Royal transfers from NJ

[tigerwilf]

I will be leaving Antham in New Jersey and have a 6pm flight home. Royal offer an excursion which drops you at the airport. Has anyone done this tou and is it just sightseeing on the coach or do you have stops were you can get off and take photos and look around. 

[Mick B]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the case now, but back in 2015 we caught one of these transfers which was basically a dozen passengers and their luggage in a small bus which left Bayonne, went over the Narrows bridge, dropped some passengers off at JFK, then went to LaGuardia and did the same and then 2 hours later, dropped everyone else off in Manhattan.

 

Not sure which airport you need to get to, but if its Newark, then there are plenty of Taxis that wait outside and charge around $50 plus fees to take you/your family there. A local taxi firm seems to run things which is called Archie's Cab Co and Van Service who are based at 520 Broadway Bayonne and can be contacted on (201) 858-8800.

 

BTW I am from the UK, and use them to do this instead... Get a taxi from the ship around 10am to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail stop at 34th St Bayonne (which costs approx $20) then get a ticket to Hoboken (costs $2 or something like that) and then walk around the station to the other end and take a PATH train into Manhattan (again $2 or something) which ends at Harold Square at 6th and 34th.

Now there is normally just me and my wife, so we usually stay for at least 1 night in a hotel and then would take the Long Island RR from Penn Station on 7th and 32nd to Jamaica station (costs approx $7) and then the AirTrain to JFK (which you buy at Jamaica, unless you have a Metrocard with enough credit on it, otherwise its about $5). It all adds up though...

 

Obviously, this depends on how many of you there are and how much luggage, but I can tell you this much... AND BE WARNED!... On several departures from this ship in the past at this port I have bumped into passengers I had met onboard who said they had booked RCI transfers to the airport only to have them all cancelled on the morning of dis-embarkation for unknown reasons, leaving them all waiting in a long queue for a taxi with hundreds of other fed up passengers. 

I can also tell you that the way people queue and get their taxi at this port is absolute chaos! No-one seems to be in charge and the people that seem to take charge and call the taxis over constantly shout at the customers if they are not in the right line for whichever airport/destination you require. Believe me, it is not nice when you have got up at 6am and come to the end of your holiday to find you now have no transport to the airport for your flight and then get treated like cattle at the taxi stand.

 

Please, please, please, do what we have been doing at this port and arrange a private taxi to meet you. I would suggest around 10am which gives you chance to get up at 7am, go and have breakfast without rushing, take you own cases off the ship if you can, around 9am and that gives you chance to be outside for your cab by 10am as US Customs are fairly quick at this port. Should be plenty of time to get to your flights later in the day.

BTW you can ring Archie's cabs toll free from NJ just outside the dock if you want to re-confirm/check/change your booking. We have used them several times and have no issues so far.

 

BTW, We have also done the opposite too, flown into JFK, had a few days in New York then got the PATH and Hudson LR to Bayonne and got Archie's Cabs to take us to the ship (which a 2 mile walk on a badly maintained road not fit for pedestrians with suitcases).

 

Sadly, Bayonne was (and still is as of last November) a mess with no infrastructure in place for foreign tourists and only seems to cater for US citizens with their own cars which can be left at the port for the duration of the cruise.

It really is a shame RCI could not either be bothered or afford to dock somewhere closer to New York like P&O and others do.

 

One last thing, Another route we tried in the past was to Get a taxi from the port over the Bayonne Bridge to the Staten Island ferry port and then take the ferry (for free) over to Manhattan. This used to cost around $40 for the taxi. However, sometimes they close this bridge for maintenance/repairs etc.

 

You have to also be aware that if you use a taxi service from Bayonne into New York, you will get charged all kinds of fees for going through toll booths which you may find on the I278 near the Narrows bridge if going direct to JFK or the I78 if going to Newark NJ. Also, NJ taxis don't like going out of state too much either and I have even been in one that got lost and I have to tell him where the correct route was! That's why we now use the NJLR and PATH.

 

Hope what I have shared here helps you, or anyone else who is planning a cruise from this port who is either non US or US but not with a car!

 

regards,

Mick.

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Mick B
spelling

[jean87510]

3 hours ago, tigerwilf said:

I will be leaving Antham in New Jersey and have a 6pm flight home. Royal offer an excursion which drops you at the airport. Has anyone done this tou and is it just sightseeing on the coach or do you have stops were you can get off and take photos and look around. 

Which airport?

[tigerwilf]

Thanks Mick I think the taxi option looks safer

[tigerwilf]

Was hoping for a look round before off to Newark for flight home but will have cases so not a option

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, tigerwilf said:

Was hoping for a look round before off to Newark for flight home but will have cases so not a option

Newark is not a city you want to look around.  Stay on ship as long as is allowed.  Then head to airport.  Those evening flights are a PIA BUT I always check to see if I can get on an earlier one before I check my bags in.  If not possible, there's always an airport lounge for a nap.

 

We have done transfers to airport both with and without excursions and never had an issue.  We did so in Vancouver and Barbados.  We also had direct transfers in Galveston to IAH and Rome.  Never a problem.  I live in Southern NJ and have flown in and out of EWR a few times.  You should be fine with anything.

Edited April 3, 2023 by jean87510

[c-leg5]

We took the Royal transfer to Newark in May after a repositioning and late flight and had a comprehensive tour of Manhattan, mostly narrated sightseeing from coach, with brief stop at Rockefeller center and longer unescorted stop at 911 memorial.

 

Finding luggage in baggage claim and finding the coach was a little chaotic. The coach was late leaving but was able to extend time, with everyones approval, and provide s full tour.

Edited April 3, 2023 by c-leg5

[Mick B]

Hi, 

One other option you could do (if you are brave/confident) is get off the ship at the normal time (say 9am), get your taxi booked to EWR and then see if you can drop off/check in your luggage for your flight early and then just leave yourself with a small bag with your essentials/money/passport in. Now take the Air Train to Newark Liberty Int Airport train station and change to the main line and take a train into NYC Penn Station which is on 7th and 32nd. Depending on the trains you could be in the city within an hour. Now you could possibly have 4 or 5 hours in New York to get something to eat and visit places on foot or even take the subway. If you flight is at 6pm and you are checked in, then leaving NYC around 3pm back to the airport should do it.

I would suggest what I do, and that is print out all the relevant time tables for the trains both to and from NYC and see if the timings are right to achieve such a task and then get your tickets booked and printed out and off you go!.

Could I suggest trying lunch at Tony's DiNapoli on W43st at Times Square (just a 10 block walk straight up 7th from Penn) - you won't want anything else to eat until that day mid-flight after eating all that!

 

Mick.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Mick B

[Cherries_Cruiser]

There are 2 tours - 1 to Newark and the other to La Guardia and JFK.

 

We did the La Guardia and JFK tour in January this year. The tour left around 9am (finding the coach  / bus wasn't easy at Bayonne with so many people milling around) and there were 3 stops in Manhattan. First was on the edge of Battery Park for about 10 minutes, second was near the 9/11 Museum and Memorial for about 40 minutes during which most of us used the toilets and had a coffee and then a very brief 2 or 3 minute photo stop in Times Square. Then got to La Guardia around 12.30pm and JFK around 1pm stopping at most of the terminals at JFK.

 

We enjoyed it. The weather was good, the guide had a lot of personality and we got the impression that if anyone had really wanted to make an additional stop south of Central Park it would have been accommodated. Plus it used up 3 or 4 hours before our 6.30pm flight back to the UK.

 

Darn. Just noticed you are going to Newark. Ignore me 😄

Edited April 3, 2023 by Cherries_Cruiser

[sddsddean]

Another little warning (sorry!)...we have done the sight seeing tour twice (basically to kill time) before being dropped back at EWR(Newark), BUT British Airways only do evening flights out of there, so they don't open for bag drop until about 3.30pm (or at least, thats how it was in 2017!). The tour normally drops you at EWR about 2pm, so you have 90 mins kicking your heels waiting to get rid of your luggage.

As to the tour, when we did it it was basically a drive round with a 30 min stop near the twin towers to look round the memorial (but not enough time to do the museum bit). If memory serves, that was the only stop.

 

Simon

[tigerwilf]

Thank everyone. You have given me plenty to think about.

[meadowlander]

44 minutes ago, tigerwilf said:

Thank everyone. You have given me plenty to think about.

A 6 pm flight means you are supposed to be at EWR at 3 pm, limiting your time to see NYC. If you can handle your luggage you could travel on your own into Manhattan via public transit but it would involve 2 trains to get there & 1 train back from NYC to EWR. You would not want to be on the 2 morning trains with luggage and commuters going into NYC, so you would board the 1st train after 9 am.

 

The actual train travel time is 45 minutes, but allow up to 75 minutes with unfamiliarity and transfer, cost is $5.00 per person. The 1 return train would be from NY Penn Station directly to EWR airport station via NJ Transit. Cost is $15.75 per person, at least 3 trains per hour. From EWR airport station use the monorail (air train) to your terminal.

 

The other issue is luggage storage. There are luggage storage facilities in NY Penn Station. You could check the site 'luggage hero' too.

 

The only other option would be to rent a car from Enterprise in Bayonne, use the trunk to store your luggage and drive to a public transit lot for travel to NYC, returning the rental to EWR. Or drive to Liberty State Park in NJ for the official ferry to the Statue of Liberty then drive to EWR for your flight.

 

 

[tigerwilf]

Thanks Meadowlander, I think we should of booked a couple of nights after the cruise to stay in NY. We will just have to book another cruise to do NY next time 😂

[Mick B]

Hi,

Flying back to the UK on the day of dis-embarkation is the issue here.

Sadly lots of people do it, but it just means hanging around a airport for hours and hours waiting to get rid of your luggage and then waiting for your flights with very little time to venture outside and enjoy what the city has to offer.

 

My wife and I have visited New York so many times and have done everything it has to offer. We no longer stay for 10-14 nights there anymore like we used to at first, but instead now we jump on a cruise to places like Bermuda and/or the Caribbean.

We would book a 12 night cruise from Bayonne and then spend 3 nights either side of it in New York.

There is is always plenty to do in New York, like spending a day in Central Park, or Macy's or walking over the Brooklyn Bridge and visiting the 911 memorial. There's 3 days worth there.

I did the TA on the Anthem back in October and met passengers from the UK who were flying back the same night as getting off the ship. Some with the tours mentioned here and some just going straight to the airport to sit there until their night flight back home.

I can only advise that flying back the same day can be a mistake and I can only suggest that people spend at least 1 night in NYC. You normally cannot check in your hotel until 3pm, but you can arrive earlier and store your luggage there. The same on check-out day. You normally have to check out by 11am but can leave your luggage until going to the airport.

Like I said, there is plenty to do and see in NYC and you don't have to waste time and money on touristy things either. I always just enjoy walking the streets and being part of the buzz of things.

Anything is better than being stuck in an airport.

 

Hope this helps anyone planning a cruise to/from Bayonne.

 

Mick.

 

[Mapleleafforever]

21 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Newark is not a city you want to look around.  Stay on ship as long as is allowed.  Then head to airport.  Those evening flights are a PIA BUT I always check to see if I can get on an earlier one before I check my bags in.  If not possible, there's always an airport lounge for a nap.

 

We have done transfers to airport both with and without excursions and never had an issue.  We did so in Vancouver and Barbados.  We also had direct transfers in Galveston to IAH and Rome.  Never a problem.  I live in Southern NJ and have flown in and out of EWR a few times.  You should be fine with anything.

Reading that one post has me worried a bit now. We booked Royal transfers in May from Oasis (Cape LIberty) to Newark as we didn't want to mess with car seats and boosters for our 5 and 3 year old daughters. Flight home is at 12:10pm, did we leave ourselves enough time? 

[jean87510]

22 minutes ago, Mapleleafforever said:

Reading that one post has me worried a bit now. We booked Royal transfers in May from Oasis (Cape LIberty) to Newark as we didn't want to mess with car seats and boosters for our 5 and 3 year old daughters. Flight home is at 12:10pm, did we leave ourselves enough time? 

yes.  Ship docks at 6am.  Just double check pickup for port to airport and which terminal they are dropping off at.  

[Mapleleafforever]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

yes.  Ship docks at 6am.  Just double check pickup for port to airport and which terminal they are dropping off at.  

Phew, thanks!! Will do. 

[jean87510]

4 minutes ago, Mapleleafforever said:

Phew, thanks!! Will do. 

If this makes you feel any better, this is the distance.  I have made it from Bayonne cruise terminal parking to my house which is 81 miles away in 90 minutes.  Newark airport is 10 miles away.  

[Mapleleafforever]

3 hours ago, jean87510 said:

If this makes you feel any better, this is the distance.  I have made it from Bayonne cruise terminal parking to my house which is 81 miles away in 90 minutes.  Newark airport is 10 miles away.  

Much much much better, thanks!!! Looking forward to our first cruise out of that port. With flights being only 1 hour and 20 minutes it may become our regular port. Love Florida but airfare prices from Toronto is crazy lately!