Boarding QM2 in NYC.

[WildWanderers]

Hi All,

 

My apologies if this has been asked and answered previously, but I wasn't able to get a clear answer by searching.

 

I am trying to figure out how we can spend almost 4 hours until boarding the ship, when we have luggage to haul around.  I'm not looking for an activity...just a comfortable place to perch.

 

We will be arriving at Newark airport (EWR) at 7:35 a.m. on the morning we board the QM2.

When we arrive at EWR we will want to get our luggage rather than leave it unattended, so will have left the secure area where the restaurants are.  From what I can see there is no place to just sit down in EWR after you get your luggage.

I suppose we could look for an 80-year old tuk tuk driver who pedalled slowly for the trip from EWR to the QM2 port.

Some people online suggest finding a hotel with a friendly concierge or a day room.  But hotels by the hour are usually not for cooling your jets, more for heating them up.  Not that I would know.

Is there a bit of a waiting area at the QM2 terminal before the luggage drop-off, or is the waiting area only after you have dropped off your luggage, which we won’t be able to do until noonish at earliest?

 

All suggestions are welcome.

 

Cheers,

Greg of the WildWanderers

[tony s]

As someone who lives in Staten Island, it might take almost two to three hours to retrieve luggage and get to Brooklyn especially if you’re coming from overseas and have to go through BCP.

[TheOldBear]

The luggage drop in Brooklyn is often receiving new embarking passenger baggage while departing passengers are 'zeroing out' the ship. [before the door open for embarking passengers]

The post security / pre checkin waiting area is quite spartan [not even vending machines; hard seats].

I recall some discussions from a few years back about plans to do a full day of sightseeing between baggage drop off and terminal check in - it seemed to be overly ambitious.

An option it to check everything except your carryons - and then head over to Van Brunt street - google maps shows some possibilities there, but I have not tried any of the choices. 

[WildWanderers]

Hi to @tony s and @TheOldBear,

 

Thank you both for very useful info.

 

It is a good point that it can take time for luggage to appear on the carrousel.  In our case we will already have gone through US Border Control in Ottawa - one of the perqs of taking a flight directly into the US out of Ottawa.  Usually we try to get quickly to the luggage carrousel once we have landed.  Maybe this time we slow-walk collecting baggage and finding a taxi.

 

It is encouraging to hear that the baggage collection at the QM2 terminal may happen while the QM2 is still zeroing out.  We can more easily find a place to wait to line up if we have only carry-on bags.

 

We assume that travel days are difficult and when they run smoothly it is appreciated.  Getting up at 3:45 a.m. to get to the airport will not start things off well though.

 

Cheers,

Greg from the WildWanderers

 

 

 

 

[57eric]

Assuming you end up with time to kill, I'd be very surprised if there aren't seats somewhere near the baggage carousels.  Failing this, there should be some seats near the ticket counters.

 

Check the traffic conditions.  If it's a weekday, you may wish to keep moving.

 

You're encountering some of the reasons many passengers prefer to arrive the day prior.

[WildWanderers]

Hi @57eric,

 

Good points.  

 

We have two friends who boarded on May 5 to go NYC to Southampton, the same as what we are about to do, who said that the traffic from their hotel was wild - it took them 2 hours to get from their nearby hotel by taxi. 

 

We are usually don't-ever-fly-on-the-day-of-the-cruise people, but were lured into this arrangement due to the early departure from Ottawa and later boarding (than we are used to) of the QM2.

 

Maybe we won't have that much time to spare.

 

Thanks!

 

Greg from the WildWanderers

 

 

[NE John]

If you get to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal area early…a big if with immigration/traffic as mentioned…you can have an early lunch at one of the Italian restaurants on Court Street in Carroll Gardens, a neighborhood that’s a 5-10 minute Uber ride to the Terminal. 
What cabin grade are you sailing? If Grills, you may not have as much time to kill as you may think. If you board after 2pm, then Google some of those restaurants. Marco Polo is an old school classic and next door is a more casual Enoteca owned by the same family. Disclaimer: I’ve known the family for 30+ years. 

[Cancun01]

I live in Ottawa.  Your plans for this trip seem set and you have been given some great advice above.  In the future I would recommend flying in the day before and staying at a hotel in lower Manhattan close to the Brooklyn Bridge.
 

We fly in the day before and stay at the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park.  Traffic can be heavy but it is usually 10 minutes but no more than 15-20 minutes to the red hook terminal even in heavy traffic but one never knows. Straight across the Brooklyn Bridge and you are there. We stay there because it is the closest decent dog-friendly (QM 2 kennels) hotel in lower Manhattan to the terminal.  I know you are aware of the potential issues of flying in the same day but to me it is worth the extra $.  If there are traffic delays the concierge will advise you so you arrive at the port at the appropriate time.  You can relax and have a nice dinner and leisurely breakfast in lower Manhattan instead of rising in the middle of the night to get to YOW.   I have done that more than once!!!  Clearing US immigration in Ottawa and a short early morning flight you should be fine ( depending on the traffic getting from EWR to Brooklyn) but I am more comfortable arriving in NYC the day/night before. 

[e&mcruise]

21 hours ago, Cancun01 said:

 

We fly in the day before and stay at the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park.  

Unfortunately this hotel is no more......

[Cancun01]

2 hours ago, e&mcruise said:

Unfortunately this hotel is no more......

Maybe that is why I am having trouble booking it for an upcoming voyage! LOL

It comes up as Ritz-Carlton Residences. We stayed there 3 years in a row (pre-Covid) and it worked very well.  Well that is disappointing but many thanks for letting me know. 

[Toffeegirl68]

Dependent on your mobility / fitness, you could take a walk at Red Hook after dropping your luggage off... as long as you don't have loads of 'carry on' to lug about. 

[e&mcruise]

6 hours ago, Cancun01 said:

Maybe that is why I am having trouble booking it for an upcoming voyage! LOL

It comes up as Ritz-Carlton Residences. We stayed there 3 years in a row (pre-Covid) and it worked very well.  Well that is disappointing but many thanks for letting me know. 

It apparently became the Wagner hotel post covid but is now closed pending indefinite renovations.Would love to hear any other pre cruise NY hotels.

[WildWanderers]

1 hour ago, e&mcruise said:

It apparently became the Wagner hotel post covid but is now closed pending indefinite renovations.Would love to hear any other pre cruise NY hotels.

 

Hi @e&mcruise,

 

As you ask about "pre-cruise NY hotels", we stayed last year at ink48 before boarding an Oceania cruise.  So, although it is not near where you board the Queen Mary 2, we would consider staying there for a pre-QM2 cruise, just because it is in an interesting neighbourhood, it's clean, the staff is very helpful, the room was new and quiet, the restaurant was great for dinner and the trendy, mostly open-air bar on the roof has an amazing view of the city in the evening.  There was no breakfast available, just coffee in the lobby.  The doorman gave us directions to a nearby diner for breakfast.  And best of all, this hotel did not appear on any of the websites listing NYC hotels with complaints about bedbugs.

 

It was easy walking distance to the Oceania ship, even with luggage.  And a great way to avoid the deluge of taxis and busses trying to get close to the ships.

 

In case this helps,

Greg from the WildWanderers

 

[e&mcruise]

10 hours ago, WildWanderers said:

we stayed last year at ink48 before boarding an Oceania cruise.  

 

So, although it is not near where you board the Queen Mary 2, we would consider staying there for a pre-QM2 cruise,

 

It was easy walking distance to the Oceania ship, even with luggage.  

 

 

Do QM2 & Oceania leave from different ports?

[tigerfan75]

Just now, e&mcruise said:

Do QM2 & Oceania leave from different ports?

Yes.  Oceania currently uses the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, while Cunard uses the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

[tigerfan75]

13 hours ago, e&mcruise said:

It apparently became the Wagner hotel post covid but is now closed pending indefinite renovations.Would love to hear any other pre cruise NY hotels.

I have a QM2 departure from NYC later this year.  Although I have not stayed there, I have made reservations at "New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge", on Adams Street.  It was mentioned favorably in another thread for the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, so you might evaluate it.  Good Luck... 

[BelleEpoque]

On 5/30/2024 at 11:58 AM, WildWanderers said:

Hi All,

 

My apologies if this has been asked and answered previously, but I wasn't able to get a clear answer by searching.

 

I am trying to figure out how we can spend almost 4 hours until boarding the ship, when we have luggage to haul around.  I'm not looking for an activity...just a comfortable place to perch.

 

….

 

All suggestions are welcome.

 

Cheers,

Greg of the WildWanderers

 

There’s a website called dayuse.com where you can book day rooms. If you want to just get a hotel for a few hours. There should be a few hotels not far from the port in South Brooklyn or just across the river in Lower Manhattan. 
 

If you don’t have a ton of luggage (I will have lots since I’ll be in Europe for almost a month after we make it across), then…

 

Not too far from the cruise terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn, there’s another Brooklyn neighborhood called Dumbo, which has the best views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Lower Manhattan. There is also a great waterfront park with lots of public art and many great cafes and restaurants. It’s probably about a 10- to 15-minute Uber ride from the port to DUMBO. If the weather is pleasant, it would be a great way to kill a few hours. 

[WildWanderers]

21 minutes ago, BelleEpoque said:

 

There’s a website called dayuse.com where you can book day rooms. If you want to just get a hotel for a few hours. There should be a few hotels not far from the port in South Brooklyn or just across the river in Lower Manhattan. 
 

If you don’t have a ton of luggage (I will have lots since I’ll be in Europe for almost a month after we make it across), then…

 

Not too far from the cruise terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn, there’s another Brooklyn neighborhood called Dumbo, which has the best views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Lower Manhattan. There is also a great waterfront park with lots of public art and many great cafes and restaurants. It’s probably about a 10- to 15-minute Uber ride from the port to DUMBO. If the weather is pleasant, it would be a great way to kill a few hours. 

 

Bonjour encore une fois à mon ami la BelleÉpoque,

 

Very useful info, thank you for this.

 

We're more and more convinced that our best bet after landing in EWR is to take it slow to get to the QM2 terminal.  I was encouraged to read that luggage drop-off starts even while folk disembark.  Plus in our type of room we should be processed quickly once it all opens out.

 

We too will be a month further in Europe, so will likely run into you.  🙂

 

One part of our European sojourn is our 13th Oceania cruise, this one from Athens to Istanbul.  Twelve days with no at-sea days will be quite a change from the transatlantic crossing.

 

Cheers,

Greg from the WildWanderers.

 

 

[BelleEpoque]

4 minutes ago, WildWanderers said:

 

Bonjour encore une fois à mon ami la BelleÉpoque,

 

Very useful info, thank you for this.

 

We're more and more convinced that our best bet after landing in EWR is to take it slow to get to the QM2 terminal.  I was encouraged to read that luggage drop-off starts even while folk disembark.  Plus in our type of room we should be processed quickly once it all opens out.

…

Yes, I think by the time you get your luggage and make it over from Newark, it might be close to 10 or 11a so you may not have all that much waiting to do before Grills boarding starts. 
 

I considered bidding on an upgrade today but then decided I’d rather spend the funds on the drinks package. Not sure what that says about me but hopefully Britannia does the trick since I’ve opted for dry gin martinis over Grills luxury. 
 

Coincidentally, after a few days in London, I’ll end up in Athens to pick up a Celebrity cruise for a very port-intensive Med cruise. The contrast between the two ships and the itineraries will be quite interesting. Plus crossing solo and then joining a group of 8 for the Med.

 

Only 33 days to go! 
 

A bientôt! 

[WildWanderers]

9 hours ago, BelleEpoque said:

Yes, I think by the time you get your luggage and make it over from Newark, it might be close to 10 or 11a so you may not have all that much waiting to do before Grills boarding starts. 
 

I considered bidding on an upgrade today but then decided I’d rather spend the funds on the drinks package. Not sure what that says about me but hopefully Britannia does the trick since I’ve opted for dry gin martinis over Grills luxury. 
 

Coincidentally, after a few days in London, I’ll end up in Athens to pick up a Celebrity cruise for a very port-intensive Med cruise. The contrast between the two ships and the itineraries will be quite interesting. Plus crossing solo and then joining a group of 8 for the Med.

 

Only 33 days to go! 
 

A bientôt! 

 

Salut ma BelleÉpoque,

 

We too are spending some time in London before flying to Athens for our cruise.  And we are most likely to order dry gin martinis.  Spooky.

 

If you are on one of the Princess cruises that ends in Barcelona and are looking for an interesting half-day walking itinerary, consider the following, which I posted in a different thread...

 

"A scalable self-guided tour in a Barcelona neighbourhood. 

 

If you are looking for something to do one noontime / afternoon in Barcelona consider visiting the trendy El Born area, which is characterized by narrow medieval streets offering designer boutiques and cafes by day, and cocktail bars and Catalan restaurants by night.  

 

The following are in the same little neighbourhood, so not much walking to see it all.

 

The Santa Maria del Mar Basilica…read up on how it was constructed…there are books about it…some are excellent historical fiction.  Great stained glass.

 

The wine bar right across the walkway from the entrance to the Basilica:  La Vinya del Senyor.  It has amazing wines by the glass (please don’t ask if they are included in SimplyMore) that you can combine with their various platters of nibblies to make a meal.  The chairs are not comfortable but there is no better people-watching to be had.

 

As you sit facing the Baslica, on the street on the right hand side of the Basilica, a couple of stores down, there is a deli called La Botifarreria de Santa Maria.  It is worth looking inside, buying something to taste or enough for a picnic.  It is a must-go shop if you ever stay in a room with a kitchen.  (We rented a Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) once on the top two floors above this deli.)

 

You can find wine for your picnic at the Vila Vinateca, a must-see for its variety of wines, on the Carrer dels Agullers, a whole minute away.

 

And on the way to the wine store you can stop off to buy designer macarons at Bubó Barcelona, a dessert shop just around the corner from la Vinya del Senyor.

 

Or you can have a meal and / nibblies at the Euskal Etxea Taberna, at Placeta de Montcada, just behind the Basilica, where they have many trays of pintxos. Once you order your wine, they give you a plate and you can take as many of the pintxos as you want. They count your toothpicks (that were embedded in the pintxos) to know how much to charge you.

 

And for those people for whom there is more to life than eating and drinking there is the Picasso Museum, just down from the Euskal Etxea Taberna, a further 2 minute walk. 

 

There are lots of souvenir shops.  At some if you are the first customer of the day, you get a major discount to give good luck to the shop owner.  There are also shops with colourful, unique local crafts, more expensive than the stock souvenirs you see everywhere."

 

We'll keep an eye out for a solo dry martini-drinking Princess Cruiser.

 

Cheers,

Greg from the WildWanderers

 

[Rck1999]

On 6/2/2024 at 12:19 AM, tigerfan75 said:

I have a QM2 departure from NYC later this year.  Although I have not stayed there, I have made reservations at "New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge", on Adams Street.  It was mentioned favorably in another thread for the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, so you might evaluate it.  Good Luck... 

 We just stayed at the Marriott by the Brooklyn Bridge for a few days before our crossing last week. It was very good and very convenient. It’s about a 15 minute Uber to the port. Checkout time is 11. We hung out in the spacious lobby and had a snack before heading to the port about 1:30. We never arrive for boarding early so as to avoid all the craziness. Leaving hotel at 1:30, we never stopped in any line and walked directly on board. 

[Cortesefam]

This is very helpful!  We plan to spend one night at this hotel before our departure.  We will travel up from Maryland, and determined it was easiest to rent a car one-way to avoid the airports or getting from Penn Station across to Brooklyn.  There is a Budget Rental car office at the hotel, so we will drop off the car as soon as we check in.  I will report back on how this arrangement works.

[Judyrem]

On 6/1/2024 at 7:19 PM, tigerfan75 said:

I have a QM2 departure from NYC later this year.  Although I have not stayed there, I have made reservations at "New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge", on Adams Street.  It was mentioned favorably in another thread for the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, so you might evaluate it.  Good Luck... 

We are staying there pre cruise QM2 in July.

[ClipperinSFO]

One option to burn some time is to ride the NY Ferry Service that docks right next to the Brooklyn cruise terminal in Red Hook. You can drop your bags and go for an inexpensive cruise (tickets sold on the dock or on the NYC Ferry app) and get wonderful views of NY and the QM2 herself.  Have done this once and loved it:  I rode the Ferry down to the Sunset Park/Brooklyn Army Terminal and then jumped in an Uber back, but it easy to do a round trip depending on how much time you have.  

 

Depending on how much luggage you have (or if that has been sent on ahead), its also a great way to get over to the cruise terminal from lower Manhattan.

 

[BelleEpoque]

On 6/3/2024 at 4:14 AM, WildWanderers said:

 

 

We'll keep an eye out for a solo dry martini-drinking Princess Cruiser.

 

Cheers,

Greg from the WildWanderers

 

I will be easy to find. And when I’m not drinking (very) dry gin martinis I am drinking French 75s. 🥂