CAPE LIBERTY 411 (and NYC too) Version 4!!

[Mar56]

What's your hotel budget per night?

 

Well, we will pay what we have to for a hotel that would at least have breakfast, is in a relatively safe area, and is in a location where we could get some transportation into the city. We really dont want to drive our car into New York.

[tnfcruise]

We stayed at Hilton Newark Penn Station in May for four nights precruise. Parked in the adjacent garage and didn't move the car until we drove to the port--I think it was $29 a night and it gets charged up-front on your hotel bill. We loved the convenience of the covered walkway from the lobby into the station and then taking PATH or NJ Transit train into midtown or lower Manhattan. The hotel itself is older but the room are very clean and comfortable. Breakfast is included only for concierge level rooms, but the breakfast buffet in the dining room was good and reasonably priced. Most of the mornings, though, we just popped over to one of the bakeries/donut shops in the walkway for a quick bite before jumping on the train into Manhattan. I recommend this hotel.

[Mar56]

We stayed at Hilton Newark Penn Station in May for four nights precruise. Parked in the adjacent garage and didn't move the car until we drove to the port--I think it was $29 a night and it gets charged up-front on your hotel bill. We loved the convenience of the covered walkway from the lobby into the station and then taking PATH or NJ Transit train into midtown or lower Manhattan. The hotel itself is older but the room are very clean and comfortable. Breakfast is included only for concierge level rooms, but the breakfast buffet in the dining room was good and reasonably priced. Most of the mornings, though, we just popped over to one of the bakeries/donut shops in the walkway for a quick bite before jumping on the train into Manhattan. I recommend this hotel.

 

Thanks for the great info.

[138east]

I stayed at the Robert Treat in January. At that time they offered free parking, free breakfast, free airport shuttle, and free local shuttle to Newark Penn Station. The hotel was on a low traffic street that faced on a nice park. The street had no commercial stores - just offices and what appeared to be Rutgers University Buildings.

 

Newark is a highly urban area. You should not be walking around on the streets at night. However, I don't see any problem staying there and taking the train or PATH to NYC for the day and the hotel shuttle to and from the station. There are also plenty of cabs that are reasonable for short distances.

[rakuroda]

I stayed at the Robert Treat in January. At that time they offered free parking, free breakfast, free airport shuttle, and free local shuttle to Newark Penn Station. The hotel was on a low traffic street that faced on a nice park. The street had no commercial stores - just offices and what appeared to be Rutgers University Buildings.

 

Newark is a highly urban area. You should not be walking around on the streets at night. However, I don't see any problem staying there and taking the train or PATH to NYC for the day and the hotel shuttle to and from the station. There are also plenty of cabs that are reasonable for short distances.

 

Aloha Mar56 :D

 

138east/Carol give excellent advice and if I were traveling alone, I would take her advice on the Best Western Plus Robert Treat Hotel. The rate is probably half of the Hilton Newark Penn Station (HNPS) and apparently it still includes parking. This hotel advertises a complimentary continental breakfast, but since you have a car, I wouldn't let this be a deal breaker.

 

That being said, I don't make the decisions, I only research and report. The boss does the bookings and she told me that she liked the fact that the HNPS (while pricey) is connected to the Newark Penn Station so we wouldn't have to take a cab, or wait for a shuttle. Google Map shows a 200m. walk to/from HNPS to the station. HNPS website says, "Complimentary breakfast and dinner with hot and cold hors d’oeuvres for Executive Lounge guests" but I don't know about non-Executive Lounge guests. There is a restaurant that offers breakfast that is a little pricey for me.

 

HNPS is connected to the Gateway Center, Newark http://www.advancere.com/one_gateway_center_site/Docs/Features.html that shows a number of restaurants including The Gateway Bistro 5:30-5:30 M-F, 7-3 Sat., 9-2 Sun., which shows a number of decently priced (to me anyway) breakfast items http://www.gatewaybistro.com/

 

Aloha :D

Edited July 9, 2015 by rakuroda

[Mar56]

thanks for the great info Carol and rakuroda.

 

Marion

[megr1125]

With regards to the Nwk Hilton Penn Station....iirc there is a starbucks and a dunkin donuts as well, and there are several options in the station, including a yummy bakery....

[Mar56]

We've booked the Newark Penn Station Hilton for two nights. got a bit of a reduction due to my CAA membership but Yikes, the exchange rate is a killer. Ah well.

 

So I'll start looking at what we should see in NYC and how to get there.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

(Oh, how do we get to Bayonne and the ship from there??)

 

Marion

[138east]

We've booked the Newark Penn Station Hilton for two nights. got a bit of a reduction due to my CAA membership but Yikes, the exchange rate is a killer. Ah well.

 

So I'll start looking at what we should see in NYC and how to get there.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

(Oh, how do we get to Bayonne and the ship from there??)

 

Marion

 

Your transportation choices to Bayonne are car service/taxi or public transit via PATH and light rail and local cab from the 34th St Bayonne Station into the port.

[Mar56]

Your transportation choices to Bayonne are car service/taxi or public transit via PATH and light rail and local cab from the 34th St Bayonne Station into the port.

 

Carol we will have our car with us.

[Chesneygirl]

I just booked a room at the Embassy Suites near the airport.

They told me the price included parking our car there for the duration of our cruise and they would provide us with round trip transportation to Cape Liberty all included in our price of $192 with a AAA membership.

 

I will come back and let everyone know about our experience.

[rakuroda]

We are driving from Ontario Canada and sailing out of Bayonne in January 2016. We are an hour north of Detroit.

We've booked the Newark Penn Station Hilton for two nights. got a bit of a reduction due to my CAA membership but Yikes, the exchange rate is a killer. Ah well. So I'll start looking at what we should see in NYC and how to get there. Thanks everyone. (Oh, how do we get to Bayonne and the ship from there??)Marion

Your transportation choices to Bayonne are car service/taxi or public transit via PATH and light rail and local cab from the 34th St Bayonne Station into the port.

 

Aloha Mar56 :D,

 

138east/Carol has driven in from Boston so she is familiar driving to the area. I figure you are looking for driving directions (900km) to the Hilton and from the Hilton (18km) to the cruise port and a parking recommendation.

 

As to what to see in NYC, you can take the PATH to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in the NY Financial district and from there take the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty and/or Ellis Island. Then there is Central Park, Grand Central Terminal, and of course the big Macy's on 34th & 35th Streets. Other sights and things to do can be found at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60763-Activities-New_York_City_New_York.html With the limited time you have for sightseeing in NYC, you need to be selective and take the weather into consideration.

 

Aloha :D

[Mar56]

Rakuroda thank you for the links. I dont think the weather will bother us lol. It will probably be just like at home - cold lol. I am sure that we will go to Macys and I do want to see the STatue of Liberty. Our families came in through halifax and Montreal so no real interest in Ellis Island. I will take a look at the link that you provided. Thank you.

[138east]

Carol we will have our car with us.

 

Sorry - too many people asking similar but different questions.

 

So you're driving in two days early, spending a day in NYC, NOT parking at the port for 12 days, and need transportation to the port.

 

You really need a park/sleep/cruise to cover the 12 days parking (value of $228) and the port transportation (currently running about $120-130 round trip according to recent posts). Look at the Ramada Plaza on trinityresevations.com ($202 tax included, 21 days parking, and round trip port transportation), Embassy Suites Elizabeth cruise package, and Country Inns cruise package. Be sure you get the tax included price from the last two so you are making a fair comparison.

 

You have two choices - buy an extra night at the park/ sleep hotel so you are in the same hotel for two nights, or stay one night in downtown Newark and one at the park/sleep.

It's a trade off. Transportation from downtown Newark is cheaper and faster into NYC. However, you need 12 days parking and round trip port transportation, which is really expensive.

Edited July 9, 2015 by 138east

[Mar56]

Carol i am sorry. I am not giving enough details here. We will be parking our car at the port. Can you suggest a route we would drive to get from the newark hilton penn station to the cruise port? It will be a Monday in January.

[njhorseman]

Sorry - too many people asking similar but different questions.

 

So you're driving in two days early, spending a day in NYC, NOT parking at the port for 12 days, and need transportation to the port.

 

You really need a park/sleep/cruise to cover the 12 days parking (value of $228) and the port transportation (currently running about $120-130 round trip according to recent posts). Look at the Ramada Plaza on trinityresevations.com ($202 tax included, 21 days parking, and round trip port transportation), Embassy Suites Elizabeth cruise package, and Country Inns cruise package. Be sure you get the tax included price from the last two so you are making a fair comparison.

 

You have two choices - buy an extra night at the park/ sleep hotel so you are in the same hotel for two nights, or stay one night in downtown Newark and one at the park/sleep.

It's a trade off. Transportation from downtown Newark is cheaper and faster into NYC. However, you need 12 days parking and round trip port transportation, which is really expensive.

 

Carol, rereading their first post (#822) they are driving to the port and want directions from their hotel to Cape Liberty.

Edited July 9, 2015 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

Carol i am sorry. I am not giving enough details here. We will be parking our car at the port. Can you suggest a route we would drive to get from the newark hilton penn station to the cruise port? It will be a Monday in January.

 

It's difficult if not impossible to give you exact driving directions for the start of the trip without knowing exactly what street your car will be on when you exit the parking garage, but the idea is to make your way to I 78 East, which is the Hudson County extension of the NJ Turnpike. To get to I 78 from the hotel you're going to want to take NJ 21 south. You will get off the NJ Turnpike (I 78) at Exit 14A. Here are some Google Maps directions to get you started.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Hilton+Newark+Penn+Station,+1048+Raymond+Blvd,+Newark,+NJ+07102,+United+States/Cape+Liberty+Cruise+Port,+Port+Terminal+Boulevard,+Bayonne,+NJ/@40.7095869,-74.2032559,12z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c25383f67d0a8d:0xcc16b681cad74748!2m2!1d-74.165239!2d40.7353472!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c251e6aaaaaaab:0x7e3598347b19bfb1!2m2!1d-74.0739471!2d40.6646444

 

From Exit 14A to Cape Liberty, Carol has some excellent directions, which I'll look for and paste them back here as soon as I find them.

 

EDIT: Here are Carol's directions from Exit 14A to Cape Liberty:

 

Directions from NJ Turnpike Exit 14A into Cape Liberty

 

The ramp is straight across the toll plaza. Here's a video. No real street signs.

 

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 July 9, 2015 by njhorseman

[Mar56]

Thank you so much njhorseman. This thread is excellent for information!!

[Ohio Cruiser]

Hey all,

 

Here we go again!!

 

Since the previous thread was soooo long, I am starting anew!

 

 

Feel free to ask your Cape Liberty and even NYC questions here!

 

Now that we have Quantum, and soon Liberty and then Anthem, not to mention Summit for a while, and a couple stops by Serenade, things should remain busy!!

 

Can you tell me what time in the A.M. I should have the car service pick us up at hotel to take us to port? I also just found out that the NYC marathon will be taking place too. We're going on Liberty of the Seas Nov. 1, 2015.

[138east]

What hotel are you staying at? The NY Marathon should not affect you unless you are staying on Staten Island.

 

If you're staying at the airport, pick the time you want to arrive at the port and subtract 45 minutes. It realky shouldn't take that long, but there can be unexpected traffic delays even on a Sunday morning.

[Ohio Cruiser]

What hotel are you staying at? The NY Marathon should not affect you unless you are staying on Staten Island.

 

If you're staying at the airport, pick the time you want to arrive at the port and subtract 45 minutes. It realky shouldn't take that long, but there can be unexpected traffic delays even on a Sunday morning.

 

Were staying at Hampton Inn LaGuardia airport. car service is saying it will take about 1 to 1 and half hrs to get to cape liberty from LaGuardia.

[138east]

Sorry, I assumed you would be staying in NJ for a sailing from Cape Liberty. My bad.

 

Any possibility of rearranging your plans and staying in NJ? What are you paying for the LaGuardia hotel? What are you being quoted by the car service for the Cape Liberty trip on Marathon morning? What time does your flight arrive? Depending on your quoted costs and time frames, it might not be a huge difference in price to stay in NJ.

[Ohio Cruiser]

Sorry, I assumed you would be staying in NJ for a sailing from Cape Liberty. My bad.

 

Any possibility of rearranging your plans and staying in NJ? What are you paying for the LaGuardia hotel? What are you being quoted by the car service for the Cape Liberty trip on Marathon morning? What time does your flight arrive? Depending on your quoted costs and time frames, it might not be a huge difference in price to stay in NJ.

 

were flying in on the 31st. Got our flight for 45.00 on southwest. hotel for 1 night 196.00. there 10 of us, so I reseved a 17 passenger sprinter for 312.00 from LaGuardia to Cape Liberty. Were thinking about being pick up at hotel by 9:00am be on road by 9:30am.

[138east]

Sounds like you are well organized and all set to go.

 

The marathon starts at 8:40 on Staten Island with Wheelchairs. You should be able to sneak through Manhattan before stage race builds up.

Edited July 12, 2015 by 138east

[kruzkween]

If this cruise works out for us, we'd be flying into EWR mid-afternoon the day before our ship sails. What hotel(s) is/are recommended? Not interested in sight-seeing or anything, just want a good rest the night before boarding the ship.

 

What is the best means of transportation to get from the hotel to the ship the morning of sailing? Any idea how much this will cost?

 

Thanks for help from anyone out there in the know!!