meadowlander

The examples you provided do not support your earlier claim that CL is "disorganized". The port had no role in either case you listed. I too was kept outside of the terminal in September of this year because Oasis was delayed (presumably by another cargo ship in port). Once inside, as many others have stated, the process is efficient. We were kept waiting inside the terminal for a recent Jewel cruise because of scanning issues on the ship. Boarding was delayed more than an hour & once started it was halted and delayed another 15-30 minutes, still not the fault of any port employee inside the terminal. Scheduled boarding times have not been checked, much less enforced, since at least December of 2022 at Cape Liberty. This past September, with delayed boarding, instructions were that only those with 10:30 & 11:00 times were to wait in line. No checking of passes were done & some with later times did wait in the 11:00 line(despite being told not to). I find the process inside the terminal to be very quick & managed well.

The biggest issue is their luggage. The only other option I can think of and it would be weather dependent is for them to transfer to Jersey City (light rail/taxi/uber),pay for a hotel to watch their bags and spend the day along the waterfront with views of lower Manhattan or take PATH into Manhattan. Luggage Hero is a storage service, check if they have locations in Jersey City/Bayonne area. American Dream mall in East Rutherford in the sports complex could easily occupy hours of their time. Lockers are available, I doubt if they have luggage storage.

The closest place to wait would be Starbucks on Goldsborough Dr, about 2 miles from the terminal. Since they will be waiting 4 hours or more, Broadway Diner is about 3 miles from the terminal. Rental cars are available in Bayonne.

Have only patronized Boatyard. Admission price includes transport back to cruise ship and 1 drink along with lounger & umbrella. Well maintained & clean, lockers & shower available. There is a restaurant on site.

You were given the wrong info by a Royal employee. Each time I have called Royal as to my welcome gift preference, I have been told I could only select 1 bag. When I am on the ship, I visit the loyalty ambassador & get the amount of bags I prefer. Completed a b2b this month and was given 6 bags over the 2 cruises.

Yes, free on port days. Reservations for NS used to open the morning of the port day, as of last December it was changed to the night prior. Check with guest services when reservations open. Also, disregard any posts insisting Anthem sails by the Statue of Liberty. As you likely know, it does not. In December, there were dance exercise classes in 270 in the mornings. It may be what you are seeking.

NJ Transit has parking garages in Ramsey NJ on route 17, Hamilton Station & Metropark Station that allow extended parking. NJ Transit train from Ramsey to NY Penn Station would involve a transfer at Secaucus Junction, no transfer needed from Hamilton or Metropark. NY Waterways has parking & ferry service from Port Imperial in Weehawken to West 39th street in NYC, lower daily rates than parking at MCT Fairfield Inn in North Bergen NJ, Hampton Inn & Hilton Garden Inn both in Ridgefield Park NJ all have packages for MCT. Trans Bridge bus has service from Leigh Valley PA airport to MCT. Parking is only $5 per day but adding 4 round trip tickets may be higher than parking at MCT.

For those who may use this hop on hop off bus, stop #5 is located at the tourist info center located at 295 Rue Racine just past the intersection of Rue du Havre, about 600 yards from stop # 4 near Saint Francois Xavier Catherderal.

Prizes and coupons were distributed on Jewel's 2 most recent sailings. Print on coupon lists 5 are needed for a prize but I do not think that is enforced. T shirts, North Star bags, highlighters, medals, key chains were given.

More than 200 pins on the Jewel cruise that ended today with a much higher d+ number. There was no restriction on lounge usage the past 2 cruises.

Recently used the same hop on/off bus at the terminal in La Baie which is the location of the Saguenay cruise port. At stop 4 (Racine Street in Saguenay) all on the bus we’re told to get off. The bus then left. A rep gave a brief talk, explaining the next stop was a 10-12 minute walk down Racine Street. I had planned to exit at stop 4 but not all on the bus we’re going to exit there, the rep had us all exit. He also caused confusion among a few (myself included) who thought we had to walk to stop 5 to reboard, not allowed to reboard at stop 4 - which I eventually did. Did you encounter this forced exit at stop 4 which was not explained when purchasing the ticket outside of the terminal?

Cape Liberty parking is $30 per night/ $210 for a 7 night cruise. Yes it is high but for this area it is somewhat reasonable. There is no reputable off site parking alternative other than cruise packages from hotels. The only other option I could suggest would be calling hotels in Secaucus, East Rutherford, Lyndhurst, Clifton areas (all 30 minutes or less from Cape Liberty). Ask if you could leave your car for the duration of the cruise (free or for a fee) and use car service/Uber to Cape Liberty. Not sure of the car seat requirement for your child. There will be surge pricing by Uber upon disembarking, if your child will sleep most of the day, airport area hotels would be okay. If not Parsippany and especially Morristown would be a good area for a relaxing Saturday outside with a late afternoon/early evening arrival at the cruise package hotel. Do have gps. NJ road signage could be significantly better than what it is.

Better understand your reason for wanting to spend 2 nights in the same hotel. Some of the hotels in the Newark area, especially near the airport, are in isolated areas with limited dining choices, some only having food delivered. Having your auto will be beneficial. As njhorseman indicated, hotels on International Boulevard in Elizabeth are more preferred than EWR area hotels located in Newark. I would still suggest you stay Friday night in Parsippany, Morristown or Paramus area for more dining choices , more suburban areas, less driving on Friday (though likely to incur heavy traffic in Paramus and more options on Saturday of things to do. Your drive on Saturday to the hotel you will leave your car at should be less than 60 minutes from all these locations. Could you pack a separate single bag with items needed for Friday and or Saturday to simplify unpacking your 2 night pre cruise stay? If you travel to Staten Island in NY, you are driving past Bayonne and Cape Liberty. Do check the return schedule of the shuttle. The last cruise package I used had a single return shuttle from the port to the hotel. I waited 2 hours for the return shuttle.

Only 1 ship per day can dock at Cape Liberty. Oasis and Jewel are presently sailing from CL which is why every available parking space is used. Some locations are so far that a shuttle is used, at least on embarking. When Anthem returns in November, for its last season from CL, it will be the only ship sailing from Bayonne. if all is on schedule you should be allowed inside the terminal at 9. When boarding begins for non priority guests it is done in order of the row you are seated in not by appointment time or loyalty status excluding those entitled to priority boarding (pinnacles, suites, key, handicap).

Could you not book the Friday stay directly with the hotel at a lower rate and book via Trinity with your stay commencing on Saturday which will allow for the 7 nights of parking beginning on Sunday? Agree completely about not staying Friday and Saturday night in Bayonne area. Hotel/motel in Parsippany, Paramus, Rutherford would be better choice for Friday night with things to do on Saturday prior to checking in at the Saturday night hotel. Most especially Paramus(mall capital of NJ) if you enjoy shopping. If you have children, American Dream mall in East Rutherford would appeal to them.

Check with Trinity Reservations. They should have parking packages for 7 and 14 nights. I would think any hotel you stay at for 2 nights prior to your cruise would include parking for those nights then begin the cruise night parking on the day of your cruise. A cruise sleep package, which includes parking cost for your cruise, is for more than 1 night parking unless your intent is to leave your car at the hotel, not being charged for parking the duration of your cruise.

With multiple ships sailing from Cape Liberty, unless you have handicap plates, you will likely be assigned to park in surface lots not the garage. Bring the parking stub onboard with you if you are not charged to park when embarking. Some departing cruisers will be gone as early as 7:30. Appointment times are not enforced or checked. You can enter the terminal to check in and be assigned to a waiting area until boarding begins. 9:30 is the earliest I have witnessed admittance into the terminal which does not mean it is not allowed earlier. A recent Oasis cruise, delayed into port, kept new cruisers from entering the terminal until after 10, that is an exception from procedure.

Yes, yet to see any giant cats onboard. 😀 I did see a service dog.

You are welcome. Hope to see you onboard. Doing consecutive cruises. I am sure your lunch was better than mine in WJ.

Take the parking ticket with you on the ship to pay before getting your car upon disembarking. If you do park in the garage, expect a line to use the elevators after you have paid. There is a stairway, if you can carry your luggage, which would avoid the elevator line.

Used my bogo on Oasis recently. Dined on nights 2 & 6, was charged on night 6 not night 2. I do not think that is standard practice but that was experience using bogo for the first time.

I would expect it to get congested with up to 6,000 plus cruisers. I have never had an issue waiting to turn left from CFW, then again I do not arrive at peak traffic time expecting to breeze directly to the terminal without having to wait. Use 440 to avoid the congestion avoiding CFW completely. You have choices.

7 night cruise is charged at $30 for 7 days. Multiple ships still cruising from CL on October 1, most likely you will park in a lot not the garage. Some cruisers in the lots have reported being charged for parking upon arrival at CL. Standard practice is being charged on disembarking. Bring the parking ticket with you on the ship. You can pay by cash or credit card at the machines located by the parking garage. Some of the lots are far enough from the terminal that a shuttle was implemented last year. I have not read of shuttle service on disembarking, only arrival day.

Numerous traffic lights on 440 which you can use to get to Cape Liberty avoiding Chosin Few Way which has no lights. Of course, the traffic lights on 440 make it a lengthier route to get to CL, why would a light on CFW be a solution?

Not ignoring anything. The surcharge to use Air Train is included in the ticket price it is not an additional fee, which is what I posted. Some, not from this area, believe they have to pay for use of the Air Train based on comments from those who insist there is a fee for using AirTrain. I would not want the op to think they have to pay for a NJTransit ticket & an Air Train ticket based on your post. Only those travelers using the EWR train station are charged and it is not a separate fee, it is included in the ticket cost. There is no pay machine or toll booth at EWR that one must patronize to use Air Train.