meadowlander

Check if Yankee Trails has resumed bus service from Albany to Cape Liberty in Bayonne, you would leave your vehicle at their Albany parking facility. Trinity Reservations has packages that include hotels stay, parking while on cruise and transportation between the hotel and Cape Liberty. If your cruise is before Cape Liberty hosts 3 ships in May, you will park in the garage. Last year, preference was given to handicap vehicles when 3 ships were sailing but the garage has never been restricted to only handicap vehicles.

'Reasonable' is subjective. I used The Parking Spot on Haynes Avenue and was satisfied. Check with EWR area hotels as they offer parking only packages that would likely be cheaper.

North Star is free on port days. As of a few weeks back, reservations opens at 8 pm the night prior. December of 2021, reservations opened at 8 am of the morning, check onboard if any changes in the new year. As others pointed out, only Spectra's Cabaret needs a reservation of entertainment shows.

It was yes on Adventure, Anthem & Oasis out of Bayonne this year.

If you are comfortable using public transit, use PATH trains from Exchange Place in Jersey CIty, do not backtrack to Newark Penn Station (only wasting time). From the PATH Exchange Place station take PATH train in direction of WTC. You could uber or taxi from Cape Liberty in Bayonne or you could also taxi from the terminal to the Hudson Bergen Light Rail at 34th St, then light rail direction of Hoboken to Exchange Station then walk to PATH Exchange Station. The latter requires more time. Depending on what time your ship departs the next day, you could uber or taxi to Liberty State Park in Jersey City NJ for Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Ferry. Statue city cruisers is the authorized seller of tickets. Alternatively, you could depart from the ship on arrival day to Liberty State Park. Ferry to Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island. Rather than board the ferry back to NJ, you would take the ferry to NYC, then walk to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. You would be responsible to return to Cape Liberty on your own. Liberty Landing Ferry travels from Vesey St (short walk from 9/11 Memorial) to the ferry station in Jersey City, then uber to Cape Liberty. When you exit the terminal in Bayonne, once outside go right. This is the area for car services, there are overhead hanging numbers in each zone. Uber rather than taxi would be your best option since this is a port of call rather than disembark/embarkation. Likely, taxis will not be at the port & you would have to call 1 of 2 local companies.

After passing facial recognition inside the terminal, exit left. When outside, go right. Car services pick up passengers in this area. There are overhead hanging numbers to facilitate pick up. Taxi service is in zone 10 in an empty lot, two crosswalks away from the parking garage.

Nor did I until I read on these boards that others had used vouchers on the day of debarking. I then asked on a ship & was told the voucher was good on the morning of departure. I used a voucher only that one time on debarking morning.

I was confused about the new voucher hours, since corrected but I am confused on this statement. If day 8 is not the departure day for guests, when do you get off the ship? On day 7 as the ship is heading back to port of origin yet still at sea???

Hope you are correct Mac. You know how to express yourself intelligently. Will miss Aqua 80's on Oasis when replaced by Oasis.

Really? Those on boarding day who were able to use their vouchers as early as they boarded and now have to wait until 5 pm, not a thing has changed for them? I enjoy a beverage at lunch just as much as those who need booze after midnight which they were able to get using a voucher previously.

There are a few, a very few 9 night Caribbean itineraries from NJ in the summer months. I agree with you, wish there were more choices than the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada runs. Carnival's new ship has a 15 night southern Carib cruise in September or October 2023. from NY. Liberty could replicate the ports Carnival is sailing to.

No one has to drag me by the nose to sail on Symphony but I will miss Aqua 80 on Oasis.

Newark Liberty International airport (EWR) is the closest airport to Cape Liberty in Bayonne NJ. If you fly into EWR pre cruise for an overnight prior to departure, look at airport area hotels in Elizabeth NJ on International Dr which have more dining options than Newark airport area hotels. All hotel shuttles meet guests at Airtrain station P4. Airtrain is the monorail servicing EWR. If you fly into JFK, Carmel Limo & Dial 7 (as already posted) are recommended car services. Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island can both be visited from New Jersey, in Liberty State Park Jersey City, or from lower Manhattan. Ellis Island details the story of immigrants arriving in the US, can spend hours here if your kids like history. Statue City Cruises is the only authorized ticket seller. Liberty State Park also has Liberty Science Center. If your kids like sports, the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford NJ is home to the Giants & Jets of the NFL. The NJ Devils play in Newark. Both locations are close to Bayonne. The NBA Knicks (Madison Square Garden) & Nets (Barclays Center) both play in NY as do the Yankees & Mets of MLB. Arranging car service from Cape Liberty to Manhattan post cruise is the easiest transport. There is a public transportation option but it would involve a taxi ride from the cruise port & 2 different trains into NYC, with transportation then needed to your hotel.

Out of curiosity, I asked on Anthem this week. Can of soda was $4.30.

NJTP to exit 14A. At exit 14A stay to your left at the toll booths. Go up the ramp, follow signs for 440/Chosin Few Way. Stay in right lane. Ignore the small sign pointing to Cape Liberty via 440. Turn right onto Chosin Few Way at the split with 440. Chosin Few Way to the end which is Goldsborough Dr. Turn left. It is 2 miles to the terminal. Part of Goldsborough Dr. was recently repaved but the majority of the 1 lane road is in poor condition.... drive slow. As you approach the terminal, the 1 lane becomes 2. The luggage drop zone is first, the terminal can be walked to easily from the luggage zone, maybe 30 yards. I have never looked for a wheelchair cut out in front of the terminal but there has to be one. I know there is one before the luggage zone with room for a vehicle to pull over without impacting traffic. I would not recommend using it though as there has to be a wheelchair cut in front of the terminal.

I will be on Anthem soon and can update as to what time self assist starts though I think it begins at 7 am. What you are not taking in account is the weather. It only happened on my first winter cruise out of Bayonne but we were delayed by more than an hour returning and this was in December. Your February return date could be impacted by snow, increasing the travel time to JFK. I would not be comfortable with a 10:15 flight out of JFK.

Correct. There is no 'upstairs' at the terminal, not that it matters.😀

I arrived at Cape Liberty in October at 9:30 with a 10:30 boarding time. There was no enforcement of boarding times. Cruisers were allowed into the terminal and directed to seating areas after checking in. Boarding the ship, which started about 10:25, was not done by appointment time but by the row you were sitting in. There are some benches outside the terminal building with no protection form the weather. The best place to wait, to be protected from the weather, would be at the Starbucks on Goldsborough Dr. It is 2 miles away and across from Costco. You would need taxi or Uber back to the terminal.

Air2Sea had outstanding price on my one way flight to EWR from Amsterdam in 2019. I called Air2Sea earlier this year for the same or similar flight in 2023. I was surprised that the prices they quoted were higher than I found online

Glad you know that c-19 is airborne and can be transferred despite not being in close proximity to others. I am all for people doing what they feel will keep them save whether it actually does or not. I certainly wont ridicule people for their feelings and actions however extreme unlike too many who are bothered by others wearing face masks, motivated out of fear they will have to wear one as well despite that not being true.

You do not have to be in a packed or crowded situation, shoulder to shoulder or making physical contact with others to catch the virus. You can catch a virus from those sitting at the table next to yours in the dining room or 2 tables over or from those sitting in the row behind or before you in the theater or from those in the same row a few seats away.

Agree but I would allow one final chance. Round up those who ignore visiting the muster station, take them by their nose and don't tell them why. Then, if needed, remove them from the ship. 😄

Yes, e-muster was part of the healthy sail program. Also part of that program was eligible cruisers being vaccinated. Negative test results & proof of vaccination being provided to board the ship. Mask wearing onboard the ship. DIstancing while on the ship, one example being the number of passengers on an elevator. Royal has eliminated those practices. You want to keep e-muster, not out of personal convenience, so as to reduce a 'super spreader' despite all other congested ship activities yet are okay with unvaccinated boarding the ship and other health protocols for safety being ceased. Interesting.

Certainly because the passengers who may have been infected before boarding could in no way spread the virus to you anywhere else on the ship. Only at the muster station are you concerned of a virus spreading. 😂