mikeriv79

As far as restaurants go, the Ironbound Section of Newark is worth the trip. I recommend Adega Grill, Mompou, and Fernandes in Newark. Solar do Minho in Belleville, NJ is excellent but it's the town North of Newark. You could also try Krugs Tavern in Newark(voted best burgers in NJ). All the chain restaurants are near the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth. I don't even bother with taxis anymore. I just use Uber. Just keep checking with the Uber app. The prices change depending on the time of day and anticipated demand.

While this is good information, keep in mind that NY/NJ seem to have an endless amount of construction/congestion. Traveling on city streets and the subway to include NJ transit and Port Autority has become increasingly difficult due to poor leadership from local politicians(DeBlasio, Cuomo, Christie). Do your research and give yourself enough time before and after your cruise.

Enterprise Locations

North Staten Island

1852 Richmond Ter

Staten Island, NY 10310

+1 718-442-6009

This location is open on Sundays and is right over the Bayonne Bridge. Just giving another option other than the airport.

We're driving from Albany. Original plan had been to drive to Bergen County on Saturday and then drive from there to port on Sunday morning. I'm now working on Plan B since we can't easily drop off car... or so it seems.

 

Is there a hotel that has a free shuttle from the airport (where we could return car) and then reasonable price to get to the cruise terminal? I think that's what I need, right? Then drive down Saturday, do our thing in Bergen County, then drive to Newark Airport in the evening, drop off the car, shuttle to a hotel, sleep and then shuttle or Uber to port in the morning?

Where in Bergen County were you hoping to stay? What if you drop the car off on Saturday in Bergen County? People have posted about a few hotels in Ridgefield Park but no shuttle though. Maybe then get a Taxi or Uber to port on Sunday? Or is that not an option?

Although Cape Liberty is prime real estate, development is at an extremely slow pace due to the ridiculous politics in NJ. So the things you find at other ports are not in Bayonne. And since most local car rental agencies are closed on Sundays, the airport may turn out to be the best option unless you arrive a day early as was previously suggested.

I prefer using uber, but there prices are affected by demand. If you try to get an uber at a high demand time than the price could be higher than normal. But I find it annoying to try to hail a taxi so uber is the way to go for me.

I'll make a couple of points about the parade based on my personal experience going to the city several times during the St. Patrick's day parade. The weather around that time is very unpredictable. You could have warm temps, but you could have a blizzard. March 17, 2018 is on a Saturday so you won't have the normal commuter traffic that you would see during the weekday. The parade runs on 5th avenue which is a good enough distance away from the cruise port. I drove in from NJ for the the parade one year and encountered light traffic. I parked on the West Side, so I second the opinion about staying in that area. The parade starts at 11am, but crowds start building up and getting crazy in the afternoon. I was in the grand stand one year and it was easy getting in for the start of the parade. When I left at around 3, it was mayhem, but the mess was still confined to the immediate area of the parade. The further west I walked to my car, it didn't even look like St. Patrick's day anymore. Hope this helps. Enjoy NY and enjoy your cruise.

I'm confused and would greatly appreciated any input.

 

I'm thinking of booking Anthem of the Seas for either March 9th or 17th 2018. I was looking at flights into EWR and hotel, but then a friend made a comment about watching out for Spring Break.

I've tried researching the actual dates but there seems to be a huge range and not being familiar with the areas doesn't help.

Can someone provide either actual dates please or any general info.

Spring break in the NY/NJ area is the first week of April. I don't see any reason to "watch out" for spring break when cruising out of this area. Teenagers get a bad rap around here, but I've seen adults behave worse than kids on cruise ships.

So there is no confusion for the original poster, Newark Penn Station is the Amtrak stop you want to get off at. Hilton Penn Station is a Hilton hotel located near Penn Station.

 

Using google maps it is a 20 minute plus walk from the Hilton to Ferry Street. I agree that there are good restaurants in that location but I would not, nor would I recommend anyone to walk that distance in Newark especially at night.

 

Adventurous is an apt description for the city of Newark which has a high crime rate...just so you are aware.

I made the recommendation because I live in Northern NJ and actually frequent the area. Although Newark does have a high crime rate, this area(Ironbound) is the safest part of Newark. I would never make a recommendation if I felt that it would be unsafe for them. But at the end of the day it is just a recommendation and my only hope is to give the OP options.

The Embassy Suites look like a great choice. Especially as it is right next to a shopping mall.

 

What do you think of the Hilton Penn Station? Is this the station we would get off the train??

The Hilton Penn Station is across from Newark Penn Station. There are trains that will get you there. Transportation is available(taxi or uber), but you have to arrange it yourself, which has been previously stated. Even though the Hilton Penn doesn't have a shopping mall nearby, there is an area behind the train station down Ferry St. that has a lot of Brazilian restaurants. It is a very popular area of Newark to go. It all depends on how adventurous your family is.

Hello,

I am planning on the Oct 31st, 2017 (Gem) cruise from NY (11 night). I have been reading a lot of posts but still very confused on what I should do? I am leaving from SW New Hampshire which takes just under 5 hours.

1) Should I leave in the middle of the night and go directly to the cruise port parking (what time can I park)?

2) Should I do a hotel/park/shuttle package and go down the day before?

 

Thanks

I'm gonna be the one to disagree with the consensus on this one. I don't see the difference in driving part of the way, stopping overnight nearby versus driving the entire length in one shot. You could run into to the same issues regardless(car problems, traffic), unless you stay in Manhattan pre-cruise. So if you're comfortable leaving in the middle of the night and getting into the city early, then give yourself enough time and you'll be fine.

Try the website NYC Best Parking. It shows all of the garages in the area and what the prices are.

Portland is known for it's culinary experience. Try the Maine foodie tours. My wife and I did it and loved it.

The Holland Tunnel is the closest to you. On a Sunday morning it shouldn't matter.

I'm a fan of the pig n whistle. There are a few locations. There's one on 48 and 6th.

There's a stop and shop right near the cruise port on 440. Just ask your car service to take you there on your way in.

Hi, We arrive at JFK at about 5.00 pm after 24 hours of flying from Australia. The next day we fly out again at around 2.00 pm.

 

We come back to NYC a couple of weeks later 2 days before our cruise from Cape Liberty and then after the cruise we stay in NYC for another 5 days. For these we are staying in Manhattan (Cambria Inn and Suites, Chelsea, near the Path train to NJ). We have previously stayed for a week each in Greenwich Village and Chelsea near the Highline. We are comfortable with catching the metro around NYC and quite enjoy catching public transport.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for the short layover (5.00pm to 2.00pm next day) for a nice place to stay that is easy to get to (preferably via the JFK Airtrain/metro or hotel shuttle), in a nice neighborhood with stores/restaurants for casual dinner for tired flyers, perhaps shopping or interesting sights before we return to JFK to fly out again? For example, any suggestions for Queens?

 

Thanks for any ideas.

I grew up in Queens and there really isn't much in the vicinity of JFK with regards to restaurants and shopping. The only places that have what you're looking for is the Astoria/Long Island City area, but that's not convenient for you considering your timeline. Howard Beach is the only "nice" neighborhood near the airport but it doesn't have the things that I think you're looking for.

Thank you for sharing your Uber experience. This appears to be the most cost effective way to get to and from Cape Liberty cruise terminal and Newark airport.

I've noticed on the boards there seem to be a lot of people against using uber and lyft. I live in NJ and when I go to NY, I get frustrated because a lot of the traditional taxis don't like to go to NJ. Sometimes if you hail a taxi and tell them you want to go to NJ, they will drive away. And if you use a car service, they charge a lot of money. I've used Uber before and couldn't be happier with the affordability and good service I get from them.

Would that be on Orient Beach, which is clothing optional? EM

My wife and I love Orient Beach. We go there every time we are in St. Maarten. We don't partake in the nude stuff although we have walked through the nude beach before. Nothing to see there except way too confident naked people. But we like the restaurants and the beach. There are a couple of spots where we saw massage areas but it didn't look like the most private and relaxing place so maybe there is a better spot if your interested in that.

I don't know anything about the tour bus, but I don't think you need it to explore NYC. It's a great city to just wander around and yes you will be fine after 6pm. The Newport train station is part of the PATH system which is different from the NYC subway. You can get the NYC Metrocard at the Newport train station and it's good on both subway systems. Check out the West Village where there are a lot of good restaurants and jazz clubs. Or go to Times Square and check out all the other tourists doing touristy things. Don't restrict yourself to a specific time window.

McCarter Hwy to I-78 East is the most commonly known route to the port. However, your location in Newark may cause the GPS to direct you to Route 1/9 into Jersey City and then Route 440 South. It all depends on what the GPS determines is the best route at that time. Both ways will get you there.

Were you nervous? Were you excited? How old were you? How many people did you do it with?

 

 

This thread is awesome. I love how half the posts are jokes and the other half are serious.

Yes. Even if your flight is delayed for 2 hours, its doable. Anything after that is cutting it close.

Santillos Pizza in Elizabeth, NJ.

I just got rolled by them. They charged me for a private car service each way as part of the rate to the NY Cruise terminal and stuck me in an overcrowded shuttle back which was not what I paid for. I had to wait 45 minutes in the cold outside the cruise terminal for same. If that wasn't enough, the breakfast was poor and the hotel is uniquely designed so BOTH sides get the noise and vibration from the Turnpike! Not planning on staying here again.

Fortunately for me, I live close enough where I don't have to use the park stay cruise packages. But there seems to be a lot of mixed opinions about them so I wonder if they're worth it for some people. I'm the kind of person that would rather plan each part myself rather than use the convenience of the package but that's my opinion.