Canada/New England Cruise Advise

[RondaRed]

I just received an offer from Princess for the Sept 19 or 26th sailings.

I'm considering this cruise, but have never been to New York City so I'm looking for advise on which airport if I want to do my own air and which hotel to stay in nearby. Prefer a Marriott, which there are plenty but which would be the best and most convenient. Also which sailing date is best for fall foilage.

 

Thanks

Ronda

[WAVTAM]

Rhonda, We are on the 10/10 run. Suggest you take later run however the colors change as you go north. After review of all 3 airports with lodging and shuttle,Newark is the best choice. That however depends and your airline choice and schelude

[mirrajay]

The question of which NYC airport has been asked many many times and it seems that we cant reach a conclusion. I personally prefer LGA. I do not ever use Newark b/c I dont want to deal with my luggage on the airtrain thing that they have that will take you into the city, and of course, a cab is cheaper from LGA than it is from Newark if you are coming into Manhattan. However, there are many that swear that LGA has the most delays of all of the airports and they choose JFK. I would check JetBlue for great deals into JFK to start with, and if you dont find anything spectacular there, then base your decision on flight times and price not really on the particular airport - each are very doable.

As far as when to see the best fall colors, October (such as the 10/10 date mentioned) would be excellent!

 

Hope that helps.

 

Carey

[TheWog]

The later date is better for foliage, but you will have to go farther north to see the best colors. You may get lucky and have some colder nights and the colors may start to change for you, but October is usually best.

[SteveK51]

We are traveling to New England/ Canada on 10/4 form Baltimore. I also recommend teh later sailing.

 

As to the airport, having lived in NY, LI and NJ, I recommend Newark (EWR) and the Marriott at the ariport.

[Budget Queen]

Foliage is NOT coastal and the more north- the earlier the peak. Best if you really want to see it is to keep track of peak reports and RENT A CAR and drive interior.

[Host Caroline]

The later date is better for foliage, but you will have to go farther north to see the best colors. You may get lucky and have some colder nights and the colors may start to change for you, but October is usually best.

October is best and Halifax, Portland, Sydney and especially along St Lawrence if you hit "peak" are gorgeous. You don't really have time to do Cabot Trail from Sydney (and do it justice) but the surrounding areas (to Louisbourg and Baddeck) are lovely and the town itself, although there's not much to do, is full of big old trees that would have been lovely had we not been tehre in September when it was still very warm. In Quebec City itself the autumns are beautiful and you can always head out to Ile de Orleans or to the falls for a short trip outside the city itself.

[noobiecruiser]

We are traveling to New England/ Canada on 10/4 form Baltimore. I also recommend teh later sailing.

 

As to the airport, having lived in NY, LI and NJ, I recommend Newark (EWR) and the Marriott at the ariport.

 

Just remember that Newark has the highest percentage of late and cancelled fllights of any airport. Play Wink

[uppitycats]

Our cruise is October 8. We're flying in to LaGuardia, and staying at the Courtyard by Marriott on the East Side. Apparently this hotel is relatively new, and we're told it "isn't in the best neighborhood" -- it is in an area that borders Harlem and there is a "housing project" across the street -- but it was relatively inexpensive (well, for New York! it's WAY expensive by our midwest standards!).

 

We still haven't worked out how we're getting from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the ship the next day, but I'm workin' on it! :)

[justjcruzn]

I just thought I would mention for transportation from any of the 3 airports there are several shuttle services that will pick you up and take you to your hotel. It is less expensive and you can make arrangements online.

 

the one that I made a reservation with is: http://www.airlinknyc.com

you do share the ride.

I was impressed with the website, know people that have used them, I will use them end of August so will let you know how it worked.

[mandrews2u]

Will Those Sjuttle Services Take You To The Redhook Pier Do You Know? We Are Flying In The Morning Of The Cruise.

[hockeygal54]

It was with great amusement I read this post because I was in the same position this time last year! Everybody had an opinion about airports but the one universal truth SEEMED to be to NOT fly into Newark if @ all possible! Then it came down to (as another poster stated) price on a flight from DFW. The best deal @ the time, for us, was a non-stop AA into LGA. Then came the big dilemma about hotel. Since we really were getting in later (due to time change in NYC), there was no point in paying big bucks for a Manhatten hotel. We stayed @ the Holiday Inn across the freeway from Shea Stadium (Flushing maybe the sign said????) and while I also agree with the poster from the mid-west, it was "a good rate by NYC standards", I thought it outrageous! With all the taxes etc. added in, we topped out around $160. Now I KNOW that's not high, but hey, I can still get a decent place to sleep in a GOOD neighborhood for under fifty! This place was no palace, but it was clean, older but remodeled and a bit creepy @ nite. We watched some very strange goings on across the street from the privacy of our large street-facing window! They had comp. shuttle from LGA, they called a car service to take us to the cruise terminal (Manhatten, not Redhook) and I think it ran $45 for the 3 of us, incl tip. It was a fixed rate. Nice new Lincoln....didn't know they had sized down Lincoln's so much tho!

The trees etc. were gorgeous (this was 10/15 as I recall, a Sunday last year) and we went all the way to Newfoundland and down the St. Lawrence/Saguenay River. The colors are somewhat a crap shoot I've been told, depending on the weather previous. Most of the locals/tour guides etc. said that it was out of the ordinary that things were this pretty and stayed this long----like I said, crap shoot! I am going back NEXT year tho, around the same time but not as far into Canada. I really liked Quebec and would go back there someday but it won't be this trip as the boat ain't goin'!

Just something I learned about the return....I would do a little networking on the ship (or perhaps on a board here) and try to arrange a cab/limo share from the cruise terminal back to the airport. You do much better with a driver if you can negotiate a flat rate for a full load. We ended up in a limo with a very nice couple from Edmonton area and when we got to talking in the car, we discovered he had charged them the same amount for the 2 of them as he did the 3 of us for our group, so I think we could have done better for all concerned had we had 5-6 on the first place. Perhaps not, just thinking simple math here. It might be way better to have it arranged in advance for someone to meet you @ the pier for the return too, cause that whole cab stand thing was a real pain. Very disorganized and people quite rude and all.

I'm greatly looking forward to my NEXT 2 cruises where I don't have to deal with an airline/airport @ all......just drive to the pier!:D

[0ldog]

It's no fun sitting in Newark all day. Only use it as a last resort. BTDT

[Leo Jay]

Arrgh never mind. Meant to start new thread.

[VicKen]

We're on Royal Princess Montreal - NYC 10/7-10/18 and we will dock at Red Hook in Brooklyn. It is my understand this is where all Princess ships will dock. If that's the case the closest airport would be LGA LaGuardia. We chose our dates based on lots of advice that states mid October as the best time. Since we start in Montreal and go south we hope to follow the colors south.