CAPE LIBERTY 411 - Version 3!

[138east]

Rooms for five are scarce at Newark Airport hotels. The Courtyard Elizabeth is $169 + tax ( for $179 you get breakfast for 2 adults and kids under 12). The new Embassy Suites is $199 ($169 prepaid) + tax + $14.95 parking + free breakfast.

 

I'd book something as soon as possible.

[h20cruzer]

Rooms for five are scarce at Newark Airport hotels. The Courtyard Elizabeth is $169 + tax ( for $179 you get breakfast for 2 adults and kids under 12). The new Embassy Suites is $199 ($169 prepaid) + tax + $14.95 parking + free breakfast.

 

I'd book something as soon as possible.

 

Do you know which hotels offer a shuttle for a fee from the hotel to the port and then to the airport?

[138east]

Country Inns does, but it's $35/pp so that's $175 for your group. That's way too much money and you have little control over when they will take you to the port. Have a chat with Independent Driver and see what they say. For 5 people it should be about $60 plus tip.

 

Country Inns also has a one bedroom suite available for your date.

 

If you don't want to arrange a car service on the way back, you can take a shuttle to the airport for $16/pp.

[mstea]

Thx

for getting back to me so quickly... :)

will probably go thru hotel, since my parents are heading back to the Hotel and my sister will pick them up there.

She lives in Hightstown NJ.

do you happen to know how far that is from Hightstown to Elizabeth.

the country Inn ?

thx

also what do you suggest to do once we get to the Hotel?

flying in the day before, so not a whole lot of time.

 

I"s tough being the Cruise director for all these people...LOL

[138east]

I've driven Hightstown to the port entrance in 45 minutes, so I'm thinking no more than 30-40 minutes to Country Inns depending on how far they are from the turnpike entrance and the traffic on that day.

 

The only thing to do at the hotel is to go to the Jersey Gardens Mall.

[mstea]

Is it hard to go into the city..

new York?

[138east]

From Country Inns it will take 45-60+ minutes. There is a bus from the Jersey Gardens Mall to Port Authority, but it can run on an odd schedule, particularly returning late from NY. You can also take the hotel shuttle back to the airport and go on the train for $12.50/pp each way. Bus is $6.50.

[Jonah315]

A bit OT but thought I would ask. We are sailing on the Explorer March 11, 2014. We are heading up a couple of days early and have been in NYC multiple times so thought we would do some things on the New Jersey side. We are staying at Residence Inn, Elizabeth, NJ - Glimcher Realty Way. We are driving so have our own car. We intend to go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on March 10 and I assume there is parking at Liberty Park where we will get the ferry. I can't see parking on the website but assume I can park there. It may be a stupid question but would it make more sense to drive ourselves or get a cab there and back. I appreciate the advice from you guys versus what I would get from the hotel. Thanks in advance.

 

Bob

[138east]

I also can't find parking details. I know there is parking and it is reasonable, but I don't know the details. I'd call the number on the web site and ask. You are going to be there on a Monday. My concern would be whether the parking is used by commuters.

http://www.statuecruises.com/pdf/LLtoSC.pdf

 

Could you post back about your experiences? I'm looking at doing this with a group of nine in Sep on a Sat. We will be staying in Jersey City with cars, so we have the option of driving or taking the ferry from Warren St to Liberty State Park and then on out to Ellis Island and the SOL.

[njhorseman]

Just so no one is disappointed, repairs to Ellis Island facilities damaged by Hurricane Sandy still have not been completed, so not everything on the island is open to visitors. It appears as though there's still plenty to see. Here's a description of what's open and closed:

 

http://www.nps.gov/elis/planyourvisit/index.htm

Edited February 10, 2014 by njhorseman

[Jonah315]

Thanks for the advice. I saw that they were still working on Ellis Island but I still think it would be good for my kids to see it. They are 11 and 8 and I want them to appreciate what people went through to come to North America. We live in Halifax which has Pier 21, the Canadian equivalent and both my kids are very familiar with it. I want them to see and appreciate the US version too. I will definitely post a review and provide my comments. Thanks.

 

Bob

[ladeeesquire]

I've read through pages and pages of this thread but haven't found my answer.

 

We're planning on doing the celebrity sailing to Bermuda out of cape liberty on august 29th. My husband and I travel with my 6 yr old daughter. I was hoping to stay in the city (or someplace conveniently located) for about 3 days before the cruise to check out the typical tourist sites: statue of liberty, WTC memorial, Met, hopefully take in a show.

 

I've been to NYC a couple times but that was in my teens. We're not very experienced at public transportation (we live in California, we like cars!) but we're certainly willing to give it a go. We're also willing to pay "reasonable" costs for convenience.

 

What airport should we fly into for the NYC portion of our trip?

 

Any suggestions on where to stay for under $200 a night which will be convenient for site seeing?

 

How do we get from the city to the port on cruise day? expected cost?

 

Which airport should we fly out of to return to CA?

 

thank you so much in advance for any help provided!

 

~susan

[138east]

I'm seeing that the Celebrity Summit is sailing to Bermuda on Aug 31, so which dates would you be looking for a hotel?

 

Right now I'm not seeing any hotels in NYC for under $200 except on Hotwire. However, your dates are at the beginning of the Labor Day weekend when the hotels prices frequently go down on Hotwire.

 

However, I am seeing the Candlewood Suites in Jersey City for about $150 tax included for your dates. This could be a good choice for you with a small child. You would fly into Newark and take a car service to the hotel for about $60. It would be about another $60 to get to Cape Liberty the morning of your cruise. There is also a public transit and cab option to get to Bayonne for under $20.

 

There is also a 4* Jersey City/Hoboken hotel for 8/28-8/31 on Hotwire for $186 + tax. This is likely to be the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor, but could be the Westin or the Hyatt. All very nice hotels with good transportation to NY via bus or PATH.

 

Transportation to NYC would be via PATH. However, there are some weekend closures to downtown on this subway service, so you should plan to do your downtown sightseeing on a weekday and leave uptown for the weekend day. http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html

 

I'd make a cancellable at this hotel for now and book to fly in and out of Newark. This leaves you flexible to take advantage of a Manhattan hotel deal should it come up. Transportation from Newark Airport to NYC could be airport bus ($16/pp with children free) or train ($12.50/pp, $8.75 child)

[ladeeesquire]

great info, thx!

 

I have no idea why I put the 29th (typo??) I was thinking of the 8/24 cruise and doing the NY portion the 3 days prior so fly in on wed 8/20.

 

If we stayed at one of the Jersey City hotels, what is the approx. transportation time to the sights we'd be interested in by PATH?

 

Also, I'm completely lost by what is in uptown and what is in downtown...

[138east]

From Jersey City the World Trade Center is about 10 minutes by Path. Battery Park (SOL ferry) is a 10-15 minute walk from WTC. However, there is currently only weekday service to downtown NY on Path. It is possible to go to the SOL from NJ. You can take the light rail to Essex Street and walk the 4-5 blocks to the Warren Street Ferry which runs every 30 minutes. It's a quick trip across the channel to Liberty State Park and the ferry to the SOL. Once out at the SOL they don't care if you take the ferry back to NYC or Liberty State Park.

 

The Met (I'm assuming you mean the Metropolitan Museum) is way uptown on the east side and not really convenient to many hotels. You can get within about 6 blocks of the Met by subway. The PATH ride from Newport to Herald Square is 15 minutes. From there you can take the M subway train to 51st St and transfer to the 6 train to 86th Street. With a 6 year old have you considered the Museum of Natural History?

 

These destinations are far apart in NYC, so even if you pick a NYC hotel, you will be spending time traveling to some of these destinations.

[Got2Cruise]

From Jersey City the World Trade Center is about 10 minutes by Path. Battery Park (SOL ferry) is a 10-15 minute walk from WTC. However, there is currently only weekday service to downtown NY on Path. It is possible to go to the SOL from NJ. You can take the light rail to Essex Street and walk the 4-5 blocks to the Warren Street Ferry which runs every 30 minutes. It's a quick trip across the channel to Liberty State Park and the ferry to the SOL. Once out at the SOL they don't care if you take the ferry back to NYC or Liberty State Park.

 

The Met (I'm assuming you mean the Metropolitan Museum) is way uptown on the east side and not really convenient to many hotels. You can get within about 6 blocks of the Met by subway. The PATH ride from Newport to Herald Square is 15 minutes. From there you can take the M subway train to 51st St and transfer to the 6 train to 86th Street. With a 6 year old have you considered the Museum of Natural History?

 

These destinations are far apart in NYC, so even if you pick a NYC hotel, you will be spending time traveling to some of these destinations.

 

You can also take the M4 bus from Penn Station to the Met Museum of Art. It takes longer than the subway of course, but you get to look out the window and see various sights of Manhattan on the way. Also you can go to the Central Park Zoo by walking along Fifth Avenue from the museum to the entrance to the zoo.

[erniebert]

Apologies if this has been asked before, I can't find it. Is there a shuttle available from Cape Liberty to EWR? Our flight isn't until 7pm so we're not in a rush!

 

 

Next cruise: 10 nt Explorer of the

[megr1125]

Apologies if this has been asked before, I can't find it. Is there a shuttle available from Cape Liberty to EWR? Our flight isn't until 7pm so we're not in a rush!

 

 

Next cruise: 10 nt Explorer of the

 

 

Yes, I think it's about $17....you come out of the terminal and turn right I believe....

 

You might want to see about getting a day room, perhaps at the Newark Airport Marriott...at least you'd be comfy....you have a LOT of time to kill and the airport is not terribly fun. OR you could try one of the hotels near the Jersey Gardens outlets (shopping!!)

 

Courtyard and Residence Inn Newark/Elizabeth, Country Inn or the brand new Embassy Suites...

 

they might NOT know til really close to the day you need it, but since most all the airport hotels have contract rooms with airlines, they are used to arrivals at all weird times...

 

just a thought......

[138east]

That's a long wait at EWR for a flight. RCL offers a 4 hour NYC tour with drop off at the airport for $79/pp. Perhaps that would help you kill some time.

[erniebert]

Oh I know it's a long wait :( we thought of the RC tour but it's $160 we don't have so unfortunately it's not an option. We're staying in the Country Inn pre-cruise for a night so will have our outlet shopping done! Thanks a mil for the replies. We had to wait 8 hours for our flight out of Barcelona in November so we're seasoned airport bums!

 

 

Next cruise: 10 nt Explorer of the

[ladeeesquire]

Yes, I meant the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My daughter is a very unusual 6 yr old, she loves art museums! She would gladly do them day after day. On the other hand, my husband can only take so much art :rolleyes:

 

There are so many wonderful things to do, its hard to decide what to try to squeeze in a short 3 days. I totally forgot about the empire state building. I was thinking maybe we'd just do a harbor cruise for the view of the SOL rather than going to the island. Its going to be super hot that time of year, I know.

[138east]

Let's see what we can do to get you a good hotel reservation in the city. Yes - it will be hot in August. Your daughter is only six. You will be able to maximize your time if you have a hotel in the city where you can take a break in the afternoon before continuing on.

 

Hopefully we can attract the attention of Twickenham who is the expert in using the Marriott LNF (look no further) rate. On aa.com I've found an exclusive rate of $175 for the Lexington Hotel for August 20-24. This is a special rate for a Queen, but this web site is also offering a standard king for $206. The Marriott web site is offering a standard king for $305 and $233, which means you should be able to file with Marriott for the LNF rate and get 25% off the $206 rate.

 

This sounds complicated, but it really isn't and many other cruisers have used Twickenham's technique to get good deals on hotels in New York and Boston. The Lexington is well located at 48th & Lex and it gets excellent reviews on Tripadvisor.

[pfsf cruisers]

Hi, sorry this has probably been asked a hundred times, but here goes. We are a party of 4 arriving at Newark. We're staying in Manhattan 3 days pre and 1 day after our cruise on the Explorer in June. Anyway would be really grateful if someone could help with transport questions. We would prefer a taxi, does anyone know best way of organising this and rough prices. Looking from airport to hotel, then hotel to port and same on way back. Thanks :)

[megr1125]

Let's see what we can do to get you a good hotel reservation in the city. Yes - it will be hot in August. Your daughter is only six. You will be able to maximize your time if you have a hotel in the city where you can take a break in the afternoon before continuing on.

 

Hopefully we can attract the attention of Twickenham who is the expert in using the Marriott LNF (look no further) rate. On aa.com I've found an exclusive rate of $175 for the Lexington Hotel for August 20-24. This is a special rate for a Queen, but this web site is also offering a standard king for $206. The Marriott web site is offering a standard king for $305 and $233, which means you should be able to file with Marriott for the LNF rate and get 25% off the $206 rate.

 

This sounds complicated, but it really isn't and many other cruisers have used Twickenham's technique to get good deals on hotels in New York and Boston. The Lexington is well located at 48th & Lex and it gets excellent reviews on Tripadvisor.

 

It isn't hard....the rate canNOT be a prepaid rate, or from an opaque site...but for some reason, AA.com usually has lower rates, not sure why. I have used the LNF a couple times....and you still get Marriott points, and it is NOT prepaid....

 

Let me see if I can find the form link...it's easy..

 

here you go..

 

https://www.marriott.com/look/claimForm.mi

[megr1125]

Hi, sorry this has probably been asked a hundred times, but here goes. We are a party of 4 arriving at Newark. We're staying in Manhattan 3 days pre and 1 day after our cruise on the Explorer in June. Anyway would be really grateful if someone could help with transport questions. We would prefer a taxi, does anyone know best way of organising this and rough prices. Looking from airport to hotel, then hotel to port and same on way back. Thanks :)

 

Taxi will be VERY expensive...you're landing in one state, and going to another..and cabs from New Jersey where Newark and the Pier are can't pick up return fares in New York, and vice versa..

 

you're better off with a car service such as dial7.com, carmellimo.com or black executive cars....(blackexecutivecars.com)

 

Even so, you're still going to be, easily, in the 80-100 range, plus tip to go EWR to NYC, and NYC to Cape Liberty...you MAY want to just stay near EWR your final night unless you have plans in NYC.....you're going to spend another 200 bucks (give or take) to get BACK to NYC for only 1 night...