CAPE LIBERTY 411 - Version 3!

[gardenddd]

Give us more details. What date are you arriving? What are you paying for the Wyndham with 21 days parking? What are you paying for Supershuttle to take 10 people from EWR to Cape Liberty?

 

Are you just two people with the other eight folks flying in the morning of the cruise? What time is the flight(s) supposed to arrive? What is your plan if a flight is late?

 

We are arriving in Newark on Sept. 7th. Our hotel with 21 days of parking is $202. We made our reservations with stay123 .Our family arrives on Sept. 8th at 11:25 from Toronto.(90 Min. flight) We are paying $152 for 10 people and have a Exclusive Van booked. Thank you for getting back to me.

[138east]

I think you'll be fine at the Wyndham. It's not our first pick - Meg knows more about it but she hasn't been posting. I don't think there have been any security issues with the hotel or the parking. I think it's just a combination of the location at the airport plus the property being average. I know I've spoken to folks on cruises who have stayed there with no complaints.

 

I don't know anything about super shuttle except that generally it's not recommended for individual trips in the NY area. However, you're a group. I would be in contact with them to reconfirm. You can monitor the status of the Toronto flight, so if necessary you can communicate with Supershuttle.

[Bandgk]

Went through about half the pages and can't find mention of how early I can schedule a flight out of EWR after the cruise. RCI says for their $28 transfers to the airport, they won't allow any people with flights before 2PM!

 

If I disembarked at 8AM, do I need 1 hour for Customs, 3 hours for the 10 mile trip to arrive 2 hours before my flight? Is there an exceptionally long process to get through Customs? Is traffic that bad?

 

Forget those other questions. What is the earliest time I can comfortably expect to make a flight out of EWR after a cruise on the Explorer?

[Lois R]

Went through about half the pages and can't find mention of how early I can schedule a flight out of EWR after the cruise. RCI says for their $28 transfers to the airport, they won't allow any people with flights before 2PM!

 

If I disembarked at 8AM, do I need 1 hour for Customs, 3 hours for the 10 mile trip to arrive 2 hours before my flight? Is there an exceptionally long process to get through Customs? Is traffic that bad?

 

Forget those other questions. What is the earliest time I can comfortably expect to make a flight out of EWR after a cruise on the Explorer?

 

Hi, I have a noon flight home. It does not take that long to get

from the port to Newark airport....instead of doing the cruiseline

transfer there are vans and taxis at the port.....just go with them.

[Bandgk]

Hi, I have a noon flight home. It does not take that long to get

from the port to Newark airport....instead of doing the cruiseline

transfer there are vans and taxis at the port.....just go with them.

 

Hi, and thanks for the reply. Don't plan to use RC's transfer, but got kinda scared that they won't transport folks with a flight prior to 2:00. Thought maybe this port had minimal customs facilities, or maybe the road to EWR was a parking lot.

 

If anyone has experience, I'd appreciate an opinion on whether arriving at the airport by 10:00 for a 11:30 flight is cutting it too close.

[138east]

Sign up for self disembarkation so you can just take your bags and get off.

 

I think RCL says 2 pm to cover themselves. They probably try to collect a big bus of folks to go to the airport. I take a bus to Mass, and we are told to be at the bus by 10 am. On one trip there were only about 15 people, but the airheads that were clueless getting on the bus in Hartford were the same airheads who leisurely wandered off the ship late making everyone else wait an extra half hour. So it sounds like the transfers allow for the "airhead" factor and any traffic issues plus going around the airport to each terminal, so a 2 pm flight sounds reasonable.

Edited August 3, 2013 by 138east

[Clarea]

Hi, and thanks for the reply. Don't plan to use RC's transfer, but got kinda scared that they won't transport folks with a flight prior to 2:00. Thought maybe this port had minimal customs facilities, or maybe the road to EWR was a parking lot.

 

If anyone has experience, I'd appreciate an opinion on whether arriving at the airport by 10:00 for a 11:30 flight is cutting it too close.

That's about the minimum amount of time I would allow.

[CruisingChick]

Anyone driving to Cape Liberty using GWB please take note of construction work on the bridge and delays.

 

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/us/article/Big-delays-ahead-on-NY-bridge-1-of-busiest-in-US-4702677.php

[138east]

So it sounds like taking the Henry Hudson parkway south to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal and then continuing south on 12th Ave/West St to the Holland Tunnel may save you time, mileage, and toll money and avoid this new New York traffic mess.

[BTSEN5]

I am looking at a cruise out of Bayonne for December of this year. We are driving up from Virginia a day or two before and would like to take a train into Manhattan. What area would be the best and most convenient place to stay? Thanks so much!

[138east]

What exact dates are you looking at? What is your hotel budget? Are you parking at the port for $19/day or are you looking for a park/sleep?

 

If you stay at an airport hotel, it will take you about an hour to get into Manhattan by train and cost $12.50/pp each way. It all depends on how you want to balance, time, money, and stress.

[BTSEN5]

What exact dates are you looking at? What is your hotel budget? Are you parking at the port for $19/day or are you looking for a park/sleep?

 

If you stay at an airport hotel, it will take you about an hour to get into Manhattan by train and cost $12.50/pp each way. It all depends on how you want to balance, time, money, and stress.

 

Thanks. Sorry I was not more specific. :) We are looking at the 21st of December. We would definitely park at the port. We did that last time and it was so convenient and easy.

 

I was wondering if there was a place away from the airport. I don't really have a specific budget as I am not sure what the prices for hotel stays are like in the area. I would love a hotel that has a breakfast included. There will be four of us traveling together, so the closer we can get to Manhattan on the Jersey side, the better. It would be nice to have walkable access to a train to Manhattan area also.

 

Thanks so much for your help. I am trying to find time to peruse the boards a bit in order to gain more knowledge about the area.

[Post Captain]

Thanks. Sorry I was not more specific. :) We are looking at the 21st of December. We would definitely park at the port. We did that last time and it was so convenient and easy.

 

I was wondering if there was a place away from the airport. I don't really have a specific budget as I am not sure what the prices for hotel stays are like in the area. I would love a hotel that has a breakfast included. There will be four of us traveling together, so the closer we can get to Manhattan on the Jersey side, the better. It would be nice to have walkable access to a train to Manhattan area also.

 

Thanks so much for your help. I am trying to find time to peruse the boards a bit in order to gain more knowledge about the area.

 

BTSEN5 ~

 

The following discussion thread is well-nigh definitive in terms of the information it gives about the hotels in Jersey City, directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1853920

[Newbcruiser1]

Just wanted to get some advice from the experts! :)

 

We have the Country Inn tentatively booked for 1 night pre Explorer on Dec 11th. The cost is about $160 including tax for a 1 bedroom suite (about the same price as a standard 2-queen room). We don't need parking as we are flying and won't have a car. Is this a decent price, or should we be able to do better? Is there somewhere else we should look at staying that perhaps includes both airport and cruise shuttles and is still nearby restaurants or other entertainment?

 

Thanks in advance!!!

[BTSEN5]

BTSEN5 ~

 

The following discussion thread is well-nigh definitive in terms of the information it gives about the hotels in Jersey City, directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1853920

 

Thank you so much!

[138east]

Just wanted to get some advice from the experts! :)

 

We have the Country Inn tentatively booked for 1 night pre Explorer on Dec 11th. The cost is about $160 including tax for a 1 bedroom suite (about the same price as a standard 2-queen room). We don't need parking as we are flying and won't have a car. Is this a decent price, or should we be able to do better? Is there somewhere else we should look at staying that perhaps includes both airport and cruise shuttles and is still nearby restaurants or other entertainment?

 

Thanks in advance!!!

 

Both restaurants and entertainment are scarce at the Newark Airport hotels. The only place that has any restaurants is right where you are booked on Glimcher Realty Way. Many hotels are like Country Inns - free breakfast but no restaurant. If the hotel does have a restaurant, you are usually a captive because there are no easily accessible alternatives - take out menus are big in these hotels.

 

How are you getting to the port? What is included in the $160 price?

[Newbcruiser1]

I figured that about the area which is why we booked there, being across from the outlet mall which has restaurants, food court, etc.

 

The $160 price ($135 plus tax) is the 1

Bedroom suite for 3 people, free breakfast, and free airport shuttle. It still seemed to be the cheapest in the area (the others were around $200 with tax), although I only thoroughly checked the hotels in that complex because of the nearby outlet mall for killing time in the afternoon/evening.

 

Any idea if there is a pharmacy or supermarket or anything around the hotel to pick up some soda pre-cruise? Or directly on the way to the port that a taxi would be able to stop at?

 

If there are other hotels we should be looking into that might have much better rates, please let me know... We'll likely have a good half day to kill so would rather not be stranded in the hotel room all day eating room service! ;)

[138east]

Well, the hotel doesn't have a restaurant, so you won't have room service. Getting sodas is a problem - no one has found any place in the area for travelers without cars to buy sodas from a market and there are no pharmacies. There is a Stop and Shop near the port, but quite frankly you will pay a premium in extra cab fare to do that. When you figure out the cost, you are probably better just buying from vending machines.

 

Don't forget that the Jersey Gardens Mall has a movie theater. There is also bus service into New York. It's not very frequent, but you could do that if you were prepared to deal with a limited schedule.

[Newbcruiser1]

Sorry for the confusion - I know Country Inn doesn't have a restaurant, but with the breakfast area, that's not an issue for us. I meant being trapped in the hotel eating room service if we stayed elsewhere that actually had a restaurant but nowhere to go nearby! :)

 

If we stick with Country Inn (is that a good price for the area?), we'll likely arrive mid-afternoon and head over to the mall to do either some shopping or a movie and dinner. At least we won't be stranded in the hotel there! Haha!

 

Any idea on the cost of a taxi from there to the port? There are 3 of us so it might work out the same as the shuttle, and more convenient? That's too bad about the lack of nearby or on-the-way stores to buy soda! We might just splurge and buy the package on the ship then (unless we buy individual bottles at the hotel and completely clear their supply out! Haha!)

[138east]

With three people the cost of a cab versus the hotel shuttle is pretty much a wash. However, what the hotel does is to figure out how many people are going to Cape Liberty and book the appropriate sized transportation to accommodate those folks. I think they go to the port around noon.

 

So if you want to get there early, book your own transportation ahead of time with a car service. Coming back there will be shared shuttles for $16/pp going to the airport.

[Newbcruiser1]

138East, thanks for your help! One last thing - any advantage to using a pre-booked car service versus a taxi that we can have the hotel call when we're ready?

[138east]

You get to pick the time. You get a fixed quote and toll estimate. You figure the tip and you know your fixed price.

 

There's a ton of transportation at the airport, but it's not like NYC where the doorman just whistles for a cab. The hotel can call a taxi, but you don't know what they might charge (no meters for this trip) or whether they can come in five minutes or an hour.

[Newbcruiser1]

Really, no meters for that run?! Very odd... Any idea why not?

 

Which car services are recommended?

[138east]

Unlike New York which is one enormous city with five boroughs and a regulated taxi system for the entire city, the New Jersey area near NYC is a series of independent towns and cities with their own taxis and local regulations. From Newark airport you will be traveling either from Newark or Elizabeth to Bayonne, so there are essentially no taxi regulations and fares are quoted by the trip. You could get a good quote or you could get an outrageous quote when you call for a cab in the land of what's happening now. Prearranging will be more satisfying.

 

For car services look at Black Executive, Dial7, or Carmel limo.

Edited August 8, 2013 by 138east

[UTgws]

Getting ready for the Explorer voyage Oct 27 and starting formulate plans on travel from DFW to probably EWR. Currently it is just SWMBO and myself, but very likely will have another couple joining us. As we discuss options, one idea came up to fly in on say Friday, rent a car and go to Atlantic City, then return the car to the airport Sunday morning and acquire transportation to the port. I have not seen that scenario presented anywhere in this mega resource of info thread, can the resident experts weigh in on this and possibly the best way to run this side trip?

 

Thanks,

Gary