NY CRUISE

[layteacher]

So many questions... Sorry in Advance. Doing our first New England cruise from NY in September. I know there are 3 airports but which one is best and where should we stay if flying in the night before the cruise? Any suggestions, pros/cons very much appreciated!!! Two retired teachers so not looking to spend a fortune but need clean, safe area preferably with shuttle. 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, layteacher said:

So many questions... Sorry in Advance. Doing our first New England cruise from NY in September. I know there are 3 airports but which one is best and where should we stay if flying in the night before the cruise? Any suggestions, pros/cons very much appreciated!!! Two retired teachers so not looking to spend a fortune but need clean, safe area preferably with shuttle. 

In addition to three airports serving NY there are also three cruise terminals, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Cape Liberty. Cape Liberty is not in NY City proper but rather nearby Bayonne NJ.

 

Which terminal will you be cruising from? No one airport is "best", but if you're cruising from Cape Liberty, then EWR is by far the closest and most convenient. If cruising from Manhattan or Brooklyn LGA would be closest but don't rule out JFK or EWR if airfares are lower or schedules more convenient.

 

Hotels in the immediate vicinity of an airport will generally have a free shuttle between airport and hotel, but no Manhattan or Brooklyn hotel will have a free shuttle from any of the airports, nor will any hotel have a free shuttle to a cruise terminal.

 

If you're cruising from Manhattan, I'd recommend staying in Manhattan so you can experience at least a little of The Big Apple, unless you've been to NY enough in the past and are really just looking for a place to sleep for one night, in which case you may be able to save some money by staying near an airport and then making your way into Manhattan on the morning of your cruise.

 

There are so many hotels near the airports, in Manhattan, and even some in Brooklyn, that we really need to have an idea of your budget and what if anything you're planning to do on the day before your cruise in order to make recommendations. Hotel rates can vary greatly by season and day of the week.

Edited April 26, 2023 by njhorseman

[Got2Cruise]

First clarify which cruiseline. Are you certain you are sailing from Manhattan? 
 

The answers will be different depending from where you are sailing from. 

[layteacher]

thank you so much. We are sailing on the Carnival Venezia. It says it will leave from Manhattan Cruise Terminal. We are going to be going at the end of September. After looking on American Airlines, we have booked to come in to LGA around 1 in the afternoon the day before our cruise. My husband has never been to NY but I have been twice. I am looking at the Holiday Inn Express in Woodside since we have IHG points available, but not sure if this is close to anything. It is a new hotel with breakfast and an airport shuttle. We would need to find transportation to the port and back to the airport after the cruise. The subway would make him very nervous so probably would need a shuttle service, uber, etc. 

Any suggestions on that would be appreciated as well as any ideas about things to do the day before the cruise. 

[Brighton Line]

That's on Queens Blvd near Calvary Cemetary. On Queens Blvd, there is not much and it is let us say "hard" to cross that muli lane almost highway. Dollar Tree is nearby and a liquor store if you need to purchase for your cruise but as far as getting a meal you will need to walk a little bit or have delivery. On your side of the street about four blocks are some stores like a grocery store (Keyfood) that in the plaza has a Pharmacy, Pizziaria, Deli and Chinese fast food at 60-20 Queens Blvd. 

 

That's all I know from a part-time job I had near there, locals could comment on some better food and the area. 

[princeton123211]

10 hours ago, layteacher said:

I am looking at the Holiday Inn Express in Woodside since we have IHG points available, but not sure if this is close to anything. It is a new hotel with breakfast and an airport shuttle. We would need to find transportation to the port and back to the airport after the cruise. The subway would make him very nervous so probably would need a shuttle service, uber, etc. 

So a little bit to unpack here. If you are departing from Manhattan Cruise Terminal you are going to have to go into Manhattan regardless, so you might as well look at other options in Manhattan rather than staying in Queens. 

 

If you are using IHG points, which is great, you should maximize their value. Generally the lower priced airport hotels not in prime areas are a terrible value when redeeming points.

 

For example, just running a search on September 23rd (Saturday) as an example, the Holiday Inn Express Woodside you are looking at has a redemption of 44,000 points for a free night (vs $216). On the same night, the Holiday Inn Express Midtown West is 55,000 points (vs $319). The Holiday Inn Express Times Square is 60,000 points (vs $315)-- even the Intercontinental The Barclay, a 4+ star hotel in Midtown, is 71,000 IHG points (selling for $436 that night).  

 

All of those options put you very close to your ship the next day and will minimize the amount of ground transportation you need and are a MUCH better redemption value vs what you would otherwise pay for them. 

 

If you were going to do any sightseeing you would be doing it in Manhattan anyway, so you'll just end up spending more money on ground transport if you stay in Queens. 

 

To be frank I wouldn't be looking at the subway anyway-- Uber/Lyft are going to be your best options here whether you stay in Queens or Manhattan.  

[Nitemare]

I agree with Princeton. If you are sailing from Manhattan and can STAY and SEE Manhattan for a few extra dollars or points, you definitely should do that, instead of being stuck in a bleak area near an airport

[GTJ]

16 hours ago, layteacher said:

I am looking at the Holiday Inn Express in Woodside since we have IHG points available, but not sure if this is close to anything. It is a new hotel with breakfast and an airport shuttle. We would need to find transportation to the port and back to the airport after the cruise. The subway would make him very nervous so probably would need a shuttle service, uber, etc.

This is fairly bland area in which to stay. The hotel is on Queens Boulevard, a major urban highway, but no nearby subway station. It is in a reasonably secure neighborhood, the hotel appears to be comfortable, and it would be a good location to get rest and prepare for a busy subsequent day, but it may not be your best choice if you're seeking to conduct any business or sightseeing. There is bus that travel along Queens Boulevard, route Q60, that stops near the hotel and goes direct to Second Avenue and East 60th Street in Manhattan (near Bloomingdale's), as well as major commercial centers in Queens County, but otherwise this location is not the most convenient for transportation. The Woodside railroad station is about one-half mile distant (walk north along 63rd Street), where the Long Island Rail Road goes to both Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal in about ten minutes, and from which the no. 7 subway train also operates. One of the city's best Thai restaurant, SriPraPhai, 64-13 39th Avenue, is about one-half mile distant (walk north along 65th Place), and would be an excellent dining choice.

 

IHG hotels in Queens County are not generally conveniently located near places of interest. The one exception is the Hotel Indigo Flushing, located in the heart of central Flushing (though again not the best geographic location, being on Prince Street a full one block off of Main Street). There are many places for walking, including some of the best Chinese and Korean restaurants in the United States. The following day it would be a slightly longer journey from Flushing to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, compared to travel from Woodside. N.B. I reside in Flushing, several blocks south of this hotel.

 

Consider as well if you want to stay in Queens County, or if staying in Manhattan would be better. It appears that you will be arriving in New York on a Friday afternoon, and by the time you're checked into the hotel it will be about 3:00 p.m. So you could do some things in Manhattan, though by this hour it might be difficult to do many of the "tourist things" given the lateness of the afternoon. But there is the ability to just walk around (shopping at stores, strolling through a park), and get a good dinner at an expensive restaurant. There would also much more going on, generally, in most parts of Manhattan where hotels are located, compared to Woodside. However, it could be a costly proposition for relatively limited benefits. It really depends upon your expected ambition that afternoon, and my suggestion is to make this decision on where to stay based primarily on that expectation.

[layteacher]

YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!! THAT HELPS SO MUCH! I WILL LOOK AT HOTELS CLOSER TO THE MANHATTAN AREA.  

[GTJ]

21 hours ago, layteacher said:

I WILL LOOK AT HOTELS CLOSER TO THE MANHATTAN AREA.  

Keep in mind that there is a difference between "closer to" Manhattan, and "in" Manhattan. There is good value to be had in Long Island City, which is very close to Manhattan, though the IHG property in Long Island City is not the most conveniently located of all the hotels in that area. There are countless hotels that are actually in Manhattan, which are generally both most expensive and most convenient.

 

A hint about geography: Don't refer to "the Manhattan area." Manhattan is both an island and a borough, but not a district nor a city; it is always referred to individually, and not as being any type of "area." Best to refer to either "Manhattan" directly, or "near Manhattan."

[Noxequifans]

Would on;y suggest lodging in Manhattan. It usually is more expensive than the boroughs (Queens or Brooklyn) but will enable you to see just a bit of the many sights. Hotels in Manhattan vary in price and quality ... but the taxi ride (yellow cab) to the Cruise Terminal is easy and not terribly expensive.