Glossbosscali

4 hours ago, cooncat_mom said:

Sorry to butt in, but was wondering about your mom - is she traveling with a cane, or even better, a rollator? (I’m in my late 60’s with arthritis in my real hip and my spine...love to cruise and sightsee!)  That would help a lot with the sightseeing since with a rollator, she would be able to sit down at any time. 

What a fabulous idea! While she has graduated from needing the rollator her physical therapist does have her utilizing a folding walking stick on an as needed basis. It sounds to me like she's using it mostly to keep other people out of her way, but whatever works and keeps her comfortable. I just asked and she's OK with wheelchair boarding since her biggest fear IS inattentive people in crowded situations such as boarding. I'm calling to request it right now! 

Thank you again for the suggestion, I'll take any and all. This board has been so incredibly helpful! 

6 hours ago, 138east said:

What does your mother think?  She’s the one with back issues.  From Home2Suites it will take you 1+ hours each way to get into Manhattan. If she stays behind, she’s stranded in an isolated hotel enclave with nothing else around - nowhere to go and nothing to do.  I’d look in Secaucus at Harmon Meadows.  Bus to midtown and lots of services.  8 hotel choices. http://www.harmonmeadow.com/Pages/index.html

 

 

THANK.YOU.

Seriously. Thank you. The amount of stress and anxiety that you have saved me is indescribable. Reservations made at a Harmon Meadows hotel for after the cruise. Bus stop directly across the street. It's actually less expensive than where we were staying and the location is infinitely more desirable and I wasn't even worrying about the cost when I booked it.

At this point I'm just going to roll the dice and grab two Uber's or Lyft's the first morning to get us and all of our bags to Cape Liberty and I'll do the same on the way back. 

9 hours ago, 138east said:

It’s difficult to advise without the financial considerations.  Your NY sightseeing possibilities are ambitious, especially the Bronx Zoo.  The best fit I’m seeing is the Courtyard Marriott in Jersey City.  It’s reasonable for your dates ($200 + tax) and is right next to the Newport PATH Station. Hyatt House at Exchange Place is similar with kitchen options and there are other options, but I need a budget range.  Residence Inn at Grove St has kitchenettes and free breakfast. The Jersey City hotels in the Newport, Grove St, and Exchange Places areas are all relatively new and very nice because their primary clientele are business travelers.  I have stayed at the Courtyard and Residence Inn and would heartily recommend both of them.  This is an upscale area your parents could enjoy and feel comfortable in should they not participate in all your sightseeing activities.

 

PATH to World Trade is closed on 2019 Sat’s and Sun’s.  It terminates at Exchange Place with a free transfer to a ferry to the World Trade Center.  PATH to 33rd St will be running on weekends.

 

Keep your Home2Suites and book a car service like Dial7 or Carmellimo to the port.  There are no hotels that offer a “free” port shuttle - you pay for it separately or it’s included in a fly, sleep, cruise package.

 

Please post back with questions and more details.

Thank you so very much for all of your insight thus far! 

For 6/28-7/1 we are paying a total of $926.34 for two King suites (with pull out sofas for the 18 y/o) that includes breakfast each morning. If we can find a closer option that saves us time and is pretty much a wash price-wise once we figure in transportation costs, that would be fantastic! 

2 minutes ago, 138east said:

Is the Home2suites cancellable?  What is the bed size configuration and price including tax for each room?  Really can’t give you useful suggestions without these facts about your family’s requirements and price range.  

 

Also so need to know the exact dates you need rooms post cruise.  What NY tourist stuff do you want to do?  IMO staying at the airport will be very expensive for the 5 of you to go in and out of the city at $13/pp each way ($9 for “senior” parents).  Train fares from Newark Penn Station to NY Penn Station are $5.25 adults and $2.45 seniors.  PATH from Newark Penn to World Trade is $2.75/pp.  Yes - NYC can be a ton of walking.

O

 

 

 

 

Yes, Home2 Suites can be cancelled. We return from the cruise om 6/28 and fly back out of EWR on 7/1. We need one room with either one King or one Queen and the other room can be one King or Queen with a pull-out or rollaway or 2 Queens.

NYC must-sees include the 9/11 memorial, Ellis Island, Times Square, possibly the Bronx Zoo, Central Park... we have no real set plans and timeline for our time after the cruise. 

New to this board, my apologies if the answer was in previous pages as I tried my best to weed through all of it before posting.

Flying into EWR on 6/21 for a 6/22 sailing on Adventure. We currently have two rooms for the five of us booked at the new Home2 Suites near EWR. Need to stay close as my 18 y/o son is flying solo up from TX where he's competing the week before to join my parents, boyfriend and I and he doesn't arrive until around 1am. The hotel has assured me that their shuttle will be available to him at that hour.

First question: Best way to get 5 people with all of our luggage to Bayonne/Cape Liberty and back efficiently/economically?

Second question: We will be sticking around for a few days after we return to do typical NY tourist stuff. I currently have us booked back at the same hotel and was planning on us heading back into the city each day because in my head it made sense when I made the reservations. Am I nuts? Are we cutting off our nose to spite our face and would it be better to try to find a hotel deal somewhere in the City? I'm normally a fairly efficient travel planner but this trip was planned during a period of high stress and now i'm second guessing everything including our cruise destination. 

Also of note: my Mom is 70 and recovering from back-to-back-to-back back surgeries. She's getting stronger by the day but I'm super worried about her being able to get around the city as much as she would like. It all sounds like a TON of walking.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE???

ANY help is very much appreciated!