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CAPE LIBERTY 411 - Version 3!

megr1125

By megr1125,
in East Coast Departures

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miki76

miki76

Posted
Posted
For one night with no New York sightseeing, staying at the airport is the easiest for your diverse group arriving by plane and car from different places. What is your budget? What are your meal requirements? What is your exact date?

 

Newark airport is on the NJ Turnpike accessible from exits 14 and 13A and I78. If folks are coming in I80 they can pick up the NJ Turnpike at exit 18 and go to exit 14. The NJ Turnpike extension eastbound starts at exit 14 and the first eastbound exit is Bayonne at exit 14A.

 

Directions from NJ Turnpike Exit 14A into Cape Liberty

 

Please print out my directions. Others have followed them successfully. The signage is poor. When you come through the toll plaza 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 notoriously bad in this area. 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 abl

 

We will all be arriving May 2nd, so we have time but I would like to secure rooms early. Dinner would probably be the only meal we need if there is breakfast at the hotel.

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rakes5

rakes5

Posted
Posted

We are taking the Quantum on December 1, 2014. We are planning on staying a few days pre-cruise in the airport area, because it is more affordable, and a few days post-cruise in the Times Square area. We have never been to New York before. I have a few questions about the pre and post cruise hotels.

 

First pre-cruise… Post-cruise in a future post.

 

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, I booked airfare back in June, and didn’t really want to travel on the busy Thanksgiving Sunday Nov 30th. So I checked on the 29th, and the airfares on Southwest were about $100 less per person. We have a family member that works for Marriott, so I checked the MMP rate, and found four Marriott hotels near the airport for $85-$99 per night. So I booked the air on Saturday, Nov. 29th. I originally booked the Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott, because it was right there, and I thought it would be the easiest to get to with our bags, and easiest to get to and from the Newark Airport Railroad Station.

 

We were planning on taking the PATH to the World Trade Center on Sunday. That was before I saw about the suspension on the weekends. After reading through this amazing thread, I just looked around Jersey City, but all of the hotels there are much higher now. So I checked with the NJ Transit site for alternate travel directions. I found the following directions for Sundays prior to Nov 9th. (Starting with the November 16th, I got an error message, but I think that is because it is so far out.

 

Depart : NEWARK AIRPORT RAILROAD STATION at 9:09 AM

Board : Train 8816 toward NEW YORK PENN STATION

Arrive : NEW YORK PENN STATION at 9:36 AM

 

Depart : 34 ST-PENN STATION at 9:45 AM

Board : Train/Subway A toward NYC subway A

Arrive : BROADWAY-NASSAU ST at 9:56 AM

 

Walk 0.11 mile NW to World Trade Center

 

So… if I stay by the airport, do these directions look correct and easy to do? As a point of reference, I commuted 35 miles every day for 33 years into Chicago on public transportation, so an hour train ride on the weekend doesn’t bother me. But, Chicago isn’t New York. I put in 9:00 to get a time estimate.

 

As I mentioned, I already booked the Airport Marriott, but because of another recent stay, I earned a free night for a Category 5 or below. I looked at Marriott hotels near the airport and found these three for around $100 with taxes, for the extra night (all cancelable). The Airport Marriott is a Category 6.

 

SpringHill Suites Newark Liberty International Airport (has free breakfast),

Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport,

Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel

We’ll probably take a car service to the Port on Monday, and I don’t think the hotel choice would affect that, RIGHT?. So… I’m looking for something that is easy to get back and forth to the Newark Airport Railroad Station. Since the hotels all offer airport shuttles, I wouldn’t think that would be a problem. What do you think of these four hotels? Springhill looks promising because of the free breakfast. Should I switch, or, should I just stick with the Airport Marriott, and save the free night?

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138east

138east

Posted
Posted
We are taking the Quantum on December 1, 2014. We are planning on staying a few days pre-cruise in the airport area, because it is more affordable, and a few days post-cruise in the Times Square area. We have never been to New York before. I have a few questions about the pre and post cruise hotels.

 

First pre-cruise… Post-cruise in a future post.

 

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, I booked airfare back in June, and didn’t really want to travel on the busy Thanksgiving Sunday Nov 30th. So I checked on the 29th, and the airfares on Southwest were about $100 less per person. We have a family member that works for Marriott, so I checked the MMP rate, and found four Marriott hotels near the airport for $85-$99 per night. So I booked the air on Saturday, Nov. 29th. I originally booked the Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott, because it was right there, and I thought it would be the easiest to get to with our bags, and easiest to get to and from the Newark Airport Railroad Station.

 

We were planning on taking the PATH to the World Trade Center on Sunday. That was before I saw about the suspension on the weekends. After reading through this amazing thread, I just looked around Jersey City, but all of the hotels there are much higher now. So I checked with the NJ Transit site for alternate travel directions. I found the following directions for Sundays prior to Nov 9th. (Starting with the November 16th, I got an error message, but I think that is because it is so far out.

 

Depart : NEWARK AIRPORT RAILROAD STATION at 9:09 AM

Board : Train 8816 toward NEW YORK PENN STATION

Arrive : NEW YORK PENN STATION at 9:36 AM

 

Depart : 34 ST-PENN STATION at 9:45 AM

Board : Train/Subway A toward NYC subway

Arrive : BROADWAY-NASSAU ST at 9:56 AM

 

Walk 0.11 mile NW to World Trade Center

 

So… if I stay by the airport, do these directions look correct and easy to do? As a point of reference, I commuted 35 miles every day for 33 years into Chicago on public transportation, so an hour train ride on the weekend doesn’t bother me. But, Chicago isn’t New York. I put in 9:00 to get a time estimate.

 

As I mentioned, I already booked the Airport Marriott, but because of another recent stay, I earned a free night for a Category 5 or below. I looked at Marriott hotels near the airport and found these three for around $100 with taxes, for the extra night (all cancelable). The Airport Marriott is a Category 6.

 

SpringHill Suites Newark Liberty International Airport (has free breakfast),

Courtyard Newark Liberty Internat

 

Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel

We’ll probably take a car service to the Port on Monday, and I don’t think the hotel choice would affect that, RIGHT?. So… I’m looking for something that is easy to get back and forth to the Newark Airport Railroad Station. Since the hotels all offer airport shuttles, I wouldn’t think that would be a problem. What do you think of these four hotels? Springhill looks promising because of the free breakfast. Should I switch, or, should I just stick with the Airport Marriott, and save the free night?

 

Let's see if I can answer all your questions.

 

All the Marriott properties at the airport are fine - we recommend them all the time. Folks seem to like Springhill Suites a lot and they do offer breakfast. The main Marriott is right in the middle of the airport, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a lot easier to get to the airport train station. Regardless of what hotel you stay in, you have to take the hotel shuttle to the P4 Airtrain station and the Airtrain to the Airport train station. You might save a few minutes by staying at the Marriott, but the other properties would be fine as well. The Mariottt is a full service hotel. Springhill Suites is not - you would have to walk over to the Courtyard to get food other than breakfast.

 

If you take the train to NY Penn Station, you want to take the 8th Ave subway downtown. IMO the E train (8th Ave local) is best because it ends at the World Trade Center. The A train (express) will leave you in the very large and confusing Fulton St/Broadway Nassau and you are going to have to wander back to the WTC, which will waste any time you save by taking the express.

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eots44

eots44

Posted
Posted (edited)

I was on the Explorer of the Seas July 12th, and I know it will be leaving for Florida in a few months, then Cape Liberty will be getting Quantum of the Seas but I hear that's only until summer 2015 when it will be relocated to her new homeport. After that, will there be a Royal Caribbean ship that permanently docks there year round as Explorer did for many years? Will Explorer be coming back (I hope)? I really enjoyed my cruise on my favorite ship Explorer, and wished I had gone sooner so I could have gone on her many more times. I think it would be really nice if it got a Freedom Class ship soon, or maybe another Voyager Class one.

Edited by eots44
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CruisingChick

CruisingChick

Posted
Posted (edited)
I was on the Explorer of the Seas July 12th, and I know it will be leaving for Florida in a few months, then Cape Liberty will be getting Quantum of the Seas but I hear that's only until summer 2015 when it will be relocated to her new homeport. After that, will there be a Royal Caribbean ship that permanently docks there year round as Explorer did for many years? Will Explorer be coming back (I hope)? I really enjoyed my cruise on my favorite ship Explorer, and wished I had gone sooner so I could have gone on her many more times. I think it would be really nice if it got a Freedom Class ship soon, or maybe another Voyager Class one.

 

Liberty of the Seas will be sailing out of Bayonne after Quantum leaves and up until Anthem arrives and then after that I'm not sure. At least I think Anthem is coming to Bayonne, but I know for a fact Liberty will be sailing because I am booked on her October 2015.

Edited by CruisingChick
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eots44

eots44

Posted
Posted
Liberty of the Seas will be sailing out of Bayonne after Quantum leaves and up until Anthem arrives and then after that I'm not sure. At least I think Anthem is coming to Bayonne, but I know for a fact Liberty will be sailing because I am booked on her October 2015.
I just looked and it seems Serenade of the Seas and Legend of the Seas will be doing a couple out of Cape Liberty in fall 2015, and I looked at Liberty of the Seas cruises out of Cape Liberty, and it seems that it will be sailing the identical itineraries Explorer does now and has for the past few years. Hmmmm, I think I see a Liberty of the Seas cruise in my future next year hopefully! ;)
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Guest maddycat

Guest maddycat

Posted
Posted
Liberty of the Seas will be sailing out of Bayonne after Quantum leaves and up until Anthem arrives and then after that I'm not sure. At least I think Anthem is coming to Bayonne, but I know for a fact Liberty will be sailing because I am booked on her October 2015.

 

You're correct..........Liberty and then Anthem will be sailing out of Bayonne. We're book on both ships.

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Guest maddycat

Guest maddycat

Posted
Posted
We are booked on Liberty, not sure if we are going to try Quantum or Anthem. I wanted to but prices are high.

 

I booked both Quantum and Anthem as soon as bookings opened for C&A members. Since then, our D8 balcony cabin on Quantum (12 night southern caribbean) has doubled in price. The price of the Anthem (10night eastern caribbean) cruise has only gone up $20 pp.

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rakes5

rakes5

Posted
Posted
Let's see if I can answer all your questions.

 

All the Marriott properties at the airport are fine - we recommend them all the time. Folks seem to like Springhill Suites a lot and they do offer breakfast. The main Marriott is right in the middle of the airport, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a lot easier to get to the airport train station. Regardless of what hotel you stay in, you have to take the hotel shuttle to the P4 Airtrain station and the Airtrain to the Airport train station. You might save a few minutes by staying at the Marriott, but the other properties would be fine as well. The Mariottt is a full service hotel. Springhill Suites is not - you would have to walk over to the Courtyard to get food other than breakfast.

 

If you take the train to NY Penn Station, you want to take the 8th Ave subway downtown. IMO the E train (8th Ave local) is best because it ends at the World Trade Center. The A train (express) will leave you in the very large and confusing Fulton St/Broadway Nassau and you are going to have to wander back to the WTC, which will waste any time you save by taking the express.

 

Thanks Carol. I decided to call Springhill in the morning before switching, to make sure they will pick me up and drop me off at the P4 location more than once. If they say they will, then I will probably switch.

 

And thanks for the E train advice. Than sounds like the better solution. I knew your advice would be better than the transit site. Their other alternative transportation was to take the PATH to the last stop, walk 12 blocks to the special ferry that is running on the weekend. Not sure I would want to do that in December.

 

 

One other Pre-Cruise question. Since the new Quantum technology announcement, I think I would like to get to the pier earlier than usual, if the weather allows it. I'll be pleasantly surprised if it only take 10 minutes to check in, as they are promoting. Do you think 10:30 is too early to arrive? If so, what time do you suggest I arrange with the car service to pick us up from Springhill?

 

Once again, Thank you. The information and advice on these 3 threads has been very helpful for a New York Newbie.

 

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138east

138east

Posted
Posted

I'd arrange for the car service at 10:00 am. You will arrive in the port area by 10:30, but I don't know how long it will take you to get to the actual drop off.

 

No one has any idea how smoothly Cape Liberty will operate with the Quantum. They might be touting 10 minute checkin, but honestly I don't think I've ever spend more than 10 minutes on the actual checkin anyway. The problems at Cape Liberty are:

 

1). Traffic backup on the access road to the drop off.

2). Security lines

3). Shuttle bus lines

 

The new terminal and parking are under construction and no one really knows if they will be up and running by the time the Quantum arrives in a little over 2 months. You're going to have to monitor this board for postings. I am doing the Explorer repo cruise Nov 1 so I will be able to see first hand what is going on. I'm not sailing the Quantum until January, so hopefully things will be in better shape then.

 

I'm not holding my breath on all this. As I said, I never found the checkin at CL to be the problem. I've waited in line on the access road. I've sat on an Academy bus waiting for a drop off slot. I've been in long security lines. By the time I got to checkin, there were no issues because the checkin process was working faster than the drop off and security process. The only times I've waited for a shuttle bus for boarding were the times I arrived before boarding even started.

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travelmom12

travelmom12

Posted
Posted

Hi all. We will be on a 2 week Summit cruise leaving 9/7/2014 and are making our transportation plans. Last year we drove from Long Island and parked for 7 nights at the pier. This year we are considering a private parking arrangement (Premier?) which is much cheaper. If people have used this, would love to hear about the convenience and security of the facility. Also, how secure is the pier parking? I am a little queasy about parking there for 2 weeks, especially in the fall when I feel there will be less activity there in general. If we do drive, are there bridge or road closures to be aware of? We remember horrible signage at the pier...

 

Would truthfully prefer a service like Academy Bus, but I don't see a Long Island route. Does anyone know of a service like this?

 

Another choice would be a private car service, but they seem to be very pricey, and we have bad memories from years ago when we booked a car service, but they would not dispatch the car until after we disembarked. We waited more than an hour at the Manhattan pier, then ended up taking someone else's limo that was stood up and vacant.

 

Thanks for your help.

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CruisingChick

CruisingChick

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hi all. We will be on a 2 week Summit cruise leaving 9/7/2014 and are making our transportation plans. Last year we drove from Long Island and parked for 7 nights at the pier. This year we are considering a private parking arrangement (Premier?) which is much cheaper. If people have used this, would love to hear about the convenience and security of the facility. Also, how secure is the pier parking? I am a little queasy about parking there for 2 weeks, especially in the fall when I feel there will be less activity there in general. If we do drive, are there bridge or road closures to be aware of? We remember horrible signage at the pier...

 

Would truthfully prefer a service like Academy Bus, but I don't see a Long Island route. Does anyone know of a service like this?

 

Another choice would be a private car service, but they seem to be very pricey, and we have bad memories from years ago when we booked a car service, but they would not dispatch the car until after we disembarked. We waited more than an hour at the Manhattan pier, then ended up taking someone else's limo that was stood up and vacant.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

We have done the 2 week Celebrity Canada/New England cruise 6 times with number 7 coming up on September 21st. We have always parked at the pier with absolutely no problems. There is plenty of activity going on as two ships are still going out of Bayonne (Explorer and Summit). The lots are fenced in and there is 24 hour Security.

 

I have not read many (if any) good reviews of the Premier Parking Lot. Seems it's part of an industrial complex with trucks going in and out of it.

 

Hopefully some one here has a more current update on it.

Edited by CruisingChick
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maxsales

maxsales

Posted
Posted

Looking for some local knowledge. We currently have two reservations for our one night pre cruise stay. We are sailing on the celebrity Summit 9/21/14, Sunday departure

 

The comfort suites which is less expensive and includes 14 night parking but does not include transfer to the ship.

 

The country inn @ suites is $60 more and includes 10 nights parking ( additional nights are $10 per night) but does include oneway shuttle to the ship.

 

I am wondering if anyone knows the cost if a shuttle or taxi to from the ship from these locations! On the surface it looks like the comfort suites is the better deal, opinions?

 

Also open to other hotel solutions that others have found that work better/ more economically then the two I mentioned.

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138east

138east

Posted
Posted

The location for Comfort Suites is very poor - it is in downtown Newark in an area that you might not feel comfortable with.

 

What is the price including tax for each of the reservations that you currently have?

 

If it were me, I would be staying at the Ramada Plaza through Trinityreservations.com for $187 tax included and round trip port shuttle transportation included. This is absolutely the best deal at Newark Airport.

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matcris77381

matcris77381

Posted
Posted

We (group of 14 adults + infant) just returned from our 8/24 Summit cruise to Bermuda (Port Can and Nassau, actually).

After contacting several recommended websites for transfers from hotel to pier/pier to airport with no response, I called Independent Driver (888-816-0973). I was quoted a very reasonable price for two vehicles and made a reservation.

I was a little concerned as I had no email confirmation, nothing to hold on to.

But it worked out great. Our driver (Abdul) called my cell the day before the cruise, and verified our pickup time, location, and that we would have plenty of room for all of us and our luggage.

Abdul (very nice, polite, helpful guy) and his partner called again a few moments before arriving and picked us up on time, in two comfy clean vehicles.

Abdul and I verified a time for our disembarkation pickup before they left.

When we all were able to get off the ship and through customs earlier than scheduled, I called sent a text to Abdul and he quickly responded. They were at the pier within 15 mins to get us, well before our scheduled pickup time.

Thanks to all who have recommended this group. It wasn't a limo, but it was a nice, comfortable drive with two very professional drivers.

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