Hi Nomadicnester and Gerry (and Donna!)

I was also on the September NY trip with Donna and she has summed it up perfectly! I too would recommend ALL of the optional excursions as each one packs in something different and worthwhile. I suspect the specific details may vary slightly depending on which Tour Manager/Coach driver you have, but certainly on the main sightseeing trip (Day 2 morning) we stopped on several occasions including at the 9/11 Memorial site and in the Greenwich Village area, the latter being a great, contrasting area of NY which I probably wouldn’t have visited if not on the trip. The optional evening Empire State Building trip turned out to be a full evening tour, taking in amongst other things the Grand Central Station, Flatiron Building and, as Donna said, the not to be missed trip across to New Jersey! I would also highly recommend the optional helicopter ride – I paid for the 20 minute trip but to be honest the 15 minute version is probably just as good.

So, to summarise, your free time will perhaps be an hour or so on arrival day (assuming flight on time) before the evening familiarisation walk and meal, a full afternoon on day 2 (or part afternoon if you do the helicopter ride) and a full afternoon and evening on day 3. There is no spare time on Day 4 which is pack/boat trip/airport! Based on my own trip, a few things I would recommend would be trips to the top of the new One World Observatory and the Rockefeller Centre (both can be pre-booked online) and (a must do!) the Brooklyn Bridge walk, probably best achieved by taking the subway to Brooklyn then walking back into Manhattan – fabulous day and night!

Hope this helps. Have a great time! Mark

Thank you Mark for your helpful reply.  I was wondering which helicopter trip to do and also for the info about the Empire State Building trip that it includes so much more. Geraldine

I am going on the March trip to NY.  I am wondering which helicopter tour to do?  Are they both on the same day? Can anyone give me some info. Thanks Geraldine

Hi Geraldine

Regarding the NY helicopter trips, certainly on the tour I was on (Sept last year) both trips were at the same time (early afternoon on day 2), in fact we were all waiting in the departure hall together to board our flights!

The only difference between the two options available is the length of the flight, from memory one being about 15 mins long and the other 20 mins. Both follow the same route, taking off at the southern tip of Manhattan and flying up the Hudson river for the respective duration then turning round and coming back again. The flights are over water for the entire time.

I went on the 20 minute version but by the time I was at the point where the shorter flight would have turned around, we were already well clear of the main mid-town/central park area, and the only significant extra thing I remember seeing further up the river was the Yankee Stadium. So I would have to say that the shorter flight was probably just as good.

But it is a 'must do'! I attach a couple of photos I took from my flight to whet your appetite!

Have a great time.

Mark[attachment=395][attachment=396]