philpcruiser

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

They are planning to change the bus and ferry system to digital fares. They have been planning that for years so will believe it when I see it. 

By digital, you mean swipe your credit card?  

And yes, seeing is believing.

37 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

There have been years when you could use a credit card. No one can say what this year will bring.

You'd think that a cc would be the preferred payment method, so no contact with 'germ infected cash' would be necessary.  😷

On 12/9/2021 at 2:11 PM, navybankerteacher said:

I guess it’s like much of cruising:  “welcome aboard, great to see you, have some champagne” as you board, followed by a “get the hell out of here” attitude on debarkation morning.

I agree, to a point.  Guess they figure everyone is in a rush to get out and catch their plane home.  However, the departure area at CL gets very crowded and it's hard to get through.  Also, early arrivals for the next cruise must pass through the area people are waiting to get from the parking lot to the entrance, making for more crowding.  

I wish the cruise lines would prepare a detailed process for everyone to understand.  Yes, i know the protocols are changing very frequently.  What does "48 hours before" mean?  48 hours before you board the ship?  48 hours before you arrive in dock?  Which test?  Supervised?  Fully vaccinated?  Seriously.  We are so looking forward to our cruise, but these ever changing rules and requirements are taking the enjoyment out of our cruise and adding so much stress.  Maybe a cancelation is in order. 

Who paid these fees?  the passenger or the cruise line?  What does "up to date vaccine" mean?  No one told me I needed to get a yearly covid vaccine.  

On 1/26/2022 at 5:16 AM, meadowlander said:

I think we both can agree the op choice is much much much much better than the Bayonne Plaza Motel! 😃

Is that motel still in business?

On 8/29/2021 at 7:53 AM, PaperSniper4 said:

Thanks very much. I had gotten my distance from the Cape to TSOL using mapquest....duh. That's land miles, dummy.☺️ You're obviously correct that the "sea miles" would be less, so maybe the Summit will divert enough to get a good view. However, my wife would NOT be satisfied with the view as kindly posted in your photo, and I am not willing to take the chance the ship will go nearer the statue. So, we'll plan for a land/ferry tour to see the Lady in the Harbor.

 

Doug

If you are still planning the SOL tour, do so as early as possible in the AM.  Expect heavy crowds in the summer.  Also, I'd lay odds we'll be passing the SOL.  Did it every time We sailed out of CL.  Only things that might change that plan is bad weather, a late departure, or unusual ship traffic in the harbor.

Maybe try contacting a library in Bermuda?  Maybe they would have an old map from the '60's or '70''s they could scan and send to you.?

You may want to try go ogling a website that has old aerial photos.  Don't know if Bermuda will be covered, but it may be worth a try.  In the US, the site might be "historic aerials ".

On 1/11/2022 at 12:14 PM, Charles4515 said:

 

Current vehicles rentals are picked up as mentioned in Hamilton which also as stated is a quick ferry ride but there are other electric vehicles available for rent you might consider. There are four options. Gotobermuda has a list of options. The Tazzari can be rented at the Dockyard. 

 

https://www.gotobermuda.com/article/bermuda-car-rental-options

Thanks for the link.  Looks like a good option if you wish to go exploring on your own and don't want to spend $$$ on a taxi.  The range of these vehicles, listed at 99KM, should allow you to go from Dockyard to St. George and back with a few extra stops added.

On 1/8/2022 at 1:04 PM, brzymom said:

I did not use the new app.

 

I did rent from them, more than once. Basically it was $99 per day, one day--up to 24 hours was the shortest rental period. But if you rented at say 3pm, you have until 3pm to return it the next day. There is a $30 fee to insure it, regardless of length of rental. 

 

It is great fun, easy to operate, and treated like a vehicle on the road. 

Could you give us more info on the rental/vehicle?  Where did you rent it (Dockyard)?  How long did the charge last?  2-seater?

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

 

There's another twist to this tale. Per marinetraffic.com the ferry departed Fall River on December 9 and arrived in St. George on December 11. I'm not sure what to believe at this point.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:5511251/mmsi:311000792/imo:0/vessel:SPIRIT_OF_ST__GEORGE

I wonder about the accuracy of marinetraffic.  I was keeping an eye on the Oasis heading to cape liberty earlier this year.  Marinetraffic listed her as heading to Bayonne, France!

11 hours ago, TenForward said:

We're also booked to Bermuda in July '22 (on the Joy).  This will be my 4th visit to Bermuda and 3rd cruise there.  We like to go to St. George's and spend the day and have dinner there...getting a taxi after 5:00 ish I think is difficult at least for our group of 6.  it's a small town that pretty much shuts down other than a couple of restaurants.  The Wahoo restaurant manager managed to get a taxi for us each time but he had to do it through someone he knew, not just by calling a service.  It's a long trip to Royal dockyard and back for the driver so I think they're not all anxious to do it.  We've waited more than an hour for one.  Not a big deal but at 9:00p.m. after a long day and a good meal I'm ready to get back to the ship.  The trip back is about 50 minutes if I remember right and over $100 for our group.   

Doesn't NCL run a complimentary ferry to St. George?  If so, how many runs does it make per day?  Unfortunately, we are on the Summit and X doesn't provide a free ride.  

3 hours ago, njhorseman said:

It's $40 at the Manhattan cruise Terminal, not Cape Liberty. As @Biker19said, at Cape Liberty it was supposed to increase from $25 to $30 but others have reported that the increase hasn't been actually implemented and the port's website http://www.cruiseliberty.com/directions_parking.html still says the parking fee is $25 per day.

This is what happens when there are no viable competing lots in the area.

8 hours ago, njhorseman said:

There's an Aids to Navigation Team there:

 

https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-1/District-Units/Sector-New-York/Unitsa/

 

USCG ANT NEW YORK

85 Port Terminal Blvd Slip 6

Bayonne, NJ 07002  

(201) 443-6298

I stand corrected.  It must ba a very small facility.  Possibly just a storage area.  Probably under the management of the larger sandy hook base.

On 11/17/2021 at 8:59 AM, YankeesFan4Life said:

Not sure what you can do with your luggage though.  Another option is, they built the American Dream Mall not too far away, might be able to kill a few hours, also on the train line that you can get back to Newark Airport.  

Be advised train service to the mall, which is across from met life stadium, only runs when there is a big event at the stadium (concert, football game, etc.).

On 11/22/2021 at 5:51 PM, mosherrskl said:

Does anybody know if parking is available for military folks at the Bayonne coast guard station?

There is no coast guard station in Bayonne.

On 11/17/2021 at 5:43 PM, kernie968 said:

We take the Yankee Trail bus from Albany to Cape Liberty. The bus usually arrives at the port between 1030 and 11. If we have to disembark at 9AM is there a place we can wait inside for the bus or do we have to plan on sitting outside? I do not want to bring a winter coat but if I have to sit outside for a few hours I will need one! 

If you mean having a place to sit while waiting for the return trip home, no, there is not a place ti sit indoors.   Once you pick up your luggage and pass through customs, you get the bums rush out of the terminal. Possibly you can stay on the ship as long as possible.  This would minimize your time outside.

4 hours ago, Giantfan13 said:

We were wondering if anyone knows about OTHER parking for Cape Liberty instead of the main cruise terminal parking. We are going on a 'longer' cruise and the rate for that time frame well, is a lot more than we would like to pay. I had heard there are some other parking venues maybe a mile or so away (or further) where you can park for a lot less and get shuttled over to the terminal. Anyone know or recommend any such place?

 

For a last chance, we were thinking of parking at Newark and then taking an Uber over to the terminal. Anyone know approximately what an Uber might cost for that route and if this is a viable option?

 

Cheers

Len

Do you live near the port?  Did you get a uber estimate from home?  You can't beat the convenience of parking at cape liberty.  As mentioned above, the off site parking (which was over 2 miles from the terminal) was reported to be horrible (unsecured, dirty, spotty transportation to/from terminal). We live 35 miles from the port.  Driving vs car service is about even dollar wise.  We opt for driving, as not having to worry if your driver wil l show up.  Note: parking at the nyc terminal is so much more expensive that we opt for car service when using NYC Cruise terminal(s).

16 hours ago, njhorseman said:

 If you pay in cash it has to be exact change in coins, which is very inconvenient. You can't pay with a credit card on the buses or ferries.

We are a family of three.  No way I'm toting around 4 pounds of coins!

On 10/14/2019 at 7:35 AM, Charles4515 said:

You could also do all buses. Take the #7 or #8 from the Dockyard to Hamilton bus terminal. That is about an hour. Then take the 1, 3, 10, or 11 to St. George’s about 50 minutes from Hamilton bus terminal. I would say the #7, then 10 or 11 most scenic. Your only logistic will be to decide how to return.  You could do the ferry back from St. George’s to the Dockyard if it is running or do the buses in reverse and take the numbers you didn’t take to St. George’s for variety. Or take a taxi back some or part of the way. 

So we're booked to cruise to bermuda next July.  Hoping things are back to the old normal.  I've read through many of the bermuda transportation topics here and have a few questions.  To get on a bus or ferry, you are better off with a token?  Can you purchase these tokens on the pier when you get off the ship (traveling on the Summit)?  Can you pay with a credit card, cash (paper), or is coin required? (Why do I see repeated reference to "exact change" or "coin required"?)  Thanks for clearing things up.

Were the ferries from Dockyard to St. George primarily for the tourists?  Shall we assume they will be up and running next summer, or is it too early to tell?

Maybe wise to carry a passport 'just in case'.  Say you miss the ship, or need to fly home in an emergency.  Just saying.

On 9/30/2021 at 8:38 PM, Merion_Mom said:

That's the reason that I take a limo to Cape Liberty the morning of my cruises.  🙂 

We live in North Jersey.  Last time we cruised the $$ difference between driving in (tolls, gas, parking) and car service was negligible, so we opted for the convenience and piece of mind to drive in.  Now with the $5/day increase, it may sway us to use the car service.  Of course, the car service price probably went up too???

On 9/30/2021 at 9:31 PM, luckyinpa said:

i know you have to pay before you get back to your car. but is it generally better to park higher up?  reason i ask is during local concerts etc, its always impossible to get out of the spot if you are in a lower level because of the huge backup at the exit gates and that backup that goes up a few levels. 

We used the deck numerous times.  Never had a back up leaving, since you pay before you get to your car. Only reason to park on a higher level would be in case another hurricane was forecast 😁