meadowlander

Was at Labadee 2 weeks ago. Columbus Cove had easy entry. There is a ferry from the ship to CC as well as the tram or you could walk.

You are welcome. Uber/Lyft service Cape Liberty. I expect surge pricing to be in effect as it was when I priced Uber on boarding day for Liberty. Car service is available through Carmel Limo or Dial 7. If you use any car service, other than taxi, upon passing facial recognition, exit the terminal to your left. Outside go right., You will see the metal canopy, this is the beginning of car service pick up area. Numbers will indicate zones 6 through 10 to tell your driver where you are waiting. There is limited seating in this area. If you use taxi, follow the instructions provided earlier. You can get to the taxi area by exiting left but it is a longer walk.

I used Google for Archie's phone number, it is incorrect. 201 -858-8800 is Archie's number. Private taxi cost to EWR from CL is $65 (includes tolls), shared van is $20 or $25 per person. The shared van will wait for a full or near full van.

You will have no issues with a flight after noon departing from EWR. The cruise port & airport are about 10 miles apart. Your flight departs on a weekend as well but on a weekday a 12:30 flight would be fine. I was on Liberty's first Bayonne sailing last week & the disembarking was very disorganized. I have no doubt it will be effective by your cruise. Despite the disorganization, self assist passengers began disembarking at 7:45. I think it was supposed to start at 7:30. You will not need to be a self assist passenger with a 12:30 flight. Facial recognition in the terminal takes seconds. Do have passport ready if you fail facial recognition. I failed once because Royal misspelled my name, presenting my passport allowed me to proceed quickly. Taxi service is not available in front of the terminal as is for Uber/Lyft & car services. For the taxi area, exit the terminal to the right (towards the parking garage), once outside go left, along the side of the terminal. When you get to the road there will be a crosswalk. Go across 2 crosswalks to the taxi area. It is in a paved parking lot. There will be workers to direct, answer questions. It was much better organized than when I last used taxi service in 2021. The shared van I used last week departed as soon as I boarded. You probably will have a longer wait, to get more passengers heading to EWR in your shared vehicle. Contact Archies Cab in Bayonne (201-436-3656), ask if they are allowed to service Cape Liberty on disembarking (they do drop off passengers on boarding day). If so, ask if they can meet you in the car service waiting area in front of the terminal. This area has overhead hanging numbers to identify each pickup zone.

Yes, cheers. 18 months of Anthem over 8 years. Have some brie or camembert with the whine.😂

Anthem has sailed year round from New Jersey after its TA from Europe. Royal transferred Oasis to NJ for summer sailings, originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed until 2021, which allowed Anthem to go to England.

I do not disagree with the view of production shows/plays repeated for years on the same ship. My first Anthem cruise I thought little of the 3 main shows. I have sailed Anthem 5 other times, never have I attended another performance of 'The Gift'. The last time I saw 'WWRY' was in 2017. I did attend "Spectra's Cabaret' 3 times in total. I do wish the ability to change or transfer shows to other ships of the same class was implemented. It was asked onboard once & the answer was it is not possible. 'WWRY' has been recently renewed for another 10 years on Anthem. Conversely, I will miss Oasis not sailing from New Jersey because of 'Aqua 80'. It is the best show I have seen (land or sea) and I would never tire of it. What I find ironic is Anthem has sailed out of Bayonne, NJ for more than 8 years. It is the only ship from Bayonne for 6 months of the year with the same shows performed when she sails from Southampton. There is a disproportionate number of complaints from those who board Anthem in England, where Anthem has sailed for only 2 seasons.

Based on numerous complaints by our friends across the pond in this thread and many others before, I expect the complaints about Odyssey having the same production shows will begin once someone sails Odyssey for the second time.

Is this an echo chamber?😄

You are presenting conflicting choices. Easiest will not be the least expensive. Easiest will be ride service be it Uber/Lyft which will charge surge pricing when you disembark or arranging through Carmel Limo or Dial 7. If you are looking for cost effective there is a public transit option. Taxi from Cape Liberty ($12) to 34th Street light rail in Bayonne. Light rail in the direction of Hoboken to the Exchange Place/Journal Square station. Short walk to PATH train. PATH to NYC. 2 PATH routes, 1 terminating in midtown at 33rd Street, the other in lower Manhattan at WTC. Do not travel to Newark, it will be more expensive, more time and you will backtrack into NYC from the PATH option.

There is no viable off site parking. Suggest you check with Trinity Reservations in NJ for their sleep/park/cruise packages. While refundable, Trinity will charge at time of booking using a different nane. Have had positive experiences with Trinity.

It is a 1 lane road leading to the port that increases to 2 lanes when the terminal comes within sight & yes there will be a backup of vehicles for those arriving after 10:30 am. Never have I encountered traffic when arriving before 10:30 am. Once I arrived at 12;30 and breezed into the garage but I attribute that to the enforcement of ship boarding times, which no longer is being enforced at Cape Liberty.

This! Was at Labadee last week and the food choices were very limited.

I was erroneously charged $23.99 for a 24 hour period on Saturday. Glad I stopped at guest services before disembarking to catch their mistake & have the charge removed.

You're welcome. There are no hotels in Bayonne. Avoid hotels in Newark near the airport as they are isolated and have limited dining choices. The hotels on International Blvd. in Elizabeth (as Ashland suggested) are in walking distance to Jersey Garden mall which has dining options. There is also an IHOP within walking distance. Downtown Newark hotels will also have dining options but I would go with the Elizabeth hotels. You must use the free Airtrain(monorail) to station P4 to meet hotel shuttle vehicles.

Since you are aware of the hotels in Elizabeth by Jersey Gardens, I think this is the best alternative. The street leading to Cape Liberty is Goldsborough Drive. At the beginning of Goldsborough Drive near the intersection with 440 is a CVS and a Lidl grocery store. Have your transport driver stop at either should you have the need. It is 2 miles from these stores to Cape Liberty. 1 mile from the CVS is a Walmart but you would have to pass the entrance to Cape Liberty at Goldsborough Drive to go to Walmart.

The shuttle, from the distant parking spaces at Cape Liberty, was in use for the May 4 Liberty sailing. 1 cruiser assigned to a distant lot said payment was required at the time of parking, as was reported in 2022.

Cruised from Baltimore spring 2022. Also no taxis waiting then. If called, taxi will meet cruisers near the terminal entrance.

Realized I confused Avis with Enterprise. Enterprise is closed on Sunday and does not provide shuttle to Cape Liberty. I am unfamiliar with Avis. Archies flat fare from 34th street light rail to Cape Liberty is $12, Uber quoted $16.

Avis in Bayonne is closed on Sunday but I think Jewel departs on a weekday. There is no shuttle provided by Avis. Taxi service is provided by Archies Cab and Bayonne Yellow Cab (same business, different phone numbers). Uber/Left option but like!y more expensive than taxi due to surge pricing as was on my recent Cape Liberty cruise, so have Archies number. If flat rate is charged, expect $15 minimum as rates have increased since I used Archies in 2021.

Hotels in Jersey City will provide spectacular views of lower Manhattan with fastest and easiest transit to NYC via PATH trains. Hoboken and Weehawken NJ hotels are also close to NYC. Downtown Newark hotels are close to the Iron bound section, known for its Portuguese and Spanish cuisine. Transit to NYC via PATH or NJ Transit trains.

Freedom is heading to New Jersey, Cape Liberty in Bayonne. A few lines cruise out of NYC, Royal does not.

As of May 1, parking at Cape Liberty will be $30 per day up from $25. Cruise boarding times are no longer being enforced, I suggest you arrive no later than 10:30 to avoid traffic congestion the closer you approach the terminal. There is a 1 lane road that widens to 2 lanes within sight of the terminal. All vehicles must pass the luggage drop zone before parking. There is a parking garage which is no more than a 2 minute walk to the terminal entrance. There is also a parking lot across from the terminal which is another easy walk. Starting in May, 3 ships will be based out of Cape Liberty requiring all possible parking spaces to be utilized. What this means is you may not be parking in the garage (preference given to handicap) or the nearby lot. There are other parking areas at Cape Liberty and some are quite far from the terminal to the point that a shuttle was provided from these areas to the terminal in 2022. I suggest dropping luggage & passengers at the luggage drop zone should you be directed to these distant parking spots. If parking in the garage, you pay at conclusion of the cruise so bring the parking ticket with you onboard. Last year some who parked in the lots reported having to pay on boarding day, some reported paying on disembarking. So have cash/credit card with you after dropping luggage should you pay on day 1. If you are traveling NJTP, use exit 14A. The best route to Cape Liberty is via Chosin Few Way. Stay left at the toll booth, go left up the ramp & then right when 440 & Chosin Few Way split. Ignore the small sign pointing to 440 for Cape Liberty.Chosin Few Way (no lights) to the end. Left on Goldsborough Dr to the terminal. Chosin Few Way, Avenue E & 440 all lead to the terminal. CFW is the fastest & best.

Exit the terminal to your left. Outside, go right. There will be a metal canopy with hanging numbers indicating zones 1 through 10. This is where you meet car services except for taxi. There are a few benches in this area.

Anthem's spring ta has never sold well. Strangely, This year Enchantment is doing a ta from Cape Liberty the day prior to Anthem's and it sold better, probably because original prices were offered at low prices.