NYC-Carriage Ride
 

I see on websites that the 40 min ride is a no reservation and you just go by the Plaza Hotel but does anyone know what time of the evening the carriage rides stop?

Re no reservations, there is no one co. that owns/runs the carriages. I see websites where you <i>can</i> make reservations. I don't know how legit the cos. are. You generally don't need a reservation, but at holiday times, it can be difficult to find a free one. I've read trip reports here with people claiming they couldn't get a carriage during a holiday period.

You will find carriages at least until midnight. Some of the websites I looked at give specific booking times including midnight.

I'll close by saying the carriage ride is often the thing people list as not meeting their expectations. You don't get to see much of the park.

The carriage ride is all about the driver. We lived in New York for seven years and every visitor wanted to experience the carriage ride through Central Park. We did this over and over and over.

Some drivers and carriages were wonderful. One Christmas Eve we were driven through a snowy park by a wonderful driver with a beautiful voice who sang Christmas carols and songs. We joined in on the Jingle Bells and had a postcard memory event. Another year on Easter we went after church whil waiting for our lunch reservations at the old Essex House on CPS. The park was so beautiful, and we had been so inspired by the church service, grandparents present, kids were dressed in their best, everyone on best behavior, etc. I will remember that one forever, too.

My handicapped father took a ride in a hansom cab after his stroke, with his male nurse from Georgia. They both enjoyed it hugely--hard to say who had the better time.

Other times the weather has been bad, the driver surly, the cab dirty and the lap robes smelly.

Choose your driver carefully. Time of day is important, too--I think dusk is a wonderful time. And a very misty, foggy day can be a great ride near Halloween, or in the dark of night.!

I don't mean to be a downer on this thread, but on my recent trip to NYC I ran across some people protesting the carriage rides. They said that many of the horses are overworked and put on double shifts, etc. They had some VERY disturbing pictures as well. As an animal lover, this tore my heart out. After seeing those I wasn't able to take a carriage ride. I realize people will protest just about anything. So does anyone know if this is really a big problem in NYC?

Well, if you don't want to do a ride in a horse carriage, you can do it in a less romantic, but more animal-friendly bicycle carriage. These now almost outnumber the horse carriages in Central Park.

I have to laugh - Imagine some time in the not to distant future picking of a magazine or newspare with an article and photos of stressed out, overworked, sweating byclists pedding tourists around Central Park with the headline &quot;Are Bicycle Carriages Abusive to Humans?&quot;

I'm curious to get more opinions about whether the carriage ride is worth doing. I will be in NY over Christmas &amp; was considering it. Anyone have more thoughts?

For myself, I'd much prefer to take a walk in Central Park at my own pace than pay for an expensive carriage ride. I'd prefer to spend that money on food or something else, so it's never even occurred to me to do a carriage ride in the park, just as it never occurred to me to take a private gondola ride in Venice. However, for many people it's a highlight of a trip and money well spent. It can also be very romantic if you are riding on a nice night with someone you love. Hopefully, other posters can help you out here. I'm a New Yorker, so the appeal for me is lost. Tourists have a different point of view.

What I can say is that if you are a group of 4 or more, then the cost of a carriage ride isn't so prohibitive (less than $20 per person), and that makes the experience much more attractive to me, so that gives you another way of looking at it, even from a New Yorker's perspective.

It really isn't that big of a deal. I've done it several times and the hype is more than the event.

I realize the analogy wasn't made, but a gondola ride in Venice is completely different than a carriage ride in central park
The one common element is that they are both things that only tourists do (or locals who are about to be engaged). Once the gondola starts its journey it consists of 45 minutes of quietitude, that transports you through the narrows of Venice with only the limits of your imagination keeping you grounded.
A carriage ride, however, puts you in a middle of a long line of horse drawn carriages as they hoof through a short designated area of the park's perimeter. With the horse's rear just a few yards in front of you, you will be forced to use your imagination to gain much enjoyment from this experience (IMHO).

Okay, the impression that I'm getting is that when I'm in NY as a tourist this Christmas season, I should definitely skip the carriage ride. Should I see some of Central Park by foot even though it will be very cold?

We did the carriage ride with our children when they were young, mostly at their insistence.
Personally, I would skip it. We had family in the city, so we visit NYC around 5 or 6 times a year at least.

There is nothing like a walk in Central Park ANY time of year, ANY weather. It is a gem - and nothing like bundling up and walking through it- such a special oasis with the city surrounding it.

If you can (are physically able, if it's cold don't mind bundling up, have comfie shoes) I would walk it for several reasons.

You see more, you can stop when you want, you get a better 'feel' for the beauty of the park, can take photos better - the carriage ride seems to just go by and as many said, your experience depends so much on your driver.

When you walk, you can see views from Belvedere Castle/Delacourt Theater/
One of my favorite walks is the LIterary Walk:
here is a link to it:
http://tinyurl.com/ty7gb

I like to start at one end and walk to the other !
If you don't have time for that, choose a walk that will fit your interets:

centralpark.com will give you maps, attractions, and you can choose your path so you will see what interests you most.