travelenthusiast

We will be going on a cruise out of NYC in the summer. We plan to take Amtrak into the city but I'm debating whether to go up the night before and stay in a hotel or to travel on Amtrak the morning of the cruise. We'll have to get up ridiculously early if we do it all in the same day.

Can any of you recommend a hotel near the seaport? I have been looking in the financial area and I don't want to spend a lot. Is this a safe clean area and will we be able to get a taxi on a Saturday morning? I've thinking about doing priceline for one night in that area. Any suggestions?

ellenem

South Street Seaport for a cruise out of NYC?

The only cruises I know that leave from South Street Seaport are two-hour cruises of New York Harbor. Most cruises from NYC to other places leave from the piers in midtown on the west side or the cruise terminals in Red Hook (Brooklyn) or Bayonne, New Jersey.

Can you check you cruise tickets and verify your departure location?

ellenem

OK
So from Another of your posts I discovered you are cruising on the Carnival Glory. From Carnival's website, I found that Glory departs from midtown Manhattan:

New York City Passenger Ship Terminal
Pier# 88/90/92
711 12th Avenue at 55th Street
New York City, New York 10019

There's no really great hotel right next to the terminal, so with luggage you would probably need to take a taxi to the cruise terminal, whether it was from the Amtrak station (Penn Station) or from your hotel. You could choose a hotel almost anywhere since a taxi would be necessary. A hotel in Midtown West/Times Square would make for the shortest taxi ride.

travelenthusiast

I didn't verify which terminal it's going to be in. The travel agent wasn't very helpful about where it was going to sail from in NYC. When I asked her where we get on the ship she said, "At the end of the dock." Seriously. I'm not familiar with the south street seaport area but for some reason I thought that cruises left from there.

We had to book with them because it's a special group. Most people will probably book and then wait until a month or so before the trip to start planning but not me. I love planning trips so I've been reading all about cruises and starting to plan everything now. We won't receive the final documentation until the summer.

Thanks for the help. Do you have the link for the info that you found?

ellenem

I searched the Carnival Cruise website for "Port of New York pier"

travelenthusiast

Thank you.

mclaurie

The only cruise pier in Manhattan is in midtown at 55th st. on the Hudson (near 12th ave). If your travel agent didn't know this, I'd get a new agent. http://www.nycruise.com/documents/MTNCruiseMap.pdf

Up until recently, there wasn't much there except the terminal, warehouses and some car dealerships. Slowly the area is being built up and there's actually a new trendy hotel called the Ink48 on 48th & 11th ave. that's currently running a special on travelzoo but this will be over by the summer.

The Travel Inn & the Skyline hotel are both budget hotels that have been in the area for a while and are popular with folks who drive in since they have free parking and $10/day parking respectively. These were places suburban parents chose to bring the kids for a weekend. But frankly, you'll probably want to take a taxi from wherever you stay instead of "schlepping" bags so in theory you could stay anywhere. Where and when are you cruising, btw? Much of the summer is considered hurricane weather. Please don't say you're going to the Caribbean in August!

HappyTrvlr

FYI, South Street Seaport is an historical preservation area on the lower east side of Manhattan and worth a visit.

travelenthusiast

LOL McLaurie - "The only cruise pier in Manhattan is in midtown at 55th st. on the Hudson (near 12th ave). If your travel agent didn't know this, I'd get a new agent."

This is a group trip that we are going on. If we booked with anyone else we wouldn't have access to the special events on board that are sponsored by the group. I know it's going to be a lot of fun but I don't think that the person I spoke with was as knowledgable as she should have been, so I'm doing my own research.

I'm stuck inside today because of the snow and am having fun looking for info.

mclaurie

So have I helped? Do you know you can map the pier on maps.google.com and then use the search nearby function for hotels? But still, I think if it's a cruise where you're going to get dressed up etc. & will have substantial luggage, you'll want a taxi anyway and could theoretically stay anywhere. If you're looking for a real budget option and don't intend on doing much while in NYC, the Sheraton on the Hudson in Weehawken, NJ is directly opposite the pier and has some deals for a night before or after a cruise. Not what I'd pick, but an option.

doug_stallings

Basically, pick any hotel in your price range in west Midtown between 42nd and 57th Street. On the morning of your cruise, take a taxi to the pier (this will cost under $15). It's really very easy, and as long as you are staying on the west side of Manhattan, it doesn't really matter where you stay. You could even stay on the Upper West Side or in the Financial District (though it might cost you $20 in cab fare from there).

Everyone else has told you clearly where to go to catch the ship. And by booking now, you might be able to find a good deal, or perhaps not. But it doesn't hurt to have a fully refundable hotel reservation (i.e., booked yourself through the hotel's own web site) at a price you can afford as a back-up in case you can't find something better between now and your departure.

Just one bit of advice: Stay in Manhattan. Don't stay in NJ.

doug_stallings

Ah ... one thought. You could stay in the Affinia Manhattan, which is across the street and about half a block from the 7th Avenue exit of Madison Square Garden/Amtrak. That's not terribly far from the cruise pier and might have a reasonably priced room. It's not my favorite hotel, but it's within very easy walking distance of the train station unless you have just loads of luggage.

travelenthusiast

Thanks for the advice everyone. It has helped. We're probably going to stay in a Midtown hotel. I would imagine that it would be easier to catch a cab from Midtown than from the Financial District on the weekend and Doug said that the cab fare is lower from Midtown.

I'll look into the Affinia. I'm trying to figure out the luggage problem. Since we usually go to the Caribbean for longer vacations, I'm used to packing a lot into my LARGE suitcase. This one will be a short 5 day vacation and my DH has been trying to get me to take less luggage but I keep telling him that I need my shoe bag - LOL!