Dcl from New York

I was on the 11/5 NYC to San Juan cruise. We left NYC on Saturday evening. The wind was blowing fiercely as we waited to see the Statue of Liberty. We decided to duck down to deck 4 forward. It was warmer and less crowded. It was perfect.
I enjoyed that this cruise was close to home. A family member drove us a few hours and dropped us off making it convenient.
By the next day Sunday around 1:00 we were in warmer air and I was at the Cove pool laying out and using the hot tubs. We loved the 3 days at sea. I felt no rush to try everything in one day. We relaxed which was the whole point of this trip for us. I spent everyday at the Cove pool.
The first night of the cruise their was the Christmas Tree lighting. It was magical. I've never seen the atrium that full of people. The crowd joined Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy in a singalong and countdown. Once the lights came on they stayed on for the rest of the trip. I didn't feel like it was too much. It was decorated for Christmas, the cast members wore scarves, and the characters are dressed for the holiday. It added to our Magic not detracted.
In the Caribbean, there had been storms prior to our arrival. A strong undertow created waves and red flagged beaches. I prefer walking the water line, reading, and laying out. The waves didn't negatively impact my experience.
On St Maarten we did a Bernard's tour. Personally I hated the steady stream of peddlers on the beach. On Tortola we asked for the best beach with NO peddlers. They told us to take a cab to Long Bay. There is a beach club there and we could use the facilities and chairs at no charge. At first we were hesitant. After the 30 minute ride we found we were the only 2 people on a mile of beach. The chairs were there, the beach club hotel had one restaurant, and a bath house. After being pretty much alone after an hour a Disney tour group showed up with about 40 or so people. It wasn't crowded. Everyone still had a chair. There were no peddlers but there also weren't shops and a bunch of bars. You could purchase food and drinks from the Long Bay Beach Club. We prearranged with our cab driver to pick us up at 2:30. He was there promptly.
I liked the NYC cruise and would consider it in the future. The Merrytime Cruise was fine too.
 
We were on a tight schedule pre-cruise, and knew we wouldn't have any time for sightseeing in NYC. So we just drove up the night before and took advantage of a stay, park and cruise package at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ridgefield Park, NJ. The room rate (roughly $280 for the two of us) included room, breakfast, parking for the duration of the cruise and transportation by private car to and from the port. It was a great deal.

You can also park at the port, but it is $40 per day.

So far the price quotes we've been getting for a RT from our house to the Manhattan Port have been running around running around $230 to $260 + tip so we're leaning towards the car service.
 
Where exactly is the port please

Which airport are we better flying in to?

The port is in Manhattan on the far west side.

I would recommend JFK or EWR. I avoid LGA like the plague at the best of times, but now that they are finally trying to make it tolerable there is big time traffic and major issues.
 

Did anyone use Disney transportation to/from port and/or airport, or stay at the Marriott Marquis? We can't decide if we should pony up the extra money and stay there or save a bunch of cash and stay at the Homewood across the Hudson. Our plane won't be arriving until about 4:00 PM, the day before the cruise so not lots of time to do anything in NYC.

We were on the 11/5 NY to San Juan, used the Marriott Marquis for the night before the cruise and went to see Aladdin, very enjoyable stay and great location in Times Square area. We used Uber to get to the port and even with tip was around $20 for the two of us.
 
We're going to drive and park at the port in 2017. It's somewhat complicated in that you may end up parking where you're not docked on the way back (e.g Pier 90 v pier 88). There is an excellent thread in here with full explanation, maps and photos and I have it book marked on another computer but it would be highly useful if someone remembers it and can bump it. I am so excited for our fall 2017 cruise out of NYC!
 
We're going to drive and park at the port in 2017. It's somewhat complicated in that you may end up parking where you're not docked on the way back (e.g Pier 90 v pier 88). There is an excellent thread in here with full explanation, maps and photos and I have it book marked on another computer but it would be highly useful if someone remembers it and can bump it. I am so excited for our fall 2017 cruise out of NYC!
Which one are you on? We're on the 10/5, 8 night.
 
Did anyone use Disney transportation to/from port and/or airport, or stay at the Marriott Marquis? We can't decide if we should pony up the extra money and stay there or save a bunch of cash and stay at the Homewood across the Hudson. Our plane won't be arriving until about 4:00 PM, the day before the cruise so not lots of time to do anything in NYC.

We're staying at the Marquis for two nights prior and also using DCL transportation...I hope it's worth the cost as that hotel is not cheap! Lol If your plane doesn't come in until 4 the day before I'm not sure I'd do it...although if you do you'll be right in the heart of Times Square so there would be lots to do right outside your door for the night before. I'd be torn too! I say if funds aren't an issue maybe go for it:-)

Which cruise are you on? We're on the Sept. 27th 5 night Canadian Coast
 
We're staying at the Marquis for two nights prior and also using DCL transportation...I hope it's worth the cost as that hotel is not cheap! Lol If your plane doesn't come in until 4 the day before I'm not sure I'd do it...although if you do you'll be right in the heart of Times Square so there would be lots to do right outside your door for the night before. I'd be torn too! I say if funds aren't an issue maybe go for it:-)

Which cruise are you on? We're on the Sept. 27th 5 night Canadian Coast
We're on the 10/6 8 night Bahamian.
 

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