New York Cruise questions

[Pooh2]

We are doing the one way Quebec to NY City cruise in the fall.

What time of the morning should we be out on deck to see the Statue of Liberty?
Would we be able to be on deck while passing the Statue and still have time for breakfast? (obviously would skip breakfast if need be!)
Does the ship come pretty close to the Statue?
How long of a lens needed to photograph?

We will carry our own bags off the ship to expedite things but what is the earliest train that would be recommended out of NY Penn station?
Looks like the train station is just a few miles away but I have no idea how long of a taxi ride that might be in heavy traffic?

Thanks for any tips!

 

[mousehouse31]

If you are arriving in NY on a weekday there could be a lot of traffic. You would be amazed at how long it can take to just go a mile in Manhattan when there is traffic, which there is usually especially during rush hour. In addition if you are not familiar with Penn station it can be quite confusing and overwhelming to know where you have to go. If it were me, and I wasn't a New Yorker (which I am) I wouldn't take a train before noon. That would be a complete stress free situation, though you can certainly make an earlier one.

I have not taken this cruise so I am not sure exactly what time you will be near the statue but my guess is within an hour before you dock in port but that is purely just a guess. Someone who has taken this cruise can probably better answer that question.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Never mind. Sounds like an awesome cruise, OP.

 

[msmama]

I've done two cruises in and out of NY. Both times the night before, the captain and/or our room steward has told us what time we should plan on passing the statue. It's been dark both times, I can tell you that - maybe 5ish, but that could change. Really, I doubt they'd be sure before the night before.

It's fairly close, but the statue is surprisingly small if you've never seen it before. I got good pictures with my cell phone (leaving, I haven't bothered getting up in the morning). Obviously if you wanted close ups of her face, you'd need more of a zoom.

Are there train times you're aiming for? Are they regular trains? I got home (an hour and a half drive) by 11 so I would think if you're really going to jump off the ship as soon as you're able you could probably make an 11 train, no matter the traffic.

 

[ajmomouse]

If you are arriving in NY on a weekday there could be a lot of traffic. You would be amazed at how long it can take to just go a mile in Manhattan when there is traffic, which there is usually especially during rush hour. In addition if you are not familiar with Penn station it can be quite confusing and overwhelming to know where you have to go. If it were me, and I wasn't a New Yorker (which I am) I wouldn't take a train before noon. That would be a complete stress free situation, though you can certainly make an earlier one.

I have not taken this cruise so I am not sure exactly what time you will be near the statue but my guess is within an hour before you dock in port but that is purely just a guess. Someone who has taken this cruise can probably better answer that question.

I agree with this. I would do 12 for a stress free situation. You could probably make 11 but if there are any issues with getting off the ship, we once had a big delay getting off, luggage issues, traffic issues, confusion in Penn Station etc why push it. You could make an 11 but if there is a 12 I would do 12 to be on the safe side. Manhattan isn’t as predictable as Port Canaveral or Miami

 

[Pooh2]

Are there train times you're aiming for? Are they regular trains? I got home (an hour and a half drive) by 11 so I would think if you're really going to jump off the ship as soon as you're able you could probably make an 11 train, no matter the traffic.

I envisioned walking off the ship with our carry-on luggage and breezing through customs by 8am (like Port Canveral), taking a scenic walk on the river toward Penn Station and hopping on the 10am train to Boston. A few posts above indicate that may not be reality!

Never been to NY city (other than passing through on the train) so trying to get a realistic lay of the land.

So an uber or taxi may take awhile to go 2 miles?

Was hoping to avoid to long a wait at Penn Station.

My NH mindset can not quite envision the traffic!

 

[Dug720]

I envisioned walking off the ship with our carry-on luggage and breezing through customs by 8am (like Port Canveral), taking a scenic walk on the river toward Penn Station and hopping on the 10am train to Boston. A few posts above indicate that may not be reality!

Never been to NY city (other than passing through on the train) so trying to get a realistic lay of the land.

So an uber or taxi may take awhile to go 2 miles?

Was hoping to avoid to long a wait at Penn Station.

My NH mindset can not quite envision the traffic!

Traffic is nuts and yes, it could take that long.

But.

As far as “leisurely walk along the river” - that is a major running and biking path and not conducive to people with luggage “leisurely walking”. Even if you do, you are looking at a minimum of 4 blocks uphill to get to Penn Station. Honestly, it is not something I would ever do with luggage.

 

[msmama]

I envisioned walking off the ship with our carry-on luggage and breezing through customs by 8am (like Port Canveral), taking a scenic walk on the river toward Penn Station and hopping on the 10am train to Boston. A few posts above indicate that may not be reality!

Never been to NY city (other than passing through on the train) so trying to get a realistic lay of the land.

So an uber or taxi may take awhile to go 2 miles?

Was hoping to avoid to long a wait at Penn Station.

My NH mindset can not quite envision the traffic!

Sorry to sound like downers.

If you're willing to walk if a taxi/uber gets stuck in traffic than you probably won't have a problem. (And reality is that it could take you 20 minutes, it could take you an hour, it's impossible to predict). Will you have your train tickets already? That'll speed up the process. I've never taken the Amtrak, but that part of Penn Station intimidates me (though so did the rest of it before I used it regularly).

I've walked from Penn to near the port many times - it's an easy walk, though like OP said, once you get down near 34th st, there's a hill to get to Penn Station. If you walk down 8th or 9th ave, you won't be the only people with luggage!

Customs at the NY port has been super fast (like they barely glance at ID fast) the two times I've done it.

For me, 10 would be cutting it a little close because of "what if's..." but if you're less of a pessimist than me, you'll probably be ok.

 

[missyp]

I would not risk a 10am train. 11 probably ok , 12 definitely safe.

 

[su_A_ve]

Traffic is nuts and yes, it could take that long.

But.

As far as “leisurely walk along the river” - that is a major running and biking path and not conducive to people with luggage “leisurely walking”. Even if you do, you are looking at a minimum of 4 blocks uphill to get to Penn Station. Honestly, it is not something I would ever do with luggage.

4 blocks between avenues. That's like 1.5+ standard blocks... And uphill, and not very scenic. Sidewalks not in great shape either. I've walked a few times from Penn station to the Javits center...

 

[Pooh2]

Sounds like 11 am train and a taxi or uber is the way to go.

If we are running to far ahead, is there anywhere right near Penn Station to get some interesting to eat?
My only experience of Penn station was not particularly enjoyable but I do recall a few chain restaurants selling sandwiches inside the station but there was no where to sit and eat them.

We had also consider renting a car from the port to drive back to NH but sounds like traffic is a nightmare all around on a weekday so probably will stick with the train.

 

[rcchello]

My wife and I walked both ways for both of our cruises. It is under an hour to walk it, if I can keep my wife out of fabric stores. The walk is through the garment district and you can stop in the store seen on project runway ( Mood ) on the way.

We are both over 60, but have been walking in the city for over 30 years. We have slowed a little and both use a walking stick in cities. This is not a bad walk and can be routed through Times Square without going more than a block of two out of your way.

 

[Pooh2]

We are both over 60, but have been walking in the city for over 30 years. We have slowed a little and both use a walking stick in cities. This is not a bad walk and can be routed through Times Square without going more than a block of two out of your way.

I appreciate a positive perspective!

 

[Mich123]

I don't think it would be a terrible walk, if you do find that it's too much, you can always get a taxi or Uber. Since you are heading to a long train ride, the walk would be a nice pre-train plan.

Also, Amtrak will let you change tickets if there's room on the train, I'm guessing that a mid-morning train to Boston might not be prime time and so a change could be possible. You can use the Amtrak app to manage that.

As far as food goes, I recommend Yelp as you go, New Yorkers are pretty accurate in their comments. I also recommend getting food before you go into Penn Station, I find the options at Penn Station to be not that great.