said:

I figured it would be rushing things to try and do this.

Yes, it would be rushed, and possibly further harrowing. The question comes down to whether it is in your nature to be harrowing or more conservative. I am a bit closer to the harrowing side when I know with greater certainty the circumstances and surroundings, and possess good judgment as to the time it takes to accomplish certain things. And so living in NYC, and being well-familiar with the lay of the land, I would not hesitate to embark on the Liberty Island plan if that were of interest to me. But if I did not have that comfort level, then I would be more conservative, particularly given the magnitude of the consequences from erring. How comfortable would you be in rushing around in NYC on embarkation day?!

 

Taking the more conservative approach, your decision to stay near LaGuardia Airport is good, at least if you're not looking to attempt doing a sightseeing trip. It is typically less expensive than Manhattan hotels. I reside very close to LaGuardia Airport, and so my biases do tend to favor this part of NYC. If your LaGuardia hotel is in downtown Flushing (where I reside), such as the Sheraton or Hyatt Place, then you can easily use the Long Island Rail Road or subway from the hotel into Manhattan, and a short taxi ride to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, and save a few dollars. (As well, staying at an airport hotel in downtown Flushing is much more interesting and filled with great restaurants, compared to other LaGuardia airport hotels.) Otherwise, the cost of TNC service direct from LaGuardia airport hotels to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal will be modest.

[jcscv]

On 9/4/2022 at 8:44 PM, Got2Cruise said:

What time is your flight arriving the day before? You can do the Staten Island Ferry or a sightseeing cruise that goes real close for photo ops but you don’t get off the boat during the evening. The hotel properties in the Financial District are so much nicer than anything near LaG. Look at the DoubleTree on Stone Street it’s usually a good value. 

 

My planed doesn't land until 6:30pm, and by the time I get my luggage and stuff, it will just be easier (and cheaper) to stay near the airport.  Especially since my flight departure from home is at 5 am that morning (yawn).  
 

On 9/5/2022 at 1:07 PM, GTJ said:

Yes, it would be rushed, and possibly further harrowing. The question comes down to whether it is in your nature to be harrowing or more conservative. I am a bit closer to the harrowing side when I know with greater certainty the circumstances and surroundings, and possess good judgment as to the time it takes to accomplish certain things. And so living in NYC, and being well-familiar with the lay of the land, I would not hesitate to embark on the Liberty Island plan if that were of interest to me. But if I did not have that comfort level, then I would be more conservative, particularly given the magnitude of the consequences from erring. How comfortable would you be in rushing around in NYC on embarkation day?!

 

Taking the more conservative approach, your decision to stay near LaGuardia Airport is good, at least if you're not looking to attempt doing a sightseeing trip. It is typically less expensive than Manhattan hotels. I reside very close to L6:30 pmaGuardia Airport, and so my biases do tend to favor this part of NYC. If your LaGuardia hotel is in downtown Flushing (where I reside), such as the Sheraton or Hyatt Place, then you can easily use the Long Island Rail Road or subway from the hotel into Manhattan, and a short taxi ride to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, and save a few dollars. (As well, staying at an airport hotel in downtown Flushing is much more interesting and filled with great restaurants, compared to other LaGuardia airport hotels.) Otherwise, the cost of TNC service direct from LaGuardia airport hotels to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal will be modest.

 

As much as I love an adventure, I tend to be more conservative when in an unknown area and on a time crunch. I do have a hotel booked in Astoria, but you've given me some food for thought, so will check out the areas close to the Long Island Rail Road or subway, and that can be my adventure for the early part of the day 😄 

 

[GTJ]

11 hours ago, jcscv said:

I do have a hotel booked in Astoria, but you've given me some food for thought, so will check out the areas close to the Long Island Rail Road or subway, and that can be my adventure for the early part of the day

Astoria, itself, is a good location, close to Manhattan and accessible to the subway (but not the Long Island Rail Road), if the hotel is centrally located within. However, a hotel might have an Astoria address but actually be located on its fringes, near and easily accessible to the airport without being centrally located within Astoria itself. Most notably there are several hotels in the Dutch Kills, or Queens Plaza, area with Astoria addresses (though usually these hotels have Long Island City addresses) that are very well-located with respect to Manhattan. In sum, it is difficult to judge the location with just "Astoria" as the hotel location.