CAPE LIBERTY 411 - Version 3!

[njhorseman]

Hi Meg,

 

You may remember us from the Explorer....the piano cruise! How are you doing? Carol keeps me posted on our CC Friends!

 

Friends we met on a Baltic Cruise are sailing on the Eclipse from Southampton on November 9th. They have an overnight in Cape Liberty on November 16-17th. They were under the impression that they could get a subway from Cape Liberty to Manhattan! We have suggested that they take an excursion to Manhattan .... The one that allows them the freedom to plan their own day in the city!

 

I am wondering if you have any transportation suggestions if they don't want to take the excursion. We were hoping to meet them in Manhattan.

 

Another idea, we could pick them up in our car on Monday and take them out to lunch somewhere....but where? We are not familiar with NJ! Or should they just take the excursion. They were hoping to go to the theatre on Sunday for a Matinee so Monday would be the day for us to meet them. If you remember we would be driving over from Long Island. Lunch in NJ is not quite the same as a day in NYC!

 

Thanks,

Diane

 

I'm not Meg (obviously!), but I can help .

 

According to the port schedule, the Eclipse is scheduled to dock in Manhattan, not Cape Liberty.

[irismike]

130 east: Do u know if the new terminal has been built? is there any construction that will prevent us from getting to the pier/ can you repost your directions? Thanks.

[irismike]

we are coming from Upstate NY and planning to take the Jersey turnpike. Thanks again.

[njhorseman]

130 east: Do u know if the new terminal has been built? is there any construction that will prevent us from getting to the pier/ can you repost your directions? Thanks.

 

we are coming from Upstate NY and planning to take the Jersey turnpike. Thanks again.

 

Carol (138east) is on the Explorer's repositioning cruise, so I'll fill in.

 

There's nothing I'm aware of that should significantly affect your drive. The new terminal is supposed to open the day the Quantum arrives, but don't be surprised by work still going on in the port...for example on the parking garage and general site work.

 

Here are Carol's directions for getting to the port from NJ Turnpike Exit 14A. I assume you know how to get to 14A from your home or other departure point.

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 able to see the ship and you just follow the crowd about 2 miles out to the ship.

Edited November 8, 2014 by njhorseman

[DianeMMHH]

I'm not Meg (obviously!), but I can help .

According to the port schedule, the Eclipse is scheduled to dock in Manhattan, not Cape Liberty.

 

Hi, nj horseman,

 

Thank you so much.....my friends did not know where they were docking and I assumed it was Cape Liberty. Now, they are confused......but, it is great news for everyone! Thank you again!

 

Diane

[njhorseman]

Hi, nj horseman,

 

Thank you so much.....my friends did not know where they were docking and I assumed it was Cape Liberty. Now, they are confused......but, it is great news for everyone! Thank you again!

 

Diane

 

As a general rule (and that means I can't guarantee there's never been an exception), Cape Liberty is used as an initial embarkation or final disembarkation port, but not as a port of call.

[Post Captain]

Hi, nj horseman,

 

Thank you so much.....my friends did not know where they were docking and I assumed it was Cape Liberty. Now, they are confused......but, it is great news for everyone! Thank you again!

 

Diane

Yes, Celebrity generally uses the Bayonne terminal as its home port for the Summit's cruises out of the NY metropolitan area. But, as nj horseman points out, on this occasion the Eclipse will be docking at one of the piers on the Upper West Side, as confirmed here:

 

http://worldshipny.com/port_sched_2014.shtml

 

(Scroll down to November 16/17.)

 

As this is an overnight visit, berthing in Manhattan will certainly make it much easier for her passengers to enjoy the delights of the Big Apple than if she were docked at Bayonne.* And much easier for you to meet up with your friends!:)

 

*(I imagine Celebrity would have had a mutiny on its hands if they had decided to dock at Bayonne for an overnight. 2,800 cruise passengers trying to make their way back and forth between Bayonne and Manhattan would not be a pleasant sight.:eek::D)

[jaimevoyager]

Dear 138east,

I have been reading your helpful budget information to people for months. I'm hoping you would be kind enough to help me through some logistics for a June 2015 cruise on the Liberty of the seas. I'm a private school teacher and saving as much money as possible is the only way I can travel. A good friend at my school has offered to use points to allow me to stay at the Hilton in Seacaucus. From what I researched, could you please share advice on my thinking?

1 We're flying into LaGuardia. We will take the shuttle bus to the Jackson Hts station and work our way to the Time Square area where we will pick up bus 190 to the Patterson stop very close to the hotel.

2 We will use the 190 to get back and forth to do New York for two days.

3 The day of the cruise, we will board the 190 to the Rutherford rail station, work our way to Hoboken and then take the PATH down to 34th Street for a cab to C ape Liberty.

Any counsel you wish to share would be so appreciated.

Thank you,

Donna

[138east]

Dear 138east,

I have been reading your helpful budget information to people for months. I'm hoping you would be kind enough to help me through some logistics for a June 2015 cruise on the Liberty of the seas. I'm a private school teacher and saving as much money as possible is the only way I can travel. A good friend at my school has offered to use points to allow me to stay at the Hilton in Seacaucus. From what I researched, could you please share advice on my thinking?

1 We're flying into LaGuardia. We will take the shuttle bus to the Jackson Hts station and work our way to the Time Square area where we will pick up bus 190 to the Patterson stop very close to the hotel.

2 We will use the 190 to get back and forth to do New York for two days.

3 The day of the cruise, we will board the 190 to the Rutherford rail station, work our way to Hoboken and then take the PATH down to 34th Street for a cab to C ape Liberty.

Any counsel you wish to share would be so appreciated.

Thank you,

Donna

 

Wow! You are adventuresome. Let's take this step by step. My first question is whether you have committed to the Hilton Garden in Secaucus. If not, what is your exact date and what is the cost in Hilton Honors points?

 

The other thing I would suggest is that you start a new thread about bus transportation to NYC from the Secaucus Hilton Garden. I'm not familiar with that area and I'd like you to get opinions about walking from the bus stop to the hotel across Patterson Plank Road and through a shopping center parking lot.

[jaimevoyager]

Wow! You are adventuresome. Let's take this step by step. My first question is whether you have committed to the Hilton Garden in Secaucus. If not, what is your exact date and what is the cost in Hilton Honors points?

 

 

 

The other thing I would suggest is that you start a new thread about bus transportation to NYC from the Secaucus Hilton Garden. I'm not familiar with that area and I'd like you to get opinions about walking from the bus stop to the hotel across Patterson Plank Road and through a shopping center parking lot.

 

 

At present, my friend has not committed with her points. Unfortunately, she is doing the booking and I don't know how many points are required. We are looking at 6/1 to 6/4.

 

As for the bus 190, I have seen in reviews that it is only few minutes walk from the hotel to the bus stop. Hmmm, again I'm not sure of the accuracy of the reviews.

Thank you for your help!

[138east]

Your basic plan is sound, but it will be time consuming. I still think you should post a new thread to get the New Yorkers opinion about going from La Guardia to Port Authority. I know you can do it by public transit, but......the airporter bus is only $13 from LGA to Port Authority. That could be money well spent to avoid dealing with the subway and luggage. When I did MetroNorth, subway, PATH, and light rail to Cape Liberty, the subway was the worst.

 

Here are the pros for your plan.

1). Bus service on the 190 is about every 20 minutes both ways. Ride to NY is short if the Lincoln tunnel is not backed up.

2). Rutherford Station is marked as being accessible.

3). Hoboken is accessible for both the train and light rail.

4). Bayonne light rail is accessible.

 

The only potential cons I can identify are the subway leg and the possibility you may have to stand on the bus.

 

 

Bayonne City Yellow Cab

201-339-5000

[138east]

More ideas. I know you want to keep costs down, but you should also price the following options. Dealing with the NY metro area involves balancing time, money, and stress. You don't have to hop in a cab or use a car service to go everywhere, but you have to be realistic and selective about your public transit options with luggage. Paying for a short cab ride can save you a lot of aggravation.

 

1). Take the LGA airporter to Penn Station ($13). Train to Secaucus Junction is $4. Call Secaucus Taxi for a rate from the Station to your hotel (best guess is about $10)

 

Instead of going to Rutherford, you can take a cab to Secaucus Junction and pick up the train to Hoboken for $2.75. This is could be very competitive with the cost of taking the bus to Rutherford and the train back to Hoboken from there.

 

NJ Transit buses are not known for their luggage friendliness.

Edited November 18, 2014 by 138east

[internetwhiz]

Your basic plan is sound, but it will be time consuming. I still think you should post a new thread to get the New Yorkers opinion about going from La Guardia to Port Authority. I know you can do it by public transit, but......the airporter bus is only $13 from LGA to Port Authority. That could be money well spent to avoid dealing with the subway and luggage. When I did MetroNorth, subway, PATH, and light rail to Cape Liberty, the subway was the worst.

 

 

 

Here are the pros for your plan.

 

1). Bus service on the 190 is about every 20 minutes both ways. Ride to NY is short if the Lincoln tunnel is not backed up.

 

2). Rutherford Station is marked as being accessible.

 

3). Hoboken is accessible for both the train and light rail.

 

4). Bayonne light rail is accessible.

 

 

 

The only potential cons I can identify are the subway leg and the possibility you may have to stand on the bus.

 

 

 

 

 

Bayonne City Yellow Cab

 

201-339-5000

 

 

We plan to go from LGA to Port Authority on the air porter! From there it's two blocks to our hotel!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jaimevoyager]

More ideas. I know you want to keep costs down, but you should also price the following options. Dealing with the NY metro area involves balancing time, money, and stress. You don't have to hop in a cab or use a car service to go everywhere, but you have to be realistic and selective about your public transit options with luggage. Paying for a short cab ride can save you a lot of aggravation.

 

1). Take the LGA airporter to Penn Station ($13). Train to Secaucus Junction is $4. Call Secaucus Taxi for a rate from the Station to your hotel (best guess is about $10)

 

Instead of going to Rutherford, you can take a cab to Secaucus Junction and pick up the train to Hoboken for $2.75. This is could be very competitive with the cost of taking the bus to Rutherford and the train back to Hoboken from there.

 

NJ Transit buses are not known for their luggage friendliness.

 

 

Thank you so much for all of the information. I had never even heard of airporter until you mentioned it. I will research it as it sounds like a wonderful option. Also, the taxi sounds very reasonable. I can't tell you how much appreciate all of your advice. I guess I was working off the idea of bus and subway travel in Europe. As soon as I firm up the hotel, I will start a thread about the bus 190 back and forth to New York.

 

Many thanks again,

 

Donna

[138east]

I was in Europe three times this past year and used public transit as much as possible, but it was not foolproof. Every once and a while I would run into a glitch and have to hump my luggage up or down stairs or up onto a train. These things happen even with the best planning.

 

If you decide to take luggage on the 190 bus, I would research it as much as possible to find out if it is at all luggage friendly. These buses could have virtually no luggage storage other than a small overhead rack. They might not be designed to carry larger pieces of luggage at all - i.e. Narrow aisles with no open space to stand a bag.

[fred30]

We will be going on the QOS this Sunday and I wanted to check if anyone knows if there is any planned construction or issues. I have my choice of shooting up 202 to 78 or or coming across from the PA turnpike to NJ turnpike. I have done both in the past and they are about the same time and mileage when traffic is moving.

[irismike]

does anybody know if the parking rate has been increased from $19. Thanks.

[138east]

No one has yet reported a parking rate increase.

[rakes5]

We are on the Dec 1, 2014 Quantum, and staying for a few days post cruise in the Times Square Area.

 

The Quantum gets back on Friday Dec 12.

 

I am about to call for a car service (Dial7). I have never called to arrange car service after a cruise. I'm sure I will have to give an estimated time, and they will probably charge for waiting time (do they?). While I know we don't have a lot of flexibility, I know we should be able to wait onboard a bit before disembarking. We don't have a flight to make, so we don't have to rush off. Is it better to wait until after a certain time, or is anytime in the morning going to be just as congested? With the assigned boarding times starting around 10:30, I wonder what the latest disembarking time will be. 8:30-9:00?

 

So... any suggestions on what time to tell the car service to pick us up?

 

or

 

Are there enough individuals using the car services, that we can simply text or call when we are off?

 

While I'm sure the car service can tell us, I just thought it would be better to be a little educated before calling.

 

Thanks

Edited November 20, 2014 by rakes5

[138east]

If you don't want to arrange a car service, you can just go to the taxi dispatcher at Cape Liberty when you disembark and get private transportation to Manhattan. The taxi dispatcher should quote you a fixed price plus tolls which would be competitive with any prearranged car service price.

[ChoosinCruisin]

Just found out I'll be on the Quantum for the January 3 sailing. YAY! It's been years since I've sailed out of Cape Liberty; can anyone put in a nutshell the outline for getting from whatever hotel Priceline picks for me (and what area to choose) and if I can just grab a cab back to EWR?

 

Thanks much fellow sailors. Too soon to pack?

[uncleboo]

hi all

i live in south jersey. it seems it is easier and less expensive to go to nyc and take a cab to manhattan

 

i think $19 a day is high to park a car.

seems like they need a shuttle to cape liberty from newark airport thta charges reasonable rates

 

also i do not understand why you can not rent a car and drop it off

 

does anyone have any ideas?

going on a 10 day cruise is $190.

 

would prefer to use that $ on other expenses

 

thanks all

[138east]

Just found out I'll be on the Quantum for the January 3 sailing. YAY! It's been years since I've sailed out of Cape Liberty; can anyone put in a nutshell the outline for getting from whatever hotel Priceline picks for me (and what area to choose) and if I can just grab a cab back to EWR?

 

Thanks much fellow sailors. Too soon to pack?

 

IMO you need to be selective about your Newark Airport hotel. I'm seeing some good prices for Jan 2 on Hotwire for their named standard rate hotels. The Renaissance is $109 plus tax, the Ramada Plaza is $80 plus tax, the main Marriott is $119, Hampton Inn is $84, the Courtyard Elizabeth is $111, and Springhill Suites is $105. Please look at these options before you pick a random Priceline or Hotwire hotel.

 

You have to pay attention to the hotel amenities at EWR. Hotels offering free breakfast usually don't have any other food service. Once you're at your hotel there is no place to walk to except maybe a neighboring hotel. From the above list only the Courtyard Elizabeth has other options. It is on Glimcher Realty Way next to the Jersey Gardens Mall. Food options include Ruby Tuesdays, IHOP, Appleby's, and the mall food court. The Renaissance, the Ramada, and the Marriott are full service hotels. Hampton Inn and Springhill,Suites offer free breakfast but no food service.

 

You can get a car or a shuttle from Cape Liberty back to EWR.

[138east]

hi all

i live in south jersey. it seems it is easier and less expensive to go to nyc and take a cab to manhattan

 

i think $19 a day is high to park a car.

seems like they need a shuttle to cape liberty from newark airport thta charges reasonable rates

 

also i do not understand why you can not rent a car and drop it off

 

does anyone have any ideas?

going on a 10 day cruise is $190.

 

would prefer to use that $ on other expenses

 

thanks all

 

Where do you live in South Jersey?

 

Unfortunately $19/day is actually reasonable for parking in the area. There are few services in Bayonne. Only Enterprise rental car has an office in Bayonne. There are no hotels. The pier is two miles out on a secured peninsula accessible only by car or cab/car service. There are shuttles from the port to EWR for $16/pp, but no reasonable shuttles to the port.

 

If you can get to Manhattan there is a public transit option to the port. You take PATH from Herald Square (33rd & 6th near Macy's and Penn Station) to Hoboken for $2.75. You transfer to the light rail in Hoboken to go to 34th St in Bayonne for $2.10. Then you call Bayonne Taxi for a ride into the port for $10-12.

 

I am on a 10 day cruise in Jan and am taking the train down the night before, staying in a Newark hotel, and taking PATH from Newark Penn Station to Exchange Place to pick up the light rail to Bayonne. Coming back I will take a shared shuttle to Newark Penn Station to pick up my train home. Normally I would take the cruise bus from the Boston area, but in the dead of winter I'm concerned about having to deal with a weather event and I don't want to miss sailing on the Quantum.

[Turtles06]

There are few services in Bayonne. Only Enterprise rental car has an office in Bayonne. There are no hotels. The pier is two miles out on a secured peninsula accessible only by car or cab/car service. There are shuttles from the port to EWR for $16/pp, but no reasonable shuttles to the port.

 

 

We'll be arriving at Cape Liberty next fall on a TA and need to rent a car. I appreciate your info above. It sounds like our options for renting a car are 1) take a cab to the Enterprise location in Bayonne (it doesn't sound like they would be allowed to drive onto the pier to pick us up), or 2) take a shuttle [or a cab?] to EWR and get a rental car at the airport.

 

Am I missing anything there, and does anyone have any advice about the various options?

 

Thanks!