<p>After a grueling travel day getting home from Bulldog Days in which our first and second legs of our flights were delayed, I’ve come to the conclusion that flying direct into JFK or LAG so as to eliminate the second connecting flight is worth the extra 45 minutes in the CT Limo shuttle. Every time you add a flight you add uncertainty and potential for delays, so I think we’ll be better off by cutting our odds of delays in half.</p>
<p>Interesting thoughts about flying into Providence or into JFK and taking a longer shuttle…</p>
<p>Will probably arrange to pick up some things locally and handle things like linens at home so they can be pre-washed. I recall reading a guide on Ys website that was for the class of 2014 that discussed the move-in, shipping etc.
Perhaps the kids get this when they learn their assigned Res College</p>
<p>[2011?2012</a> Academic Calendar | Yale College](<a href=“http://yalecollege.yale.edu/content/2011–2012-academic-calendar]2011?2012”>http://yalecollege.yale.edu/content/2011–2012-academic-calendar)</p>
<p><a href=“http://yalecollege.yale.edu/content/yale-college-calendar-freshmen[/url]”>http://yalecollege.yale.edu/content/yale-college-calendar-freshmen</a></p>
<p>yalemom15, we also reached the identical conclusion, and we only book the nonstop to New York followed by ground transportation using one of several options. Connecting flights greatly increase the chances of missed connections and/or lost luggage. And these days because every connection adds to the cost due to airport taxes and fees, it often works out that the nonstop flights are also the cheapest.</p>
<p>Many students use LaGuardia or JFK because they are often significantly cheaper than Hartford even when accounting for the higher limo cost. For parents planning to fly in and rent a car for August move-in, those same NYC airports have much higher car rentals and you are better off paying more for the flight to use Hartford or White Plains. With planned construction at Tweed, we can only hope they will offer more flights than just Philadelphia. Thirty years ago they had non-stops to O’hare which makes a lot more sense to me than non-stops to only PHL which is about 200 miles away and on the Amtrak line.</p>
<p>Hi and welcome, Freedm,
We’re from the same neck of the woods as you. Three years ago my daughter flew out early for FOOT and had several (heavy) bags. I flew out at the end of FOOT, also heavily loaded with stuff. We usually fly in and out of Hartford and take the incredibly inefficient and overpriced Conn Limo or I rent a car if I need one. (Around holidays, Yale often supplies a bus to Hartford, which is infinitely better than Conn Limo.)</p>
<p>We shopped for some big items like a couch, chair, lamp and bedroom storage unit at IKEA and shared a truck for hauling it to her room. We preshopped some items at Bed Bath and Beyond at home, and picked them up on move-in day from the closest store. Not sheets, though- we prewashed them and carried them on the plane.</p>
<p>It may sound crazy to buy all that furniture, but in retrospect, it’s work well. We hire some movers to take any of it that can’t be in next year’s space to a storage unit, along with stuff belonging to several other girls. In August the moving guys bring it all back. She is getting her money’s worth out of all the Ikea stuff and I think it will be given away/sold for cheap to an underclassman at the end of next year. </p>
<p>It can be hard to sort out “who buys what” during the summer before freshman year, but if it becomes clear that he might be willing and able to get some bigger stuff, it can work out. Much depends on whether the incoming suitemates are locals or internationals!</p>
<p>Best wishes- it’s daunting but exciting!</p>
<p>For parents accompanying kids to Yale, I suggest going to the airline websites and looking at combination air fare into Hartford (BDL) and car rental packages. The savings are significant. The last time I was there, I had a car for $120 for an entire week when I booked it as a “vacation package” with the airline directly – I used USAir. Like post 985 said, I’ve heard many Yalies use White Plains as well. Worth investigating.</p>
<p>D who is now a Junior flies from the west coast and we’ve been flying into EWR direct and then taking Amtrak directly from the airport to New Haven. D really likes this route - she says it’s the least stressful and also much cheaper than CT Limo. As for rental cars, we use Enterprise in New Haven. The last time I visited we needed a car for just a quick errand so D rented a zip car for 3 hours. That worked out well and we didn’t have to worry about parking.</p>
<p>^^Dandemom, has your daughter ever had problems with Amtrak out of EWR? either trying to coordinate her flight with Amtrak departure times or out right cancellations? Not being from the East Coast, I have heard third hand that Amtrak can be a pain, but if this is not the case, I would love to add EWR to our options.</p>
<p>The direct train from EWR to NHV runs only 4 or 5 times daily but luckily for us it is within an hour of the direct flight from west coast. In the 8 or 9 times D has done this, she missed the train once. She ended up taking a bus from EWR to Grand Central and took Metro North to New Haven. The bus runs every 15 minutes and stops right by Grand Central. Metro North runs every 30 minutes or so. She likes this option particularly in the winter months as there are many options to get to campus even in inclement weather.</p>
<p>^^ The Newark route: – we do this too. It is cheapest, and relatively convenient with a lot of luggage.</p>
<p>I have been checking out the LGA and JFK options as well as the Newark…
in light of having to get connecting flights to BDL and then Ct Limo</p>
<p>I see that Amtrak’s ticket Newark to New Haven is about $40…and is 1 1/2 hrs-2 hrs</p>
<p>While our student will have more options for nonstops to LGA or JFK…The one hiccup is getting from LaGuardia or JFK to Penn Station right…?
That is a bus connection (90 min) in order to catch the train. </p>
<p>How much does Ct Limo charge for the LaGaurdia/JFK pickups?</p>
<p>Current pricing shows $68 each way on CT limo and $54 each way on Go Limo although the RT price used to be more like $95 on CT limo but just not showing now. You definitely do not want to go from JFK/LGA to Penn station. You use CT limo from the NYC airports too. Since the limos drop you at Phelps gate and not the train station, I don’t see the attraction of the Amtrak line. With luggage you are going to have to wait for another connection to a free Yale shuttle or take a cab to avoid pulling your stuff for many blocks.</p>
<p>The only positive thing I can say about Conn Limo is that the drivers will drop you at your hotel or, for the kids, their residential college, if need be, for a reasonable tip ($5 seems acceptable). When you book the Conn Limo on line, just check the Phelps Gate option, then negotiate with the driver once you’re on your way.</p>
<p>What do I dislike about Conn Limo? At least from Hartford, they only run every few hours, so if your plane lands at 4 PM, the next limo will be 6 PM, and then they often don’t show up until 6:15. With even a little traffic around Hartford, it can take another hour to get to NH.</p>
<p>We have used either Hartford or LaGuardia airports, depending on the airfare cost for that particular date. If S flies into Hartford, he has always used CT Limo without a problem. If I fly into Hartford, I rent a car (which is usually pretty reasonably priced). If flying into LaGuardia, we always use New York Airport Service from the airport to Grand Central, then Metro North train to New Haven. If I need a car for any reason then, I rent right at New Haven Union Station (Avis)–very convenient.</p>
<p>We always fly from Denver to LaGuardia, then take airport shuttle to Grant Central train station, then take Metro north train to New Haven or fly from Denver to Newark, then take Amtrak train to New Haven. We found these two routes are most time saving and economic way. CT Limo or shuttle from airport to New Haven could take 3 hours if traffic is bad.</p>
<p>^ Is the airport shuttle from LGA to Grand Central a subway or other type of rail shuttle, or is it a shuttle bus?</p>
<p>[Directions</a> to La guardia Airport - How to Get To La Guardia Airport Airport from New York City](<a href=“http://www.nysubway.com/airport/laguardia.html]Directions”>http://www.nysubway.com/airport/laguardia.html)</p>
<p>I hadn’t thought of “helicopter”. Maybe next time…</p>
<p>My son pulled the trigger last night and is now a member of the class of 2015. He is very happy and I am confident he made the right choice, but as an indifferently educated man from a working class background I have to admit I felt a twinge when he said ‘No’ to Harvard. The financial aid packages were almost identical, he attended pre-frosh events at both schools, and the rationale he gave for his decision made very good sense to me, so I suppose it is a testament to the Harvard ‘brand’ and the effectiveness of the various college rankings that gave me pause. Does this ring a bell with anyone?</p>
<p>You bet. I was in your shoes a few years ago, babbo. No one says “no” to Harvard lightly. It’s tough. Like your son, mine considered the two schools in excruciating detail before choosing Yale (at 11:30 PM on May 1!). I felt the same small twinge you did at the time, but I also trusted his judgment and I truly believed that Yale was the right choice for him. </p>
<p>Fast forward a few years. He was right. He is having an incredible experience at Yale. Superlative. He absolutely made the right decision for himself.</p>
<p>Once school starts next fall, the twinge will fade away, I promise.</p>
<p>And welcome to the Yale parents’ board!</p>