New York New Year

Okay so I went into this tour with high expectations. I mean come on, New Years Eve in New York! There were 4 contiki groups in total - 3 stayed at Marriott and 1 stayed at Sheraton. All were in Brooklyn... Which brings me to my first issue - staying in Brooklyn. Now, I had been to New York before so even though it wasn't my first preference of where to stay, I thought I'd give it a go. The only reason Contiki stay in Brooklyn is because of money. We didn't do any activities or sightseeing in Brooklyn at all. So each day we would catch a subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan, where the real sights are. Though it wasn't too far to travel, it was frustrating when we would go into Manhattan as a group and see some sights, then be left to our own devices only to have to return to Brooklyn, change and get ready for dinner/nightlife back out in Manhattan that night... So every day we went into Manhattan twice. I personally would have rather spending more money and stayed in Manhattan. Now, the night we'd all been waiting for - New Years Eve. This night was an absolute mess. We met our tour manager in the hotel lobby at 8pm ready to head into Manhattan for an buffet dinner and open bar in Times Square. A lot of the subways were closed so we got off at an earlier stop. We walked back nd forth, constantly being redirected to a different route when trying to get to our hotel. So many of the roads were blocked and closed. We eventually made it to the bar at 1030pm. We then had to eat our so called 'buffet' which was about 2 options of meat, and 2 salads, without enough seats to for everyone, so it was a total disaster. Then we could all go downstairs to start drinking and dancing... for about half an hour... Then they started passing around champagne getting ready for midnight. Midnight came and went, with no sense that we were actually in New York at all because we were in a room with 200 other Aussies (and a few Kiwis), without any view of Times Square at all... Pretty much straight after midnight we were ushered out of the bar and told to find somewhere else to party for the rest of the night... A lot of people went to a bar we had been shown the previous night because we just didn't know where else to go. Some people snuck out of the bar before midnight and made their way into the crowds of Times Square - they seemed to have the better experience out of everyone, so probably do that if you do bother to go with Contiki... If you want to do New Year’s Eve in New York, do it without a tour. Book a hotel in Manhattan, find a bar or a club (you don't have to book a year in advance like everyone thinks you do! We saw SO many advertised when we were there!).

New York is a confusing yet exciting place that you need to see to truly understand. Listed on most travellers 'must see before you die' lists, once you get there you know why. New Year's Eve is probably the biggest and busiest time of year to be in New York - but what a time it is! Approximately 3 million people merge into one small space to count the new year in. Talking to a couple of New Yorkers on the subway the day before New Years I asked them if they go to time square to celebrate to which they all laughed and the woman said to me, 'no it's too cold and crowded we leave that to you crazy people'. Cold was the last thing I felt when my group made its way to Planet Hollywood - the destination of our celebrations. Contiki took all the worry and hassles out of my trip and let me simply enjoy where I was and the people I was with. Security is insanely tight all over NY on new year and some people spent the whole day waiting out in the cold for a prime spot to celebrate the night - not us! We partied and felt like rock stars for one epic night of our lives. The rest of the tour we spent being show the sights and smells of NY some places we would have never even have thought to have seen. Though this tour is short it is amazing and certainly is my favourite so far.

This trip is only really 3 days (nothing happened on the last morning) but it felt like even less. Make sure you are staying in NYC before or after this trip so you will have time to see the tons of other attractions (museums, theatre, parks, etc) or plan to do this alongside another tour. The first day we met up and did a bus tour around Manhattan, stopping at the Rockefeller Center for a bit and then having lunch at Grand Central Station. That night we had dinner right in the middle of Times Square and I've never been in a busier more "alive" place in my life. Incredible. The second day (NYE) we travelled to the Statue of Liberty and then got helicopter rides -- definitely worth it if you can spare the money -- and had most of the afternoon on free time before meeting up to go to our party. BE AWARE you spend the night in a BAR INSTEAD OF on THE STREET celebrating but your tour agents will explain why THIS IS A MUCH BETTER WAY TO SPEND THE NIGHT :) Waking up on new years day was difficult but I signed up for the food cart tour and we had a snack-sized meal from about 4-5 different cultures. The price of the tour is a bit steep for what you get but you're starting off the year in New York City so who cares, treat yourself! Most of the group went up to the Empire State Building on the first night of the new year (1/1) but the tickets they gave us were valid for a while so others decided to branch off and visit later. Our tour guides skipped the ESB and went straight to a bar where we had our last drinks together before everyone went off and did their own thing on January 2nd - Myself and some friends caught the subway to Brooklyn Bridge and adventured around before moving on to our next accommodation. It went so quickly but there was no shortage of good times or fun and friendly people to hang out with. Good luck!

Had a wonderful time in NY. Unfortunately the description and itinerary is a bit deceiving. Thought we were going to see a lot more than we did. It was more of a drive by than actually stopping, which was disappointing. Would have liked to see more of the touristy places. However it was still a good tour! Optional tours were fantastic though!!

This tour was good even though it only went for a few days. Lots of things you get to do and see in a short time and lots of new people to meet (did this tour by myself). New Years was unorganised though, our group didnt get to the venue until late and all the other groups were already there. The venue was average. Would prefer to be right in Times Square for NYE next time.

You don't actually get to see the ball drop. My friends and I luckily met a Navy Officer who took us into the square and were able to watch the ball drop at midnight but the bar you are located on, you cant visibly see the ball, but you are less than once block to times square.

So this tour was quite literally the best NYE of my life and I suspect it’s going to take a fair effort to top it. To anyone considering this tour, it is a great way to see one of the most amazing cities in the world in a very short period of time. Although I would recommend some extra time in NYC, certainly if this is all you had you would feel as though you have seen the best. A brief overview of the tour (presumably it will follow a similar schedule next year): Day before (December 29th) There is a tour meeting at the hotel where you are staying. I didn’t know about this until I got my documents (although perhaps if you had been on a contiki before you would have). This is certainly helpful to go to if you can manage it because you receive itineraries and a weekly metro card – so basically you get free travel sooner. And you get to meet up with your other tour mates. Day 1 (December 30th) The day starts ridiculously early at 7:30am with a guided bus tour of the city. The guide was great; knew so much about the city, was really funny. You see most of the major sites and get off at a few places like Rockefeller Centre and Grand Central Station. The tour ends after lunch down at the 9/11 Memorial where you have included tickets to the actual memorial itself, which is quite and experience (and I think there will be more there by next year as well). After the memorial is the first optional extra – the helicopter tour of the city. I originally had no intention of doing this but peer pressure got the better of me and I am so glad it did! See my photo album for a picture but it is the most amazing experience. We went right at sunset, which meant the skyline was stunning. As our guide said, you will never see the skyline in the same way and he is absolutely right. There are 2 options, 1 is $137 and the other is $190. The $190 one is about 15-20 minutes (the other is less than 10 I believe, so definitely go the $190) and you basically go up and down the Hudson River – amazing experience. That night you have an included dinner and then you head to Times Square for the group photo. This is another optional extra, everyone is included in the photo but it costs $17 to purchase. Another strong recommendation – you can see ours in my photo album. The photo taken by a professional and is well worth the $17 – a great souvenir (everyone knows how hard it is to get a good group photo!!) Afterwards you have to option to go out to a bar with the tour guide. The bar we headed too was pretty far away and a lot of us were pretty exhausted so I went for a walk around Rockefeller Centre (amazing with the Christmas lights) and had an earlyish night. Remember, Day 2 is a big one! Day 2 (December 31st) This morning you head over to Brooklyn to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. This is a great way to see the skyline of the city and also a good way to meet and chat with other tour members. (I have also uploaded a photo in my photo album). Afterwards you take the subway down to Battery Park to catch the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty (ticket is included). You can spend as much or as little time there as in the afternoon you have free time, unless you decide to do the Sex and the City optional tour. Having never really watched the show, I didn’t do it, however if you are a fan, I am told it is good fun and costs $40. I chose to spend the afternoon shopping for a NYE outfit ;) Actually not a great idea because the streets are crazy at that time of year. It’s also a good time to sneak in a nana nap before the big night. This year we went to Planet Hollywood and I would be surprised if you didn’t do it again. I certainly hope that you do. The atmosphere is amazing, you have an included (albeit kind of small) buffet dinner but most importantly, open bar. The party starts at 9pm but you have to leave the hotel at like 8pm to fight the crowds through Times Square. There is no outside viewing of Times Square from Planet Hollywood, but I really believe you aren’t missing anything. Someone who did wait from 2pm in Times Square (and you can’t leave for anything – including the bathroom once you go in) has told me that the ball is quite small and then there is a lot of confetti. So I definitely think we had a better deal. Just before midnight you can head to the dance floor and you are surrounded by huge tv screens which makes you feel as though you are right out in Times Square. Honestly, it was the one of the best nights of my life. To put it in perspective, if you chose to go to Planet Hollywood, not as part of the Contiki tour, it would cost you $250 – so a pretty good deal to have that included. You get kicked out at 1am and can head to another bar. Some of us chose to just walking around Times Square and soak up the environment before heading back to the hotel/hotel bar, which was a great experience too. Day 3 (January 1st) If you are up for it (or you feel guilty because you paid for it already), the TV and Movie Tour takes place at about 10am (don’t worry, it’s a bus tour, not much walking required!) This tour isn’t quite as good as I expected, mainly because I expected to see more famous places. However, you see places like the FRIENDS building, the Soup Nazi store, the inspiration pub from How I Met Your Mother, the Ghostbusters firehouse, something from the Cosby Show to name a few. You also get to see a lot of other parts of the city which you didn’t see on the bus tour on day 1, like Soho (great shopping) and Tribecca. Afterwards you meet up with the rest of the group for a walk through Central Park – also optional. A lot of people have seen Central Park by now so you don’t have to go if you’d rather do something else. That night dinner isn’t included but a lot of us just at together at the hotel restaurant and then you head to the Empire State Building (ticket included). It will undoubtedly be absolutely freezing but well worth it for a stunning view of the NYC skyline at night (I love me a good night photo!) You can stay up there for as long as you want and then head to a local bar afterwards for one last night of drunken craziness. Day 4 (January 2nd) You have until 12pm to checkout and head your separate ways! You can also choose to do the optional Gossip Girl tour ($38) but there actually isn’t an allotted time for this, you get a voucher at a discounted rate and do it whenever. The Hotel There were 3 groups all doing this tour. My group stayed at the Skyline Hotel a few blocks from Times Square and the other 2 stayed at the Sheraton in Brooklyn. Basically it seems that the people who booked first stayed in Manhattan. Obviously I can’t comment on the Brooklyn hotel and whilst I hear it was very nice, it was so convenient being so close to Times Square. We could walk home from Planet Hollywood. I don’t know if this is something that frequently happens or if it was just this year? The hotel was also very comfortable and my room had a pretty sweet view as well (see photo album). I did however hear rumours of using a different hotel next year. Try to get confirmation from Contiki as early as possible but don’t be surprised if they don’t give it. Top 3 favourite moments: 1. NYE 2. Empire State Building 3. Statue of Liberty Tips: 1. Book early!! This will hopefully ensure you get the hotel in Manhattan, in case this happens again where they decide to use one in Brooklyn as well. I paid the deposit in around February and the rest in October. 2. If you are travelling alone, I highly recommend a single room. It might sound unsociable and it is more expensive but it is so nice to have your own space especially because you know every tour has more than one of “that person” who drinks too much and vomits everywhere. 3. Don’t worry too much about booking pre/post accommodation at the same hotel as contiki. A lot of people tried to do this assuming that everyone was staying at the Skyline and ended up staying in Brooklyn (or visa versa). The hotel is actually quite expensive and you can do a lot cheaper and just get a taxi/subway the morning of the tour. I recommend the Pod Hotel (about a $10 cab ride away from the Skyline) or the Hilton Garden Inn. 4. Budget for some of the optional extras. It’s a great way to meet more people on your tour and really gives you 3 solid days of sight seeing. 5. Plan a couple of days after the tour to stay in NYC and do all the things you didn’t get time for (you do a lot but there is always more to do!!) 6. Pack a lot of warm clothes, including boots and good coat. We had pretty mild weather but it did drop to around -11 a few days after which was ridiculously cold. 7. Pack nice clothing for NYE. It is inside so you can rug up just to go outside. The idea is “dress to impress” and most people make a pretty nice effort. I don’t recommend leaving shopping til the few days before NYE. Way too hectic! Pros: 1. Get to see so much. You can really cover a lot of the city in 3 days if that is all the time you have. 2. NYE night is sensational. Don’t be fooled into thinking you have to stand out in Times Square. This is much better. 3. You get a lot for your money. I think to stay at the hotel around that time was over $200 per night, plus NYE night, a few meals, a few included tickets, included 7 day metro card ($29) so no paying for travel – well worth the price. 4. The optional extras are great and you still have enough free time for anything specific you want to do. Cons: 1. For a big company, Contiki could be a bit more organised. Expect to be left in the dark a bit about accommodation. Try to confirm you accommodation with them as well. We had people receive documents with the wrong hotel name on it and thus turn up to the wrong hotel. 2. I could be wrong, but I think staying out in Brooklyn would really have been a pain so hopefully they don’t do this again, but book early and it shouldn’t be a problem!! I hope this is helpful to potential travellers. This was my first Contiki tour and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I met a great group of people and spent the best NYE of my life in one of the most amazing cities in the world. I can’t recommend the tour enough. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to know anything else about it.