where to stay after my cruise/ ny or nj/ want to spend day in nyc

hi. planning a cruise in june 2013 on explorer of the seas. thursday to sat. we want to spend the day saturday in nyc. would like to stay in nj hotel with some type of transportation into nyc. any suggestions? thanks!:)

Do you mean 2012 or 2013? I don't think the schedule for 2013 has been posted for Bayonne. That's a big speculation on the RCL forum.

The cheapest place to stay outside of NYC is Newark, NJ. It's nothing fancy but you can get great rates ($60 per night and less). For Thanksgiving I stayed in NYC for a few days and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square. It was a great spot and very convenient to everything but it's a lot more $$. If you have Hilton points definitely look into this hotel.

yea 2013. cruises just came out. we have a group going on june 13,2013. we want to spend a day in nyc. not sure where to stay. not too comfortable with driving ourselves into nyc.

thanks. i will check into newark

So you're looking to get off the ship, go to a hotel, and then go to NYC for the day? You're driving in the morning of the cruise and parking at Bayonne? How many hotel rooms do you need? What's your budget?

It's too soon to make a final plan. I'd look at Secaucus with the idea that you would take either the bus or train to NY. The Sheraton Meadowlands is often on Hotwire for about $75. From there you could drive to Secaucus Junction and take the train to NY for $3.75. If you have a car, there is no reason to stay at the airport.

If you stay at Newark airport, you MUST be selective about your hotel. You will not be happy with a $60 airport hotel.

Look at Lincoln harbor Weehawken Sheraton. It is right at the ferry to manhattan.

thanks! I will check that out

yes, we are looking to spend the day in nyc after getting off the ship. we will need at least 6 rooms. dont want to spend over $200. we are also thinking of going to new jersey the day before our cruise and visiting the statue and ellis island. planning on taking the ferry for that. looking at the country inn & suites in elizabeth for the day before. any suggestions? thanks!

sltl4404 - I'm having trouble grasping the big picture about your group and what you want to do. Advice I would give a family of 4 people is not necessarily the advice I would give a large group. Could you answer some specific questions?

1) What area of PA are you coming from? What time are you leaving and what time do you expect to arrive in NJ?

2) How many cars will you have? Are you planning on spending the $171/car to park at the port for 9 days? Would you consider a park/sleep?

3) How many people will you have? Age ranges? Families with kids? Adults only? Seniors? Extended family group?

4) Travel experience - is this a group that is used to public transit?

5) Hotel budget is $200/night and you need 6 rooms, one night post cruise and possibly one night pre cruise. How many people per room? If you have 4 people/room is a sofa bed OK?

6) Is your group "joined at the hip"? I can see all of you going to the Statue of Liberty together, but NYC is a different story to move a large group around. What do you want to do in NYC?

7) If you come a day early, have you considered doing NYC precruise and the SOL post cruise? You need time to do the SOL, so leaving PA on a Wed morning and getting everyone to Liberty State Park to catch a SOL ferry could be stressful. Another thought that might make things easier is to drive in the day of the cruise and spend two nights (Fri & Sat) post cruise. You will get better hotel rates. You can be off the EX by 10 am - that gives you almost all day Friday. You could also get all day Sat and even some of Sunday by staying over Sat night instead of the Wed night precruise.

8) Any other considerations?

You are very ambitious to be arranging all this. I hope your travelmates appreciate all the time and effort it requires and that they understand the need for everyone to be on board with the final plans.

I just had a large group of friends who did the same thing you want to do before a cruise. We live in the area so we were able to spend time with them. Look at Homewood Suites, in Edgewater NJ. You will be right on the Hudson River overlooking NYC, there are large suite rooms, free breakfast, great transportation via ferry or NJ Transit bus into midtown Manhattan. The hotel is in a great location on a promenade along the river with great stores. It should be within your budget and you can even share rooms.

There is no such thing as a NJ hotel with complementary transportation to NYC.

If you stay at the Hilton in Downtown Newark, above Penn Station, you can go right downstairs to the Path or NJ Transit which is convenient to NYC but it's not all that convenient to the port.

The country inn in Elizabeth is an OK property but there is no easy way to get to NYC without a car. The best the hotel will do for you is shuttle you back & forth to the AP.

There is no such thing as a NJ hotel with complementary transportation to NYC.

If you stay at the Hilton in Downtown Newark, above Penn Station, you can go right downstairs to the Path or NJ Transit which is convenient to NYC but it's not all that convenient to the port.

The country inn in Elizabeth is an OK property but there is no easy way to get to NYC without a car. The best the hotel will do for you is shuttle you back & forth to the AP.

I don't thnk anyone said complementary transportation, maybe I missed it. I was told yesterday that the Hilton charges for parking?? The Nj Transit bus is cheap and easy into NYC from Edgewater or Lincoln Harbor. The suite rooms at the Hilton are pretty small which could make it more expensive.

We were thinking of going into New York City pre-cruise and have already reserved a stay/park/cruise at Country Inns and Suites in Elizabeth. I thought we may get shuttle to airport and then train to Penn Station, but it looks like there is a bus that can be picked up across the street at the mall (#111, I think) to the Port Authority. We will be there in Dec and I would love to go to Rockerfeller Center. I figure we could take the subway where we need to go once we get into the City.

Being from a rural area, we are not familiar at all with public transportation. Which do you think is the better option? Thanks.

The train service is more expensive than the bus but it runs much more frequently. Also it's Dec so it will be cold waiting for a bus in Elizabeth. You're not familiar with public transit - I think you'll find the train a lot easier. If you miss one train, there'll be another soon. With that bus route you could wait an hour+.

The train service is more expensive than the bus but it runs much more frequently. Also it's Dec so it will be cold waiting for a bus in Elizabeth. You're not familiar with public transit - I think you'll find the train a lot easier. If you miss one train, there'll be another soon. With that bus route you could wait an hour+.

Good points made. Thank you for responding. We will plan to take the train...

Post back for directions from Penn Station to Rockefeller Center. The subway is fine, but you might want to walk to 6th Ave and take an uptown bus to 50th St just to see things. You can come back on 5th Ave to see all the stores. You can also just walk it - it's really not that far.

What about the Hampton Inn & Suites Riverwalk in Harrison?

It seems to have really good reviews on trip advisor. It has free shuttle to/from Newark Airport and free shuttle to Newark Penn Station and the bus station.

Hampton Inn in Harrison has not been on our radar scope. I also read the reviews and they were good.

The main deterrent for me would be the location and neighborhood and that's a serious concern in a highly urban industrial area like Newark. It's right near the main northeast corridor train line - folks mentioned that you could hear trains all night from some rooms. I'm sure the area has been buffed up some, but it's still across the river from downtown Newark. Personally I would never choose to stay in this area.

If you end up staying here, please post a review.

What about the Hampton Inn & Suites Riverwalk in Harrison?

 

It seems to have really good reviews on trip advisor. It has free shuttle to/from Newark Airport and free shuttle to Newark Penn Station and the bus station.

Just a slight correction re. the location of the Hampton Inn & Suites in Harrison: The hotel is just across the river from the Newark Broad Street station, not Newark Penn Station. These two stations are not on the same line, but they are only a mile or so apart from one another, so hotel shuttle transport to or from either station shouldn't be a problem.

Note: You can take a direct train from Newark Broad Street station to New York or Hoboken, but not to EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport), as the airport is on the other (Northeast Corridor) line.

I pass this hotel regularly on the train. Yes, it is fairly close to, but not right next to, the rail tracks (which are elevated at this point as they approach the railway bridge over the Passaic River), but otherwise the location is not bad. One side of the building (and therefore, I assume, half of the hotel's guest rooms) faces the river.

The river separates Harrison from Newark, and there is a road bridge across the river just a block from the hotel. I should note that there has been a lot of redevelopment in Harrison in the past few years--there are many new low-rise condos and town houses close to the hotel. For what it's worth: although I've only seen this area from the train, I would say that it looks much different from downtown Newark itself--more middle-class (or perhaps "prosperous working-class") and distinctly less "urban," for want of a better word.

(For that matter, Newark Broad Street station is less "urban" than Newark Penn Station.)

By the way, the Newark Bears' minor league baseball stadium is directly across the river--a great place to catch a ball game at a fraction of major-league prices!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bears_%26_Eagles_Riverfront_Stadium

Also, the Spanish Pavilion, a locally famous restaurant that was recently featured on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, is literally right around the corner. (Not sure if being featured on Kitchen Nightmares is a great recommendation; I'm just sayin'...)

I don't have any personal experience of the hotel, but I'm pleased to hear that it receives positive reviews on TripAdvisor.

I hope this information is helpful; just ask if you have any other questions about the general area and/or public transportation.

What about the Hampton Inn & Suites Riverwalk in Harrison?

 

It seems to have really good reviews on trip advisor. It has free shuttle to/from Newark Airport and free shuttle to Newark Penn Station and the bus station.

I'm sure it's lovely & clean b/c it looks well maintained from the outside. I drive past it frequently but it's across the street from some run down gas stations. In that area the Passaic river is disgusting. You have Route 280 (a very busy truck route) practically overhead. This isn't bucolic at all. You can't walk to food or amenties. I suppose if you were very brave, you are close enough to Bear's Stadium (a minor league baseball park) & NJPAC but I wouldn't venture out alone. I don't even like having to stop for gas in broad daylight in that area.

FWIW I always feel safer in Penn Station then I do at the Broad Street Station which is next to an abandoned recently demolished Westinghouse factory & across the street from the Lincoln Motel which is not a place anyone coudl consider safe.

I'm sure it's lovely & clean b/c it looks well maintained from the outside. I drive past it frequently but it's across the street from some run down gas stations. In that area the Passaic river is disgusting. You have Route 280 (a very busy truck route) practically overhead. This isn't bucolic at all. You can't walk to food or amenties. I suppose if you were very brave, you are close enough to Bear's Stadium (a minor league baseball park) & NJPAC but I wouldn't venture out alone. I don't even like having to stop for gas in broad daylight in that area.

 

FWIW I always feel safer in Penn Station then I do at the Broad Street Station which is next to an abandoned recently demolished Westinghouse factory & across the street from the Lincoln Motel which is not a place anyone coudl consider safe.

Could the area be described as "bucolic"? No, of course not. But in the absence of crime statistics or personal experience, perceptions of "safety" are largely in the eye of the beholder. Admittedly Newark does not have a good reputation, to say the least, but you will be reasonably safe if you stay aware of your surroundings and confine yourself to those areas that are well-traveled.

Re. "run-down gas stations": Well, I'll admit, most gas stations in urban areas are not exactly beauty spots, and the ones near the Hampton Inn are no exceptions. But that in itself doesn't make them danger zones, does it?

I-280 is no great shakes, & I avoid driving on it at all costs; but again, it doesn't make the area any more dangerous than it would be otherwise.

You can walk to the Spanish Pavillion restaurant from the Hampton Inn. I'd estimate that it's no more than a five-minute walk, if that. The place was extremely popular for many years before its appearance on Kitchen Nightmares--not just with locals, but with out-of-towners as well.

I've been to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (diagonally across the river from the Hampton Inn) many times, and have even walked it to and from Broad Street Station. I wouldn't have any hesitation going to a game at Riverfront Stadium; in fact, I hope to do so one of these days. I also ride the Light Rail between Broad Street and Penn Stations.

Hmmm... I always feel much safer at Broad Street Station than I do in Penn Station. I've spent more time than I care to admit waiting for trains at both stations. Panhandlers are more prevalent at Penn than at Broad, but I've never felt threatened by them. I was once thoroughly entertained by a panhandler just outside Broad Street Station who told me he had just been released from prison and needed some money so he could meet his sister in New York.

There is always a visible police presence at Penn Station, and I believe there's a police sub-station inside Broad Street Station. (BTW, Broad Street Station recently underwent a major restoration.) At any given time, you'll encounter a number of suburban commuters at Broad Street station, as well as students from the nearby Newark branch of Rutgers University, in addition to railroad personnel.

The old Westinghouse factory next to Broad Street Station was a handsome period building, and I thought it would have made an ideal condo conversion. As I understand it, however, it had to be demolished because of asbestos levels.

BTW, the Lincoln Motel was demolished years ago. I agree, it appeared to be the quintessential no-tell motel, and had all the requisite elements of a den of vice & inequity. Since then, and since Riverside Stadium opened and the Newark Light Rail branch was extended to Broad Street station, the area has improved visibly.

Believe me, I'm not a cheerleader for Newark or Harrison. Newark is hardly my favorite place in the world. But I just wanted to share my honest perceptions of the area with candydane.

Just my two-cents' worth; as always, your mileage may vary.

I found all this information really interesting. I lived in Jersey City for five years and commuted through Newark Penn Station for a while. I lived in a nearby suburb when car jackings in Newark were a nightly event on the local news. Last year I actually drove to one of the Spanish restaurants near the station when I stayed at an EWR hotel. That doesn't make me an expert, but it does give me recent "out-of-towner" experience in the area as well as some historical perspective.

Having said all that, I have a problem recommending that folks from other parts of the country (the OP is from Oregon) arrive at Newark Airport and stay in what I would consider the "downtown Newark" area. If they do choose to stay there, then they should be well informed and prepared for what they will find.

I found all this information really interesting. I lived in Jersey City for five years and commuted through Newark Penn Station for a while. I lived in a nearby suburb when car jackings in Newark were a nightly event on the local news. They still happen, though not as frequently as in the past. Same with murders, although those usually take place in areas where a tourist would have no reason to go, and usually are drug-related or involve domestic disputes. My experience serving on a grand jury in Newark several years ago was a real eye-opener. Last year I actually drove to one of the Spanish restaurants near the station when I stayed at an EWR hotel. That doesn't make me an expert, but it does give me recent "out-of-towner" experience in the area as well as some historical perspective.

 

Having said all that, I have a problem recommending that folks from other parts of the country (the OP is from Oregon) arrive at Newark Airport and stay in what I would consider the "downtown Newark" area. If they do choose to stay there, then they should be well informed and prepared for what they will find. I agree!

Yes, I certainly wouldn't recommend walking around Newark at night (or even during the day) without knowing where you were and where you were going. I certainly don't think of myself as particularly brave, but I do make a conscious effort to be cautious and aware of my surroundings at all times.

But certain areas in Newark, including the section across the river from the Hampton Inn, have improved considerably in recent years. And the new condos and townhouses that have gone up in Harrison just in the last couple of years lead me to believe that there must be some improvement in that area as well.

I just took a look at the TripAdvisor reviews of the aforementioned Hampton Inn & Suites, and was quite surprised at how positive most of them were. (I assume they are genuine reviews written by actual guests, but who knows for sure?) It's up to the individual to decide if that's the best place for them to stay.

But yes, anyone who is considering staying in Newark, or any other urban area they're unfamiliar with, should be forearmed with as much knowledge as possible.

(A few years ago, I did some research on Baltimore and its hotels in preparation for first our overnight pre-cruise stay there, and what I read nearly frightened us out of our wits. I imagined we'd have to wear flack-jackets at all times, and that we'd have to barricade the hotel room door and sleep with one eye open. I had similar anxieties before my first trip to Barcelona; I feared that no matter how many precautions I took, the pickpockets would pick me clean before I could get to the cruise terminal. In both cases, as it turned out, we experienced no problems at all. But perhaps being prepared for the worst paid off.)