Flying MCO-NYC on Southwest

[leebee]

We have been invited to an event in Manhattan just at the end of our WDW trip. We're flying out of Boston to Orlando, then on the way home want to fly MCO-NYC then NYC-BOS (or might do Amtrak for this leg). Here is my question: Which NYC-area airport would you choose to fly into? How would you get into Manhattan? I know how to deal with this from JFK, but no info on ISP or EWR. Cost and convenience balance equally.

Also... are there safety concerns with arriving at any of these airports later in the evening, say around 10pm or so?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You can choose MCO-EWR, MCO-ISP, or MCO-LGA. I definitely wouldn't choose ISP if you want to get to Manhattan. You can take the subway, cab, bus, or a car service. I'd choose the airport with the best flight schedule and cheapest route to the city.

 

[leebee]

You can choose MCO-EWR, MCO-ISP, or MCO-LGA. I definitely wouldn't choose ISP if you want to get to Manhattan. You can take the subway, cab, bus, or a car service. I'd choose the airport with the best flight schedule and cheapest route to the city.

I wasn't sure about Islip and getting into Manhattan, which is EXACTLY why I posted here! Thanks!

 

[nkereina]

We've taken the train form EWR to Penn Station in Manhattan before. It was certainly easy, but maybe too long for you because if I recall correctly, it took about 40 minutes or so. I've flown into JFK and LGA plenty of times and have taken cabs to Manhattan. Most recent cab ride was about $60 from JFK to Irving Plaza, near Union Square.

 

[Runnergal]

If you can, fly into LGA and take a cab. It is closest to Manhattan.

 

[leebee]

Fares are better going into LGA. Travelers are DD22 and me, and we will each have a full-sized suitcase (having spent 5 days in WDW in Nov., heading to NYC for 3 days in November- two wardrobes!). I am thinking we are going to be better off just taking a cab into Manhattan, rather than the public bus. I know I can take the Q70 Express Bus from LGA to the Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Av/74th St/Broadway subway station where there are connections to the E, F, M, R, and 7 subway lines, but it seems complicated, especially with the luggage (but infinitely cheaper than a cab). Opinion?

Also... are cab fares from LGA to midtown regulated like the fares to/from JFK?

 

[Lovinallthingsdisney]

My daughter and I flew into LGA in June and took a cab into Manhatten. With tip, it was in the $40-$50 range. There is also a bus service that you can reserve (much like Mears) that charges "x" per person depending on destination. I remember the price being fairly close to the cab fare.

 

[Judyat]

If you fly to JFK you can take the airtrain from JFK for $5 to Jamaica and then take one of many trains to Penn station. Very easy and inexpensive.

 

[PCFriar80]

If you fly to JFK you can take the airtrain from JFK for $5 to Jamaica and then take one of many trains to Penn station. Very easy and inexpensive.

As the other posters said, LGA is the closest, followed by EWR, then ISP. Southwest does not have service between MCO and JFK. The only drawbacks with MCO to EWR or LGA is that there are no nonstop flights so you'll need to factor that in to travel time and convenience. While MCO/ISP offers non-stop service, I think it will be time consuming and costly for the next leg from ISP to Manhattan. Doable, but not easy.

 

[barbliny]

As the other posters said, LGA is the closest, followed by EWR, then ISP. Southwest does not have service between MCO and JFK. The only drawbacks with MCO to EWR or LGA is that there are no nonstop flights so you'll need to factor that in to travel time and convenience. While MCO/ISP offers non-stop service, I think it will be time consuming and costly for the next leg from ISP to Manhattan. Doable, but not easy.

You can get a taxi from the Islip airport to the Ronkonkoma station of the Long Island Railroad - it should just be a few dollars as it is a 5 minute ride. The trains leave once per hour - it is a 80 minute ride during non-peak hours. The train fare is about $13. Islip is a very small, safe airport. Taking a 'car' from Islip to Manhattan will be over $100 before tip.

 

[jec6613]

I'd avoid WN if at all possible coming into NYC. They're consistently 2-3 times the cost of the three majors coming in and out of the three big NYC airports (LGA, JFK and EWR, in order by distance from Manhattan), and with no direct service from MCO it's a bit of a, "Brainer," rather than a, "No brainer." Southwest is notable by its absence from the NYC market almost entirely, in fact, as NYC is the largest O&D market in the world by a comfortable margin.

LaGuardia is a hub for American and Delta, JFK is a hub for American, Delta, and JetBlue, and Newark Liberty is a hub for United - I would look at all of those, and in that order.

The NYC Airporter is a shuttle that will take you to Manhattan for a nominal fee ($14-$17 pp or so depending on airport), it has WiFi and is comfortable, I highly recommend it, or you can use a regular medallion cab.

 

[CookieGVB]

You can get a taxi from the Islip airport to the Ronkonkoma station of the Long Island Railroad - it should just be a few dollars as it is a 5 minute ride. The trains leave once per hour - it is a 80 minute ride during non-peak hours. The train fare is about $13. Islip is a very small, safe airport. Taking a 'car' from Islip to Manhattan will be over $100 before tip.

We did this going from Manhattan to Islip. It was relatively painless and kept us off the LIE, which can be a traffic disaster.

 

[leebee]

I'd avoid WN if at all possible coming into NYC. They're consistently 2-3 times the cost of the three majors coming in and out of the three big NYC airports (LGA, JFK and EWR, in order by distance from Manhattan), and with no direct service from MCO it's a bit of a, "Brainer," rather than a, "No brainer." Southwest is notable by its absence from the NYC market almost entirely, in fact, as NYC is the largest O&D market in the world by a comfortable margin.

LaGuardia is a hub for American and Delta, JFK is a hub for American, Delta, and JetBlue, and Newark Liberty is a hub for United - I would look at all of those, and in that order.

The NYC Airporter is a shuttle that will take you to Manhattan for a nominal fee ($14-$17 pp or so depending on airport), it has WiFi and is comfortable, I highly recommend it, or you can use a regular medallion cab.

Actually, fare on WN was $107 per person, which I think is pretty affordable, and it's the same as Delta and American. Also, we have plenty of rapid rewards points, so WN is actually the only airline to choose... to say nothing of 2 free checked bags each. We don't care about having to make connections. If I were to fly almost anywhere from my local airport (BGR) I'd have to make one or two connections, and it costs quite a bit. I just needed to figure out how to get into Manhattan from LGA- know how to do it from JFK. We are staying pretty close to Times Square; I think the Airporter to Port Authority bus terminal will be easy and affordable!