New York Crusie: Where should we stay the night before?

Question

Are there any good places to park our car for cheap? How would you suggest traveling from Virginia up there and staying the night before?

Answer 1

If your cruise is leaving from Manhatten (some cruise lines like Royal Caribbean now cruise out of Bayonne NJ across the river), I suggest that you leave your car in Virginia or Maryland and take Amtrak to NY the morning of your cruise.  Most days you can get one of the several trains at DC's union station and the entire trip will take about 4 to 5 hours.  Most cruise ships start boarding at about 1:00 PM so if you take a 6:00 or 7:00 Am train you will be there in plenty of time. the train will probably be less than gas and tolls and parking in NY.  If you are not in the DC area you can still take a train and connect in DC's Union Station to NY.

Amtrak gives AAA and senior discounts too.

Answer 2

Living in NYC, I should know, there is nothing called cheap parking in Manhattan.  You can look up in Yellow pages and see if any of the garages can give you a deal (sometimes if you offer to pay cash, they can give you a good deal).  If you are staying only for the night - look into some place cheap - Best Western, Holiday Inn etc...