Which pre-cruise hotels would you recommend for New York?

[merela]

My parents are flying out from LA to New York in January. Right now, their travel agents are telling them the rooms are $200-$300 per night. Would you recommend that they take a red-eye flight from LA and arrive in NY early in the morning of the departure date, or go to NYC the day before and stay in a hotel?

 

We need recommendations for a hotel. Would any of the Priceline hotels work for pre-cruises? Would hotels in the Time Square area be a good choice for pre-cruise stay? I'm just trying to figure out what parts of the NYC should I be focusing my search for the right pre-cruise hotel. My parents will be sailing out of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Are there any hotels near that cruise terminal?

[Keith1010]

I would recommend that they come in a day before the cruise because you never know between weather, flight cancellations and all of the other things that can happen if they will miss the cruise.

 

Keith

[okfarmerswife]

Have your folks been to NYC before? If not then a couple of days precruise would be fun...there's a lot to see there. With the mass transit system of NYC they could really stay anywhere and be ok. You might check out the NYC board on tripadvisor.com for other ideas. I agree it's best to be there a day a head of time. They could fly home later the same day of disembarkation.

[Budget Queen]

In January- you definately want them coming in at least a day ahead. If there is bad weather, even a day ahead might not get them there in time.

 

Coming from Ca. I also highly recommend they have the proper attire, it will be cold.

 

If they wish to tour NYC, I would stay midtown Manhatten. Hotels are at their lowest in that timeframe. :) IF they only need one bed, priceline can be a great option. I would book something that can be easily canceled in the meantime and look at priceline about a month prior.

[megr1125]

I would come in a day early...midtown/Times Square would be good if they want to see anything...

The only hotel i can think of in Brooklyn is the Brooklyn Marriott which I understand is very nice. They used to have 'good' rates but it seems that people have 'caught on' to it.....however, it may be an option as a cancellable backup if you want to try PL......just a thought!

[Name game]

I honestly don't know if this is true since I live in New York, but I heard from these boards a while ago that if you are flying to the East Coast from the West Coast and book the air through the cruise, then they pay for the hotel for the night before the cruise. Again, this could be an urban legend but it's worth looking into.

[jpg1747]

I honestly don't know if this is true since I live in New York, but I heard from these boards a while ago that if you are flying to the East Coast from the West Coast and book the air through the cruise, then they pay for the hotel for the night before the cruise. Again, this could be an urban legend but it's worth looking into.

 

 

That was true back when I was flying from California to the East Coast. They often flew us in the day/evening before and the hotel was included in the price. I don't think there was any particular price break, just that the cruiseline coordinated everything.

[agabbymama]

Yes, hotels in NYC are expensive. The most I've paid for a room anywhere I have traveled. We found the Edison (right in Times Square) for $210 per night in Sept '06. Not sure what their rates are now. Others have posted to this board about a Super 8 right in Times Square too, and we did walk past it when we were there.

 

The Edison was a lovely Art Deco style hotel (like Radio City Music Hall). It was built in the same timeframe. We were in NYC two days pre-cruise as I had never been before and wanted to see the sights as long as we were sailing from Cape Liberty.

 

If your parents haven't been before, I'd recommend the same for them. We also purchased Gray Line Tours loop ticket for their double decker bus. It was great until it rained. All the folks on the open deck on top got soaked, but we did see lots of NYC and they do have a narrator that tells you what you are seeing.

 

I don't think cruiselines pay for the rooms anymore, as they often bring you in on the day of your flight, even if it's a redeye flight. That was in the "old" days of cruising.

 

Good Luck finding them a nice room!

[jpg1747]

FWIW I have a room booked at the Super 8 Motel in Times Square in mid January for $119. For Manhattan I thought that was a pretty good deal. I searched some of the big sites, found that this was the best deal, and then booked the room directly through the Super 8 website.

[greatam]

Priceline will work VERY well in January (low season-cold).

 

If they have not been to NYC before and they want to do some sightseeing, bid 4* first for a hotel in Midtown West area (generally around Times Square and north) about $165.00. If you don't get a hotel in that price, go back and add Midtown South, again 4* for the same price. If you still don't get a hotel for that price, add Midtown East at the same price. If all those bids fail, keep raising your bids by $10.00, with the same scenario. You should be able to get a 4* hotel for less than $200.00.

 

The cruise lines MAY pay for a hotel on a transcon flight. But the price will be hidden in air fare cost. They don't give away the hotels gratis. More likely, the cruise lines will put you on the overnight redeye. Flights from LAX/SFO leave every night arriving in NYC between 5AM and 8AM.

 

I usually fly into NYC once a month on a red eye out of LAX. I find that if I don't fly at least business class in a 767 with almost lay flat beds, I arrive in NYC worn out and all I want to do is sleep. You don't want your parents to be in this situation as they will have a lot of waiting before they can board the ship and not a lot of things to occupy their waiting time. They will be totally worn out the first day-not a way to start a fun filled vacation.

[d&a Delaware]

greatam's advice is, I think, exactly right. The only thing(s) I would suggest in addition would be to first book a cancelable reservation you can live with (I often stay at Edison, great choice, and the Super 8 would be a good choice too), then you have both a fallback position if you don't find something on Priceline and a ceiling price over which you need not bid on Priceline. In addition, my personal choice because I would be satisfied with a 3* hotel, if you don't get a 4* acceptance on Priceline, try those three zones again with a 3* bid. Good luck, and have fun. If you get what you want on Priceline, simply cancel your back-up reservation.

 

David

[merela]

greatam's advice is, I think, exactly right. The only thing(s) I would suggest in addition would be to first book a cancelable reservation you can live with (I often stay at Edison, great choice, and the Super 8 would be a good choice too), then you have both a fallback position if you don't find something on Priceline and a ceiling price over which you need not bid on Priceline.

 

Hi David! Where would you book a cancelable reservation? For Super 8, can I book it through their own website? What about Edison? I wasn't aware of cancelable hotel reservations. I'm learning something new every day. I'm familiar with Priceline though. I will try Priceline bidding according to the strategies greatam suggested. Does Priceline have Brooklyn as a bidding zone?

 

My parents haven't decided whether they want to come to New York from Vancouver or Los Angeles. They don't need to do sightseeing in NYC since they've been there before. I hadn't thought of the possibility of terrible weather in NYC in January. Where I live, the weather in January is still quite balmy. Thanks for all your advise.

[Budget Queen]

Hi David! Where would you book a cancelable reservation? For Super 8, can I book it through their own website? What about Edison? I wasn't aware of cancelable hotel reservations. I'm learning something new every day. I'm familiar with Priceline though. I will try Priceline bidding according to the strategies greatam suggested. Does Priceline have Brooklyn as a bidding zone?

 

My parents haven't decided whether they want to come to New York from Vancouver or Los Angeles. They don't need to do sightseeing in NYC since they've been there before. I hadn't thought of the possibility of terrible weather in NYC in January. Where I live, the weather in January is still quite balmy. Thanks for all your advise.

 

Yes, you can just book the Super 8 direct http://www.super8.com and cancel anytime you want. I stay here all the time. Also KEEP checking rates- they sometimes drop like a rock. I saved $100/night for 4 nights last year between Christmas and New Years. I'll be there again this year, through New Year's day.

 

I've gone several times in Jan/Feb. With proper attire and flexable plans it's rock bottom for hotel rates.

[cruiser2202]

We just stayed at The Paramount Hotel pre-cruise and really liked it. It is a block from Times Square. Got it through hotwire.com. Taxi was $9 to get to the Port of New York.

[bubbachief]

Check out the La Quinta in Manhattan. We are paying $180 in April.

[d&a Delaware]

Web site for Edison Hotel, where you can book directly on-line:

 

http://www.edisonhotelnyc.com/index.asp

 

Or, this website is for the AppleCore group of hotels which includes La Quinta, Red Roof Inn, and others, all good midtown Manhattan locations:

 

http://www.applecorehotels.com/apple-core-hotels/

 

When you book directly through the hotel, or through a hotel chain website, they will usually tell you how far in advance you must cancel in order to avoid being charged -- sometimes 24 hours, sometimes simply before 6 PM on your check-in day. Even if it several days or a week, you still have plenty of time to use priceline or hotwire to try to find something better/cheaper, or you can always choose to use the "placeholder" reservation you have booked. Have fun with the process.

 

David

[merela]

Yes, you can just book the Super 8 direct http://www.super8.com and cancel anytime you want. I stay here all the time. Also KEEP checking rates- they sometimes drop like a rock. I saved $100/night for 4 nights last year between Christmas and New Years. I'll be there again this year, through New Year's day.

 

I've gone several times in Jan/Feb. With proper attire and flexable plans it's rock bottom for hotel rates.

 

Which Super8 hotel location should I choose? Thank you for your info about Super8 hotels.

[d&a Delaware]

Hi again,

I don't know for sure which Super 8 Budget Queen was referring to, but I strongly suspect it was the Times Square location -- 59 W. 46th St. -- which is a great mid-town location. This Super 8 is also part of the AppleCore group, so you can get to it through two different links above.

 

David

[Budget Queen]

Which Super8 hotel location should I choose? Thank you for your info about Super8 hotels.

 

Yes, I stay at the 46th St. location. 1 long block to Times Square, and near 3 subway lines.

[willysgrandma]

If your parents have no desire to do anything in NYC because they've been there, then I wouldn't bother staying in NYC - I'd stay at the Brooklyn Marriott. It is the closest to the Brooklyn pier.

 

And absolutely they need to fly in at least a day early. The NY airports have the worst delays, you can't take a chance on flying in the day of a cruise anymore. I fly in and out of here all the time and I haven't had a flight leave or arrive in time in over a year.

[Dixe Lee]

My parents are flying out from LA to New York in January. Right now, their travel agents are telling them the rooms are $200-$300 per night. Would you recommend that they take a red-eye flight from LA and arrive in NY early in the morning of the departure date, or go to NYC the day before and stay in a hotel?

 

We need recommendations for a hotel. Would any of the Priceline hotels work for pre-cruises? Would hotels in the Time Square area be a good choice for pre-cruise stay? I'm just trying to figure out what parts of the NYC should I be focusing my search for the right pre-cruise hotel. My parents will be sailing out of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Are there any hotels near that cruise terminal?

 

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Union Street in Brooklyn. Very nice facility, about one year old, less than a block to the subway, great diner right around the corner where we ate lunch on our pre-cruise day (our flight to NYC was perfectly on time and so we got to the Holiday Inn before our room was ready; they stored our luggage and we roamed the neighborhood and ate lunch while we were waiting) and breakfast the morning before we got on the ship. Taxi to the BCT was $14.00. We chose this hotel over the Marriot simply because of price. Was about $75/night less for a Friday night stay. Took the subway into Manhattan and spent Friday night there, the subway cost us just a couple of bucks and in Times Square is where we ate dinner as we wanted some real New York pizza and that is exactly what we got and it was delicious! Pricey, but good. Our decision to stay in Brooklyn versus Manhattan was simply that we wanted to be closer to the BCT on Saturday morning; figured it would be easier, what with luggage and all, to get to the terminal right from Brooklyn than from anywhere else. Maybe not the case for someone more familiar with NYC, but this was our first time there. And a lot of what we wanted to see on Friday we were able to see simply by grabbing the subway over to Manhattan.

[keela1eva2]

I will be staying in NY for 2 nights pre cruise. I am booked at the Marriot Marquise Times Square. I asked my TA to book this based on the Trip Advisor reviews. Hope I have made a good choice.

 

Sue

[agabbymama]

I will be staying in NY for 2 nights pre cruise. I am booked at the Marriot Marquise Times Square. I asked my TA to book this based on the Trip Advisor reviews. Hope I have made a good choice.

 

Sue

 

I haven't stayed here, I stayed at The Edison a few blocks over. But the location is great! And the hotel looks absolutely fabulous. I think you made a good choice.

[merela]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Union Street in Brooklyn. Very nice facility, about one year old, less than a block to the subway, great diner right around the corner where we ate lunch on our pre-cruise day (our flight to NYC was perfectly on time and so we got to the Holiday Inn before our room was ready; they stored our luggage and we roamed the neighborhood and ate lunch while we were waiting) and breakfast the morning before we got on the ship. Taxi to the BCT was $14.00. We chose this hotel over the Marriot simply because of price. Was about $75/night less for a Friday night stay. Took the subway into Manhattan and spent Friday night there, the subway cost us just a couple of bucks and in Times Square is where we ate dinner as we wanted some real New York pizza and that is exactly what we got and it was delicious! Pricey, but good. Our decision to stay in Brooklyn versus Manhattan was simply that we wanted to be closer to the BCT on Saturday morning; figured it would be easier, what with luggage and all, to get to the terminal right from Brooklyn than from anywhere else. Maybe not the case for someone more familiar with NYC, but this was our first time there. And a lot of what we wanted to see on Friday we were able to see simply by grabbing the subway over to Manhattan.

 

How did you get from the airport to your hotel? If you took the taxi, how much was it? I guess it's safe to take the NYC subway at night nowadays. From your description of your stay in Brooklyn, it seemed so convenient if the hotel is nearby a subway station.

[BlueHerons]

If your parents have no desire to do anything in NYC because they've been there, then I wouldn't bother staying in NYC - I'd stay at the Brooklyn Marriott. It is the closest to the Brooklyn pier.

 

.

 

Last time I checked, Brooklyn still is New York City.

 

The five buroughs that make up NYC are Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, and Manhattan.