New York cruise-getting to port from Philly area

[SheilaHeartsDisney]

Hi we live around philly and we are taking a Disney cruise next year. Google search isn’t really being my friend at the moment.

Can anyone share how they got to the New York cruise port by taking a bus or train??

Thanks!!

 

[ArielRae]

We live in NJ 30min outside of Philly. Sorry don’t know how to get there by bus or train. We take our car to the Hilton Garden Inn Ridgfield Park and do their Park, Stay and Cruise package. We leave our car for free there and take their complimentary shuttle to the port to board the ship. I have read some mentioned booking and sharing a group van to the port from their home towns.

Edited to add:
Did a search on my iPhone for transit direction from 30th street station in Philly and here is what I got. This was mapped for leaving at 5:30 pm on a Sunday.

Start:
Philadelphia 30th Street station

Take the Amtrak Acela express train
#2258 toward Boston South Station
( ride three stops - to Penn station - 1hr 14min)

Transfer to Subway at 34 St-Penn station

Take the C Train (runs every 10-15min)
Uptown toward 168 st
( ride two stops to 50 St - 3 min)
Follows signs for 50 St & 8 Av, SE corner

Walk 3 min to get to W 49 St & 8 Av stop

Take the M50 bus
Toward Westside 42 St pier
(Ride four stops to 49 St & 12 Av - 7 Min)

Walk 7 min to port.

Total travel time - 1hr 50min
Cost - It doesn’t say how much $




Here is screen shot from my phone.

 

[LD92599]

We just cruised out of NY with Disney, but live in Northern NJ, I'd suggest Amtrack out of Philly to Penn Station; from Penn, walk to the port (when we're in the city for the day we often walk that way) or just take a cab! Super easy and convenient .

 

[ArielRae]

Remember you will have all your luggage with you. How well do you think you will be able to maneuver with luggage in tow? What transportation will work best for you?

 

[Melissa S]

We live 20 miles south of Philly and have cruised out of NY a few times. It’s easiest and cheapest to drive in. We considered taking the train from Wilmington (The route I take when I travel to NYC for work). But with the luggage and cost per person it was too much of a hassle to travel via train and then load all that in a cab to get to port.

 

[MomOTwins]

Take the Acela.

 

[mmmears]

Take the Acela.

This. Then you can take a cab or an Uber to the port. The train ride is pretty quick and easy.

 

[SheilaHeartsDisney]

Thanks all! i will look into all those suggestions. We really aren’t opposed to driving we just thought it might be easier for bus or train. Now I’m thinking it’s not.

 

[lanejudy]

As others have said, you can take Amtrak from 30th Street Station to Penn Station. Acela will be slightly faster than others, but there are several options between PHL and NYP. Just be aware that many morning runs are considered "commuter" routes and can be very crowded. How much luggage do you plan to have? Amtrak will not check your luggage so you'll be bringing it all onboard the train with you and there is minimal space for stowing large suitcases without taking up an extra seat (which may not be allowed on a busy commuter run). Another option by train is NJTransit, it runs the same route but comes in to 30th Street on a different set of tracks, and probably less expensive than Amtrak (but again, minimal luggage space).

I'm not sure about buses, though I'm sure there are multiple bus routes as well. You could check Greyhound. Luggage will be stowed beneath the bus though I don't know if they have any limit on number of suitcases per passenger. The bus will be considerably less expensive, which may be a factor if you have a larger party (<$15 pp by bus vs >$50 on Amtrak).

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[dclpluto]

Have you looked into a limo? From south jersey Cumberland county I get a limo for 500 dollars round trip. Costs me 600 all together with the tip.

 

[aliceinvunderland]

The train is awesome and convenient, but for this purpose I would just drive. First, factoring in parking at 30th street station, getting everyone and everything into the station, the train ride, unloading, finding an Uber (with luggage in tow), and driving to the port, I’m guessing it would actually be quicker to just drive straight to the port. Also, you don’t get assigned seats on the train (unless you’re in first class on the Acela), so it can be difficult to find seats together for your group. You have to handle your own luggage, and if the luggage area in one car is full, you’ll have to find another car to put it in. Hauling large luggage up from the platform (sometimes escalators aren’t working) and through Penn Station is a hassle. I’m a huge fan of the train, but it is probably easier and quicker for you to just drive up and park at the port.

 

[MomOTwins]

Amtrak has amazing porters. A little known perk is that if you use a porter, you can board the train before any other passengers. The porters always magically know where to find the best train car to stow you luggage and find a seat near it and it, only costs a small tip.

 

[aliceinvunderland]

Amtrak has amazing porters. A little known perk is that if you use a porter, you can board the train before any other passengers. The porters always magically know where to find the best train car to stow you luggage and find a seat near it and it, only costs a small tip.

It depends on where you are boarding the train. The 30th street station in philly is usually just a quick stop on a longer route, and passengers have just a couple of minutes to get on and off. Definitely not enough time for a porter to board, stow your bags, and find you a seat.

 

[bakerworld]

We were in this situation a few years ago. My husband did not want to drive into Manhattan. The parking at the port was $40/pd. I looked into a limo and it was over $300 RT. We were thinking about staying in a hotel and leaving the car in the lot but there was also a charge for this commiserate or more than the RT limo charge. My nephew had lived in Manhattan for about 4 years so my BIL knew how to get to the port plus how to drive in NY. My BIL volunteered to drive us RT to Hamilton train station in NJ - which, apparently, is a much cheaper way to get into Manhattan - but we didn't feel like playing with the luggage.

We traded him a 6D stay at BLT for driving us into Manhattan and being there at 7AM to pick us up. It was probably the most expensive way to go but we trusted him, plus we had no urge to stay in NY one second longer than necessary.

 

[nyweller6306]

We took the train from Harrisburg to NY, passing through Philly, we got an uber/lyft to our hotel which was about 3 blocks from the port and then walked to the port. It was really easy. When we got back to the Manhattan Cruise terminal after the cruise, we got an uber/lyft to Penn Station. It was really convenient.

 

[MomOTwins]

It depends on where you are boarding the train. The 30th street station in philly is usually just a quick stop on a longer route, and passengers have just a couple of minutes to get on and off. Definitely not enough time for a porter to board, stow your bags, and find you a seat.

I often got on at a "middle" stop along the route and the porters still got you in early. Yes it's just a minute or two early and the overall stop is only 5-10 minutes, but it is so much easier. I took the Acela probably 100+ times when I lived on the east coast and only once had an issue when a major ice storm caused a big delay: but that would have caused a problem no matter what method of transportation you used since the airports were all shut down and roads were impassible too.

 

[DisneyConvert]

We live in NJ on NECorridor line and did this a couple of weeks ago.

Embarking, it helps if one gets out of PennSta at the NWest (33rd & 8th Ave) exit, because there, the taxi's will already be pointed North, and are 1 big block closer West. Exit towards the back of the train and move towards your left/back.

Disembarking, there weren't enough taxi's as at 8-8:30am'ish on a weekday they are busy shuttling people to work and don't want to sit waiting for short fares.
We could have waited or taken the $35+tip "out-of-towner" rate that one guy offered, but I was prepared.

The NYWaterway terminal at 40th St (approx 8 blocks south along the Hudson River Greenway walking path) has free buses that go many places incl East along 34th St. Despite my wife's glares, that worked well.

So if your luggage rolls and you can handle the ups/downs and escalators, the connection between Pier88 and PennSta can be done for free!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We live in South Jersey (Camden County) and took 295 north to Hamilton Station to the NJ Transit train. It's very close to the exit with good signage. There's a large parking garage onsite. It was only me and our son, then just turned 12 for a 2 nt cruise to nowhere on the Magic. I do recall once we got off the train at Penn Station there was a staircase we had to carry our bags up but they were wheeled carry-on size so not a problem. I wasn't looking for an elevator, but I'd like to think they offer one for disabled accessibility. At least then you wouldn't have to lug large bags up stairs.
Once outside at Penn station there was a taxi queue and maybe 10 min ride to the ship. I also recall wondering how people manage their bags on the train; I was considering a longer cruise from NYC in the future. Ours were small enough to put on the floor in front of us and we sat facing each other. Maybe their website can answer the luggage storage question.

It was really very simple and inexpensive.