Need Cape Liberty Help

[packedandready]

Please, please..I need your help. We're a couple of old country bumpkins that have lived in small, rural towns our whole lives. We've done 20+ cruises but they've all been to some part of the Caribbean and have left from either Galveston or Florida. We have a Canada- New England cruise booked from Cape Liberty on RCI Adventure and I'm overwhelmed and feel like a newby.

 

I've read a bunch on these boards but since I know nothing about the area I don't have a clue as to where folks are talking about. We'd really like to fly in 2-3 days early to do some sightseeing. We'd like (we think) to stay close to the port with airport/port shuttle or maybe use uber. 

 

Another thing...I'd like to visit the statue of liberty. Are there tours that do hotel pickups? Remember, rural living here...Never even lived in a town with taxi service so the talk of trains and subways is a little scary. 

 

Please, need very detailed help 101. How far in advance do we need to make hotel reservations? Thanks

 

 

[138east]

48 minutes ago, packedandready said:

Please, please..I need your help. We're a couple of old country bumpkins that have lived in small, rural towns our whole lives. We've done 20+ cruises but they've all been to some part of the Caribbean and have left from either Galveston or Florida. We have a Canada- New England cruise booked from Cape Liberty on RCI Adventure and I'm overwhelmed and feel like a newby.

 

I've read a bunch on these boards but since I know nothing about the area I don't have a clue as to where folks are talking about. We'd really like to fly in 2-3 days early to do some sightseeing. We'd like (we think) to stay close to the port with airport/port shuttle or maybe use uber. 

 

Another thing...I'd like to visit the statue of liberty. Are there tours that do hotel pickups? Remember, rural living here...Never even lived in a town with taxi service so the talk of trains and subways is a little scary. 

 

Please, need very detailed help 101. How far in advance do we need to make hotel reservations? Thanks

 

 

Take a deep breath.  We’ll work through this step by step by getting as many details as possible.  I’m seeing you booked on Adventure for July 15, 2020

1). Two people?

2). Bed size or any special accommodations requirements?

3) hotel budget?  Hotel chain preference?  Are you eligible for AAA, senior, or military discounts?

4) Uber user?

5) Other NYC sightseeing objectives?

 

Cape Liberty is a DIY port.  The closest hotels are 8-11 miles away and there are almost no port shuttles offered, so Uber will likely be your port transportation solution from a NJ hotel.  Plan to fly into Newark Airport(EWR).

 

Your hotel budget will determine if you can consider staying in Manhattan instead of NJ.     You will be looking for rooms on a business travel night, so they will tend to be more expensive. Booking a refundable reservation early is recommended followed by price monitoring.

 

I’m not aware of tours that will take you to the Statue of Liberty. You buy a timed ticket from Statue Cruises to go from NY or NJ and get yourselves to the ferry.  If you want to climb to the Crown, you need to prepurchase tickets very early.

 

Riding trains and subways will be fine. We will give you directions.  One strategy that has worked for cruisers is to stay at the Newark Penn Station Hilton (now the newly refurbished Newark Penn Station Doubletree) to have access to NJ Transit trains direct to New York Penn Station (for midtown sightseeing) and PATH trains direct to World Trade (for downtown sightseeing).  Once in midtown you can walk to Times Square, Empire State, Rockefeller Center and lower Central Park.  Once in downtown you can walk to the Statue of Liberty ferry, 911 Memorial/museum, Freedom Tower, and Wall St.

 

There are bus tours that pick up at NJ hotels.  I will look around for them.  I believe they will start early and drop you at the NJ SOL ferry and pick you up again, will then pick up other folks, and then do a bus tour around Manhattan.  It’s a long day starting early and ending late.

[packedandready]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! Much help! We'll be with another couple and they will probably be using Hilton points so this hotel sounds like it would be a good one. We've used uber so that won't be a problem. How far is the Double Tree to the port?

[WELDON]

I did the Canada/NE cruise in May from Cape Liberty. I stayed at the Best Western Plus Newark West because they have a shuttle to the port and then back to the airport.  Of course, there is a charge for this.  I think it was $60 per person.  Very easy, no problems.  I was at the airport a little after 8 am.

[138east]

2 hours ago, packedandready said:

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! Much help! We'll be with another couple and they will probably be using Hilton points so this hotel sounds like it would be a good one. We've used uber so that won't be a problem. How far is the Double Tree to the port?

It’s about 10+ miles depending on the route.  Please don’t worry about how far the port is. There is no place to stay in Bayonne, so your focus should be on how easy it is to go in and out of NYC from the hotel you choose.

 

This hotel has an airport shuttle and is in downtown Newark which is a highly urban area.  It is connected to Newark Penn Station by a skywalk.  NJ Transit train is about 25 minutes to New York Penn Station.  PATH is about 25 minutes to World Trade Center.

https://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

https://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html

 

You didn’t say how much you were willing to spend on a hotel.  If you’re willing to spend  more money you can look at the Doubletree in Jersey City, which would be close to the Newport PATH Station for access to midtown or downtown.  This is an upscale urban area on the Hudson River with many offices, apartments, restaurants, and services and might be a more comfortable area than downtown Newark.  There is no airport shuttle and you would have to Uber there.

 

When planning please keep in mind there is currently no downtown PATH service on weekends due to construction. You have to go to Exchange Place and transfer to a ferry to get to downtown Manhattan.

 

 

 

[packedandready]

Would really like to keep price under $300 / night, but also understand that may not be reasonable. Friends also have Holiday Inn points also. Maybe an option? But convenience tops most everything. SoL, central park, wall street ( most basic touristy stuff) is what we'd like to do. 

 

 

[138east]

45 minutes ago, packedandready said:

Would really like to keep price under $300 / night, but also understand that may not be reasonable. Friends also have Holiday Inn points also. Maybe an option? But convenience tops most everything. SoL, central park, wall street ( most basic touristy stuff) is what we'd like to do. 

 

 

You’re too early to book for next July.  The rates are showing at under $200 plus tax for the Hilton Doubletree Penn Station, but there are no rates out yet for Doubletree Jersey City.  Holiday Inn is not a convenient option for NJ.

 

Have you considered actually staying in midtown Manhattan and paying a car service or Uber to get you there and then to take you to Cape Liberty?  

 

Your friends With Hilton points need to check out how many they would need for several nights.  The closer you get to Manhattan, the more points are required.  How much are they willing to pay if their points don’t cover this trip?

 

Transportation costs - NJ Transit Newark to New York - $5.25/pp each way.  PATH costs $2.75/pp each ride.  NY subway $3/ride.  $2.75 with metro card (shareable)

[packedandready]

We're willing to look at most options. Convenience is the key :). Friends aren't tied to their points, will use them for convenience but not mandatory. 

 

[138east]

2 hours ago, packedandready said:

We're willing to look at most options. Convenience is the key :). Friends aren't tied to their points, will use them for convenience but not mandatory. 

 

Well staying in either midtown or downtown Manhattan will put you right near some of the attractions you are interested in, but you’ll have to travel by subway, cab, or Uber to get to the rest.  If you stay in NJ, it’s important to have easy access to PATH and/or  NJ transit. There’s no perfect location to stay - you will have to travel to get to other attractions.  Folks in NYC use the subway to go distances and walk a lot.

[AF-1]

I love all the info on this thread.  This thread is good for my planning too

[Wasasalad]

Following!

I usually stay in NYC for a day or two prior to the cruise. If you book hotel well in advance you get a great rate!

I usually taxi or car service to the port in NJ

Open to suggestions! I come to NYC by bus or train. 

[AF-1]

I think hotels in NYC are priced fair for the area; however, certain times of the year the prices go up from the normal rate. 

[retafcruiser]

On 8/7/2019 at 3:31 PM, Wasasalad said:

Following!

I usually stay in NYC for a day or two prior to the cruise. If you book hotel well in advance you get a great rate!

I usually taxi or car service to the port in NJ

Open to suggestions! I come to NYC by bus or train. 

It looks like the best accommodations would be in Manhattan. I plan to Amtrak to Penn station. From what people say, car service or Uber will get me to Cape Liberty. Now help with my return....Should I make my way back to Penn station or get transportation from Cape Liberty to the Amtrak station at Newark Airport?  Thanks.

[Wasasalad]

37 minutes ago, retafcruiser said:

It looks like the best accommodations would be in Manhattan. I plan to Amtrak to Penn station. From what people say, car service or Uber will get me to Cape Liberty. Now help with my return....Should I make my way back to Penn station or get transportation from Cape Liberty to the Amtrak station at Newark Airport?  Thanks.

I’ve always taxied back to Pen Station. Sometimes I take a bus from NYC home to MA. 

Never thought of Newark Airport!

[njhorseman]

50 minutes ago, retafcruiser said:

It looks like the best accommodations would be in Manhattan. I plan to Amtrak to Penn station. From what people say, car service or Uber will get me to Cape Liberty. Now help with my return....Should I make my way back to Penn station or get transportation from Cape Liberty to the Amtrak station at Newark Airport?  Thanks.

You can't take any form of ground transportation from anywhere to the Amtrak station at Newark Airport. There is no access to it. The station exists solely as a transfer point between Amtrak/ NJ Transit trains and the Newark Airport AirTrain.

 

What you want to do is take a taxi, car service or Uber from Cape Liberty to Newark Penn Station.

Edited August 15, 2019 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

12 minutes ago, Wasasalad said:

I’ve always taxied back to Pen Station. Sometimes I take a bus from NYC home to MA. 

Never thought of Newark Airport!

As I stated in my previous post, you can't access the Newark Airport Amtrak station via ground transportation.

[Wasasalad]

16 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

You can't take any form of ground transportation from anywhere to the Amtrak station at Newark Airport. There is no access to it. The station exists solely as a transfer point between Amtrak/ NJ Transit trains and the Newark Airport AirTrain.

 

What you want to do is take a taxi, car service or Uber from Cape Liberty to Newark Penn Station.

Thanks! I probably looked that up long ago and that’s why I have never done it!

[retafcruiser]

32 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

What you want to do is take a taxi, car service or Uber from Cape Liberty to Newark Penn Station.

I didn't see that Amtrak went to Newark Penn Station.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, retafcruiser said:

I didn't see that Amtrak went to Newark Penn Station.

It always has. 

[retafcruiser]

I see that now - thank you. It also looks like there is a Doubletree near the station. That might be a potential overnight hotel to check. You guys have helped me a lot.

[138east]

16 hours ago, retafcruiser said:

I see that now - thank you. It also looks like there is a Doubletree near the station. That might be a potential overnight hotel to check. You guys have helped me a lot.

The Doubletree Hilton Newark Penn Station is connected to Newark Penn Station by a skywalk.  Easy access to NY Penn Station via NJ Transit train and easy access to downtown World Trade Center via PATH only on weekdays.  On weekends they are doing track construction, so you must do the free ferry transfer at Exchange Place to go across the Hudson River.