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

[LemonNeko]

Thanks Carol and Post Captain for the feedback.

 

I'm seeing my mum this weekend so we can discuss. She's 62 so she qualifies for the seniors discount at some of the hotels.

The Double Tree may be good even with no pool if there's more to do in the area we may not need it.

 

I had everything planned out when I thought we were driving so it's a bit more nerve wracking when we only have 2 months before we go.

[138east]

Thanks Carol and Post Captain for the feedback.

 

I'm seeing my mum this weekend so we can discuss. She's 62 so she qualifies for the seniors discount at some of the hotels.

The Double Tree may be good even with no pool if there's more to do in the area we may not need it.

 

I had everything planned out when I thought we were driving so it's a bit more nerve wracking when we only have 2 months before we go.

 

The only thing to do at Embassy Suites at the airport is to go to the Jersey Gardens Mall and eat at Ruby Tuesdays, IHOP, Applebee's, Johnny Rockets, or the mall food court. Jersey City offers more restaurants and services, a waterfront boardwalk with spectacular views of lower Manhattan, and the Newport Mall for shopping. You can also take the quick ride on PATH to World Trade to take a look at the 911 Memorial. Riding the light rail with your 4 year old is also an option.

[138east]

Do you have US cell phone access?

 

Would you be willing to prepay the hotel? There are definitely deals out there for you on a Sat night in late August.

 

Doubletree

1). Join Hilton Honors - this gets you a discounted rate right now and free wifi

2). Current Hilton honors offer is $159 for a 2 double + sofabed junior suite which is $181 with taxes.

3). Prepaid reservation - non cancellable

 

This is a great deal. This leaves you $170 from your $350 budget to play with for transportation. It gets you a very nice hotel in an upscale urban area near the Hudson River waterfront instead if what is basically an airport hotel.

 

http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps-schedules.html

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/LightRail/sf_lr_hblr_map.pdf

 

Path fares are $2.75/pp. light rail is $2.25 - seniors $1.10 - children 4 and under free

[Edgewater601]

Has anyone had any experience using the above transportation company to get from EWR to NYC or from the Cape Liberty pier to EWR? I am seeing good reviews on google but cannot locate them on trip advisor. Any knowledge would be very much appreciated.

 

Thank you,

Connie

[megr1125]

Has anyone had any experience using the above transportation company to get from EWR to NYC or from the Cape Liberty pier to EWR? I am seeing good reviews on google but cannot locate them on trip advisor. Any knowledge would be very much appreciated.

 

Thank you,

Connie

 

For the benefit of those on mobile devices...WHAT transportation company above?? I see no such thing....thanks..

[CruisingChick]

For the benefit of those on mobile devices...WHAT transportation company above?? I see no such thing....thanks..

 

Meg, the subject line says Angel Express Transportation, LLC.

[kenandcindyc]

I am driving from Southern NH to Bayonne on Thurs July 14. The ship leaves at 4pm that day. Because of work schedules we can not leave Wednesday.

 

The plan is to leave around 5:30am. Mapquest, Waze and gps all say it's about a 4 hr drive.

 

Are we nuts?

Should I be tying to convince my family to leave earlier? or drive 1/2 way that night and stay over in CT?

 

thanks!

—Cindy

[CruisingChick]

I am driving from Southern NH to Bayonne on Thurs July 14. The ship leaves at 4pm that day. Because of work schedules we can not leave Wednesday.

 

The plan is to leave around 5:30am. Mapquest, Waze and gps all say it's about a 4 hr drive.

 

Are we nuts?

Should I be tying to convince my family to leave earlier? or drive 1/2 way that night and stay over in CT?

 

thanks!

—Cindy

 

 

As long as you hit Stamford, CT by 8:30 AM you will be fine. That's where we live and that's when we leave the house. Even on a week day. Usually takes about 1 hour 40 minutes with traffic on weekdays. Just make sure you use WAZE and have it set to "fastest" route and don't be afraid to follow it. It's saved us more than a few times.

 

I have no clue where in New Hampshire you are, but I thought it was 4 hours just from NH to Stamford.

 

If you don't want to leave that early in the AM come down the night before and stay some where in the area (Fairfield County).

Edited June 21, 2016 by CruisingChick

[kenandcindyc]

I live a stones throw from the MA boarder right by RT 93. :) It's only a bit more than 2hrs to Hartford. and about 4 hrs to NYC (I used to live there). So, I've driven back and forth from NYC many many times. But I've never been on a cruise before. So, I've heard horror stories about people missing the ship due to traffic.

 

Anyway, lots of prayers and fingers crossed we make it to the ship before 3pm

[CruisingChick]

I live a stones throw from the MA boarder right by RT 93. :) It's only a bit more than 2hrs to Hartford. and about 4 hrs to NYC (I used to live there). So, I've driven back and forth from NYC many many times. But I've never been on a cruise before. So, I've heard horror stories about people missing the ship due to traffic.

 

Anyway, lots of prayers and fingers crossed we make it to the ship before 3pm

 

I am sure you will make the ship by 3 pm. Have a good trip.

[138east]

I live a stones throw from the MA boarder right by RT 93. :) It's only a bit more than 2hrs to Hartford. and about 4 hrs to NYC (I used to live there). So, I've driven back and forth from NYC many many times. But I've never been on a cruise before. So, I've heard horror stories about people missing the ship due to traffic.

 

Anyway, lots of prayers and fingers crossed we make it to the ship before 3pm

 

I live about a half hour from you with cross country access to I495 in Littleton. Last year I drove to Cape Liberty on a Saturday morning leaving at about 6 am and arriving by 10 am. Another time I did a cruise to nowhere on the Gem from Manhattan and arrived there before 10 am.

 

The objective is to hit the NY/CT border at 9 am. If you have never taken the cars only route through Westchester, seriously consider it Waze or no Waze. I drove down for the Anthem in March and ended up going through NYC during rush hour. Radio said 30-40 minute delays outbound on the GW Bridge. I zipped down the Henry Hudson, got off for a half block on Morningside Drive, and got right on the ramp to the upper GW Bridge. It's a dedicated lane with no merge on the bridge. I just laughed at the bumper to bumper traffic coming in on I95.

[kenandcindyc]

We have a 1ton Dually Dodge Ram truck with a cap on it. Can I take the cars only route? Also, anyone know if I can park at the Parking garage?

[138east]

We have a 1ton Dually Dodge Ram truck with a cap on it. Can I take the cars only route? Also, anyone know if I can park at the Parking garage?

 

The Merritt Parkway restrictions are no commercial vehicles, trailers, towed vehicles, buses, or hearses. This keeps the big scary trucks off this route and forces them onto I95. The NY parkway restrictions are no commercial vehicles.

 

I'm thinking you can fit to park at the parking garage, but I'd be trying to contact the Cape Liberty parking to see if you can park in the open lot. I'm probably one of the only people who's not keen on the garage in non winter months. The line to get in was annoying and it was just another garage with ramps to circle around and try to find a space. Your vehicle looks large, but not extra tall. Just because it will fit in the garage doesn't mean that's the easiest place to park.

[SunReader]

Hi Carol,

 

On another thread you mentioned taking Amtrak to Newark from the Boston area. I checked the Westwood and Springfield routes and both only take carry on luggage. Do you know what stations take luggage?

 

I am thinking of flying to EWR and staying at Country Inn and Suites as they have a shuttle to the port. I would be going on a Thursday in December and I am going by myself. Does this sound like a decent plan?

 

Ellen

[138east]

Hi Carol,

 

On another thread you mentioned taking Amtrak to Newark from the Boston area. I checked the Westwood and Springfield routes and both only take carry on luggage. Do you know what stations take luggage?

 

I am thinking of flying to EWR and staying at Country Inn and Suites as they have a shuttle to the port. I would be going on a Thursday in December and I am going by myself. Does this sound like a decent plan?

 

Ellen

 

As far as I am aware, you cannot check bags on the Northeast Regional or Acela Amtrak trains. You have to carry everything on. Porters are available at South Station Boston and New York Penn Station and Newark, but not Newark Airport station.

 

Staying at Country Inns is fine. I stayed there at the last minute in March because snow was predicted, so I drove down the day before the storm. Just remember that you have to troll all your luggage up the elevator to airtrain to go to the P4 station to get the hotel shuttle.

 

As a solo traveler I never leave home with luggage I can't easily manage myself. If I'm flying, the bag has to be a carry on that fits in the overhead. Last year I got stranded in a snow storm in Boston coming home on the train from the Quantum. I had hotwired a Back Bay hotel and was able to walk there indoors through Copley and the Pru. I would have been in deep trouble if I couldn't manage my luggage.

[SunReader]

Thank you for the quick reply Carol.

 

I don't think I would be able do just a carry on for a week cruise.

 

I have taken an early flight from Logan the day of the cruise and then taken the RCCL transfer, but where it is winter I plan to go the day before.

 

Ellen

[tallpaul86]

Hey guys and gals, needing some advice here regarding from Newark Airport to and from both our hotel and the cruise port itself...

 

 

 

What I want to know is this: -

 

 

 

1) Who would be the best to use for a transfer? NJ Taxis? Uber? Private Sedan Hire like Carmel etc?

 

2) Has anyone had any experience of using any from Newark? I've seen that Uber is banned from Newark altogether

 

3) How safe is it using these methods?

 

 

 

Reason for asking is when we booked our cruise vacation, RCCL did not even offer any transfers whatsoever (just greyed out saying Unavailable) so our itinerary is looking like this: -

 

 

 

- Flight from Edinburgh EDI Airport to Newark EWR Airport on Friday 13th January (hopefully no superstitious implications!)

 

- Staying at Doubletree by Hilton Metropolitan NYC Hotel for 1 night Pre-Cruise

 

- Cruising on Anthem of the Seas from 14th Jan to 26th Jan

 

- Staying at Doubletree by Hilton Metropolitan NYC Hotel for 2 nights Post Cruise

 

- Flying from Newark EWR Airport to Edinburgh EDI Airport on Saturday 28th January

 

 

 

So I realize I will need 4 transfers in total so just looking at the best way of booking these for both reasonable cost and convenience - Google is providing to be a mixed bag for some reason! Some folks using cabs say to get a authorized receipt fare and then others report cab drivers sealing the trunk until they pay over the odds for tolls and extra charges etc. Then you see other same "see-saw" reviews (one positive and one negative immediately after the last) for bus transfers, trains and private transfers.

 

 

 

One final thing is my partner suffers badly from Fibromyalgia so using trains won't really be an option as mobility is a bit of a problem. She can move but not excessively so for long periods of time so this would need to be factored in as well

 

 

 

If anyone could help us out that would be great!

 

 

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[kenandcindyc]

I just talked to the Operations manager at the NJ Port. He was very nice. We can park our 1 ton dually truck in the surface lot for the same price ($20 per day).

[138east]

I just talked to the Operations manager at the NJ Port. He was very nice. We can park our 1 ton dually truck in the surface lot for the same price ($20 per day).

 

Excellent news. I know you can park mobile homes for $40/day, but your vehicle is not that large, but you could feel it was large in the garage.

[138east]

Hey guys and gals, needing some advice here regarding from Newark Airport to and from both our hotel and the cruise port itself...

 

 

 

What I want to know is this: -

 

 

 

1) Who would be the best to use for a transfer? NJ Taxis? Uber? Private Sedan Hire like Carmel etc?

 

2) Has anyone had any experience of using any from Newark? I've seen that Uber is banned from Newark altogether

 

3) How safe is it using these methods?

 

 

 

Reason for asking is when we booked our cruise vacation, RCCL did not even offer any transfers whatsoever (just greyed out saying Unavailable) so our itinerary is looking like this: -

 

 

 

- Flight from Edinburgh EDI Airport to Newark EWR Airport on Friday 13th January (hopefully no superstitious implications!)

 

- Staying at Doubletree by Hilton Metropolitan NYC Hotel for 1 night Pre-Cruise

 

- Cruising on Anthem of the Seas from 14th Jan to 26th Jan

 

- Staying at Doubletree by Hilton Metropolitan NYC Hotel for 2 nights Post Cruise

 

- Flying from Newark EWR Airport to Edinburgh EDI Airport on Saturday 28th January

 

 

 

So I realize I will need 4 transfers in total so just looking at the best way of booking these for both reasonable cost and convenience - Google is providing to be a mixed bag for some reason! Some folks using cabs say to get a authorized receipt fare and then others report cab drivers sealing the trunk until they pay over the odds for tolls and extra charges etc. Then you see other same "see-saw" reviews (one positive and one negative immediately after the last) for bus transfers, trains and private transfers.

 

 

 

One final thing is my partner suffers badly from Fibromyalgia so using trains won't really be an option as mobility is a bit of a problem. She can move but not excessively so for long periods of time so this would need to be factored in as well

 

 

 

If anyone could help us out that would be great!

 

 

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All of your transfers involve going between New York and New Jersey, so IMO you want to stay away from cabs and Uber because the interstate trips involve a large tunnel toll and some turnpike toll plus they leave the cab and Uber drivers out of their normal operation area. These are the kinds of situations that generate negative reviews.

 

I'd book with a large car service operation like Dial7 or Carmellimo and I would try to have some sort of cell phone service activated while you are in the US. The car service should quote you a base rate and tolls and you should tip 18-20% on the base rate.

[sddsddean]

Paul - looking at your schedule, do you mean you will fly into EWR, go to New York for the night, then travel all the way back to Cape Liberty next morning? If so, I can't see the point, as I don't think you would have much 'sight seeing' time on the Friday. If you went to one of the EWR hotels, you would save a rake of cash. Carol told me earlier that the Country Inns at EWR has a shuttle to Cape Liberty for $17.99pp, which is comparable to any other 'cab' transport. If you are going to New York for 2 days after, you might find it easier to get to JFK if you have the option of changing your flights.

 

Simon

[138east]

Paul - looking at your schedule, do you mean you will fly into EWR, go to New York for the night, then travel all the way back to Cape Liberty next morning? If so, I can't see the point, as I don't think you would have much 'sight seeing' time on the Friday. If you went to one of the EWR hotels, you would save a rake of cash. Carol told me earlier that the Country Inns at EWR has a shuttle to Cape Liberty for $17.99pp, which is comparable to any other 'cab' transport. If you are going to New York for 2 days after, you might find it easier to get to JFK if you have the option of changing your flights.

 

Simon

 

Excellent question. I was wondering about that but didn't say anything. Really not much point to going into NYC for one night in the middle of January unless there is a pressing reason to do so. Many flights arrive late afternoon and it takes a while to collect luggage, go through customs and immigration, and get into Manhattan during the Friday rush hour.

 

Paul - is your NY hotel cancellable? What are you paying for it? Staying by the waterfront in Jersey City would also be an option and would significantly reduce your transportation and possibly your hotel costs while providing restaurants and services. Taxi would be an option, so no need to book a car service for an international arrival pickup.

[Fishkillbill]

I will be dropping off a car at the Hertz airport location. Does anyone know if I can get a cab from the Hertz office? I have been trying to talk to someone at the Hertz office there, but I can't get anyone to answer their phone. I have been trying for over a week. I really don't want to have to drag our bags onto the train and go to a terminal just to get a cab.

[tallpaul86]

@138east thanks for your input, we were initially thinking about Uber due to its relative simplicity in requesting one and that they give you fare estimates upfront (so we can budget for it)

 

@sddsddean The reason we got the hotel in NYC was because of its price, which was £109 per night (which is approx. $162 a night) in Manhattan, which was considerably cheaper compared to others we seen being offered by Royal Caribbean and they weren't offering any hotels in NJ area... The hotel was offered as a non refundable rate so unable to change it, plus flights out of JFK aren't an option for me direct flight wise (and doing a connected flight would be problematic for ourselves)...

 

I figured the two night post cruise stay will allow us some time to do a few touristy things like some sight seeing (just means we'll have to come back again to see them all!)

 

So would I be as well just getting a cab at Newark or use Dial7/Carmel instead?

 

 

 

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[mking8288]

I will be dropping off a car at the Hertz airport location. Does anyone know if I can get a cab from the Hertz office? I have been trying to talk to someone at the Hertz office there, but ...

FKB - which airport's Hertz location are you asking about ? Since you are posting on East Coast under NY area, assumed it is for this area.

What # are you calling - you need to get the location's local # and not use the 1-800 toll free # ...

 

I can only "generalize" about NY's LGA and JFK Hertz location, they are secured and whether it's taxi or car service or private vehicles, NOT allowed to go beyond's Hertz's "spiked" security entrances. And, you will NOT find taxis cruising there to pickup.

 

Your best bet is to call a car service - Dial7 or Carmel, or even thoe ride-sharing car services in NYC (as they are licensed/insured/regulated/safety inspected, etc.) to request & arrange for them to meet you & pickup just outside the fenced entrance/security booth - for example, at LGA - there's a small curbside area @ Hertz, off 81st/82nd. Street on airport grounds in the general direction toward them & Marine Air Terminal.

 

At JFK, it's at 318 Federal Circle, Jamaica - by Cargo Service Road (on the side of N. Service Road) - right next to the AirTrain Station stop @ Federal Circle ... where hotel shuttles come around & pickup their guests. Taxis don't cruise that area, unless they are inbound and dropping off someone there - airport service networks can be confusing to drivers unfamiliar with the roads.

 

For these locations, you best strategy would be to dropoff the rental first and then call the car service, the nearest one should be 5 to 10 minutes away as both Dial7 and Carmel have their own lot/staging area/service garage with drivers on standby, waiting nearby for assignments. By the time you walk back out to the gate/fence area, the car/driver should be almost there if not there already - fares are competitive vs. taxi (JFK is flat rate to Manhattan's cruise terminal)

 

We don't fly out out/into EWR that often but if you give more specifics, along with which cruise terminal ... that would be beneficial in getting more advice & tips, etc.

Edited June 24, 2016 by mking8288