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

[Wipammy]

I now have only 1 more simple question. From what I read it sounds like $55-60 is going rate to get from glimcher area to cruise port. Is this total fare with tolls and tips or not? Just trying to get my budget set. :)

 

Thanks for the help!!!

[138east]

The best way to get a more accurate number would be to contact several car services like Dial7 or Carmellimo. For a more no frills service call Independent driver - 888-816-0973.

[Wipammy]

Great thanks I will give them a call and compare.

[ChucktownSteve]

When I got a quote from one of the car services mentioned in this thread, using a specific route from the Robert Treat Best Western to Cape Liberty and then Cape Liberty to EWR, they gave the price and added that the price did not include tolls.

 

When I inquired what the tolls were, they replied, "Tolls will depend on the route the driver takes." So here's my question, is there a route the driver would take that causes tolls when there is another (better) route where he could avoid tolls?

 

On a previous visit I used a taxi to go from Manhattan to LGA. He wanted to take me the long route to add fare even though I asked him to use the tunnel.

 

Do the car services do the same type of thing?

Edited May 21, 2015 by ChucktownSteve

[bayonnejoe]

Are Carols excellent driving instructions still the same? I know they are doing lots of construction in the area so just wondering. Has anyone driven there within the last several weeks? How was it getting off the TPKE with the construction? What time would you recommend leaving? We are on the Summit this Sunday.

 

I drive it everyday. I wrote about the construction a couple of months ago when it started. There have been no serious problems up to now save for the normal weekday backups that those of us living here have endured forever. I remarked then that exit 14A is still by far the best option off the turnpike, and I would report back in the future if my opinion changes. for a weekend sailing you will most likely see no delay at all.

[tnfcruise]

Are Carols excellent driving instructions still the same? I know they are doing lots of construction in the area so just wondering. Has anyone driven there within the last several weeks? How was it getting off the TPKE with the construction? What time would you recommend leaving? We are on the Summit this Sunday.

 

 

I did report on this after our Summit sailing on May 3-- we'd received a text and call from Celebrity on the Friday before, stating there would be weekend delays due to bridge (over Newark Bay before exit 14a) construction. The traffic was restricted to one lane each way over the bridge, but it delayed us by no more than 10-15 minutes.

 

It sounds like, from Meg's last two weekend reports, that other work is taking place after the exit and before the port. But, the answer to the first question remains the same: YES, Carol's excellent driving instructions are still the same.

[catspaw1]

I did report on this after our Summit sailing on May 3-- we'd received a text and call from Celebrity on the Friday before, stating there would be weekend delays due to bridge (over Newark Bay before exit 14a) construction. The traffic was restricted to one lane each way over the bridge, but it delayed us by no more than 10-15 minutes.

 

It sounds like, from Meg's last two weekend reports, that other work is taking place after the exit and before the port. But, the answer to the first question remains the same: YES, Carol's excellent driving instructions are still the same.

 

 

I did see your post for the May 3 sailing but as we all know they do a lot of construction over the summer so anything can change day to day. That's why I asked.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post & put my mind at ease. We are driving up to NJ tomorrow. Don't want to take a chance on driving up from DC Sunday AM. And thanks for letting me know Carol's driving directions haven't changed any- I was afraid they would with all the construction.

 

Bags all packed & ready to go!!! I can taste that Margarita now!

[skylermom]

I don't want your question to get lost. I don't have an answer for you other than you're cutting it very close. I will be driving to CL from Mass in June and I will be on the road no later than 6 am.

 

Our party is driving from Mass in June too (June 18 departure), and saw your note on leaving no later than 6 AM.

 

What main route do you take from the greater Boston area? We're coming from the South Shore / Plymouth area, and are debating between I-95 thru CT & NY, I-84 & I-684, or Wilbur Cross/Merritt. In your experience, is there a route that works best for you?

 

I'd rather get there early than late - but had been thinking leaving by 7 AM. Is that cutting it too close for a 4 PM departure (2:30 cutoff to board)?

 

This is our first cruise from Cape Liberty, so I have first time jitters...

 

Thank you in advance!

 

Skylermom

Edited May 24, 2015 by skylermom
Fix typos

[catspaw1]

Hi everyone. Just boarded our ship. Thank you Carol for excellent driving directions to the port. They were spot on! Traffic moderate on NJT but moving at 930 am. We were on board our ship at 1040

[138east]

Our party is driving from Mass in June too (June 18 departure), and saw your note on leaving no later than 6 AM.

 

What main route do you take from the greater Boston area? We're coming from the South Shore / Plymouth area, and are debating between I-95 thru CT & NY, I-84 & I-684, or Wilbur Cross/Merritt. In your experience, is there a route that works best for you?

 

I'd rather get there early than late - but had been thinking leaving by 7 AM. Is that cutting it too close for a 4 PM departure (2:30 cutoff to board)?

 

This is our first cruise from Cape Liberty, so I have first time jitters...

 

Thank you in advance!

 

Skylermom

 

You're coming down on a Thursday morning, so rush hour is a consideration. You do not want to hit the NY/CT border before 9 am. Leaving at 7 am should work well from Plymouth. I'm leaving at 6 because I get up early and am driving by myself, so there's no point in hanging around at home on a Saturday if I'm up.

 

Directions from Mass

 

If you come out the Mass Pike, you pick up I84 west in Auburn and I91 south in Hartford. You take exit 17 marked W Cross Parkway. This becomes the Merritt Parkway wt Milford.

 

If you come down I95 there is a cutover to the Merritt at Milford CT exit 38. At Rye NY there is another cutover to the Hutchinson River Parkway South exit 21 immediately after exit 2 in CT (no exit 1). This cutover is slightly longer than the one at Milford and involves getting off onto I287 West and following the signs to the Merritt/Hutch. You get off onto a service road, go through a few lights and take the turn for the Hutch south.

 

The Merritt Pkwy becomes the Hutchinson River Pkwy at the NY/CT line. From the Hutch take exit 15 in New Rochelle to get on the Cross County Pkwy. Stay in the middle left lane, which will become the left lane when the road "scrunches". This leads onto the Saw Mill River Pkwy South which becomes the Henry Hudson Pkwy at the NYC line ($5 toll - if no EZPass they will bill you in the mail and you need to pay it!). The toll is worth every penny.

 

You take the George Washington Bridge exit and slide over to the middle left lane. Follow the NJ Turnpike signs. When you get on the turnpike, follow the first set of Lincoln Tunnel signs to get on the eastern spur of the turnpike, but don't get off at the actual tunnel exit. Continue on to exit 14-14A-14B-14C and follow the signs to exit 14A.

 

The are no trucks on this route from Meriden CT to the GW Bridge and you will avoid any traffic issues on the Cross Bronx Expressway or the intersection with I87.

 

At exit 14A please follow these directions. Others have followed them successfully. The signage is poor. 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 not 100% reliable in this area.

 

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

 

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 May 24, 2015 by 138east

[skylermom]

You're coming down on a Thursday morning, so rush hour is a consideration. You do not want to hit the NY/CT border before 9 am. Leaving at 7 am should work well from Plymouth. I'm leaving at 6 because I get up early and am driving by myself, so there's no point in hanging around at home on a Saturday if I'm up.

 

Directions from Mass

 

If you come out the Mass Pike, you pick up I84 west in Auburn and I91 south in Hartford. You take exit 17 marked W Cross Parkway. This becomes the Merritt Parkway wt Milford.

 

If you come down I95 there is a cutover to the Merritt at Milford CT exit 38. At Rye NY there is another cutover to the Hutchinson River Parkway South exit 21 immediately after exit 2 in CT (no exit 1). This cutover is slightly longer than the one at Milford and involves getting off onto I287 West and following the signs to the Merritt/Hutch. You get off onto a service road, go through a few lights and take the turn for the Hutch south.

 

The Merritt Pkwy becomes the Hutchinson River Pkwy at the NY/CT line. From the Hutch take exit 15 in New Rochelle to get on the Cross County Pkwy. Stay in the middle left lane, which will become the left lane when the road "scrunches". This leads onto the Saw Mill River Pkwy South which becomes the Henry Hudson Pkwy at the NYC line ($5 toll - if no EZPass they will bill you in the mail and you need to pay it!). The toll is worth every penny.

 

You take the George Washington Bridge exit and slide over to the middle left lane. Follow the NJ Turnpike signs. When you get on the turnpike, follow the first set of Lincoln Tunnel signs to get on the eastern spur of the turnpike, but don't get off at the actual tunnel exit. Continue on to exit 14-14A-14B-14C and follow the signs to exit 14A.

 

The are no trucks on this route from Meriden CT to the GW Bridge and you will avoid any traffic issues on the Cross Bronx Expressway or the intersection with I87.

 

 

Excellent! Thank you Carol. I know the route on the W.Cross/Merritt to the Hutch, I take that when I drive to Long Island (just a quick hop on i-95 to the Throgs Neck Bridge). I like the idea of avoiding the Cross Bronx entirely until we get to the GWB - so we'll turn off to the Cross County/Saw Mill/Henry Hudson Pkwy.

 

I have the directions in a word doc and PDF that I will share with everyone else driving down. The YouTube link was perfect, it was good to visualize the tricky step to find the ramp when you get done paying the NJ Turnpike tolls. Everyone is EZ-Pass equipped, so we're good to go.

 

Thank you again for sharing your expertise, hope you enjoy your cruise too!

[cruisecrazy82]

I called the Embassy Suites Newark Airport on Glimcher and two people confirmed they DO NOT offer a cruise package. WOW I'm baffled by the various answers. LOL You can however park your car there but it is at your own risk and she said it was free. They also said it will cost about $60 to travel to the port. I'm not sure I would trust ANYTHING they told me. LOL The only free shuttle they offer is to and from the airport.

 

 

 

This was calling the hotel directly, never thought about asking their names, might be good to have people do that due to the various answers.

 

 

 

Now when called Hhilton honors she was 100% completely clueless she just didn't get past offering an airport shuttle not understanding I was asking about a cruise shuttle. :P

 

 

 

So that's the scoop I got.

 

 

This is a little unnerving considering I just booked the park stay and cruise package via the Hilton website. [emoji15]

[138east]

This is a little unnerving considering I just booked the park stay and cruise package via the Hilton website. [emoji15]

 

I see you're doing a five day cruise. Did you consider just paying to park at the port for $95 and not messing with Newark airport park/sleeps and Shuttles? Coming from the south there are very nice suburban hotels in a semi rural area by exit 8 and exit 8a on the turnpike that's about 45 minutes from the port. Even if you want to be at the airport, you can get a hotel and park at the port for the same money as the park/sleep you are considering.

[Glamourgal]

I just wanted to post quickly after just getting off our cruise on the Celebrity Summit out of Bayonne. We left last Sunday, 5/17. We followed the directions posted earlier on this thread from 138east and they were excellent. They even have lots of signs posted so it was super easy getting to the port with very little traffic. We followed the NJ Turnpike and got off at 14-A as instructed. We arrived at the port at 10:20 AM, dropped off our luggage, parked our car and took the shuttle back to the port. We were on the ship by 11:10 AM...the absolute EASIEST embarkation EVER!! Disembarkation was a breeze as well. We had disembarkation #3 and were off the ship and in our car driving home by 8:45 AM.

 

Thanks to everyone here on this thread that helped to make sailing out of Bayonne a Breeze!!

[cruisecrazy82]

I see you're doing a five day cruise. Did you consider just paying to park at the port for $95 and not messing with Newark airport park/sleeps and Shuttles? Coming from the south there are very nice suburban hotels in a semi rural area by exit 8 and exit 8a on the turnpike that's about 45 minutes from the port. Even if you want to be at the airport, you can get a hotel and park at the port for the same money as the park/sleep you are considering.

 

 

We actually booked the 7 day on the Anthem just haven't updated my signature yet. Thanks for the info though I don't know yet if I will end up keeping the reservation for the Embassy as of yet. I always book something until I fully work out logistics lol. [emoji6]

[138east]

If you're stil undecided, you should monitor Trinityreservations.com. They already offer a park/sleep with shuttle transportation and another offering like that is in the works, but the details are as yet not known.

[cruisecrazy82]

If you're stil undecided, you should monitor Trinityreservations.com. They already offer a park/sleep with shuttle transportation and another offering like that is in the works, but the details are as yet not known.

 

 

I did check but they showed nothing for my dates. I'll keep an eye on it though for sure[emoji4]

[138east]

I did check but they showed nothing for my dates. I'll keep an eye on it though for sure[emoji4]

 

May of next year is too far out. They won't set the contracts with the hotels for 2016 until the end of the year.

[torpeedo]

Just an update on the Embassy Suites Glimcher Realty Blvd deal, we are officially booked for the Park, Ride, and Cruise package for About $254 for two. I booked on their website. You have to click on the picture of the ship at sea as you scroll down on the left and book through there. You can't just book a room and get the package. You have to book the package. I did speak with a young lady who said we sign up for the transportation on their van to the port when we check in. I don't know who answers the phones and gives out wrong info but I spoke with guest services. all I know is we are going!

[ransrider]

We are currently booked in the Hampton Inn Newark Airport in Elizabeth for our cruise out on Anthem in November. Stay is free with our Hilton points. TA reviews look good but transportation will be on our own to port: guessing about $60 one way. We could switch to the Embassy Suites but not sure we could get the port transfer package using points. TA reviews not as good as Hampton but Embassy is in a better location for walking to restaurants. Also want to get to Ellis Island. Which hotel would be best for us? We are flying in so will not have a car. Thanks all!

[138east]

We are currently booked in the Hampton Inn Newark Airport in Elizabeth for our cruise out on Anthem in November. Stay is free with our Hilton points. TA reviews look good but transportation will be on our own to port: guessing about $60 one way. We could switch to the Embassy Suites but not sure we could get the port transfer package using points. TA reviews not as good as Hampton but Embassy is in a better location for walking to restaurants. Also want to get to Ellis Island. Which hotel would be best for us? We are flying in so will not have a car. Thanks all!

 

What are your exact dates that you are booking hotel? If you're flying in one day and sailing the next day, it will be very difficult to go to Ellis Island.

 

Please don't get hung up on using a shuttle from the hotel to the port. Newark doesn't work like Florida. Book a car service and be done with it. The one thing Newark does have is a ton of transportation. For a no frills service call Independent driver - 888-816-0973 4-6 weeks ahead. Go on your roll call and try to find folks to share the ride to reduce costs. Welcome to DIY cruising!

[ransrider]

We fly in 3 days before our cruise. Arrive in Newark November 27, 2015 and cruise out on Monday, November 30. We did plan time for Ellis Island. I think your advice to plan on booking a car service will probably work best for us. Have used Carmel in the past and they worked well. Staying at the Embassy would provide round trip transportation to the pier included in the night's stay so it seemed that would have been a smart choice but after reading many TA reviews, I am very concerned wheather they can bring what they promise.

[rakuroda]

Aloha all,:(

 

The airline we are traveling on only flys in to JFK so re-routing to EWR is not an option for this trip.

 

Carol had some suggestions along with some others so I've been researching getting from JFK to EWR since I started on this board for our Liberty of the Seas 9 day cruise in September. I checked the Carmel limo and Dial 7 limo fares and reviews and the various airport to airport shuttle services and haven't found any that have had "decent" reviews.

 

No method seems to have more than a 1 star review. All say you don't know when your "scheduled" pick-up will arrive.

 

After reading this board, my wife says we may be staying at the Hilton Newark Penn Station, 1048 Raymond Boulevard, since they have a cruise package to get us to the cruise port.

 

Has anybody had a good experience getting from JFK to EWR?

 

Aloha :D

Edited May 30, 2015 by rakuroda

[rakuroda]

Aloha all,

 

Since we arrive the day before the ship sails, I've been wondering what people do before they leave on their ships. It appears that everyone goes to Manhattan from reading the board.

 

My wife likes lobster. When we have vacationed in Maine, I would drive her to lobster pounds and diners that had good reviews for food.

 

Our ship stops in Portland, Bar Harbor, St. Johns, Halifax, and Boston. I like to eat reasonably priced food that the locals eat. I am open to suggestions since we would be off the ship for lunch in these places.

 

Also, any shore excursions that are highly recommended?

 

Aloha:D

[138east]

Aloha all,:(

 

The airline we are traveling on only flys in to JFK so re-routing to EWR is not an option for this trip.

 

Carol had some suggestions along with some others so I've been researching getting from JFK to EWR since I started on this board for our Liberty of the Seas 9 day cruise in September. I checked the Carmel limo and Dial 7 limo fares and reviews and the various airport to airport shuttle services and haven't found any that have had "decent" reviews.

 

No method seems to have more than a 1 star review. All say you don't know when your "scheduled" pick-up will arrive.

 

After reading this board, my wife says we may be staying at the Hilton Newark Penn Station, 1048 Raymond Boulevard, since they have a cruise package to get us to the cruise port.

 

Has anybody had a good experience getting from JFK to EWR?

 

Aloha :D

 

Reviews are bad because people tend to let off steam when things don't go right and don't post positive reviews when things do go right.

 

Where did you find a cruise package for the Hilton Penn Station? What are your dates and what would be the price?

 

Please understand that the Newark area is awash with transportation because of the airport. Most of that transportation is booked short term - not months ahead. My impression is that any morning after 9 am is not peak time. From what I hear the car service concept works well for cruisers. Many folks who come from other areas of the country are not used to the variety of transportation options both public and private that are available in the NY metro area. The consensus of the locals who post on this forum and use car services regularly is that Dial7 and Carmellimo overall provide good service but there are many other options out there as well.