Help planning pre-cruise stay

[BerthaButt]

We are taking a cruise in Nov. 2013 out of Cape Liberty. We are flying into EWR 6 days before our cruise . We have never been to NYC and plan on seeing the sights and sounds during the week we will be staying pre-cruise. I need advice to try and locate a hotel that will be central to our arrival airport, the port and transportation into NYC. We would like to keep the costs as low as possible without giving up comfort, cleanliness and safety. We have used the transportation system in Washington DC with success. I would really appreciate any help and/or advice. Thanks

[138east]

Please give us more details. Exact dates. Target budget. Number of people. Number of beds.

[BerthaButt]

I posted the wrong month. We arrive Sept 29 and leave on the cruise on Oct 5. Two people, one bed. I would like to pay no more than $150 or less if possible per night.

[138east]

How long are you willing to spend to get in and out of NY each day?

[BerthaButt]

As little as possible. I don't know much about PATH or NJ Transit but willing to tryusing as transportation.

[138east]

This is a tough one. You have a very low budget. You're going to be spending a lot of nights, so you have to look at both the cost of the hotel and the cost of your transportation and travel time in and out of NY every day.

 

There are some airport hotels in the $120 range incl tax, but to get to NY will involve taking a hotel shuttle back to the airport, Airtrain to the station, and the train to NY for $12.50/pp each way. It will take at least an hour.

 

I'd like to see you stay somewhere that has better access to either Newark Penn Station or one of the Path Stations. From Newark Penn Station it costs $5/pp for the train to NY and $2.25 for Path. Why don't you look at the Ramada in Jersey City which is close to the Journal Square Path Station? Another option would be the Robert Treat hotel in Newark which has free airport and Newark Penn Station shuttle service. Normally we don't recommend these hotels, but if your budget is tight, these are probably the best of the 2-2.5* hotels in the area and they get reasonable reviews on Tripadvisor.

 

You would have to pay for a taxi to the Ramada. If you can roll your luggage it would be very easy to take Path from either hotel to Exchange place, the light rail to Bayonne, and a cab into the port.

[BerthaButt]

Thanks so much for your help. I'm sorry I misunderstood your question on budget. The $150 was just how much I would like to spend nightly for a hotel. I'm thinking between hotel, transportation and food we will probably spend $250/$300 daily. We are not food people so food cost will be low. Taking the train or Path from Penn Station sounds like it is less travel time and cheaper. I would really appreciate your advice and help.

[138east]

I assumed that $150 was your hotel budget including tax.

 

You are going to have to decide if you want to stay at a nicer airport hotel and spend the travel time to go in and out of NYC or if you want to stay at a more modest hotel that has better transportation. Most folks opt to stay at the airport and spend the time, but they only do it for a day or two at most. You will be there for 5 days. Spending an hour+ each way gets old very fast and spending $50 each day for the transportation is expensive. The airport hotels are relatively isolated. Many offer breakfast, but have no other food service.

 

Have you looked closely at Path? From Journal square you can get a train directly to either 33rd St and 6th Ave (midtown NY) or to the World Trade Center (downtown NY). The trip is very quick and costs only $2.25. Journal Square is a transportation hub in downtown Jersey City and there will be lots of services there.

[BerthaButt]

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

[JerseyMom5]

We are taking a cruise in Nov. 2013 out of Cape Liberty. We are flying into EWR 6 days before our cruise . We have never been to NYC and plan on seeing the sights and sounds during the week we will be staying pre-cruise. I need advice to try and locate a hotel that will be central to our arrival airport, the port and transportation into NYC. We would like to keep the costs as low as possible without giving up comfort, cleanliness and safety. We have used the transportation system in Washington DC with success. I would really appreciate any help and/or advice. Thanks

You could try looking at hotels in along route 3 in Secaucus/East Rutherford (area know as the Meadowlands) which is about 10 minutes from EWR. I believe there are buses which will take you right through the Lincoln Tunnel to NYC. Also, Secaucus has a very nice train station with trains running into Penn Station. You can also get down to the Village by taking the Secaucus train to Hoboken and taking the Path. Just be aware that is football season and both the Jets and the Giants play in the Meadowlands so book your room early. Also lots of places to eat and shop along route 3.

[JerseyMom5]

We are taking a cruise in Nov. 2013 out of Cape Liberty. We are flying into EWR 6 days before our cruise . We have never been to NYC and plan on seeing the sights and sounds during the week we will be staying pre-cruise. I need advice to try and locate a hotel that will be central to our arrival airport, the port and transportation into NYC. We would like to keep the costs as low as possible without giving up comfort, cleanliness and safety. We have used the transportation system in Washington DC with success. I would really appreciate any help and/or advice. Thanks

Also NJtransit.com has a point to point routing system which is very helpful

[138east]

You could try looking at hotels in along route 3 in Secaucus/East Rutherford (area know as the Meadowlands) which is about 10 minutes from EWR. I believe there are buses which will take you right through the Lincoln Tunnel to NYC. Also, Secaucus has a very nice train station with trains running into Penn Station. You can also get down to the Village by taking the Secaucus train to Hoboken and taking the Path. Just be aware that is football season and both the Jets and the Giants play in the Meadowlands so book your room early. Also lots of places to eat and shop along route 3.

 

Secaucus could be a good location in the right hotel with bus service within walking distance. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing anything that I would recommend within the budget for the dates. Basically the OP needs rooms on business travel dates when the hotel prices are a lot higher. The OP also will not have a car, which means they can't easily take advantage of the eating and shopping in the area.

[JerseyMom5]

The hotels might have a free or low cost shuttle to the train station or local restaurants. A direct phone call to the hotel would be required. Bvirden was also concerned about safety and aside from the new financial district, I would not consider Jersey City a safe place to stay, especially in a two or two and a half star hotel. The NY/NJ metro area is very expensive but sometimes sites like Travelzoo or Shermans Travel Deals have specials on Manhattan hotels.

[138east]

The OP has a 2* budget for the area, so he or she is going to have to choose among time, money, and stress. I agree that if they keep looking around, they could find a deal. But given their budget and what's out there now, they are going to have to choose between staying closer in with less travel time, or staying further out with more travel time. There are a whole list of budget hotels in the area that I would never recommend and have often discouraged folks from staying in. The Ramada is in the center of Jersey City by the Journal Square Transportation Center which will be a busy well traveled area in the evening. The other thing to note is that a lot of hotels that offer shuttle transportation to a train station may do that only during limited times. It can work well going into NY, but a cab may be required from the train station on the return trip.