138east

You could take the SL2 bus to South Station, walk to the Tea party, and walk to James Hook.  From there you could take the harbor walk north a bit (http://www.audisseyguides.com/walkingmaps/Bostonharborwalk.pdf) and return to South Station via the Rose Kennedy Greenway to get the SL2 back to the port.

Since you dock at 7 am and the Tea Party opens at 10, you could do your walking first, swing back to the Tea Party, eat at James Hook and make your way back to the ship.

Don’t be intimidated by public transit.  The SL2 is easy to use and well worth it since IMO the walk from the pier to South Station is not interesting (almost all new office buildings, apartments, and hotels)  The Cruiseport is the end of the line, so you should get seats if you get off early before the bulk of the cruisers.

A lot of folks from your part of Canada drive to one of the 3 NY cruise ports where ships leave year round.

If the OP stays in JerseyCity, Central Park could be done on Sat and the Statue of Liberty  picture first thing on Sunday morning before going to the port.  The zoo is open until 5:30 on Sat in May.

51 minutes ago, MamatoJack said:

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

 

I think he just wants to see the SOL, I don't think we need to tour it or anything, he just wants to be in a picture with the real thing. As for Central Park, he likes to watch Jessie on Disney + and they live near it so he thinks it's a big park...with play structures and such, I'm not sure the real thing is at all like the show obviously 🙂 I think the zoo or something like that would be good maybe?  

 

Luggage, we could probably manage, I normally only use carry on or one suit case and a back pack. 

The hotel rates are great for May 9 - I think because of Mother’s Day.  In Jersey City look at the Hyatt, the Doubletree, and the Westin, which all come in around $200 cancellable if you join and become a member.  Rates are less for prepay. The Hyatt and the Westin have pools.  The location of the Hyatt is right on the waterfront.  Post back about which hotel appeals.  Directions into NY depend on which hotel.
 

I’m not familiar with Jessie on Disney + or areas of play structures in the park.  Perhaps someone can comment on this.  The zoo would probably be good.

MamatoJack - does your son actually want to go out to the SOL or would a picture taken from Battery Park or from the free Staten Island ferry be OK?  Could you be more specific about what he wants to see in Central Park?  Could you manage your luggage on accessible public transit?  If you stay in Jersey City you could save some money by taking the light Rail to Bayonne and Uber or cab into the port.  If you can be more specific, we can come up with specific suggestions for hotels within you budget and specific transportation directions.

It’s about a 2 mile walk from the port to Park Street Station.  The whole Freedom Trail is only 2.4 miles one way and you end up about 3 miles from the port out in Charlestown.

There is nothing sacred about the Freedom Trail itself.  Basically it’s a marked walking route through old Boston so that tourists don’t miss the historic sites that are tucked away among the more modern buildings.  Is there anything in particular that you want to see along the trail?

Unfortunately it looks like you will be there on a Monday when the Constitution ship is closed (Museum will be open at 9 am).  If you want to see the Constitution area what I usually suggest is to take a cab or Uber to the Constitution first, then take the MBTA water taxi back to Long wharf ($3.70/pp) for a mini upper harbor cruise, and walk through Christopher Columbus Park into the North End to pick up the Freedom Trail to walk backwards to Faneuil Hall and on to Boston Common, which is the beginning of the trail.  Park Street station is right there and you can take the Red Line direction Ashmont or Braintree to South Station for a free transfer inside the station to the Silver Line SL2 bus back to the port.

IMO the walk between the port and Boston Common and between the Constitution and the North End is not really interesting.  If you’re trying to keep costs down, it is possible to take the Silver Line/Red Line/Orange Line to Community College, walk over to the Bunker Hill Monument, and then down to the Constitution.  More details can be provided - the transfers are all inside the T station.  The Silver Line bus runs on its own right of way from World Trade to the South Station T Station for an indoor transfer to the Red Line.

https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/sites/default/files/content/PDFs/freedom_trail_2018_official_brochure.pdf

This is the DIY tour I suggest for Boston.  Cab or Uber to the Constitution (ship closed Monday’s).  Museum opens at 9 am, ship at 10.  MBTA water taxi to Long Wharf ($3.70) for a mini upper harbor cruise.  Walk along the Waterfront into the North End to pick up the Freedom Trail back to Faneuil Hall (this loop optional).  Follow the Trail back to Boston Common.  At Park Street take the MBTA Red Line to South Station (Direction Ashmont or Braintree) for a free transfer to the Silver Line SL2 back to the ship.($2.90) Check MBTA website for Silver Line for advisories about the bus service being on the street due to tunnel repairs(not a big deal). https://www.mbta.com

https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/sites/default/files/content/PDFs/freedom_trail_2018_official_brochure.pdf
 

Roll calls for May

Empress

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2688190-empress-may-18-2020-new-england-canada/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2691119-empress-of-the-seas-may-25-2020-7-night-canada-new-england/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2684115-empress-of-the-seas-may-4-2020/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2684276-may-11-2020-empress-of-the-seas-bermuda/

Hilton Doubletree Newark Penn Station is $135 + tax for April 10-12 for Hilton honors members.  This hotel has an airport shuttle and is connected to Newark Penn Station by a skywalk.  Take the train to NY Penn Station (31-33rd & 8th) and a cab north on 8th Ave to 50th St and walk East to 7th Ave for your tour.  Cab south on 7th Ave back to NY Penn.

Skip Staten Island.  The hotels are not close to the Staten Island ferry - it will take you about 1.5 hours to get to midtown.

31 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Sunday morning traffic is usually light. You can easily drive from home to the port that morning, barring really bad weather or a serious traffic snafu caused by an accident. 

 

If you want to drive up Saturday. I would look at the Courtyard Cranbury NJ right at exit 8A of the NJ Turnpike.  Should be no more than a 45 minute drive to Cape Liberty (38 miles) on a Sunday morning.  No extra charge for parking.  Located in a nice semi-rural suburban area.  I used to do this trip years ago when I cruised with my mother.

9 hours ago, bjtll said:

Happy to have found this thread. We are driving up the day before out cruise on Saturday afternoon on June 13. Hoping to stay at a Marriott brand hotel as we are using points. We will need 3 rooms. Can you suggest a hotel where car is safe in parking lot over night. There are two vehicles that are both high end. We will park at the pier for the cruise.

 

Julie

1) Residence Inn Elizabeth (free breakfast)

2) Courtyard Elizabeth

category 3 

Unfortunately this is a highly urban area and you might feel more comfortable about your cars if you stay in a more suburban area within 45 minutes of the port.  Let us know where you’re coming from and we can make other suggestions.  There are never any guarantees about car safety parking.

1 hour ago, aainsjen said:

We are driving down so obviously will have a car.  Looking to keep the car at the hotel and either shuttle or uber to the port.  Any suggestions for hotels? We area  family of four and this is for June 21. 

Look at trinityreservations.com for a Newark Airport Park/sleep at the Fairfield Inn for $185 tax included with 14 days parking and free breakfast for June 21.  This is a great deal from a reputable company and will disappear once they sell their blocked out rooms.

4 minutes ago, hallux said:

Not only that, there's a ferry that runs from lower Manhattan to the pier adjacent to the cruise terminal.

We need to hear back from the OP.  Lots of choices.

https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/route/south-brooklyn/ - Wall St Pier 11 to Red Hook.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2457391-red-hook-brooklyn-to-manhattan-ferry/
 

Lots of hotels in lower Manhattan with good access to Pier 11.  Holiday Inn Express Wall St is a 4 minute walk from pier 11.

Which airport are you flying into?  What time do you arrive on Friday Oct 2?  Hotel Budget? How many people?  Bed size requirements?

All these factors will affect the quality of the advice you get. 

Without a NY or NJ EZpass you will pay the full $16 for the tunnel toll.

From the Port Authority website - “Please note all E-ZPass discounts apply to accounts at the E-ZPass New York and New Jersey Customer Service Centers only.”

3 hours ago, nonni2 said:

We just booked a RT cruise from Boston, Sept 23-Oct 5, and are thinking of a road trip after the cruise, for. maybe 6-7 days. Very confused about car rental options. Considering traffic, convenience, and cost, would it be best to take a taxi (or cruise shuttle, if available) from cruise terminal to airport to pick up and return car, or taxi/Uber to another location and take taxi from there to airport? I understand that Uber use at the airport may not be practical for us. We are seniors and, while mobile, are unable to walk a long distance with luggage. We are unfamiliar with the area, and your input will be greatly appreciated!

You should be able to take a taxi or Uber directly to the car rental locations on Transportation Way or Tomahawk Drive at Logan Airport to pick up the car without transferring through the central airport.  For a car return you should be able to take a shuttle bus directly to your terminal from the return location.  Others can confirm this or you can call the various providers directly.

With your mobility issues you don’t want to Uber to or from the central airport (car rental locations are NOT in the Central airport) because you would have to tote your luggage to the terminal to connect with the rental car shuttles.

Turnpike toll from exit 14 near the Doubletree to the Lincoln Tunnel is $2.15 each way.

12 hours ago, ace123 said:

3 of us will arrive EWR on Saturday late afternoon.

We'll have dinner after arrival in EWR.

Here are our choices for hotel:

1. Courtyard Newark Liberty International,

2. Springhill Suites Newark Liberty,

3. Fairfield Inn & Suites Newark Liberty,

4. Residence Inn Newark,

5. Courtyard Newark Elizabeth

Which one would be the best for us in terms of safety, easy to get to and to go to Cape Liberty?

Do they offer pick up from EWR or shuttle to Cape Liberty?

Thanks a lot for your comment.

All the hotels offer shuttles from the P4 Airtrain Station.  https://www.newarkairport.com/static/ewr/pdf/ewr-airtrain-brochure-english.pdf
 

None of these hotels offer a shuttle to Cape Liberty.  Uber/Lyft has become the most cost effective way to get to Cape Liberty.

Courtyard Newark, Springhill Suites, and Fairfield Inn are in the same isolated complex on the north side of the airport.  The only restaurant is in the Courtyard.  Springhill and Fairfield only offer free breakfast.

Residence Inn and Courtyard Elizabeth are on International Blvd in Elizabeth next to the Jersey Gardens Mall. Residence Inn has free breakfast.  Courtyard has a restaurant.  Ruby Tuesday’s and IHOP are very close walk.  In the Mall Applebee’s, Johnny Rockets, Chili’s and the mall food court offer lots of food selections. Google ‘jersey gardens mall restaurants’

Safety - no issues

Easy to get to - all hotel shuttles leave from the P4 Airtrain station

The 3 Newark hotels are closest to the port.  The Elizabeth hotels are not much further away.  IMO distance from the port is not a significant factor when choosing one of these hotels.
My preferences would be Residence Inn, Courtyard Elizabeth, Courtyard Newark, Fairfield Inn, and Springhill Suites in that order.

4 hours ago, Canadian Disney Mom said:

 

If there a charge for parking at the station?

https://www.parkfast.com/secaucus-parking
 

looks like $16 for 12 hours on a Saturday.

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

Another option is to take route 3 to NJ park and ride and bus to port authority.

Possibly park for free at Harmon Meadows and take the bus?

Another possibility with cars is to drive and park at Secaucus Junction (turnpike exit 15X).  Train is $4.25 with $1.95 senior fare.  

You’re flying into Newark, NJ.  You’re cruising from Cape Liberty NJ.  Look at the Hilton Doubletree Penn Station Newark which is a newly refurbished hotel in downtown Newark with 2 doubles for about $150 tax included for March 21.  The hotel is connected to Newark Penn Station by a skywalk with a PATH option to downtown Manhattan and midtown Manhattan with a transfer for $2.75/pp and a NJ Transit train option to New York Penn Station for  $5.25 adult and $2.45 child.  This Hilton offers a free hotel shuttle from the P4 Airtrain Station. https://www.newarkairport.com/static/ewr/pdf/ewr-airtrain-brochure-english.pdf

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

https://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainTo

I would check with the hotel to confirm they will store your luggage.  Take the kids into Manhattan - a big circle tour is possible - train to midtown, subway downtown, and PATH back to Newark or vice versa.  Eat dinner before you return to Newark.

The only Uber you will need is from the hotel to the port.  Target your arrival time for between 10 and 10:30.  Bumper cars start at noon on deck 15.

17 hours ago, Mother27 said:

DH and I are booked for Canada/New England cruise from NYC in September. We're also flying in the day before. I've booked Carmel for transportation from LGA to Manhattan. Cost is +/- $60.00, which includes tolls and gratuities. I haven't yet booked transport from the hotel to the port for the following day, as I don't know yet what my check-in time for the cruise is. If the trip from LGA to Manhattan goes well, I may use the same service for the quick trip to the cruise ship the next day.

Which ship are you sailing on?  The advice is to plan to arrive at Cape Liberty between 10 and 10:30 regardless of what time is suggested by the cruiseline.  This is to avoid the traffic delays getting to the drop off.

The stay, park, cruise options are the Hilton Gardens and Hampton Inn in Ridgefield Park and the Fairfield Inn in North Bergen.  New Jersey options only.

8 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

We routinely spend about $40/pp for a decent dinner in our area, so that's what I was thinking in terms of costs. 

 

Your comment about the subway being more complicated than the Metro is very relevant, since we are used to zipping around D.C. pretty easily. What should we be studying up on to get acclimated to NY's system?

 

Google Map is awesome. I have been "wandering" around on the street level view to try to get a good visual of the areas.

 

 

Thanks for those suggestions - I'll check them out.

I’m taking the train to Manhattan tomorrow from Boston and and staying at the Element on West 39th St at 8th Ave.  Walkable from Penn Station and also close to Times Square.  I’ll post back about my experience.  Subway is 3 streets (not avenues) away.  http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf
 

IMO the issue in midtown east can be how close your hotel really is to the nearest subway, which is likely to be the 4, 5, 6 Line.

What date are you doing this?  Have you booked a hotel?  If so, which hotel?  If not, number of rooms needed for 7 people, hotel budget, and desired location either in NYC or NJ?  Could you manage your luggage on public transit?

The recommended high level strategy from LGA to NJ is to book a car service like Dial7 or Carmellimo.  This trip crosses state lines, so NYC cab is not recommended at all.