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A hotel close to Cape Liberty/Bayonne


cocacola86
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The Ramada can be tricky. I just tried their web site and the directions from New Haven were HORRIBLE.

 

This is part 1 - New Haven to NJ Turnpike exit 14

 

If you come down I95 there is a cutover to the Merritt at Milford CT exit 38. At Rye NY there is another cutover to the Hutchinson River Parkway South exit 21 immediately after exit 2 in CT (no exit 1). This cutover is longer than the one at Milford and involves getting off onto I287 West and following the signs to the Merritt/Hutch. You get off onto a service road, go through a few lights and take the turn for the Hutch south.

 

The Merritt Pkwy becomes the Hutchinson River Pkwy at the NY/CT line. From the Hutch take exit 15 in New Rochelle to get on the Cross County Pkwy. Stay in the middle left lane, which will become the left lane when the road "scrunches". This leads onto the Saw Mill River Pkwy South which becomes the Henry Hudson Pkwy at the NYC line ($5 toll - if no EZPass they will bill you in the mail and you need to pay it!). The toll is worth every penny.

 

You take the George Washington Bridge exit and slide over to the middle left lane. Follow the NJ Turnpike signs. When you get on the turnpike, follow the first set of Lincoln Tunnel signs to get on the eastern spur of the turnpike, but don't get off at the actual tunnel exit. Continue on to Exit 14.

 

The are no trucks on this route from Meriden CT to the GW Bridge and you will avoid any traffic issues on the Cross Bronx Expressway or the intersection with I87.

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Part 2 - unbelievable! The Doubletree next door doesn't offer good directions either. The Ramada directions are all on local roads like routes 1 and 9 from CT to NJ. That's the way you had to go 75 years ago!

 

Anyway, when you get off the NJ Turnpike at exit 14, you follow the signs to I78 west LOCAL. The second exit is Frontage Road. At the end of the ramp, you make a left. The Doubletree should be on your right and the Ramada is next.

 

To get to the port, you get back on the turnpike and follow the signs to exit 14A.

At exit 14A please follow these directions. Others have followed them successfully. The signage is poor. There are lots of choices and you have to make a quick decision as to where you are going. For a first timer there's not time to stop and try to spot the correct little sign and I'm not sure the names of all the streets are clearly marked. GPS is not 100% reliable in this area.

 

The ramp is straight across the toll plaza. Here's a video. No real street signs.

 

After you pay your toll you go straight across the toll plaza and get on a 2 lane ramp that goes up and curves left. This is hard to miss. On the ramp you stay on the right and make the first right, stay to the right and make another right. You will come to the light at route 440 where you will make a left, stay left, and make a left at the first light onto Goldsborough Drive. Route 440 is a four lane divided highway. You can only turn left at a traffic light - going south the first light is now at Goldsborough Drive. The left turn into the port used to be at Port Terminal Blvd (and it still is coming the other way), but they shut down that turn fairly recently and made Goldsborough Drive the main port access road coming from the north. Goldsborough Drive will merge with Port Terminal Blvd. You will be able to see the ship and you just follow the crowd about 2 miles out to the ship.

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Carol ... I'm assuming most of the end of these directions would apply to me as well, can you help me out with the beginning. I live northwest of Boston, so usually when I'm heading in that direction, I take 495 to 290 through Worcester, then go on the Mass Pike to 84, then to 91. Is that the best way to start out, and if so, how does this connect in with the directions you posted from New Haven? Thanks again for all your help!

 

Also, I heard back from Trinity Reservations, they have accessible shuttles with a ramp, so I should be all set with my Mom being able to board them easily.

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Carol ... I'm assuming most of the end of these directions would apply to me as well, can you help me out with the beginning. I live northwest of Boston, so usually when I'm heading in that direction, I take 495 to 290 through Worcester, then go on the Mass Pike to 84, then to 91. Is that the best way to start out, and if so, how does this connect in with the directions you posted from New Haven? Thanks again for all your help!

 

Also, I heard back from Trinity Reservations, they have accessible shuttles with a ramp, so I should be all set with my Mom being able to board them easily.

 

You live near me. That's how I start out my trip. Here's the missing piece to get onto the Merritt. Delete the paragraph about New Haven and cut and paste these directions to get from I91 onto the Wilbur Cross which becomes the Merritt.

 

Directions from Mass

 

If you come out the Mass Pike, you pick up I84 west in Auburn and I91 south in Hartford. You take exit 17 marked W Cross Parkway. This becomes the Merritt Parkway at Milford.

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Rakuroda - Howard Johnsons is definitely not on our list of recommended hotels. A cheap hotel at EWR is just that - a cheap hotel.

Aloha 138east :D

 

Yeah I know & the review are so bad, but there will aways be somebody that will Google & wonder why it isn't even considered. Anybody that books there better be armed & be a light sleeper.

 

Aloha :D

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Thank you Carol. Those directions are very confusing !! What if I just put

Ramada's address into my GPS ?! Or take the Tappan Zee to the NJ pike? We are leaving 4:00ish on a Friday!

Or... should we just try to follw your directions?! Just sounds very confusing, =maybe it really isn't!!

Edited by Sweebee
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In the past folks have complained that their GPS did not give good directions to the hotel. I just did a mapquest from my house to the hotel and was 100% dissatisfied with the results. It sent me on a route through NY that I would never consider choosing. It even sent me on routes 1 and 9 instead of the NJ Turnpike!

 

I would encourage you to take my instructions and pull up a map to see where you would be going. The objective is to take the cars only parkways through NY and to pay a toll that will give you a dedicated lane access onto the GW Bridge, a huge benefit on a Friday night.

 

Don't do the Tappanzee. You will go miles out of your way. The GW is a 7 lane bridge and it will move traffic. The turnpike is 6 lanes and it will move traffic.

 

I'm assuming you will be able to follow the signs to the NJ turnpike from the GW - it doesn't really matter if you take the eastern or western spur. I prefer the eastern because most of the trucks and clueless people go on the western spur. Watch for the exit 14 signs and be sure to get off. You MUST take I78 LOCAL - stay to the right at the toll booth.

 

Get off at the Frontage Road exit (second exit) from I78. You may not be able to see the Ramada, but you should be able to see the Doubletree which is next door.

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Hi Carol, We are leaving for our cruise next week. I just put in the above address for ES into Waze to see how to get there. It suggests that we take:

 

Coming from Framingham area

Mass Pike to 84

91S to Exit 17 Wilbur Cross Pkwy

Exit 15 Cross County Pkwy to GW Bridge

Exits 5/4N/4S/Central Ave / I-87 thruway

Exits 7S; I-95S; US 1-S GW Bridge Upper

I- 95 S NJ Turnpike to US - 46 / Newark

I-95 S NJ Tpke Cars only

Exit 13A Elizabeth/Newark Airport/ Elizabeth Seaport

to North Ave East / Ikea Dr/ Elizabeth Seaport

Kapkowski Rd to Glimcher Realty Way

 

Does this seem about right to you?

Thanks for any input. :)

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Hi Carol, We are leaving for our cruise next week. I just put in the above address for ES into Waze to see how to get there. It suggests that we take:

 

Coming from Framingham area

Mass Pike to 84

91S to Exit 17 Wilbur Cross Pkwy

Exit 15 Cross County Pkwy to GW Bridge

Exits 5/4N/4S/Central Ave / I-87 thruway

Exits 7S; I-95S; US 1-S GW Bridge Upper

I- 95 S NJ Turnpike to US - 46 / Newark

I-95 S NJ Tpke Cars only

Exit 13A Elizabeth/Newark Airport/ Elizabeth Seaport

to North Ave East / Ikea Dr/ Elizabeth Seaport

Kapkowski Rd to Glimcher Realty Way

 

Does this seem about right to you?

Thanks for any input. :)

 

Those are actually pretty good directions. I used Mapquest this week to get directions from my house to the Ramada Plaza at EWR and they were absolutely awful. However I have a few clarifications and suggestions.

 

On a Thurs morning I would prefer to pay the $5 toll on the Henry Hudson Parkway and avoid the intersection of I87 and I95. Starting at " exit 15 Cross County Parkway to GW Bridge " I would consider substituting:

 

The Merritt Pkwy becomes the Hutchinson River Pkwy at the NY/CT line. From the Hutch take exit 15 in New Rochelle to get on the Cross County Pkwy. Stay in the middle left lane, which will become the left lane when the road "scrunches". This leads onto the Saw Mill River Pkwy South which becomes the Henry Hudson Pkwy at the NYC line ($5 toll - if no EZPass they will bill you in the mail and you need to pay it!). The toll is worth every penny.

 

You take the George Washington Bridge exit and on the bridge slide over to the middle left lane. Follow the NJ Turnpike signs. When you get on the turnpike, follow the first set of Lincoln Tunnel signs to get on the eastern spur of the turnpike, but don't get off at the actual Lincoln tunnel exit. Continue on to exit 13A.

 

The are no trucks on this route from Meriden CT to the GW Bridge and you will avoid any traffic issues on the Cross Bronx Expressway or at the intersection with I87.

Continue your directions at Exit 13A:

Exit 13A Elizabeth/Newark Airport/ Elizabeth Seaport

to North Ave East / Ikea Dr/ Elizabeth Seaport

Kapkowski Rd to Glimcher Realty Way.i

Edited by 138east
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Oops. You're probably doing this on a Wed night. However my comments about avoiding the intersection of I87 and I95 still apply. IMO the toll on the Henry Hudson is worth it.

 

Here are the directions back to Mass. These were done for someone with a rental car.

 

New York to Boston "cars only" directions

 

From Newark Airport I would take the NJ Turnpike north (getting on at Exit 13A or Exit 14 depending on the location of your hotel following the signs to the Lincoln Tunnel, which will take you on the eastern spur of the turnpike. Then follow the signs to the George Washington Bridge Exit 18.

 

From the George Washington Bridge I would take the cars only parkways all the way through New York City, New York State, and halfway through Connecticut. You will not see a big scary truck until you get on I91 south of Hartford. To do this you take the upper level of the George Washington Bridge ($14 toll ) and get in the rightmost lane. Take the very first exit at the end of the bridge onto the Henry Hudson Parkway North. (If you end up on the lower level, get in the left lane and take the very first exit onto the Henry Hudson Parkway North) This route has a $5 cashless toll which is billed back to cars that don't have an EZ Pass - you want to ask Alamo if they offer a toll pass program. I checked online and someone posted that Enterprise car rental charged them $18 for this $5 toll. The Henry Hudson Parkway changes it's name to the Saw Mill River Parkway at the NYC line. You take Exit 4 onto the Cross County Parkway.

 

To avoid this toll (ok to do early on a Sunday morning) you take the Lower Bridge and stay to the right to get off at the Major Deegan (New York Thruway) North I87. This is one of the very next exits and requires you to scoot across multiple lanes if you take the Upper bridge. http://www.aaroads.com/guide.php?page=i0095nany The Major Deegan North becomes the New York Thruway at the city line. You take Exit 4 to get onto the Cross County Parkway East - a quick scoot at the exit from left to right across two lanes of traffic to the Cross County on ramp.

 

Get into the left lane of the Cross County Parkway and follow the signs to the Hutchinson River Parkway North. The Hutchinson River Parkway becomes the Merritt Parkway at the Connecticut Line. Around Milford Connecticut the parkway changes name again to the Wilbur Cross Parkway. You go all the way to the end where the road intersects with I91 North towards Hartford. In Hartford you take Exit 29 Charter Oak Bridge to get onto I84 east towards Boston. At the end of I84 you get on the Massachusetts Turnpike East towards Boston.

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Hampton Staten Island has complimentary parking, complimentary breakfast, and a shuttle to the port.

 

My friend just called this hotel last night and was told they now charge $10 a day to park. Not sure when this started. :eek:

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Those are actually pretty good directions. I used Mapquest this week to get directions from my house to the Ramada Plaza at EWR and they were absolutely awful. However I have a few clarifications and suggestions.

 

On a Thurs morning I would prefer to pay the $5 toll on the Henry Hudson Parkway and avoid the intersection of I87 and I95. Starting at " exit 15 Cross County Parkway to GW Bridge " I would consider substituting:

 

The Merritt Pkwy becomes the Hutchinson River Pkwy at the NY/CT line. From the Hutch take exit 15 in New Rochelle to get on the Cross County Pkwy. Stay in the middle left lane, which will become the left lane when the road "scrunches". This leads onto the Saw Mill River Pkwy South which becomes the Henry Hudson Pkwy at the NYC line ($5 toll - if no EZPass they will bill you in the mail and you need to pay it!). The toll is worth every penny.

 

You take the George Washington Bridge exit and on the bridge slide over to the middle left lane. Follow the NJ Turnpike signs. When you get on the turnpike, follow the first set of Lincoln Tunnel signs to get on the eastern spur of the turnpike, but don't get off at the actual Lincoln tunnel exit. Continue on to exit 13A.

 

The are no trucks on this route from Meriden CT to the GW Bridge and you will avoid any traffic issues on the Cross Bronx Expressway or at the intersection with I87.

Continue your directions at Exit 13A:

Exit 13A Elizabeth/Newark Airport/ Elizabeth Seaport

to North Ave East / Ikea Dr/ Elizabeth Seaport

Kapkowski Rd to Glimcher Realty Way.i

 

Oops. You're probably doing this on a Wed night. However my comments about avoiding the intersection of I87 and I95 still apply. IMO the toll on the Henry Hudson is worth it.

 

Here are the directions back to Mass. These were done for someone with a rental car.

 

New York to Boston "cars only" directions

 

From Newark Airport I would take the NJ Turnpike north (getting on at Exit 13A or Exit 14 depending on the location of your hotel following the signs to the Lincoln Tunnel, which will take you on the eastern spur of the turnpike. Then follow the signs to the George Washington Bridge Exit 18.

 

From the George Washington Bridge I would take the cars only parkways all the way through New York City, New York State, and halfway through Connecticut. You will not see a big scary truck until you get on I91 south of Hartford. To do this you take the upper level of the George Washington Bridge ($14 toll ) and get in the rightmost lane. Take the very first exit at the end of the bridge onto the Henry Hudson Parkway North. (If you end up on the lower level, get in the left lane and take the very first exit onto the Henry Hudson Parkway North) This route has a $5 cashless toll which is billed back to cars that don't have an EZ Pass - you want to ask Alamo if they offer a toll pass program. I checked online and someone posted that Enterprise car rental charged them $18 for this $5 toll. The Henry Hudson Parkway changes it's name to the Saw Mill River Parkway at the NYC line. You take Exit 4 onto the Cross County Parkway.

 

To avoid this toll (ok to do early on a Sunday morning) you take the Lower Bridge and stay to the right to get off at the Major Deegan (New York Thruway) North I87. This is one of the very next exits and requires you to scoot across multiple lanes if you take the Upper bridge. http://www.aaroads.com/guide.php?page=i0095nany The Major Deegan North becomes the New York Thruway at the city line. You take Exit 4 to get onto the Cross County Parkway East - a quick scoot at the exit from left to right across two lanes of traffic to the Cross County on ramp.

 

Get into the left lane of the Cross County Parkway and follow the signs to the Hutchinson River Parkway North. The Hutchinson River Parkway becomes the Merritt Parkway at the Connecticut Line. Around Milford Connecticut the parkway changes name again to the Wilbur Cross Parkway. You go all the way to the end where the road intersects with I91 North towards Hartford. In Hartford you take Exit 29 Charter Oak Bridge to get onto I84 east towards Boston. At the end of I84 you get on the Massachusetts Turnpike East towards Boston.

 

Thank you so much....great information as always!! I will print and bring with us!! :)

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I was wondering if Trinity reservations can only be used for an over night stay, or if we can book for multiple nights at the price quoted?

 

We are sailing out of Cape Liberty on November 30th for 12 nights, but we were planning on driving in on the 28th.

 

So we trying to figure what hotel packages are available that may include parking compared to other hotels and whether parking at the cruise port would be the better option.

 

Thanks!

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I was wondering if Trinity reservations can only be used for an over night stay, or if we can book for multiple nights at the price quoted?

 

We are sailing out of Cape Liberty on November 30th for 12 nights, but we were planning on driving in on the 28th.

 

So we trying to figure what hotel packages are available that may include parking compared to other hotels and whether parking at the cruise port would be the better option.

 

Thanks!

 

Why don't you email them? They are very nice people. However, you can get a better rate for the first night by booking directly with the hotel. That is Thanksgiving weekend, so Friday and Saturday nights will not be busy travel nights.

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Hello helpful people. Just need to make sure I can get back to this thread. Sailing on Anthem 12/12/2015. We are looking at flying into Newark Thurs. 12/10 from MSP arriving 10pm. Staying at the Hilton Newark Penn Station Gateway Center Hotel. Get hotel shuttle from airport that night. There is supposed to be 2 kinds of trains into Manhattan. NJ Transit & Path. Then see the sights and take train back to hotel. So only have Friday to cram it all in. Any comments on doing this or the hotel? Just need to get to pier from hotel. Plan on taking RCL's transfer from ship to airport. Lots of logistics and hope the winter out east is milder. Thank you. Esther Mpls. MN.

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Hello helpful people. Just need to make sure I can get back to this thread. Sailing on Anthem 12/12/2015. We are looking at flying into Newark Thurs. 12/10 from MSP arriving 10pm. Staying at the Hilton Newark Penn Station Gateway Center Hotel. Get hotel shuttle from airport that night. There is supposed to be 2 kinds of trains into Manhattan. NJ Transit & Path. Then see the sights and take train back to hotel. So only have Friday to cram it all in. Any comments on doing this or the hotel? Just need to get to pier from hotel. Plan on taking RCL's transfer from ship to airport. Lots of logistics and hope the winter out east is milder. Thank you. Esther Mpls. MN.

 

1). To get the hotel shuttle at the airport, you take your luggage up to the free Airtrain via escalator or elevator and go to the P4 station to get the hotel shuttle.

 

2). The Newark Penn Station Hilton is a great choice. It is across the street from Newark Penn Station and is connected by a skywalk.

 

3). NJ Transit is the train from Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station in midtown NY at 32nd and 8th. http://www.njtransit.com/hp/hp_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=HomePageTo http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

 

4) PATH is the subway from Newark Penn Station to the World TradeCenter in downtown Manhattan. http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html

 

5). Look at the maps closely. If you go to midtown by NJTransit, then take the subway downtown to the 911 memorial, you should take PATH back to Newark Penn Station from downtown NY.

 

6). Car services - dial7 or Carmellimo or call the Hilton to see what they recommend.

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1). To get the hotel shuttle at the airport, you take your luggage up to the free Airtrain via escalator or elevator and go to the P4 station to get the hotel shuttle.

 

2). The Newark Penn Station Hilton is a great choice. It is across the street from Newark Penn Station and is connected by a skywalk.

 

3). NJ Transit is the train from Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station in midtown NY at 32nd and 8th. http://www.njtransit.com/hp/hp_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=HomePageTo http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

 

4) PATH is the subway from Newark Penn Station to the World TradeCenter in downtown Manhattan. http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html

 

5). Look at the maps closely. If you go to midtown by NJTransit, then take the subway downtown to the 911 memorial, you should take PATH back to Newark Penn Station from downtown NY.

 

6). Car services - dial7 or Carmellimo or call the Hilton to see what they recommend.

 

Thank you very much. One person at the hotel did have some of that info and glad to confirm it with you. The links to maps was WONDERFUL. Still lots of planning to do. Will write again. Have a nice day. Esther - Mpls.

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Can anyone recommend a hotel close to the port that has transportation to the port and is close to other amenities?

 

I've read this thread five times as well as others which are supposed to be about hotels....but is seems they mostly degenerate into "directions" threads.

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I've read this thread five times as well as others which are supposed to be about hotels....but is seems they mostly degenerate into "directions" threads.

 

Can we assist you with a hotel question? It sounds like a simple question, but for Cape Liberty it can be much more complicated. Folks arrive from all over the world by plane, car and train. Folks want to sightsee in New York. Some folks have tight budgets. Some folks are willing to spend money to get convenience. Folks need to book transportation to the port. Folks want park/sleep/cruise options. Folks want to park at the port. The closest hotels to the port are 8-10 mikes away.

 

I offer different hotel suggestions depending on all these factors. Newark is a highly urban industrial area with complicated roads. GPS and mapping tools are often misleading and send folks on routes they don't belong on. Getting in and out of NYC can be expensive and time consuming.

 

The bottom line is that the answers to many hotel questions often include directions.

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Can we assist you with a hotel question? It sounds like a simple question, but for Cape Liberty it can be much more complicated. Folks arrive from all over the world by plane, car and train. Folks want to sightsee in New York. Some folks have tight budgets. Some folks are willing to spend money to get convenience. Folks need to book transportation to the port. Folks want park/sleep/cruise options. Folks want to park at the port. The closest hotels to the port are 8-10 mikes away.

 

I offer different hotel suggestions depending on all these factors. Newark is a highly urban industrial area with complicated roads. GPS and mapping tools are often misleading and send folks on routes they don't belong on. Getting in and out of NYC can be expensive and time consuming.

 

The bottom line is that the answers to many hotel questions often include directions.

Thank you for your kindness to so many, I did not mean to sound grumpy! But I was beginning to despair about the hotel info! It seems like this is a much more complicated area to cruise out of than Florida, Baltimore, or Norfolk, all of which I've cruised from...

My sister and I are taking LOS 9/19, from Bayonne. I am terrified of driving in NJ. But, we are driving. The traffic patterns around the airport are, well, daunting!

So after a lot of browsing around, we booked Hampton Inn on Staten Island. We are coming from the south, driving, and it looks fairly straightforward to get to. We will come on Friday, spend the night, then it looks fairly straightforward getting to the pier from there, and I don't really care if there are more tolls, as I have learned from reading the threads. I hope I have not made a big mistake....and appreciate any advice or input on our plans. Any good restaurants out that way? Any neighborhoods to avoid or directions tips? Wow, see how I just did my own bit of thread hijacking there? Again, many thanks to you!

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Thank you for your kindness to so many, I did not mean to sound grumpy! But I was beginning to despair about the hotel info! It seems like this is a much more complicated area to cruise out of than Florida, Baltimore, or Norfolk, all of which I've cruised from...

My sister and I are taking LOS 9/19, from Bayonne. I am terrified of driving in NJ. But, we are driving. The traffic patterns around the airport are, well, daunting!

So after a lot of browsing around, we booked Hampton Inn on Staten Island. We are coming from the south, driving, and it looks fairly straightforward to get to. We will come on Friday, spend the night, then it looks fairly straightforward getting to the pier from there, and I don't really care if there are more tolls, as I have learned from reading the threads. I hope I have not made a big mistake....and appreciate any advice or input on our plans. Any good restaurants out that way? Any neighborhoods to avoid or directions tips? Wow, see how I just did my own bit of thread hijacking there? Again, many thanks to you!

 

Cape Liberty is definitely not geared for cruisers the same way the Florida ports are.

 

What you didn't say is whether you are leaving your car at the Hampton Inn and using their cruise shuttle or parking at the pier. The current problem with Staten Island is that they are rebuilding the Bayonne Bridge between Staten Island and Bayonne and there are frequent bridge closures on the weekend. Unfortunately there is little advance notice as to what dates this will happen. This bridge may ir may not be closed on Sep 19. Not a problem if you are being shuttled, but IMO a more serious consideration for you if you're driving because you will have to go back across the Goethals Bridge to the NJ Turnpike, go north to Newark Airport, and follow the signs to exit 14A to get off for Cape Liberty.

 

Let me know what you're doing and what you think. What are you paying for the Hampton Inn including taxes? A much simpler and less stressful plan might be to book a hotel in the Cranbury/Jamesburg area (exit 8A) or East Windsor/Hightstown area (exit 8) and drive the 45 minutes to the pier on Saturday morning. This area is much more suburban/rural and there are hotels right at the turnpike exits. This totally avoids the stress of wandering around Staten Island or Newark Airport to find a hotel and puts you in an area you will feel more comfortable in.

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Cape Liberty is definitely not geared for cruisers the same way the Florida ports are.

 

What you didn't say is whether you are leaving your car at the Hampton Inn and using their cruise shuttle or parking at the pier. The current problem with Staten Island is that they are rebuilding the Bayonne Bridge between Staten Island and Bayonne and there are frequent bridge closures on the weekend. Unfortunately there is little advance notice as to what dates this will happen. This bridge may ir may not be closed on Sep 19. Not a problem if you are being shuttled, but IMO a more serious consideration for you if you're driving because you will have to go back across the Goethals Bridge to the NJ Turnpike, go north to Newark Airport, and follow the signs to exit 14A to get off for Cape Liberty.

 

Let me know what you're doing and what you think. What are you paying for the Hampton Inn including taxes? A much simpler and less stressful plan might be to book a hotel in the Cranbury/Jamesburg area (exit 8A) or East Windsor/Hightstown area (exit 8) and drive the 45 minutes to the pier on Saturday morning. This area is much more suburban/rural and there are hotels right at the turnpike exits. This totally avoids the stress of wandering around Staten Island or Newark Airport to find a hotel and puts you in an area you will feel more comfortable in.

Thank you Carol! I was very confused about which bridge had the closures. I mapquested both ways to get to the pier from the hotel (I paid 150 for two queens with whirlpool tub) and according to that, anyway, the trip is 19 minutes if I use the Turnpike option, essentially backtracking a little, since that's the way we come onto Staten Island, and it gives me 23 minutes if we use the Bayonne Bridge (if available to us) I have sort of been thinking we would use the Bayonne Bridge....I see they have a Facebook page, and I can sign up for cell phone alerts or tweets about closings. I ,ean, do they decide to close it the same morning?? Even if it's a couple days before, I'm ok with that.

 

Yes, we are driving and parking at the pier. Once I get off the ship, I want to get started home ASAP!

 

We have a suite, so I want to be at the pier early! Oh, BTW, we LOVED our Boston Cruise, what a wonderful city THAT is!

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