JFK to Fairfield Inn and Suites, NJ

[dbsb3233]

When I checked Carmel online, 4 people with 4 bags showed "over car capacity" for their $46 car specials. An SUV shows $163, and a minivan showed "call for price". But when looking at their airport specials page a minivan shows $62 so I'm hoping it's that same price from an EWR-area hotel as it is from the airport itself.

 

Isn't there like a $10-$13 toll in there from NJ too, or is that already rolled into the base price?

 

What's the customary tip? I've seen 20% mentioned some other places in the web.

 

(And I'll apologize in advance to anyone upset because I'm talking about research I've found for my trip on the internet without actually having been there yet, as a few people in this thread had a problem with earlier.)

I just realized you were talking about a car to Cape Liberty, while I was talking about the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

[138east]

Dbsb3233 - This thread is getting confusing with multiple discussions. It would help if you would clarify exactly what you are looking to book - exact dates, number of people, budget, etc. My guess is that you are flying in from Colorado, staying overnight at Newark Airport, and looking for a car service to the Manhattan Cruiseport. Is that correct? It is difficult to give good answers to one-off questions without understanding the big picture.

 

The advice I gave on my last post was for folks who need to go from a Newark Airport hotel to Cape Liberty in Bayonne NJ to sail on RCL or Celebrity.

 

When booking a car service you have to clarify with them whether tolls are included. Typically they are not. In addition to the tunnel toll, you might have some turnpike tolls as well. Another car service to contact would be Secaucus Taxi.

[dbsb3233]

You have the totally wrong idea. It is not so much a "bad area". The area around JFK is pretty industrial-in fact about 85% industrial. BUT there is a large city housing project not too far away. And on the weekends particularly, between the drug busts, domestic violence and shootings in the housing project, welfare services HAS to have someplace to move families (primarily women and children) at 2, 3, 4AM in the morning. And the JFK airport hotels are the closest and the easiest to work the logistics-move the kids out of their apt, get them safe for a night or two, close access to social services needed, move the family back in their apt after the offender has been removed from the home or the shooting stops and the cops leave.

 

So you may have a lot of displaced kids who have no idea where they are, most likely have never been in a hotel before and are scared and upset. And of course, you have Mom's who very often don't have the greatest parenting skills who let them run wild anyhow. It's not particularly dangerous-just annoying that you paid good money for a hotel, the halls are filled with kids and people and all their stuff, kids running wild and knocking on doors all night and no one is in control. NOT the quiet peaceful sleep you intended. And more likely to happen on a weekend than on a weekday, hence the underlying vibe of the reviews which are probably done more by business people than cruise tourists. 4* for a Fairfield Inn???? That is a REAL stretch. You are lucky to give 3.5* to the Sheraton, Radisson or Hilton at JFK (and yes, I have stayed at all of them).

 

 

 

 

 

As njhorseman posted in the other thread, you REALLY should rethink your hotel in Newark. HoJo's and a couple of others are no tell motels used by a lot of hookers and drug dealers. The knocks on your door WILL NOT be room service. Even my truck drivers will not stay in the hotels on that side of the airport close to 1 & 9. There are plenty of other hotels in the area at the same price point, all with a hotel shuttle. If you booked it through Priceline or Hotwire, you are stuck. But otherwise, there are far superior motels/hotels in the area that aren't used by the hookers and drug dealers.

Thank you for your constructive and friends reply. This is certainly helpful information and a friendly response.

 

I'll check alternate hotels at EWR. The HoJo was a great price ($75 + tax) for what initially appeared to be "good enough" hotel for a quick overnight stay, but it sounds like the TA reviews must be misleading.

 

While I know to take TA reviews with somewhat of a grain of salt (or any reviews for that matter, like Hotels dot com, Booking dot com, etc), when there's a large volume of them that don't look like they're just "stock" reviews I do tend to put at least some trust in them. Sounds like these 2 hotels are a big exception.

[dbsb3233]

Dbsb3233 - This thread is getting confusing with multiple discussions. It would help if you would clarify exactly what you are looking to book - exact dates, number of people, budget, etc. My guess is that you are flying in from Colorado, staying overnight at Newark Airport, and looking for a car service to the Manhattan Cruiseport. Is that correct? It is difficult to give good answers to one-off questions without understanding the big picture.

 

The advice I gave on my last post was for folks who need to go from a Newark Airport hotel to Cape Liberty in Bayonne NJ to sail on RCL or Celebrity.

 

When booking a car service you have to clarify with them whether tolls are included. Typically they are not. In addition to the tunnel toll, you might have some turnpike tolls as well. Another car service to contact would be Secaucus Taxi.

Sorry, it did get a little confusing. I wasn't really asking in regards to my trip until the part about the OP getting from a Newark airport hotel to the cruise terminal with 4 people + 4 large bags + 4 carry-ons, which happens to mirror my situation exactly. That's when I posted my reply about Carmel above since it applied to both of us.

 

In my case, it's to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. In the OP's case, I don't think we know which cruise terminal they're using. I didn't see it listed in either of their posts.

 

So, starting over... I'm looking to get from a Newark Airport hotel to Manhattan Cruise Terminal on a Saturday morning with 4 people each with a large bag + carry-on. Carmel looks like a decent option from what I can tell.

[138east]

Newark Airport is in a highly industrialized area and can be a real culture shock for folks flying in from less urban areas of the country. It is not a vacation destination. We also suggest that folks be highly selective about where they choose to stay and where they choose to leave their cars.

 

I have been to Colorado many times (our daughter went to CU and we have family members living there) and would not hesitate to look at a 2 or 2.5* motel/hotel. That is simply not true in the Newark area.

 

If you would provide your exact date, I will look at Hotwire to see what is available. Normally we do not recommend Hotwire for Newark, but given your criteria, you should be OK with a 3* and up hotel that has a high approval rating.

[dbsb3233]

Newark Airport is in a highly industrialized area and can be a real culture shock for folks flying in from less urban areas of the country. It is not a vacation destination. We also suggest that folks be highly selective about where they choose to stay and where they choose to leave their cars.

 

I have been to Colorado many times (our daughter went to CU and we have family members living there) and would not hesitate to look at a 2 or 2.5* motel/hotel. That is simply not true in the Newark area.

 

If you would provide your exact date, I will look at Hotwire to see what is available. Normally we do not recommend Hotwire for Newark, but given your criteria, you should be OK with a 3* and up hotel that has a high approval rating.

This is confusing... I was talking about transportation options, not hotel options. :) But we can talk about hotels too if you like.

 

The problem with Hotwire is guaranteeing 2 beds in each room (we're 4 guy friends traveling together, not 2 couples, so we really want 2 beds). I know we can "request" 2 beds after making a Hotwire reservation, but that's not guaranteed. If we could cancel if they can't assure us 2 beds, that would be OK, but with Hotwire you can't cancel.

 

Our hotel criteria is pretty simple -- the cheapest clean/functional private rooms with 2 beds at a hotel with a free shuttle from EWR. The first night of our trip (Fri 10/3) is simply a transportation stop for us. We don't plan to leave the hotel between check-in and check-out (there's no time for that). We don't care about hotel amenities other than a clean/functional room with 2 beds. If the hotel doesn't have a basic dinner option, we'll just grab a bite at the airport before shuttling to the hotel (no big deal there). We won't have a car so parking doesn't even apply.

 

The real vacation starts the next morning when we get to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal/Intrepid Museum pre-board.

 

On a related note, you mentioned a hotel "with a high approval rating". Earlier in this thread multiple people scoffed at my mention of a TripAdvisor rating. What websites would you suggest for reasonable hotel ratings. I tend to use TA, Hotwire, Hotels, Booking, Priceline, and a few others.

 

Thank you.

[megr1125]

dbsb..

 

You could do the Springhill suites for 149.99 plus tax for a room with 2 double beds...(and possibly a sofa bed) - that hotel was remodeled in the last year or so, and you could walk to the adjacent Courtyard EWR airport for something to eat in their bistro..

 

THAT hotel would be 144 plus tax, 2 queens...it was redone in 2010. You could save a few bucks paying ahead....

 

I used roomkey.com to look at rates, but you can book direct.

 

SKIP the Wyndham Garden, Best Western, HoJos and Extended Stay America (the last one does not, unless it changed, have an airport shuttle..)

 

The courtyard in Elizabeth, a wee bit south of the airport is in the 175 neighborhood, again 2 beds....they offer a slightly larger room with 2 beds as well...

 

lastly the country inn, adjacent to the Elizabeth Courtyard is 159 for 2 beds....

 

What's your budget? You said 'cheapest' so if you can give us a ballpark budget, that would help...and keep in mind, tax on any of these rooms will be in the 15% range......

 

The hotels in the Newark/Elizabeth area (the last 2 on the list above) are near an iHop, a mediocre Ruby Tuesday, and are opposite http://www.jerseygardens.com which would give you some other food choices. (it's an outlet mall, so if you've forgotten something, chances are that you will NOT find it there..just giving you a few more food options..)

 

All the hotels will offer some sort of dinner delivery from local places...I have ordered from many (I stick with Italian for delivery, and I have used different ones...they deliver late on weekends too - just an option..)

 

I have stayed in all the hotels I mentioned and they are all acceptable for an evening. There are a few more, but they're over 200 bucks a night....

 

Keep in mind, you're looking at the 80-100 range to get into NYC to the pier......ish

 

The issue with Trip Advisor is that these are NOT independent reviews using any sort of standard star guidelines..THUS, the hotel mentioned above, getting 4 stars in TA, is a reach, at best. I stick with AAA if I want an actual star rating....a rating that is given using a quantifiable standard, not how many people stayed there and said it was wonderful.

Edited March 30, 2014 by megr1125

[dbsb3233]

dbsb..

 

You could do the Springhill suites for 149.99 plus tax for a room with 2 double beds...(and possibly a sofa bed) - that hotel was remodeled in the last year or so, and you could walk to the adjacent Courtyard EWR airport for something to eat in their bistro..

 

THAT hotel would be 144 plus tax, 2 queens...it was redone in 2010. You could save a few bucks paying ahead....

 

I used roomkey.com to look at rates, but you can book direct.

 

SKIP the Wyndham Garden, Best Western, HoJos and Extended Stay America (the last one does not, unless it changed, have an airport shuttle..)

 

The courtyard in Elizabeth, a wee bit south of the airport is in the 175 neighborhood, again 2 beds....they offer a slightly larger room with 2 beds as well...

 

lastly the country inn, adjacent to the Elizabeth Courtyard is 159 for 2 beds....

 

What's your budget? You said 'cheapest' so if you can give us a ballpark budget, that would help...and keep in mind, tax on any of these rooms will be in the 15% range......

 

The hotels in the Newark/Elizabeth area (the last 2 on the list above) are near an iHop, a mediocre Ruby Tuesday, and are opposite www.jerseygardens.com which would give you some other food choices. (it's an outlet mall, so if you've forgotten something, chances are that you will NOT find it there..just giving you a few more food options..)

 

All the hotels will offer some sort of dinner delivery from local places...I have ordered from many (I stick with Italian for delivery, and I have used different ones...they deliver late on weekends too - just an option..)

 

I have stayed in all the hotels I mentioned and they are all acceptable for an evening. There are a few more, but they're over 200 bucks a night....

 

Keep in mind, you're looking at the 80-100 range to get into NYC to the pier......ish

 

The issue with Trip Advisor is that these are NOT independent reviews using any sort of standard star guidelines..THUS, the hotel mentioned above, getting 4 stars in TA, is a reach, at best. I stick with AAA if I want an actual star rating....a rating that is given using a quantifiable standard, not how many people stayed there and said it was wonderful.

Thanks for the ideas. We're not really on a budget per se. It's not that we can't afford something higher, it's just that we try to be frugal in general (which allows us to go on more trips in our retirement). We're spending more on hotel rooms at the end of the cruise to be in Manhattan with all the advantages that brings for what we want to see there, and that's worth it to us.

 

But blowing almost $200 (after tax) x 2 rooms (plus as you said, another 80-100 to get to the cruise terminal) simply for what we consider no more than a basic transportation stop on the way the cruise is a little hard to swallow. That's why I initially booked the HoJo, as it was merely $75/room + tax and the ratings at various review/booking sites gave it a barely passable 2 stars (although some individual ratings were as bad as what you and others said here). But the places you've recommend START at twice that price, so I have to decide whether it's really worth paying twice as much for nothing more than a transportation stop on the way to the cruise. If it's so bad that we can't even get a decent nice's sleep without feeling like we're gonna get shot or catch a disease from the sheets, then we'll pay more elsewhere.

 

I don't subscribe to AAA. I just looked up the HoJo there but it appears to be unrated by them.

[dbsb3233]

Any idea if the Courtyard by Marriott Newark Liberty Airport is passable?

 

2-bed rooms there on 10/3 are $115/ni + tax = $132.

 

Again, all we care about are decent hotel rooms with a free shuttle, not seeing or going to anything outside of the hotel, or any other hotel amenities.

[megr1125]

Any idea if the Courtyard by Marriott Newark Liberty Airport is passable?

 

2-bed rooms there on 10/3 are $115/ni + tax = $132.

 

Again, all we care about are decent hotel rooms with a free shuttle, not seeing or going to anything outside of the hotel, or any other hotel amenities.

 

Sure is...just be aware that there are two, so you want to get on the correct shuttle. It was redone a few years ago...it's the older style courtyard...but it's fine. You can eat there, in the bistro - sort of a starbucks on steroids...and they have a bar as well.

 

That Courtyard should suit you all fine...the HoJo, really, is a mess....and CY will be clean, comfy and will at least offer some decent food. When you land at EWR, claim your bags, follow the signs back to the Air Train (it's a free monorail) and go to stop P4....that's where all the hotel shuttles drop off/pick up. You'll go down from the concourse to baggage claim, then back up....

 

At P4, you'll want the Courtyard Newark Airport shuttle (which will LIKELY also be for the Spring Hill Suites, since they're adjacent...) do NOT get on the one for the COurtyard and Residence Inn Elizabeth....that's the wrong end of the airport

 

If you just want a quick something to eat, there are some food courts that are pre-security and you could grab your bags, pop into one of the places for a bite, then hit the hotel...

 

BTW...that rate is an advance purchase rate, so if you cancel it, you're not eligible for a refund......

Edited March 30, 2014 by megr1125

[dbsb3233]

Sure is...just be aware that there are two, so you want to get on the correct shuttle. It was redone a few years ago...it's the older style courtyard...but it's fine. You can eat there, in the bistro - sort of a starbucks on steroids...and they have a bar as well.

 

That Courtyard should suit you all fine...the HoJo, really, is a mess....and CY will be clean, comfy and will at least offer some decent food. When you land at EWR, claim your bags, follow the signs back to the Air Train (it's a free monorail) and go to stop P4....that's where all the hotel shuttles drop off/pick up. You'll go down from the concourse to baggage claim, then back up....

 

At P4, you'll want the Courtyard Newark Airport shuttle (which will LIKELY also be for the Spring Hill Suites, since they're adjacent...) do NOT get on the one for the COurtyard and Residence Inn Elizabeth....that's the wrong end of the airport

 

If you just want a quick something to eat, there are some food courts that are pre-security and you could grab your bags, pop into one of the places for a bite, then hit the hotel...

 

BTW...that rate is an advance purchase rate, so if you cancel it, you're not eligible for a refund......

 

Thanks. Now that we've locked in our flights and know we're flying into EWR, I can book a non-refundable. I booked the HoJo before we had the flights so I purposely picked the refundable rate on that one.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

[megr1125]

Thanks. Now that we've locked in our flights and know we're flying into EWR, I can book a non-refundable. I booked the HoJo before we had the flights so I purposely picked the refundable rate on that one.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

Cool.....

 

next, getting into NYC.....:eek::D

 

You COULD hop a cab to Newark Penn station ($25 bucks give or take) and then get on New Jersey Transit for $5 per person. It's 12.50 from Newark airport to NY Penn....(there's an extra fee from the airport to cover the monorail). Then it's a 10-12 buck cab ride from the station to the pier.

 

I only mentioned going to downtown Newark as you'd likely save some money, as opposed to going to the airport....

[greatam]

When I checked Carmel online, 4 people with 4 bags showed "over car capacity" for their $46 car specials. An SUV shows $163, and a minivan showed "call for price". But when looking at their airport specials page a minivan shows $62 so I'm hoping it's that same price from an EWR-area hotel as it is from the airport itself.

 

Isn't there like a $10-$13 toll in there from NJ too, or is that already rolled into the base price?

 

What's the customary tip? I've seen 20% mentioned some other places in the web.

 

(And I'll apologize in advance to anyone upset because I'm talking about research I've found for my trip on the internet without actually having been there yet, as a few people in this thread had a problem with earlier.)

 

A little understanding about NY/NJ taxis and car services will help you.

 

1. NY/NJ taxis DO NOT have to take you any place other than from one state to an airport in another state. A NY taxi DOES NOT have to take you from Manhattan or JFK or anyplace else on the NY side to Cape Liberty just like NJ taxis DO NOT have to take you from Cape Liberty to Manhattan. NJ taxis very often REFUSE to take you any place on the NY side other than from EWR to Manhattan (required). They make more money staying in NJ-NJ taxi rates are quite a bit higher than NY taxi rates for the same distance.

 

2. Car service rates FROM the airport are just that-FROM THE AIRPORT. NOT from a Newark hotel. Completely different tariff rates from places OTHER than the airport.

 

3. If there are 4 guys, if you don't mind going BACK to the airport on the hotel shuttle, take the Airporter bus into Manhattan. http://www.coachusa.com/olympia/ss.newarkairport.asp $28RT (I assume you have to get back to the Newark airport to fly home). Stops at every terminal and luggage goes underneath. Bus runs every 15 minutes, drops you a very short distance from the port. You can either walk to the port or take a $10 taxi ride. Saves you about $100 on a RT and you can use that extra money to pay for a MUCH better hotel like the one you found.

 

Enjoy!!!

[greatam]

Cool.....

 

next, getting into NYC.....:eek::D

 

You COULD hop a cab to Newark Penn station ($25 bucks give or take) and then get on New Jersey Transit for $5 per person. It's 12.50 from Newark airport to NY Penn....(there's an extra fee from the airport to cover the monorail). Then it's a 10-12 buck cab ride from the station to the pier.

 

I only mentioned going to downtown Newark as you'd likely save some money, as opposed to going to the airport....

 

JMHO, but forget that stupid train from the airport with luggage. Just too much hassle. Take the airporter bus. Stops at every terminal, you don't have to retrieve luggage, go BACK up stairs for the monorail, change trains or pay to get to Newark Penn Station.

 

So darn much easier to grab your luggage, walk outside, find the right lane for the airport bus and get on.

[dbsb3233]

JMHO, but forget that stupid train from the airport with luggage. Just too much hassle. Take the airporter bus. Stops at every terminal, you don't have to retrieve luggage, go BACK up stairs for the monorail, change trains or pay to get to Newark Penn Station.

 

So darn much easier to grab your luggage, walk outside, find the right lane for the airport bus and get on.

I had thought about that too. Multiple transfers with all the luggage would only be worthwhile to us if it saved a LOT of money. On the front end of the trip, if we can get that $62 minivan rate at Carmel Limo (hotel to cruise port) + toll + tip - $3 coupon it's about $85 for the 4 of us. I won't know for sure until I go to book it, but when I enter the address for the hotel as the pickup point, it still shows the $46 special airport rate, so I'm hoping the same applies for the minivan (the $62 EWR rate). I'll find out. If so, $85 for 4 people is worth it to do a straight shot from hotel to cruise port. Or even if we have to take the hotel shuttle back to EWR to get the $62 airport rate, one transfer won't kill us.

 

Taking a train or bus in from Newark involves multiple transfers to get to the cruise port, and doesn't look like it will save much money for 4 people, so I think a car makes the most sense. Especially since the train or bus doesn't stop near the Manhattan Cruise Port and would take yet another transfer to 2 taxis, or a mile walk with luggage.

 

We're flying into EWR, but out of LGA (it was a little cheaper that way on Southwest). Our hotel after the cruise (Hotel St James) is just 2-3 blocks from Port Authority Bus Terminal, so I figure we'll walk there and catch the NY Airporter bus to LGA. At $13 pp, that's reasonable enough.

[dbsb3233]

I had thought about that too. Multiple transfers with all the luggage would only be worthwhile to us if it saved a LOT of money. On the front end of the trip, if we can get that $62 minivan rate at Carmel Limo (hotel to cruise port) + toll + tip - $3 coupon it's about $85 for the 4 of us. I won't know for sure until I go to book it, but when I enter the address for the hotel as the pickup point, it still shows the $46 special airport rate, so I'm hoping the same applies for the minivan (the $62 EWR rate). I'll find out. If so, $85 for 4 people is worth it to do a straight shot from hotel to cruise port. Or even if we have to take the hotel shuttle back to EWR to get the $62 airport rate, one transfer won't kill us.

 

Taking a train or bus in from Newark involves multiple transfers to get to the cruise port, and doesn't look like it will save much money for 4 people, so I think a car makes the most sense. Especially since the train or bus doesn't stop near the Manhattan Cruise Port and would take yet another transfer to 2 taxis, or a mile walk with luggage.

 

We're flying into EWR, but out of LGA (it was a little cheaper that way on Southwest). Our hotel after the cruise (Hotel St James) is just 2-3 blocks from Port Authority Bus Terminal, so I figure we'll walk there and catch the NY Airporter bus to LGA. At $13 pp, that's reasonable enough.

UPDATE...

 

I switched our pre-cruise hotel to the Courtyard by Marriott Newark Airport, and reserved a minivan (4 people + 4 large bags) with Carmel Limo to take us direct from the hotel to the Manhattan Cruise Port. Price ended up being $71 + toll + tip. Advertised special price on the website for an EWR pick-up was $62 for a minivan, so they added $9 for an airport hotel pick-up instead. Seems reasonable enough. All total should be about $100 for the 4 of us (plus we get to ride together instead of being split up, and don't have to mess with transfers while dragging luggage).