Anyone see Mary Poppins on Broadway??

[pl'smama]

or any other Disney production? I am specifically looking for information on a trip you would have taken to see the show in New York.

Was the show good for a child the age of 5 & a 1/2?
How did you get there, did you drive or fly?
Where did you stay? Any good, but inexpensive suggestions?

We would be driving from Toronto, which I think is about an 8 hour drive. I would appreciate any feedback on this, positive or negative. My DH thinks it is unsafe to visit NY city, especially with a child, but I think it would be a wonderful trip, to go for about four days.

TIA, Suz

 

[pxlbarrel]

I've seen Poppins on Broadway. Lots of kids in the audience by the way. I loved it. I'm not sure if I saw anybody as young as 5.5 years old though. Only you can judge whether your child has the attention span to sit quietly through a couple of hours of musical theatre.

As for safety... as in any big city, it has it's reputation for crime...but I can honestly say that I felt safer in Times Square than I do in Toronto's Dundas Square (by the Eaton Centre). Times Square usually has a cop on every corner and they have their own security as well.

If you're driving, you'll find that you'll want to park the car and leave it while you're in NYC. No way you want to drive in that mess. You may even find that it's cheaper to stay in New Jersey and take the train into the city. That's the most economical thing to do if you're driving. If you really want to stay in NYC, parking is pretty expensive. However, I do know of a hotel not far from Times Square that has free parking for their guests. It's actually just up the street from where Mary Poppins is playing. It's called the Travel Inn (on 42nd and 10th). Nothing special about the hotel but the people are pretty nice, there is free parking, there's a deli underneath and a nice diner nearby and if your husband really is concerned about safety, the police station is just across the street. I've stayed there twice and never felt unsafe and it was clean. I've also stayed at the Hampton Inn Times Square North (52nd and 8th) which is closer to Times Square but not to the Poppins theatre. The Hampton Inn includes a nice breakfast. There's a parking garage next door but I'm not sure how much parking is.

You guys could go to Toys R Us and ride the Ferris wheel, walk down to the 5th Avenue World of Disney, stroll in Central Park. Endless things to do.

 

[minnie56]

Yes, I saw it there and in London as well. Great Musical for that age..when in London my DD (24 btw) was not with me so we had to see it in NYC!

I agree with the above poster, we feel VERY safe in NYC. More so than downtown Toronto. There was a time this wasn't the case, but they have worked hard in cleaning the city up and making it much safer. I wouldn't give that a 2nd thought.

As for driving, we most often fly with Jetblue from Buffalo and occasionally AC from here. We did drive this past New Years tho...it was crazy getting into the Holland Tunnel! We parked our car at the Hotel ($42 per day) and didn't take it out again until the day we left. You have to be a very patient driver in the city!

Hotels, I am not sure we have stayed at the same Hotel twice but I have seen some great deals on NYC Hotels with Travelzoo lately! One was the Broadway Millenium which is well located and nice and the other is the 'Royalton' which I have not stayed at but had GREAT reviews with Trip Advisor. If you can get under $199 per night, you have done well! Priceline is another option...

You will have a ball! We are just planning a late August trip which will be muggy but the only time my youngest daughter can get away...

Enjoy!

 

[pl'smama]

I've seen Poppins on Broadway. Lots of kids in the audience by the way. I loved it. I'm not sure if I saw anybody as young as 5.5 years old though. Only you can judge whether your child has the attention span to sit quietly through a couple of hours of musical theatre.

As for safety... as in any big city, it has it's reputation for crime...but I can honestly say that I felt safer in Times Square than I do in Toronto's Dundas Square (by the Eaton Centre). Times Square usually has a cop on every corner and they have their own security as well.

If you're driving, you'll find that you'll want to park the car and leave it while you're in NYC. No way you want to drive in that mess. You may even find that it's cheaper to stay in New Jersey and take the train into the city. That's the most economical thing to do if you're driving. If you really want to stay in NYC, parking is pretty expensive. However, I do know of a hotel not far from Times Square that has free parking for their guests. It's actually just up the street from where Mary Poppins is playing. It's called the Travel Inn (on 42nd and 10th). Nothing special about the hotel but the people are pretty nice, there is free parking, there's a deli underneath and a nice diner nearby and if your husband really is concerned about safety, the police station is just across the street. I've stayed there twice and never felt unsafe and it was clean. I've also stayed at the Hampton Inn Times Square North (52nd and 8th) which is closer to Times Square but not to the Poppins theatre. The Hampton Inn includes a nice breakfast. There's a parking garage next door but I'm not sure how much parking is.

You guys could go to Toys R Us and ride the Ferris wheel, walk down to the 5th Avenue World of Disney, stroll in Central Park. Endless things to do.

Thank you so much for this information. Mostly good things, which is what I was hoping for!!! I never thought about the cost of parking, but we would have to factor that in.

When I brought this all up to DH last night he said he would rather go back to Disney!!! I was like, well all right then!! But, we have to decide. It is our tenth this summer and I want to make it special.

I appreciate all of your help.

 

[pl'smama]

Yes, I saw it there and in London as well. Great Musical for that age..when in London my DD (24 btw) was not with me so we had to see it in NYC!

I agree with the above poster, we feel VERY safe in NYC. More so than downtown Toronto. There was a time this wasn't the case, but they have worked hard in cleaning the city up and making it much safer. I wouldn't give that a 2nd thought.

As for driving, we most often fly with Jetblue from Buffalo and occasionally AC from here. We did drive this past New Years tho...it was crazy getting into the Holland Tunnel! We parked our car at the Hotel ($42 per day) and didn't take it out again until the day we left. You have to be a very patient driver in the city!

Hotels, I am not sure we have stayed at the same Hotel twice but I have seen some great deals on NYC Hotels with Travelzoo lately! One was the Broadway Millenium which is well located and nice and the other is the 'Royalton' which I have not stayed at but had GREAT reviews with Trip Advisor. If you can get under $199 per night, you have done well! Priceline is another option...

You will have a ball! We are just planning a late August trip which will be muggy but the only time my youngest daughter can get away...

Enjoy!

Wow, that is great information! I appreciate your help. The parking thing never entered my mind, but it is there now. I will also have to check out the hotel deals on some of the sites you mentioned.

Thanks again,

Suz

 

[Disney_Villain]

We saw both The Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins there this year. You just want to stay close to the theater district . . . so when walking back post-show at night you don't have far to go (and don't have to use subways, or cabs which are overwhelmed when the shows let out).

If you're comfortable with downtown Toronto, then this won't feel any worse to you - it is pretty safe at night as long as you don't venture far from the theater district after the shows are over - and don't stay out near midnight as the "more lively" crowd tends to step up their pace at that time.

Here's a map of where the Disney shows are playing, to help you choose a nearby hotel:

http://disney.go.com/theatre/#/tickets/