Traveling from Boston to Cape Liberty

[rohudd1]

Hi,

Since the delays and flight cancellations seem to be happening more and more, we are thinking about taking a bus from Boston.  Where is the closest stop to Cape Liberty?  We embark on the Summit on June 12th and, due to a prior engagement, we can't leave the day before to fly in to Newark.  Any suggestions as to how we should travel on that morning?  It's only about 4 hours away, so we would take the earliest mode of transportation that we can find

Thanks!!! 

[njhorseman]

15 minutes ago, rohudd1 said:

Hi,

Since the delays and flight cancellations seem to be happening more and more, we are thinking about taking a bus from Boston.  Where is the closest stop to Cape Liberty?  We embark on the Summit on June 12th and, due to a prior engagement, we can't leave the day before to fly in to Newark.  Any suggestions as to how we should travel on that morning?  It's only about 4 hours away, so we would take the earliest mode of transportation that we can find

Thanks!!! 

You can take a bus from Boston to Newark,  but to me Amtrak from Boston to Newark Penn Station would be preferable.  Take an Uber from Newark Penn Station to Cape Liberty .

[princeton123211]

51 minutes ago, rohudd1 said:

Any suggestions as to how we should travel on that morning?

I wholeheartedly second Horseman-- busses get caught in traffic. Amtrak doesn't. It's faster and far more comfortable than a bus and you can get right to Newark Penn Station which is a hop over to the pier. 

[navybankerteacher]

24 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I wholeheartedly second Horseman-- busses get caught in traffic. Amtrak doesn't. It's faster and far more comfortable than a bus and you can get right to Newark Penn Station which is a hop over to the pier. 

True, Amtrak does not get caught in traffic — but their trains have been known to experience delays.  The first train from Boston that day (about 6:30 AM) woul get you to Newark Penn Station by about 11:30.  Definitely preferable as to comfort and likely timeliness over a bus - but still some risk of travelling on embarkation day.

[princeton123211]

4 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

but still some risk of travelling on embarkation day.

Also agree-- but if it had to be same day, from Boston I would roll the dice with Amtrak. 

[navybankerteacher]

6 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Also agree-- but if it had to be same day, from Boston I would roll the dice with Amtrak. 

Absolutely.

[GTJ]

Unfortunately, there is no direct bus service to Bayonne from Boston, and so the only reasonable transportation choices involve regular route service from Boston to New York, and then continuing on into New Jersey. Doing so, the "closest stop to Cape Liberty" is Dillon Drive & John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Bayonne, New Jersey.

 

By bus, there is frequent service from Boston to New York offered by Peter Pan Bus Lines and Greyhound Lines. At Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York, you would then change buses and board New Jersey Transit route 119 to the aforementioned "closest stop," and then continue with a taxi/Uber transfer to Cape Liberty itself.

 

Some people prefer going by railroad, in which case the "closest stop to Cape Liberty" is Pennsylvania Station in Newark, New Jersey. No change of train is required when traveling from Boston to Newark. The taxi/Uber transfer will be longer from Newark compared to the transfer from the closest bus stop. Notwithstanding the longer transfer, you would likely find railroad travel to be more convenient than bus travel.

 

There is, of course, always the possibility of a delay, regardless if one travels by bus, by train, or by any other means of transport. No mode is exempt from the possibility. The choice between bus or train is probably best resolved by your personal preference (do you prefer buses or trains?) and the convenience of a direct train versus having to make a connection between buses at Port Authority.

[rohudd1]

I am taking the advice of others and will consider taking Amtrak. 

Thank you to all of you!!

[CruiserN1]

We are flying BOS to EWR prior to Jul 3 Summit cruise. I booked a 7:20am flight through Celebrity since they are responsible for getting me to the ship if there's an issue with the flight. Amtrak isn't more reliable in my opinion because if the train is running late, you don't have another option. And they do run late, had it happen to me more often than not. There are many flights from BOS to EWR if yours gets canceled or delayed.

[princeton123211]

20 minutes ago, CruiserN1 said:

Amtrak isn't more reliable in my opinion because if the train is running late, you don't have another option. And they do run late, had it happen to me more often than not. There are many flights from BOS to EWR if yours gets canceled or delayed.

As someone who used to live and work in Boston and travel between New York frequently this isn't the case. Boston Logan Airport is on a pseudo island jutting into the harbor and is frequently subject to fog and heavy rain etc. It can wreak havoc on flights on a moments notice in a way that doesn't happen at less exposed airports. If I had to make a meeting same day in New York I would take Amtrak. Not only that but they have 2 trains about every hour running up North. 

 

The trains on the Northeast Corridor, which is Amtrak's flagship line, very rarely run late (unlike the long distance trains that run in other parts of the country which frequently do run late). The Acela service is their flagship and when you calculate the time it takes to get from the middle of Manhattan to Newark Airport, check in, go through security, wait for the flight, take the flight, and then get into downtown Boston: at 3 hours and 45 minutes door to door on the train, 9 times out of 10 I have the flying option beat. 

[CruiserN1]

Well, we're staying at a Logan airport hotel and taking the earliest flight, so I'm going to stick with air travel as the better option for us, especially since Celebrity will guarantee to get us to the ship by air but not by train. Train would also only get us there a couple hours prior to sail away. Flight arrives 6 hours prior to sail away. Even with a delay, we get there in time.

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, CruiserN1 said:

Celebrity will guarantee to get us to the ship by air

That's a widely held misconception. All they promise is to provide assistance in the event of flight disruptions. They can't create seats that aren't available or put you on flights that aren't operating.

[GTJ]

7 hours ago, CruiserN1 said:

Amtrak isn't more reliable in my opinion because if the train is running late, you don't have another option.

It depends. If the train departs on time but gets delayed enroute, then you may have no option but to sit on the train and wait. But the same is true with the airplane. If it departs on time but gets delayed enroute, then you have no option but to sit on the airplane and wait. But if the delay is at the departure point, then are are alternatives whether travel was originally planned for Amtrak or an airline. For Amtrak departure delays, from South Station there are frequent departures to New York via Peter Pan Bus Lines and Greyhound Lines, and last-minute changes to "Plan B" can be made easily. For airline departure delays, from Logan Airport there are frequent departures to New York via multiple carriers, though last-minute changes to "Plan B" might be more difficult than overland travel because of the necessity of obtaining seat reservations for air travel (something not necessary for motorcoach travel). The reliability of service, and availability of "Plan B," is comparable for both Amtrak and an airline.

 

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

That's a widely held misconception. All they promise is to provide assistance in the event of flight disruptions. They can't create seats that aren't available or put you on flights that aren't operating.

Amtrak uses the term "guarantee" in a comparable misleading manner. The railroad will sometimes advertise that it will 'guarantee" a connection from one train to another. But the term "guarantee" in the Amtrak dictionary means that Amtrak will accept the responsibility of housing a passenger in a hotel at the connecting city until such time Amtrak can arrange alternative travel to the destination (be it by the next train or otherwise). Amtrak does not accept liability for getting the passenger to the destination on time.

 

It is indeed similar for the cruise line when there is a disruption to air travel. The vessel may not wait for the next flight. If if the next port in the itinerary is also in the United States (such as on many cruises originating in Florida and making their port of call at Key West) the cruise line will refuse to fly you to that next port (a consequence of the Passenger Vessel Services Act), and will only fly you to following port . . . possibly. As a result you may lose several nights of the cruise and be staying at an anonymous Holiday Inn, or possibly miss the entire cruise. The actual terms and conditions for Flights by Celebrity state: "Our Protection benefit provides Assured Arrival as our guarantee to assist our Flights by Celebrity℠ guests when they encounter any flight disruptions that occur through no fault of their own. We have a team of Emergency Travel Specialists standing by that proactively monitor flights and act as a liaison between our ships and our guests. This team is available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or by phone 800-533-7803 (Option 3)." No definition is given anywhere on the website for "Assured Arrival," and so Celebrity does not even promise to put passengers up in a hotel and/or fly them to the next available port of call in the event of a flight disruption. The cruise line would like to create the impression that a purchase of air transportation through the cruise line will guarantee that the vessel will wait in the event of any airline disruption . . . but it is simply not true.

[navybankerteacher]

17 hours ago, CruiserN1 said:

We are flying BOS to EWR prior to Jul 3 Summit cruise. I booked a 7:20am flight through Celebrity since they are responsible for getting me to the ship if there's an issue with the flight. Amtrak isn't more reliable in my opinion because if the train is running late, you don't have another option. And they do run late, had it happen to me more often than not. There are many flights from BOS to EWR if yours gets canceled or delayed.

Amtrak trains from Boston to Newark start at Boston - there is no likely delay in departure. There are also frequent trains scheduled.  
 

p.s. What do you think Celebrity’s being “responsible for getting you to the ship” really means?

[CruiserN1]

Enjoy the train ride, y'all. And people in the South think yankees are rude ...

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, CruiserN1 said:

And people in the South think yankees are rude ...

I much prefer the term "direct" to rude. 

 

We're just trying to give you decent advice. Flying between Boston and New York just isn't as reliable as the train (especially with all the random cancellations the airlines are having right now due to staffing) and can actually take longer. These factors will effect you even if Celebrity "guarantees" the flight. 

[navybankerteacher]

9 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

I much prefer the term "direct" to rude. 

 

We're just trying to give you decent advice. Flying between Boston and New York just isn't as reliable as the train (especially with all the random cancellations the airlines are having right now due to staffing) and can actually take longer. These factors will effect you even if Celebrity "guarantees" the flight. 

I suspect that some “people in the South” could be just a tad reluctant to accept knowledgeable advice.

[GTJ]

I should have added one more note specific to Boston as to having a "Plan B" should something go wrong. South Station and Logan Airport are directly connected by Silver Line 1. In less than 30 minutes one can shuttle from one transportation to the other, and whether it is air travel, rail travel, or bus travel, Boston is one of the easiest cities in which to implement a last-minute "Plan B" in the case of a disruption. (Even Boston's Black Falcon cruise terminal is connected to the Silver Line!) Leaving from Boston should be less stressful than most other large cities.

[Nitemare]

On 4/29/2022 at 9:30 PM, navybankerteacher said:

I suspect that some “people in the South” could be just a tad reluctant to accept knowledgeable advice.

NBT just gave this thread a real "shot in the arm"

[CTKaren]

We are renting a car to drive to the port from Central CT. I am planning to the train back. Question: best way get from Cape Liberty to Newark Penn Station?

 

Thanks in advance.

[njhorseman]

4 minutes ago, CTKaren said:

We are renting a car to drive to the port from Central CT. I am planning to the train back. Question: best way get from Cape Liberty to Newark Penn Station?

 

Thanks in advance.

Uber

[CTKaren]

1 minute ago, njhorseman said:

Uber

Do you think we would be able to make a 1025am train?

[njhorseman]

41 minutes ago, CTKaren said:

Do you think we would be able to make a 1025am train?

Assuming you're arriving at a typical early morning time, yes. 

BTW...you said you were renting a car to drive to the port. Where are you returning the rental car and how are you getting from there to the port?

[CTKaren]

The rental company has a location in Bayonne. Probably take Lyft from there to the ship.

[njhorseman]

2 minutes ago, CTKaren said:

The rental company has a location in Bayonne. Probably take Lyft from there to the ship.

OK...if it's Enterprise the office is closed on Sundays, in case that's when you're traveling.