Cape Liberty pre-cruise help needed, please

My brother and I will be sailing on the Liberty of the Seas leaving from Cape Liberty cruise port on 8 October 2015 for 9 nights.

We live in Maryland and plan to drive to New Jersey and stay in a hotel for one night- 1 day prior to sailing.

I've read so many posts I am now confused.

I have a couple of concerns and would love to get some advice.

I have not planned on doing a stay/park/cruise package because on the back end of this trip we will want to get on the road as quickly as possible. I might be wrong, but, waiting for a shuttle to return to a hotel where the car is parked may cause significant delays. I understand the fee to park at the pier will be $19 per day.

I am also concerned about traffic to the cruise port on the day of the cruise.

I've read some posts and other reviews on the internet indicating traffic in the Newark - Bayonne area can be very bad.

I guess I would like to keep the cost of the pre-cruise one night stay at $200 or less. I know many of the hotels I've looked at are this cost and more. The $200 may not be a firm cost based on our criteria. We would like a clean hotel. We are both seniors so we don't need entertainment. We will have the car so we can go out for dinner and/or breakfast if there isn't something available in the hotel. We are trying to keep this "nice" and "easy".

Every time I think I have a hotel picked out I find something horrendous written about it. Now I'm scared to make the decision without seeking advice.

We appreciate all information you can share.

What hotels have you looked at?

Have you considered staying about 45 minutes from the port at exit 8 or exit 8A of the turnpike and driving the last distance after 9 am the morning if the cruise? The hotels will be nicer in a semi-rural suburban setting and you will avoid dealing with the crazy roads around the airport trying to find your hotel.

Thank you for the quick response.

I've looked at all of the hotels identified as Newark Airport, also the Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn in Staten Island, Robert Treat Best Western, and The Kenilworth.

Is Exit 8 at Trenton? I know I did not look that far south.

Thank you for the quick response.

 

I've looked at all of the hotels identified as Newark Airport, also the Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn in Staten Island, Robert Treat Best Western, and The Kenilworth.

 

Is Exit 8 at Trenton? I know I did not look that far south.

Look at Residence Inn and Courtyard in Cranbury. These are near Exit 8A. I could not find a price for the Courtyard - you may have to call the hotel directly.

Look at Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn in East Windsor. These are at Exit 8 on the edge of Hightstown, which is a bit more "civilized". I can recommend a diner there if you are interested.

My mother lived in this area for 15 years and we had many occasions to book hotels. I have stayed in the Courtyard. Residence inn is new. We also stayed in Days Inn and perhaps Holiday Inn.

Of course I would love to have your recommendation for the diner.

I will look at these hotels and talk it over with my brother.

I wouldn't have even thought to look here as it appears it is quite a distance from the port. Living near Washington DC and Baltimore has made me very cautious when it comes to planning especially when I am unfamiliar with the traffic.

Thank you again.

It's about 45 minutes to the port. My mother lived in Hightstown before she passed away and we took a number of cruises from Cape Liberty. We left after the rush hour traffic about 9:30 and took the cars only turnpike lanes to Exit 14A. IMO much easier than dealing with the confusing roads and traffic around Newark Airport and the hotel properties within a rating class are nicer. The whole area is suburban and semi-rural whereas the airport is highly urban industrialized.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46405-d6405014-Reviews-Town_Diner-East_Windsor_New_Jersey.html

Thank you so much for the assistance and the recommendation. We can't wait to try the diner.

I live not far from the diner Carol recommended, and I eat there, which obviously I wouldn't if it was bad, but it is a diner, so your expectations should be for decent diner food at reasonable prices, not a gourmet experience in an unexpected location.

Yes, the diner is a diner. If you come west on route 571, you get onto route 130 south and get in the left lane and if I recall correctly, you make the very first left (no light) to make a U turn onto 130 north and then an immediate right into the diner. It's an unusual traffic pattern for such a busy highway.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/cities/53-north-jersey/restaurants/1818736-town-diner/menu

Paul - do you have any other restaurant suggestions for them? I always went where my mother wanted to go, and I never really found many places other than the diner that I wanted to return to again. The big surprise for me was how good their matzo ball soup was.

A couple of restaurant possibilities:

Americana Diner, Route 130 just north of the intersection with 571. This is still technically a diner but they have added many more upscale menu items in last couple of years...with more upscale prices to match.

http://www.americanadiner.com/

Prestige Diner on Route 33 just east of NJ Turnpike exit 8. Very close to the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn in East Windsor. This a classic NJ diner (in terms of menu, not architecture). Not upscale. For dinner I recommend their roast chicken (stay away from their steaks!). Their omelettes are good...my wife really likes the omelette made with feta cheese and spinach. Perfectly OK for a tuna sandwich or a chef's salad too.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/prestige-diner-east-windsor

I so appreciate all of your input about the dining options. We aren't high maintenance. So, the diner at a reasonable price for dinner is just fine as long as the food is good :) I enjoy going where the locals go to dine. Without a recommendation from someone familiar with the area and the restaurants I'd probably end up at Panera with a salad for dinner :)

You both have made this process so much easier for me. THANK YOU!

We also live in MD and will be sailing out of Port Liberty on the Legend of the Seas, this cruise leaves on Thursday, how bad will the traffic be leaving from Exit 8, 8a, if we want to get to the port around 10 :30

We have stayed in the Edison/ Woodbridge area in the past, but those cruises left either on Saturday, or Sunday, not much traffic getting into the city then.

We also live in MD and will be sailing out of Port Liberty on the Legend of the Seas, this cruise leaves on Thursday, how bad will the traffic be leaving from Exit 8, 8a, if we want to get to the port around 10 :30

We have stayed in the Edison/ Woodbridge area in the past, but those cruises left either on Saturday, or Sunday, not much traffic getting into the city then.

When I went to Cape Liberty from exit 8, we always left at around 9:30 am and arrived just before 10:30 am. You should be just fine on a Thursday morning - take the cars only lanes on the turnpike. These construction events that are being discussed are concentrated on the weekends and overnight, not on weekdays. If you leave around 9:30 the rush hour will be over in central NJ and you will be in Bayonne before the daily traffic builds up again.

Carol,

I want to thank you so very much for the advice you gave me so many months ago. We just got home this afternoon from our cruise. We chose to stay in Cranbury at the Renaissance Inn and out of pure convenience we had dinner at Zinna's Bistro right next door. The hotel was clean and quiet. Dinner at Zinna's Bistro was very good. We enjoyed it and got a good night's rest.

The directions to the terminal were spot on. Of course, there we many crazy and inconsiderate drivers to contend with but it was a Thursday morning and so lots of local work traffic in motion. Today as we left the area it was much faster driving from the terminal back to the NJ Turnpike. We were all so happy to have stayed south of the city.

Safe travels on your journeys.

Carol,

 

I want to thank you so very much for the advice you gave me so many months ago. We just got home this afternoon from our cruise. We chose to stay in Cranbury at the Renaissance Inn and out of pure convenience we had dinner at Zinna's Bistro right next door. The hotel was clean and quiet. Dinner at Zinna's Bistro was very good. We enjoyed it and got a good night's rest.

 

The directions to the terminal were spot on. Of course, there we many crazy and inconsiderate drivers to contend with but it was a Thursday morning and so lots of local work traffic in motion. Today as we left the area it was much faster driving from the terminal back to the NJ Turnpike. We were all so happy to have stayed south of the city.

 

Safe travels on your journeys.

So glad it worked out well for you. The exit 8A and exit 8 areas are much less stressful and not that far from Cape Liberty. The hotel options are certainly a cut above the Newark Airport hotels.