CAPE LIBERTY 411 (and NYC too) Version 4!!

[138east]

If this cruise works out for us, we'd be flying into EWR mid-afternoon the day before our ship sails. What hotel(s) is/are recommended? Not interested in sight-seeing or anything, just want a good rest the night before boarding the ship.

 

What is the best means of transportation to get from the hotel to the ship the morning of sailing? Any idea how much this will cost?

 

Thanks for help from anyone out there in the know!!

 

Look at the hotels on Glimcher Realty Way in Elizabeth - Courtyard Elizabeth, Embassy Suites, Country Inn, and Residence Inn. Country Inns offers a cruise package for folks without cars. Car Service to the port will be $55-65 and a similar amount back.

[owlfun]

We are not driving and we are 3 total - what is the best way to get to the Port in Bayonne (Liberty) from Manhattan? Thanks in advance!

[Tinkrbell]

Does anyone know about the public transportation option from Newark airport to Cape Liberty?

Thanks in advance.

[138east]

We are not driving and we are 3 total - what is the best way to get to the Port in Bayonne (Liberty) from Manhattan? Thanks in advance!

 

The best way to go is to book a car service like Dial7 or Carmelimo. You do NOT want to take a NYC cab because you are going from one state to another. There is also a public transit option.

[138east]

Does anyone know about the public transportation option from Newark airport to Cape Liberty?

Thanks in advance.

 

Public transit takes longer from Newark airport and is much more expensive than going from downtown Newark. Could you provide more details? Are you flying in the morning of the cruise or are you staying at a EWR hotel? Basically you have to take a train to Newark Penn Station for $8.25, PATH to Exchange Place for $2.75, light rail to Bayonne for $2.10, and call a cab to go into the port ($10-12 for the cab). This would take about 1.5 hours.

 

Staying in a downtown Newark hotel like the Newark Penn Station Hilton or the Robert Treat cuts the price substantially by eliminating the $8.25 train fare. I did it from the Robert Treat in Jan and it took just over an hour. Leaving at 9 am the trains were uncrowded and no problem with luggage. The route is totally accessible with elevators and ramps.

[nearnorthcruiser]

Hello Everyone,

 

Wow…this is an amazing thread! I am so glad i found this before i made any decisions. I have read the entire V4 and am feeling a little overwhelmed :)

I am hoping for some help deciding on a hotel and transportation to the pier as well as sightseeing.

 

This is our first time to Newark and out of Cape Liberty.

My husband and i are sailing on Anthem on Friday January 15, 2016.

We are arriving at EWR 2 days early (January 13th) at 11:15am Terminal A

 

From all the hotel suggestions i am thinking the

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Newark Airport: price of $143/night plus tax

This is a good price point for us. I want to be somewhere that has a few dining options and free breakfast.

 

We would like to see the Statue of Liberty. What is the best way to do this? I have read about some tours offered that take your on a harbour tour to see the SOL and then also the Empire state building. Is there something i can book that would include the sites as well as transport? I am a bit nervous of all the transit options as we are not used to city commuting. We are also open to walking distances. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

From a previous post I read that getting to the pier from this hotel is best done by booking a car service like Dial7 or Carmellimo for $55-60.

Would we do this once we arrive to the hotel or in advance? Are there toll fees (i am not familiar with these at all) on top of this?

Are there no shuttles you can book through the hotel to the pier?

 

Any help would be much appreciated. We are very exited for this trip and i am just hoping all this extra research and planning is going to make the pre cruise part run smoothly.

 

Brenna

[ransrider]

Brenna,

 

Congratulations on your booking. We sail Nov 30, 2015. We are flying out of MN to EWR 2 days in advance. Not sure where you hail from but MN and NY/NJ weather is very unpredictable during these months. We are also walkers but also know that we don't want to walk any distance in a blizzard. We have prebooked the SOL Crown tickets sold through Statue Cruises, the official SOL ticket seller (http://www.statuecruises.com/). they sell out fast so if this is something you want to do, I would get them booked early. We are staying at the Hilton Newark Penn Station for ease of moving about and because we have Hilton points. If you have any questions, this is the place to ask them. I have gotten many wonderful responses using this board.

 

Happy planning!

[nearnorthcruiser]

Brenna,

 

Congratulations on your booking. We sail Nov 30, 2015. We are flying out of MN to EWR 2 days in advance. Not sure where you hail from but MN and NY/NJ weather is very unpredictable during these months. We are also walkers but also know that we don't want to walk any distance in a blizzard. We have prebooked the SOL Crown tickets sold through Statue Cruises, the official SOL ticket seller (http://www.statuecruises.com/). they sell out fast so if this is something you want to do, I would get them booked early. We are staying at the Hilton Newark Penn Station for ease of moving about and because we have Hilton points. If you have any questions, this is the place to ask them. I have gotten many wonderful responses using this board.

 

Happy planning!

 

Thanks very much! Congrats to you too! We are flying out of Toronto, but live about 4 hours north of that. Yes, we are used to the chilly weather, but that is why we head south in the winter to get away from it (well i want to get away, my husband is a snowmobiler so he would rather stay and play) :)

 

Thanks for the tip on purchasing tickets. I will check that site out. The Newark Penn Station is a bit out of our budget, but if there was something nearby that could work for us.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[Daisy P]

From a previous post I read that getting to the pier from this hotel is best done by booking a car service like Dial7 or Carmellimo for $55-60.

Would we do this once we arrive to the hotel or in advance? Are there toll fees (i am not familiar with these at all) on top of this?

 

I'd also like to hear answers to these questions. What about when you need a car service to get to Manhattan after the cruise, when are you supposed to book it? Already before the cruise?

 

Daisy

[138east]

Thanks very much! Congrats to you too! We are flying out of Toronto, but live about 4 hours north of that. Yes, we are used to the chilly weather, but that is why we head south in the winter to get away from it (well i want to get away, my husband is a snowmobiler so he would rather stay and play) :)

 

Thanks for the tip on purchasing tickets. I will check that site out. The Newark Penn Station is a bit out of our budget, but if there was something nearby that could work for us.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

 

Look at the Robert Treat in downtown Newark. If you're going in and out of Manhattan, your daily transportation on NJ Transit and/ or PATH will be $30+ cheaper per day than going from the airport and it will take a lot less time. The hotel offers a free airport shuttle and will also drop you at Newark Penn Station. In downtown Newark I don't recommend that you wander around after dark - wait for the hotel shuttle or take a cab back to the hotel. The cost of a cab to the port is about the same as from the airport. Hotel offers free breakfast as well.

[138east]

I'd also like to hear answers to these questions. What about when you need a car service to get to Manhattan after the cruise, when are you supposed to book it? Already before the cruise?

 

Daisy

 

It looks like you are sailing very soon. I'd book a car service pickup before the cruise. I did see that you thought the pubic transit would be crowded inbound. The reality is that if you are not self disembarking, you will not be getting off the ship until at least 9 am. Roads will still be crowded, but the public transit should ease up after 9 am because folks really need to be at work by then. By the time you get to Hoboken to transfer to PATH, trains should be relatively empty.

[Daisy P]

Thanks again for your expertise, Carol.

 

A couple of follow up questions:

 

1. Are there others cons to self disembarking, besides having to carry your bags yourself?

 

2. For what time should we book the car service a)if we self disembark b) if we don't, when the ship should arrive at 7am on Saturday.

 

3. If we would take the public transportation option (which we plan on doing on our way to the port anyway), why is it recommended to go through Hoboken rather than Newport sation, when Newport seems to be closer to Cape Liberty?

[138east]

Thanks again for your expertise, Carol.

 

A couple of follow up questions:

 

1. Are there others cons to self disembarking, besides having to carry your bags yourself? Not really, but when I did it a few weeks ago, there was a huge line already at 7:15 am. They started letting people off about 7:45.

 

2. For what time should we book the car service a)if we self disembark b) if we don't, when the ship should arrive at 7am on Saturday. i wouldn't book before 9 am unless you have to be somewhere. A little later if you don't self disembark. You're going to have to have a really low number to be sure of getting off in time. I'm D+ and I was assigned #33!

 

3. If we would take the public transportation option (which we plan on doing on our way to the port anyway), why is it recommended to go through Hoboken rather than Newport sation, when Newport seems to be closer to Cape Liberty? You have to walk 2-3 blocks at Newport between the light rail and PATH. Hoboken is a serious train station. PATH is downstairs and the light rail is on the left as you face the train tracks

 

On a Saturday Path will run Journal Square- Hoboken - 33rd St. On a weekday PATH will run Journal Square-33rd St and Hoboken-33rd St. The transfer at Hoboken is easy. The transfer is not at all obvious at Newport.

Forgot to ask - going to the port are you coming from NYC? The directions are different if you're coming from Newark.

Edited July 17, 2015 by 138east

[Daisy P]

Thank you, that's very useful information!

 

We're coming to port from Manhattan.

[rakuroda]

Aloha :) Thank you for the advice. I'm in the midst of going crazy over my travel arrangements. Initially I booked an early flight the morning of the cruise. I knowwww that isn't a good idea. Please don't yell at me because I'm in the middle of a mini meltdown right now. The flight canceled. United wants to put me on a flight that arrives at 12:45 p.m., if it arrives on time or doesn't cancel. That is NOT acceptable. I booked through ChoiceAir, and they're working on options. I want to fly in the day before! Sooooo, we'll see what happens :(

Aloha LynnAB :D

 

Nobody will yell at you, because everybody can understand what you are now going thru.

 

That is one of the main reasons my wife books our flight to arrive the day before we need to be anywhere, not just this cruise. Most seasoned travelers have had the airline mess up their flights at one time or another. That's why we bite the bullet and pay for a hotel the night before we need to be somewhere. Even when I used to travel for work, they never questioned our arriving the day before our appointments and needing a hotel for the night.

 

Tell the airline that arriving at 12:45pm does not give you enough time to make your 1:30pm appointment. Tell them a 1:30pm appointment and a 12:45pm arrival doesn't work no matter what they try to tell you. You won't even have your luggage by 1:30pm. Tell them you're willing to be flexible and accept a flight a day earlier if they're willing to put you up for the night (leverage).

 

Good luck straightening out your flight.

 

Aloha :D

Edited July 17, 2015 by rakuroda

[138east]

Thank you, that's very useful information!

 

We're coming to port from Manhattan.

 

I'm assuming your hotel is in midtown Manhattan. If so, you definitely want to a cab to The PATH entrance next to Penney's and take a Hoboken train. When you come up the elevator to the station, you walk to the left of the trains, buy a ticket from the machine, validate it, take a Bayonne train to 34th St, and call a cab.

[Tunkhannock]

Thanks again for your expertise, Carol.

 

A couple of follow up questions:

 

1. Are there others cons to self disembarking, besides having to carry your bags yourself?

 

Is there any downside to waiting it out? We'll have our car parked at the Port and really have nothing pressing to do on Saturday, so hanging out on the ship is an option.

[Daisy P]

Is there any downside to waiting it out? We'll have our car parked at the Port and really have nothing pressing to do on Saturday, so hanging out on the ship is an option.

 

 

If the vacation is over when you're out of the cruise ship, then I'd probably want to stay on board as long as possible. But when I still have one final day of vacation in New York to look forward to, I think I want to get to it the sooner the better :).

 

Thanks again, Carol, for the detailed instructions. We find the NYC subway very easy to use, so instead of taking a cab to the PATH entrance, we thought we'd ride the subway from Upper west side. We've done it before with our suitcases and we've also used PATH before, so I think we'll be fine :).

[Cruisin'4Us]

Are people permitted to self disembark later in the day - after the rush?

[138east]

If the vacation is over when you're out of the cruise ship, then I'd probably want to stay on board as long as possible. But when I still have one final day of vacation in New York to look forward to, I think I want to get to it the sooner the better :).

 

Thanks again, Carol, for the detailed instructions. We find the NYC subway very easy to use, so instead of taking a cab to the PATH entrance, we thought we'd ride the subway from Upper west side. We've done it before with our suitcases and we've also used PATH before, so I think we'll be fine :).

 

Sounds like a plan. You have experience with NYC, so you know what to expect on the public transit with luggage. I think you will find Hoboken a much better transfer point to the light rail than Newport.

[138east]

Are people permitted to self disembark later in the day - after the rush?

 

Basically you can walk off with luggage at almost any time. The secret is to not get shunted off into a dining room or theater to wait.

[Cruisin'4Us]

Basically you can walk off with luggage at almost any time. The secret is to not get shunted off into a dining room or theater to wait.

Thanks Carol. What happens then? Is it just a hassle moving luggage in those venues with lots of people around, or is there more to it? Any good hiding places? :)

 

What is the latest time that passengers can vacate their cabins? I don't recall.

[138east]

Thanks Carol. What happens then? Is it just a hassle moving luggage in those venues with lots of people around' date=' or is there more to it? Any good hiding places? :)

 

What is the latest time that passengers can vacate their cabins? I don't recall.[/quote']

 

Every disembarkation is a little bit different, so you have to go with the flow. Cape Liberty is now 100% better with the new terminal because you walk off on deck 4 instead of deck 1. The later you wait to get your luggage to deck 4, the more crowded the elevators become. I just avoided the RCL folks directing people and grabbed a seat in the Champagne Bar. I waited a bit for the self disembarkation to get underway, and then just walked off.

 

I figure that many of the eager beavers really have someplace to go like the airport for an early flight, so they should go first. I was in that situation on the EX in Port Canaveral last Nov and if our group hadn't been aggressive about getting a place in the self disembark line, we would have missed our flights. Repo cruises are the worst because almost no one has a car parked at the destination port.

 

They would like you to vacate your cabins by 8 am.

[Cruisin'4Us]

Thanks Carol! Great info, as always. :)

[Tunkhannock]

If the vacation is over when you're out of the cruise ship, then I'd probably want to stay on board as long as possible. But when I still have one final day of vacation in New York to look forward to, I think I want to get to it the sooner the better :).

 

Yeah, we're just driving back home to PA, so no rush.

 

Thanks for the info!