Renting RV

Newburgh KOA has a bus that goes to NYC.

Thank you very much for all good advice! We will try to rent an RV somewhere outside of NYC and get there by other means of transport - you probably have saved us from a less than pleasant experience :) Cruise America sounds fine so we'll go for that. Thanks also for all other tips, great to have all this advice when planning.

Really glad we found this forum with so many helpful people.

Fwiw, I wouldn't want to tour any major city in an RV. I have trouble parking my crew cab truck in a lot of places in some cities, and NYC is probably the most conjested.
Otherwise, rent from a major carrier like Crusie America and you'll be good.
Remember , you don't always need a campground, you're in a RV and can stop about anywhere for the night, if you're out in the boonies.
Presume you're planning on staying on the east coast?
America has a lot to see everywhere, but IMO, NE and eastern seaboard is great, then there's a lot of not much to see if you're on a 1 time trip until you get out west, which is days of driving. Just think about miles vs sights you want to see.

dupe

DrewE wrote:
I would try to avoid driving a motorhome through New York City if possible. I actually would try to avoid driving any vehicle through New York City, especially to tour the city (rather than just pass through on the expressways, which is daunting enough), but doubly so for a large vehicle like a motorhome.

This is excellent advise. I'm pretty sure you have nothing in Sweden like NYC traffic. The most popular product for your car in NYC is a bumper guard that limits the damage when someone rear-ends you.

I've made the trip from Islip area through the city to the NJ side several times, there is no good way to go. The GW Bridge is narrowed by Jersey barriers coming into the toll booths. To get there, you'll need to use the Whitestone or Throgs Neck Bridge to the Cross Bronx Expressway, probably the worse stretch of road on the east coast. The Verrazano Narrows Bridge to Staten Island and then across to Jersey is also narrow on Staten Island. Don't even get me started about New Jersey. :)

I would consider picking up the rental in another city, like Newburgh NY or New Haven CT. It would be well worth the rental car cost.

Just so you're aware, it's about 550 miles between New York City and Cedar point, or maybe 12 or more hours of driving in an RV (plus time for stopping). The time would depend a good bit on where exactly in or around New York City you're starting from, and what time of day you're going through the city area; but in any case it's a long drive to Cedar Point. (Similar concerns apply to getting to North Carolina; it's a decently long distance there.)

There are many fine, if somewhat smaller and not quite so well known, amusement parks rather closer to New York City. Knoebels (Elysburg, PA) is a fantastic, somewhat smaller, traditional park with a campground on site, which Cedar Point also has; they don't have as many roller coasters as Cedar Point by far, but the half dozen or so they do have are excellent. HersheyPark (Hershey, PA) might be the closest thing to Cedar Point in terms of the number and variety of roller coasters, and they do also have a campground associated with the park. Kennywood (in Pittsburg) also has a good many fine coasters, including several classic/antique ones, all in great shape, but there's rather a dearth of camping in the area unfortunately. Six Flags Great Adventure (in New Jersey, kind of between New York City and Philadelphia) is closer to New York City and also has quite a few coasters and other rides.

I would try to avoid driving a motorhome through New York City if possible. I actually would try to avoid driving any vehicle through New York City, especially to tour the city (rather than just pass through on the expressways, which is daunting enough), but doubly so for a large vehicle like a motorhome.

Cruise America is the biggest I know of. OK if you don't mind driving a billboard. Closest pickup yard looks like Islip, Long Island. Get yourself a good GPS. Going to need it in the Northeast. CG availability will be hit & miss. Generally not much problem Sunday to Thursday. Could be problems Friday & Saturdays especially in high demand areas. Lots of CGs have a few no reservation sites. Get there on Thursday & stay till Sunday.


Driving anywhere near the major cities is no fun at all. Aggressive drivers & poorly signed roads.

Based on the time of year you are looking at, Upstate New York and New England would likely be more comfortable. Virginia and the Carolinas may well have daily high temps in the 90 to 95 degree F range (32-35 Cel) with high humidity. New England can be hot as well but is normally 10-15 degrees f cooler.
RV rentals up there, personally I dont like driving in that type of traffic, thats why I mentioned going to another city for the RV rental. RV campsites are also at a premium and therefore pricey there, by the time you pay for RV rental and site for the nights in NYC I believe you could have easily stayed in a decent hotel, and would already be in the city.

As you mentioned Cruise Am does have some locations in the area. Poughkeepsie is one and is about 80 miles north of the city, and and puts you on the edge of some nice Upstate areas.

Many thanks for all good advice!

I've read a lot of bad reviews about some RV rental companies and as a faulty vehicle could ruin the vacation I'd prefer to pay extra to find a reliable company. But maybe the large rentals like Cruise America and El Monte can be trusted despite some very bad reviews?

The reason for wanting to travel to this part of the US is that we already have travelled around other parts of the country and would also like to spend a few days in NYC as was proposed.

The kids loves roller coasters so we thought that maybe Cedar Point would be a good place to stay.

Maine and New York upstate sounds nice but maybe going south towards North Carolina is an interesting tour as well?

Is it a very bad idea to rent an RV in NYC?

You can take the train north from NYC...less of a hassle. I like this site for CGs. Also good for finding boondocking/dry camping sites. Upstate NY is one of my favorite places...Long Lake and Adirondack Museum. Click on "Next Post" for more ideas in the area.

I found this Class C rental).... Cruise America is the largest Class C rental company with a half dozen locations in the NE.