CAPE LIBERTY 411 - Version 3!

[bobmacliberty]

Wow! I'm trying to digest all this. Could you provide specific dates and timings? If you're coming in from Ohio, what time are you realistically expecting to arrive in the New York area and on what exact date?

 

Yeah...I can get a little detail oriented. :) Likely plan is that we'll drive from OH to Eastern PA or Northern NJ on Tue 6/4. We'll then drive the rest of the way on Wed 6/5 like you suggested. The separate 3 and 5 day suitcase are a great idea. We can lock whatever we're not using in the car (assuming that's safe).

 

Megr - Thanks for your response. Dream hotel looks nice. $439/night before tax (AAA rate on their web site) is just tough for me to swallow.

[138east]

For 6/5 to 6/8 look at Hotwire. There is a 3* hotel for $182 that is highly likely to be the Holiday Inn on West 57th St. Good review and 85% approval rating. At this price you could stay three nights.

 

We need some feedback on Port Imperial from other folks. Would there be ample parking on a Wednesday morning arriving mid morning? Would the free bus service take them to 57th & 9th off peak?

[Lady Jane]

When you come down from New England, getting to the Hampton Inn/Hilton Gardens is at least 20-30 minutes further than Secaucus. When you get off the ship, you have to gather everyone, find the shuttle and go back to Staten Island, which will take you at least 30 minutes plus another 20 minutes to get back to where you would have started if you parked at the pier. You have a long drive to Maine and I think there is a lot of value in cutting off an extra hour of travel time when you disembark.

 

If you were coming from the south, it would not be nearly as time consuming.

 

We're in luck...my brother & wife have offered to have us stay with them the night before the cruise...all 11 of us...and then we can drive to the pier and park there. They live in Highland Mills, NY.

 

Question: my hubby has mobility issues...can I drop him off near the terminal and then park the car? And can I go get the car at the end and go pick him up? We need as little walking as possible for him. Thanks!

 

Jane

[megr1125]

We're in luck...my brother & wife have offered to have us stay with them the night before the cruise...all 11 of us...and then we can drive to the pier and park there. They live in Highland Mills, NY.

 

Question: my hubby has mobility issues...can I drop him off near the terminal and then park the car? And can I go get the car at the end and go pick him up? We need as little walking as possible for him. Thanks!

 

Jane

 

yuppers....

[megr1125]

Yeah...I can get a little detail oriented. :) Likely plan is that we'll drive from OH to Eastern PA or Northern NJ on Tue 6/4. We'll then drive the rest of the way on Wed 6/5 like you suggested. The separate 3 and 5 day suitcase are a great idea. We can lock whatever we're not using in the car (assuming that's safe).

 

Megr - Thanks for your response. Dream hotel looks nice. $439/night before tax (AAA rate on their web site) is just tough for me to swallow.

 

OOPS...sorry....but i am telling you, i do not think it's always that much!!:p you must have excellent timing...LOL..

[138east]

We're in luck...my brother & wife have offered to have us stay with them the night before the cruise...all 11 of us...and then we can drive to the pier and park there. They live in Highland Mills, NY.

 

Question: my hubby has mobility issues...can I drop him off near the terminal and then park the car? And can I go get the car at the end and go pick him up? We need as little walking as possible for him. Thanks!

 

Jane

 

Jane - here's what I posted earlier on this thread about Cape Liberty, parking, and mobility issues.

 

"Try pulling up Cape Liberty on Google earth to get a visual. The terminal has a white tent along the outside. The handicapped parking is immediately to the right, so it is very close to the terminal.

 

I used the handicapped parking 5 times with my mom and was very happy with it. I sailed from Port Canaveral in Nov and did not like that facility. It was a gorgeous building, but it was very large and there was a ton of walking to get into the building, through security, through check in and onto the ship plus escalatos and elevwtors. One of my friends needed assistance and it took her forever to get boarded.

 

Anyway, for Cape Liberty you can drive through to drop off your bags and continue on the access road making a left and then another immediate left to circle back to the parking entrance. You prepay the parking. The parking lot has two sections. You drive halfway through the first section and make a left to head towards the opening in the chain link fence. There should be a guy there directing traffic and he will help you cross the access road to the other parking area. You can see where this is when you first come in the access road. There is a ton of handicapped parking in the second lot and it is close to the end of the white tent. The actual security entrance is closer to this end of the tent, but it is a short walk.

 

You will have to decide if the person with the accessibility issues should be dropped off with the luggage or if they can do the walk from the car to the security entrance.

 

Once you go through security and check in, you will get a number for the shuttle bus and you wait in the lounge for your number to be called. The buses are right outside and take you on the 90 second ride across the Tarmac to the ship. You board up a gangway onto deck 1 and then take elevators to the Windjammer on deck 11. Cabins are available at 1:30.

 

The distances are relatively short, but..... even short distances can be a problem for someone with accessibility issues. Please tell me what your issues are.

 

Even when my mom was more mobile, I always got wheelchair assistance for her own safety. I always dropped her off and asked for a wheelchair. If you are doing this, be sure to tell the guy directing traffic that you need to pull in to the handicapped drop off.

 

Please ask if you have more questions. My mom loved cruising from Cape Liberty - it was really the only traveling she could do in later years. I was thrilled I could make it happen for her and I always asked for and got the assistance we needed. The last few times I had my mom in a wheelchair and carried on a large oxygen concentrator, a suitcase of oxygen tubes, and personal carryons. It was a lot of stuff, but people were helpful and once we made it to the cabin, we were all set for a wonderful cruise."

[Lady Jane]

Jane - here's what I posted earlier on this thread about Cape Liberty, parking, and mobility issues.

 

"Try pulling up Cape Liberty on Google earth to get a visual. The terminal has a white tent along the outside. The handicapped parking is immediately to the right, so it is very close to the terminal.

 

I used the handicapped parking 5 times with my mom and was very happy with it. I sailed from Port Canaveral in Nov and did not like that facility. It was a gorgeous building, but it was very large and there was a ton of walking to get into the building, through security, through check in and onto the ship plus escalatos and elevwtors. One of my friends needed assistance and it took her forever to get boarded.

 

Anyway, for Cape Liberty you can drive through to drop off your bags and continue on the access road making a left and then another immediate left to circle back to the parking entrance. You prepay the parking. The parking lot has two sections. You drive halfway through the first section and make a left to head towards the opening in the chain link fence. There should be a guy there directing traffic and he will help you cross the access road to the other parking area. You can see where this is when you first come in the access road. There is a ton of handicapped parking in the second lot and it is close to the end of the white tent. The actual security entrance is closer to this end of the tent, but it is a short walk.

 

You will have to decide if the person with the accessibility issues should be dropped off with the luggage or if they can do the walk from the car to the security entrance.

 

Once you go through security and check in, you will get a number for the shuttle bus and you wait in the lounge for your number to be called. The buses are right outside and take you on the 90 second ride across the Tarmac to the ship. You board up a gangway onto deck 1 and then take elevators to the Windjammer on deck 11. Cabins are available at 1:30.

 

The distances are relatively short, but..... even short distances can be a problem for someone with accessibility issues. Please tell me what your issues are.

 

Even when my mom was more mobile, I always got wheelchair assistance for her own safety. I always dropped her off and asked for a wheelchair. If you are doing this, be sure to tell the guy directing traffic that you need to pull in to the handicapped drop off.

 

Please ask if you have more questions. My mom loved cruising from Cape Liberty - it was really the only traveling she could do in later years. I was thrilled I could make it happen for her and I always asked for and got the assistance we needed. The last few times I had my mom in a wheelchair and carried on a large oxygen concentrator, a suitcase of oxygen tubes, and personal carryons. It was a lot of stuff, but people were helpful and once we made it to the cabin, we were all set for a wonderful cruise."

 

Thanks for all the info! I had completely forgotten they would have handicap parking (duh!). He can walk short (about 25 yards) distances without pain, but then the pain sets in in his legs and he has to stop. We are familiar with Cape Liberty's terminal, but have never driven there before, so not familiar with the parking. I like the setup there...the bus to the ship and not so many ramps to get onboard...those can be a killer for him. We have asked for assistance at some ports, but hate waiting for it...we want to get on the ship!

 

I'm attaching a snapshot from google earth and I circled where I think you say the handicap parking is...I'm thinking he should be able to walk from there. Also, our kids & grandkids will be there (in two other cars), so they can help with luggage. Let me know if I circled the right area!

 

btw, we're originally from Brooklyn, and moved to Maine from New Jersey about 33 years ago!

 

 

Jane

[138east]

Yes - that is the handicapped parking area. It's actually pretty large. If you look closely you can see that the whole area next to that end of the terminal has cars that are parked with more space between them. You may actually be able to pull up close to the end of the tent for a quick drop off.

 

I know you're anxious to get on the ship, but I wouldn't hesitate to get wheelchair assistance. The security line is often the worst line, but you will get to cut it in a wheelchair. I too was always anxious to get on the ship, but I forced myself into slo-mo to reduce my mom's stress level. There's always some bottleneck somewhere. Just getting off the bus, walking up the gangway (can be steeper depending on the tide), walking to the elevators and waiting, and walking into the WJ is a longer trek than you might think. I've boarded when the main gangway entrance was forward, which meant a long walk to the WJ in the aft. You never know what the exact setup will be.

[remarcm]

Just wanted to drop in for a quick note. We got off the Explorer yesterday after a 10 days cruise. The main topic of conversation at the C & A events was the future of RCCL and Bayonne. The Explorer will be going into dry dock around January, 2015. RCCL is dealing with NJ to get a new terminal built in return for a Sunshine ship based there. Will be interesting to see how that turns out and should be something decided around June.

[stargazerm31]

We are looking at booking the Sept 7 2013 Celebrity cruise out of Bayonne. Our direct flight will not leave until 5:00 pm. The ship has a shore excursion that takes you on a short cruise to see NY and then the 9/11 memorial but that is only 4 hours for $99 per person. Does anyone have recommendations for companies that we could book with who would pick us up at the ship, take us on a tour and return us to the airport mid-afternoon?

 

Thanks!

[boo214]

try these guys: www.mykindoftown.com/airport_departure_tour.html

found them via online search for private new york city tours with aiprort drop off

[mattsmom11]

Yes, the Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn on Staten Island provide both a complimentary shuttle between the hotels and EWR, and between the hotels and Cape Liberty. However, at the end of your cruise they will not take you from the cruise port directly to the airport, so you will have to take a taxi or the cruise port to airport shared ride shuttle if you're going directly to the airport and not staying at the hotel(s) after your cruise.

 

I haven't seen any significant negative comments about these hotels (which are adjacent to each other) posted on this board. The Hampton Inn provides a complimentary breakfast to its guests.

 

hello

if I read this correctly, you are saying that these hotels offer complentary shuttles to the pier? I wasn't aware of this I thought there was an additional charge?

I am aware the shuttle rom the airport is free

thanks

[njhorseman]

hello

if I read this correctly, you are saying that these hotels offer complentary shuttles to the pier? I wasn't aware of this I thought there was an additional charge?

I am aware the shuttle rom the airport is free

thanks

 

Yes, you're reading it correctly. Those two hotels in Staten Island (which are adjacent to each other) do offer complimentary shuttle service to and from Cape Liberty for their guests.

[Greektreats]

I have asked this question on another thread, but have not heard back, so here goes.

My husband and I are sailing on RCCL Explorer in August, sailing on a Saturday and returning on a Thursday morning. If I make arrangements with a car service in advance to pick us up at Cape Liberty and take us to Newark airport (EWR), will we more than likely be able to make a 12:00 noon return flight? I realize there may be delays in clearing customs, etc., but with everything going the way it usually does, what do you think? I might add that we will be in a Grand Suite so we will get priority disembarkation, which should get us off the ship in the first wave of passengers. My only two flight choices (using some points on Southwest) are 12:00 noon or 12:40 pm, but the 12:40 pm flight has a 4 1/2 hour layover at Midway in Chicago!! I guess I am hoping that most of you experts will tell me that we should be able to make the 12:00 noon flight :) Help!

[njhorseman]

I have asked this question on another thread, but have not heard back, so here goes.

My husband and I are sailing on RCCL Explorer in August, sailing on a Saturday and returning on a Thursday morning. If I make arrangements with a car service in advance to pick us up at Cape Liberty and take us to Newark airport (EWR), will we more than likely be able to make a 12:00 noon return flight? I realize there may be delays in clearing customs, etc., but with everything going the way it usually does, what do you think? I might add that we will be in a Grand Suite so we will get priority disembarkation, which should get us off the ship in the first wave of passengers. My only two flight choices (using some points on Southwest) are 12:00 noon or 12:40 pm, but the 12:40 pm flight has a 4 1/2 hour layover at Midway in Chicago!! I guess I am hoping that most of you experts will tell me that we should be able to make the 12:00 noon flight :) Help!

 

Did you read my response to the OP on that thread, which I had posted before you asked your question? I said they should be able to make an 11:40 flight if everything goes well. Your flight is 20 minutes later. You may want to consider doing the walk off self disembarkation (as I advised the other poster) just to be on the safe side.

 

Believe it or not, you may get to the airport faster if you just hop in a taxi rather than taking a car service. The taxis are right there waiting for passengers. If you book a car service you'll have to call the dispatcher after you disembark and then wait for the car to pull up to the terminal.

[lvs2rd]

So I booked our hotel for 2 rooms 8 people at La Quinta Inn and Suites in Seacaucus for 2/23. I am interested in opinions from people on Premier parking outside the Port....much less expensive $11.99 vs $19 per day. Should I be concerned???:confused:

[Greektreats]

Thanks, njhorseman, will go with the noon flight and a taxi from Cape Liberty to EWR.

[mattsmom11]

Yes, you're reading it correctly. Those two hotels in Staten Island (which are adjacent to each other) do offer complimentary shuttle service to and from Cape Liberty for their guests.

 

thanks, you all are soo helpful

[njhorseman]

So I booked our hotel for 2 rooms 8 people at La Quinta Inn and Suites in Seacaucus for 2/23. I am interested in opinions from people on Premier parking outside the Port....much less expensive $11.99 vs $19 per day. Should I be concerned???:confused:

 

Yes you should be concerned. This is a very questionable operation that may not be operating with proper permits or insurance. If you do a search on this board you should be able to find out more about that. (edit: I see you already have found one of the threads with that information.)

 

By the way, you have to add tax, their booking fee and "port access fee" to the $11.99 advertised price, making the actual cost more like $14 per day, whereas the $19 on site parking fee at Cape Liberty includes all charges.

Edited February 9, 2013 by njhorseman

[mattsmom11]

We will be travelling on the Explorer departing May 2, just trying to figure out the flight info... we have plenty of options departing from Toronto to Newark for reasonable prices but I am not sure if we should travel early the day of and just deal with transfers to and from the port

OR if we should travel the day before [already booked off work anyhow] and deal with transfers from airport to hotel and from hotel to pier and them from pier to airport Plus booking a hotel which may or may not include some of the transfers

 

The flight would most likely land @ 10:01am either the day of or the day before.....

 

Please advise your suggestions.....we've never been to NY or NJ but doubt that we will tour around much as much as I would love too...

 

thanks in advance

[njhorseman]

We will be travelling on the Explorer departing May 2, just trying to figure out the flight info... we have plenty of options departing from Toronto to Newark for reasonable prices but I am not sure if we should travel early the day of and just deal with transfers to and from the port

OR if we should travel the day before [already booked off work anyhow] and deal with transfers from airport to hotel and from hotel to pier and them from pier to airport Plus booking a hotel which may or may not include some of the transfers

 

The flight would most likely land @ 10:01am either the day of or the day before.....

 

Please advise your suggestions.....we've never been to NY or NJ but doubt that we will tour around much as much as I would love too...

 

thanks in advance

 

First, it's always safer to fly in the day before. Flight cancellations and delays due to mechanical problems and bad weather can happen at any time, and by flying in the day before you give yourself a cushion in case the worst does happen.

 

Any hotel in the immediate Newark airport area is going to have complimentary shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. You will have to take the AirTrain from your airline terminal to the P4 parking lot station where the hotel shuttles pick up guests. The AirTrain is free within the airport grounds, but you will have to take your luggage with you. Few hotels in the Newark airport offer free shuttle service to the port, and the one or two that do are not the types of hotels we would generally recommend. At other hotels such as the often-recommended Country Inn and suites it may cost you about $50 for a taxi from the hotel to the port or $35 for two to take the hotel's shuttle one way to the port.

 

A good option is the Hilton Garden Inn, or the adjacent Hampton Inn in Staten Island...not in the immediate airport area so a few minutes more travel time from the airport, but the hotels offer both a complimentary shuttle from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to Cape Liberty cruise terminal and are located in a less congested area that doesn't have the gritty urban/industrial feel of the Newark airport area.

 

Whether you book a hotel near the airport or one of the two recommended in Staten Island you'll be responsible for your own transportation (cruise line transfer, shared ride shuttle or private taxi) from the cruise port to the airport at the end of the cruise. If you fly in the same day as your cruise, you'll need transportation in both directions, from airport to cruise port and return.

Edited February 9, 2013 by njhorseman

[mattsmom11]

thanks for the tips.....

[travelite]

I have asked this question on another thread, but have not heard back, so here goes.

My husband and I are sailing on RCCL Explorer in August, sailing on a Saturday and returning on a Thursday morning. If I make arrangements with a car service in advance to pick us up at Cape Liberty and take us to Newark airport (EWR), will we more than likely be able to make a 12:00 noon return flight? I realize there may be delays in clearing customs, etc., but with everything going the way it usually does, what do you think? I might add that we will be in a Grand Suite so we will get priority disembarkation, which should get us off the ship in the first wave of passengers. My only two flight choices (using some points on Southwest) are 12:00 noon or 12:40 pm, but the 12:40 pm flight has a 4 1/2 hour layover at Midway in Chicago!! I guess I am hoping that most of you experts will tell me that we should be able to make the 12:00 noon flight :) Help!

 

Should be no problem. Even with a short delay getting off the ship, you should be at EWR bwtween 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.

[travelite]

I have asked this question on another thread, but have not heard back, so here goes.

My husband and I are sailing on RCCL Explorer in August, sailing on a Saturday and returning on a Thursday morning. If I make arrangements with a car service in advance to pick us up at Cape Liberty and take us to Newark airport (EWR), will we more than likely be able to make a 12:00 noon return flight? I realize there may be delays in clearing customs, etc., but with everything going the way it usually does, what do you think? I might add that we will be in a Grand Suite so we will get priority disembarkation, which should get us off the ship in the first wave of passengers. My only two flight choices (using some points on Southwest) are 12:00 noon or 12:40 pm, but the 12:40 pm flight has a 4 1/2 hour layover at Midway in Chicago!! I guess I am hoping that most of you experts will tell me that we should be able to make the 12:00 noon flight :) Help!

 

Just read your posting more thoroughly. I DO NOT advise using a car service for pick up at Cape Liberty with a tight schedule. It can, and most often is, a bottle neck for pick-up/drop off; Cape Liberty has a terrible system. Taxis however will be right there waiting to be dispatched. There will be no waiting for your car service to arrive. Usually the taxis at the pier have a fixed rate to the airport and cost less than a car service.

[travelite]

So I booked our hotel for 2 rooms 8 people at La Quinta Inn and Suites in Seacaucus for 2/23. I am interested in opinions from people on Premier parking outside the Port....much less expensive $11.99 vs $19 per day. Should I be concerned???:confused:

 

Premier Parking is fine. As a matter of fact, cars in that lot had no damage during Hurricane Sandy.

Did you inquire if LaQuinta Inn offers extended parking? With a one night stay some area hotels offer parking up to 14 days free or at very reasonable rates.