mommalee

Has anyone used PoterGenie lately?  When I ask for a quote online, it says they are closed due to Covid.

On 1/29/2020 at 2:41 PM, meadowlander said:

The ferry is $6 per adult but due to the PATH weekend closure, you can get ferry tickets at the same cost ($2.75) as the train, inside the PATH Exchange Place station. The info is under the "NJ to NY weekend travel" link.

https://www.panynj.gov/path/en/planned-service-changes/WTC-weekend-closures.html

 

If your hotel is in Jersey City, you have parking for your vehicle. If not, unless you find street parking, you will add the cost of parking to the ferry costs. I don't see any parades in NYC for end of July which might impact your drive.

 

I read about the PATH in more detail and it looks like because of the closure, they will give you a round trip transfer for the ferry service!  Yay!  So we can pick up the PATH at Newark, and end up at WTC for $2.75 per person still. 

And I didn't realize it was just a 8-10 minute walk to the 9/11 memorial from Brookfield, for some reason  I thought we had to take a subway after taking the ferry.

Lastly, it looks like we'll be staying at the Springhill suites.

Thanks mjkacmom for your input on driving in, but partner's not convinced its a good option.

Thanks ericosmith for the reminder to book tickets in advance for the museum.

Thanks for everyone's help!

22 minutes ago, meadowlander said:

You plan to drive from Toronto to New Jersey and visit the 9/11 memorial, all in the same day? Might be pushing yourself too much. Assuming this is for Sunday July 26.

Thanks for the reply!  For our road trips, we leave early - 4 or 5 am and I drive for 3-4 hours while everyone else sleeps.  The remainder of the way, I'm napping and when I'm awake, we're good to go to explore 😊.  The next day is restful anyways - sleep in, board the ship.

Thanks for the suggested hotels too, I will definitely look into them.  So I'm hearing take the ferry, avoid driving in.

1 minute ago, mommalee said:

Hello!

I'm needing some advice on a budget friendly place to stay and how to see the 9/11 memorial.  We are a family of 5 (2 adults, 2 teens, 1 child) driving down to New Jersey from the Toronto area to pick up a New England cruise that departs on a Monday in July.  We only planned to stay one night before embarkation. 

We were planning to stay in New Jersey somewhere along the PATH to catch it into the World Trade Center for the 9/11 memorial.  But of course, we're arriving on a Sunday and there's that closure/ interruption.  I didn't think it was budget friendly for the 5 of us to still take the PATH ($25 for 10 rides) and then the subway ($27.50 for 5 people X 2 rides) to the World Trade Center.  Plus how long will that take now - PATH + ferry + subway?!

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just drive ourselves there even with the bridge toll ($16) and parking($25 maybe?? for 3-4 hrs)?  Or is it a really bad idea to drive in, even on a Sunday?  And I'm thinking if we drive in and don't stay along the PATH we could find a more budget friendly ($150) hotel to stay in further out (1 hour drive max).

Sorry I should add, the next day we'll drive right to the cruise port, so hotel location and parking situation is not a problem.

Hello!

I'm needing some advice on a budget friendly place to stay and how to see the 9/11 memorial.  We are a family of 5 (2 adults, 2 teens, 1 child) driving down to New Jersey from the Toronto area to pick up a New England cruise that departs on a Monday in July.  We only planned to stay one night before embarkation. 

We were planning to stay in New Jersey somewhere along the PATH to catch it into the World Trade Center for the 9/11 memorial.  But of course, we're arriving on a Sunday and there's that closure/ interruption.  I didn't think it was budget friendly for the 5 of us to still take the PATH ($25 for 10 rides) and then the subway ($27.50 for 5 people X 2 rides) to the World Trade Center.  Plus how long will that take now - PATH + ferry + subway?!

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just drive ourselves there even with the bridge toll ($16) and parking($25 maybe?? for 3-4 hrs)?  Or is it a really bad idea to drive in, even on a Sunday?  And I'm thinking if we drive in and don't stay along the PATH we could find a more budget friendly ($150) hotel to stay in further out (1 hour drive max).

Thanks Cruiser Bruce. Did what you suggested and NCL has an app called iConcierge! For 9.99 per person, you can message other guests, group chat etc. and its available on the Pride of America. It uses their on board wireless network.

 

In my earlier response above to Liver Bird 15, I suggested various things to do in and around Hilo--my suggestions are in blue type.

Ahh! So you did. I did originally read your post too, just not what was in the grey boxes thinking they were just quoting above posts. Don't know how I missed the bold blue type:confused:

There is not a lot to do in Hilo. Banyon Drive, the marina park, Tsunami Museum etc. There is a lot more to do with a car, which I would not be without. :)

We have a car rental. We were planning to go to VNP with the Shaka App. Any suggestions what to do instead?

Thanks

Hello! I have 2 questions:

Can anyone tell me if cell phone reception is pretty good while the ships are in port?

And what do most people do to stay in touch with others on the ship while sailing and you can't text each other? I know my teens will be wandering off away from us :)

Thanks.

Yes, lots of fruit available. Just bring some baggies for some ice and any other goodies and you will be set.

Thanks for answering my questions Cleocruiser!!:)

Thanks for your details! I have a few questions for you:

"April 8th Sun Arrived in Maui and rented a car for 2 days with Enterprise. Walked to pick up car

as it was not at the airport. We reserved a "they pick your car" Give a pickup truck

Drove to Haleakala summit. It was rainy, so it was fine, but not as beautiful as it

could have been, but used the Shaka app with worked great! Afterwards drove to

upcountry and winery. really glad we had the truck as many roads were flooded

badly and we were able to cross where smaller cars could not.

Parked at the mall near the ship for free even with the warning signs. Many

people were doing the same. We took our chances and the car was fine. "

How long did you spend in Haleakala? We want to go as well, but not aiming for sunrise or sunset.

"April 12 Thur Arrived in Kauai. rented a care through Thrifty. Got off ship early to catch shuttle

to airport. Rented an SUV and drove to Wailua falls close by and went back to

airport to catch our 10:30 flight with Wings over Kauai in a private Cessna.

Great company. Nice ride with sunny views of the Napali coastline. Other parts

of the island were clouded in-not able to see anything. After flight, we drove to

Waimea Canyon with the Shaka app. Rained all the way up to the top. Glad to

have brought throw away sneakers with all the hiking we did. Covered in mud, we

gladly threw them away after the cruise. Rain eased up and were able to see some

nice views on the way back down. We wanted to go to the other side of the island,

traffic was bad on the way back, so we decided to return the rental since the shuttle

was only until 6:00pm and we didn't want to pay a cab to get back to ship.

Dinner at the buffet. Nice selection and not crowded since most were at luau."

Wow it sounds like you did alot on this day! How long did you spend on the Waimea canyon trip? Did you like the Shaka App for this as well? If we wanted to stop at some beaches or a small town on the way back, does Shaka give tips on that too?

"We used it as a floating hotel for eating and sleeping. We brought a soft fold-able

cooler to pack food for our day trips. We read that it was ok and it was very

helpful for our road trips as there is very little in food stops along the way. I took

lots of baggies and packed cookies and snacks from the buffet. They also had

chicken salad sandwiches that packed well. I made peanut better sandwiches as

well. Very cost efficient. "

Thanks for this tip, I think we will do the same! Would the buffet also have easy to grab whole fruit like apples, bananas, oranges?

Thanks Bobbywires for all the up to date and useful info you posted!!!(y)(y)

Thanks everyone for your input. We'll probably stick with Budget unless something else comes close to it. And will definitely keep in mind the laid back atmosphere.

Thanks for the replies HaoleCanuck and Princeton. For sure, I will sign up for Fastbreak if sticking with Budget. Anyone else with the Budget experience?

We're planning to rent a car at most of the ports. I just booked one at Hilo through Budget because they had a rate no one else could beat. I've done my research on reviews of Budget locations in Hawaii on Yelp and Google. They get really poor ratings compared to other car rental companies. The complaints I'm worried about are people waiting hours (1-2) to get their vehicle because of line ups and slow service. In reading the reviews, most people are coming off the airplane. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with renting from Budget coming off a cruise ship? How long did you have to wait at the counter?

Dear Silver Sweethearts,

My logic tells me that if I'm travelling thousands of miles to do a once in a lifetime vacation in Hawaii, I can drive a little to get to the beach that's best for me, instead of going to the most conveniently located beach (which just happens to be one of the top rated beaches). We're driving from Kahului anyways, so Wailea is not way out of the way, I like the free parking and being less crowded is appealing. I haven't ruled it out yet.

Have you read down the thread???

 

If you are going to Lahaina, you might as well visit Ka'anapali.

Yes, I did read down the thread!

And your answer is exactly the kind of opinion I was looking for. There were a few posts about how Wailea was just as nice as Ka'anapali, so was looking to see if the opinion changed once we were in the area and had transportation.

Thank you everyone for your opinions. They are useful! I love to hear different opinions and then decide what's best for us.

We are on POA as well and want to do a beach day in Maui for our 2nd day! We're going to rent a minivan for my family, and we do want to stop in Lahaina. Since we're already there, which beach is then preferable - Wailea or Ka'anapali? I'm looking for a uncrowded, pretty beach, soft sand, scenery. Shops not necessary. The older teens will want things to do, surf lessons possibly, snorkle rental that sort of thing. My youngest (10yo) is happy to play in the sand and water. Easy parking areas, restrooms/ change rooms would be a factor. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!