V-Flyer

Hey all,
On 5 Jan this year - me and a friend booked our dream New Year's Eve trip to New York flying out on 29 Dec from LHR.
It's been a very long wait but I am buzzing that it's only 22 days away now!
I've never flown Virgin before...never been long haul before...I'm super excited!
Anyone else been to NYC for NYE? Any tips?
Thanks
Emma

the antici....







...pation is part of the fun

though nearly a year would drive me crazy i think!

have a great time

have you done your ESTA? have you chosen seats? which cabin? if you're in EC you can still buy a bottle of bubbly onboard to do it in style!

Big tip for NYE in NYC

Avoid Times Square!


Seriously avoid it. You have to be there hours in advance and are put in pens. There are no toilet facilities or food vendors and if you leave you leave - no going back to your place.

Most of the tourist attractions / stores will be open on New Years Eve though may close earlier and open New Years Day but best to check the websites of individual attractions.

Yes - ESTA sorted.
Seats also booked - in EC. I wanted to upgrade but couldn't justify the cost - hoping for a cheeky upgrade at the airport! (well...a girl can wish!).
There will be a bottle of fizz happening - for sure - It's ok to drink at 10am right - I mean...I am on holiday!
As for NYE - we are booked to go to Ruby Tuesday's - open bar etc - should be a good night. We will be caught in the thick of Times Square at some point tho - our hotel is only half a block away!

Keep an eye on the temperature in the weather forecast and pack accordingly. That may seem a trite and obvious thing to say, but the east coast of the USA can get bone freezingly cold particularly when the wind chill is factored in. We were in Boston for last NYE and I have never been so cold in my life.

NYC is a wonderful place to visit. I'm sure you've got your own list of "must do"s compiled, but if you need any further help there are a number of threads on V-Flyer with recommendations on things to do / places to see / eat /drink.

We'll be there just before you - we fly out the day before and fly back on NYE.

Have a great time from start to finish when the 29th rolls around.

And I fly out on the 1st doing an ex-CPH!

wrap up warm! very warm!

Got back from NY a few weeks ago, only advice I can think of is if you are going to go to any of the popular attractions, I did Circle Line tour of Manhattan, Intrepid Museum, guided 911 Memorial & 911 Museum tours and the One World Observatory, is buy tickets in advance before you go. I did that and jumped to the front of every single queue and the queues for the 911 Museum and One World Observatory were very long indeed. It proved to be a great time saver and well worth the few extra dollars.

Have a really great time.

farmeremma_82 wrote:Hey all,
On 5 Jan this year - me and a friend booked our dream New Year's Eve trip to New York flying out on 29 Dec from LHR.
It's been a very long wait but I am buzzing that it's only 22 days away now!

Oh I know that feeling only too well

We booked on January 4th for Las Vegas and are leaving tomorrow. Just checked in online- suddenly it seems real.

As for NYC, I have never been at New Year but I learnt after going to Trafalgar Square in 1984/5 that places with huge crowds are NOT a fun way to see in the New Year and so would agree with avoiding Times Square and consider visiting a fun and friendly bar or restaurant instead.

Have a great time,

Love the planning and always book as soon as the flights open.
A couple of years ago we actually booked our accommodation 465 before we went.
Have a great time.

Dick D

pjh wrote:Keep an eye on the temperature in the weather forecast and pack accordingly. That may seem a trite and obvious thing to say, but the east coast of the USA can get bone freezingly cold particularly when the wind chill is factored in. We were in Boston for last NYE and I have never been so cold in my life.

NYC is a wonderful place to visit. I'm sure you've got your own list of "must do"s compiled, but if you need any further help there are a number of threads on V-Flyer with recommendations on things to do / places to see / eat /drink.

We'll be there just before you - we fly out the day before and fly back on NYE.

Have a great time from start to finish when the 29th rolls around.

The difference between last year and this in Boston is unbelievable Paul , I've only been wearing a normal jumper during the day
I'm sure they will pay for it somewhere in the not too distant future though

farmeremma_82 wrote:There will be a bottle of fizz happening - for sure - It's ok to drink at 10am right - I mean...I am on holiday!

Sweetheart, (naming no names you understand ) some V-Flyers have been known to start drinking champagne as early as 6am on the day of a flight. After all, the sun is over the yardarm somewhere in the world!

pjh wrote:Keep an eye on the temperature in the weather forecast and pack accordingly. That may seem a trite and obvious thing to say, but the east coast of the USA can get bone freezingly cold particularly when the wind chill is factored in.

What pjh says is true. We flew out to NYC one year on Jan 2 and for the first couple of days of our trip the temperature with the wind chill was -15C. It later warmed up to -5C and we knew it was warmer because the guys outside the hotels had taken off the balaclavas they wore under their regulation caps!

I'm excited for you, I'd love to do what you're doing but my work won't permit...

As HL has said...don't worry about drinking at 10am, most v-flyers will be well and truly sloshed by then...and so should you!
The most seasoned v-flyer gets carried onboard in a stretcher and is put straight to bed...

farmeremma_82 wrote:There will be a bottle of fizz happening - for sure - It's ok to drink at 10am right - I mean...I am on holiday!

Of course!!

It's late here (12.15pm) and we are on our second glass of Tattinger