Cape Liberty/Bayonne 411 - New and Improved!

[GTJ]

We are booked on the Celebrity cruise which arrives Sunday April25th at 7 a.m.

 

We live in Albany, NY ( recent transplants from the midwest) so we want to get to NY Penn station to catch Amtrak back to Albany after the cruise.

 

We have no problem with the Path train in theory, but are concerned about dealing with too many "unknowns" at the end of our cruise and are wondering if we should just reserve a car service.

 

Can you outline for me the "public transport" option to get from the cruise port to NY Penn? I hate to spend $100 on a car unless it is really inconvenient and/or complicated to use the train-as we generally find train travel to be easy.

 

Public transportation requires a few steps, but if you're light enough on luggage and not intimated by the adventure you can save a few bucks. Using a "shuttle" service to Newark Airport, then airport transportation to New York City involves just as many steps, but since airport transportation is relatively expensive you'll be paying a steep premium for service that's really not any more convenient than public transportation direct.

 

Alternative 1

 

1. From the Cape Liberty Cruise Port you'll have to leave by taxi, but by hiring the taxi to go only so far as the 34th Street light rail station your fare will be under $10.

 

2. From the 34th Street light rail station board a northbound train to Hoboken. Buy tickets before boarding at $1.90 each, cash and credit cards accepted.

 

3. From Hoboken station walk across the train station concourse and descend the steps into the PATH station. Buy tickets before boarding at $1.75 each, cash and credit cards accepted. Board a train destined for 33rd Street.

 

4. From the 33rd Street station ascend to street level, then walk one block west to Seventh Avenue where Pennsylvania Station is located.

 

Alternative 2

 

1. From the Cape Liberty Cruise Port you'll have to leave by taxi, but by hiring the taxi to go only so far as the intersection of 32nd Street and John F. Kennedy Blvd your fare will be under $10.

 

2. From the intersection of 32nd Street and John F. Kennedy Blvd board a northbound route 10 or 99S Coach USA bus destined for New York City. Pay the $4.00 exact fare on board with cash only.

 

3. Alight at the last stop, Port Authority Bus Terminal. Either walk downtown/southbound on Eighth Avenue for 7 blocks (i.e., from 40th Street to 33rd Street) to Pennsylvania Station, or ride the subway (A.C, or E trains) downtown/southbound one stop. The subway fare is $2.25 per person, cash and credit cards accepted.

[GTJ]

Technically you can ride the monorail TO the EWR Rail station...you just can't enter the NJT/Amtral station thru the fare gates unless you buy a ticket....Not that there is any reason to GO to the EWR Rail station unless you are getting ON a train (or are just bored and nutty like me riding the monorail around....:eek:)

 

Sounds like we could run into each other then! But, yes, I've done the same thing on both the EWR and JFK AirTrain systems, riding the train to the station where there are turnstiles but not passing through.

 

Thus...to get onto an NJT train at the EWR rail station, you buy a ticket that includes the 5.50 'fare' (a/k/a TAX--wonder how much THAT will go up in the new budget:confused:) and use that ticket to get thru the gates and go down to the platform....

 

One way that people can save a small amount of money using the AirTrain system is to avoid buying tickets to the airport station. The fare from New York to the airport is $15.00, but the fare from New York to Elizabeth is only $5.50. Tickets are valid to intermediate stations, so a ticket between New York and Elizabeth is good for transportation between New York and the airport. But since the Elizabeth ticket does not have the AirTrain fare embedded it in the ticket holder will have to pay the $5.50 AirTrain fare separately. Nonetheless, the total fare is only $11.00, over a 25 percent fare savings. Even better for an off-peak round-trip, where the Elizabeth ticket is $9.25, with AirTrain $20.25, versus direct tickets for $30.00 . . . nearly a one-third savings. I just can't recall if the fare machines at the airport rail station sell all tickets or only airport rail tickets.

 

I don't think the AirTrain fare should be affected directly by the NJ Transit fare proposals (though the railroad ticket part may well change), but perhaps with other budgetary needs the fare will change. In any event, keep your eye on the full table to find the loopholes.

 

I believe that if you have an Amtrak ticket to get off at the EWR station you can just show your stub to the attendant and not have to pay the 5.50, but I've never taken amtrak to EWR.

 

I think you're right there, and in the old days this would have been another loophole: by having a ticket stub for an unreserved train there is no "date" on the Amtrak ticket, so the same stub could be used over and over again. But I believe that all Amtrak trains at the airport station are reserved, so all tickets are dated. (But I think this works in Philadelphia where Keystone trains are unreserved, and Amtrak ticket stubs are valid on SEPTA trains between 30th Street and Market East).

[melmich]

We plan on arriving on Dec 31 around dinnertime and celebrate the new year quietly in the hotel. We will visit NYC on January 1 (we will have 4 kids with us, so we probably will not do too much) and return for the night at the hotel in NJ where we board the ship on the 2nd. Because we are 8, we have to take 2 cars, but it is a lot for parking? Because we don't really care where we are, we would rather be closer to the port and be able to leave the car in the hotel parking lot if possible. We can drive while in NJ for dinner and will probably take the PATH train to NY.

[megr1125]

OK..so that may make things more interesting...everything in NYC will be full...thus spilling into NJ....i think it will eliminate Jersey City...for one, close enough to NYC to be full or close to it, and 2nd, parking will be a fortune, and is limited....

 

Let us think about this for a while.....

[138east]

melmich,

You seem like folks who are game to deal with the logistics of the Newark/Bayonne area. Regardless of where you stay, you need hotel rooms. Parking at the port would be $540. Here is what I would suggest.

 

1) www.trinityreservations.com - Fairfield Inn for $106/night(tax incl) with 14 days parking.

 

2) Book a car service like Black Executive to transport everyone to Bayonne - Tops about $100-$110 each way from Newark to Bayonne.

 

3) December 31 - eat dinner before you arrive at the hotel. This hotel does not have a restaurant, although it does offer a free breakfast.

 

4) January 1 - Drive to Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ to park your car for the day and take Path to 33rd St. in midtown NY (parking $12 ???). Pull up the maps on Mapquest. An alternative plan would be to drive to downtown Newark and park - pick up Path and go to NY (changing at Journal Square for midtown) or take the train to NY. Be sure to eat dinner in NY before returning.

 

5) January 2 - leave car at hotel and take car service to Bayonne.

 

6) If you want to eat dinner in NJ, I'm sure we can provide suggestions. Quite frankly, the Newark Airport area is rather bleak - you would do better to arrange to eat before you arrive or to eat while you are in NY.

 

7) Fairfield Inn has received reasonable if not positive reviews and the price is certainly acceptable. The other two offerings on trinityreservations are more expensive and I would not recommend the Comfort Inn because of its location.

 

8) If you decide on Fairfield Inn, I would call to confirm that you have two rooms with two double beds for two nights and that you can then park for an additional 14 days.

 

IMO this suggestion provides you with a more than reasonable hotel rate and parking for 14 days. You have to arrange a car service, but $200-220 is much less than paying to park 2 cars at Bayonne for $540.

[liberateny]

Public transportation requires a few steps, but if you're light enough on luggage and not intimated by the adventure you can save a few bucks. Using a "shuttle" service to Newark Airport, then airport transportation to New York City involves just as many steps, but since airport transportation is relatively expensive you'll be paying a steep premium for service that's really not any more convenient than public transportation direct.

 

Alternative 1

 

1. From the Cape Liberty Cruise Port you'll have to leave by taxi, but by hiring the taxi to go only so far as the 34th Street light rail station your fare will be under $10.

 

2. From the 34th Street light rail station board a northbound train to Hoboken. Buy tickets before boarding at $1.90 each, cash and credit cards accepted.

 

3. From Hoboken station walk across the train station concourse and descend the steps into the PATH station. Buy tickets before boarding at $1.75 each, cash and credit cards accepted. Board a train destined for 33rd Street.

 

4. From the 33rd Street station ascend to street level, then walk one block west to Seventh Avenue where Pennsylvania Station is located.

 

Alternative 2

 

1. From the Cape Liberty Cruise Port you'll have to leave by taxi, but by hiring the taxi to go only so far as the intersection of 32nd Street and John F. Kennedy Blvd your fare will be under $10.

 

2. From the intersection of 32nd Street and John F. Kennedy Blvd board a northbound route 10 or 99S Coach USA bus destined for New York City. Pay the $4.00 exact fare on board with cash only.

 

3. Alight at the last stop, Port Authority Bus Terminal. Either walk downtown/southbound on Eighth Avenue for 7 blocks (i.e., from 40th Street to 33rd Street) to Pennsylvania Station, or ride the subway (A.C, or E trains) downtown/southbound one stop. The subway fare is $2.25 per person, cash and credit cards accepted.

 

Brillant!

Thanks, exactly what I needed.

Approx. $20 vs $100, with minimal trouble

 

We will use Alternative #1

[138east]

liberateny - sounds like a plan for you. I am assuming your connection times to Albany are not tight. The ship arrives at 7 am, but you will probably not be able to self-disembark until 8 or 8:30 am - be sure you sign up for self-disembarkation. Check the Sunday schedules for the light rail and Path - trains will run less frequently. However, they should be relatively empty, which means that having luggage will be no problem. IMO the light rail and Path will be a better choice than a bus to PA that has no luggage space.

[liberateny]

liberateny - sounds like a plan for you. I am assuming your connection times to Albany are not tight. The ship arrives at 7 am, but you will probably not be able to self-disembark until 8 or 8:30 am - be sure you sign up for self-disembarkation. Check the Sunday schedules for the light rail and Path - trains will run less frequently. However, they should be relatively empty, which means that having luggage will be no problem. IMO the light rail and Path will be a better choice than a bus to PA that has no luggage space.

 

No. not tight at all...we have all day...thanks for the info.

[megr1125]

melmich,

You seem like folks who are game to deal with the logistics of the Newark/Bayonne area. Regardless of where you stay, you need hotel rooms. Parking at the port would be $540. Here is what I would suggest.

 

.

 

3) December 31 - eat dinner before you arrive at the hotel. This hotel does not have a restaurant, although it does offer a free breakfast.

 

If worse comes to worse, all the bigger hotels' restaurants will be open..such as the Marriott full service, Hilton, Sheraton, Renaissance...not that you want hotel food...

ALso there are several places IN newark, what is known as the ironbound distict....mainly Spanish/Portugese and very good....

http://www.10best.com/Newark,NJ/Restaurants/

 

there was another website but it seems to have gone nutso!

 

IMO this suggestion provides you with a more than reasonable hotel rate and parking for 14 days. You have to arrange a car service, but $200-220 is much less than paying to park 2 cars at Bayonne for $540.

 

see above..

[Mabers]

En route to the pier from EWR last year we stopped for wine. We were looking for Bridgeview Wines at 300 Rte 440. Our car service got us to a wine store in the vicinity, but it was not that one.

Could one of you give more detailed directions please? I have googled and can't come up with the last 1/2 mile or so.

Thanks,

M.

[138east]

It appears to be on 440 south beyond the turn off to Port Terminal Blvd between 31st and 30th St. Google shows a map of exactly where it is. They have a web site - you could call them directly.

[dalitos]

Hello.. maybe some of you can give us some ideas.. we disembark in Bayonne and want to stay in the area for 2-3 days before heading back home. We were thinking of going to Manhattan, already booked a hotel, and spend our time there, although we have been there many times, but we love it.

But figured that it may also be nice to spend a few days in another area around NJ.. maybe a little town with some touristy things to do, a few nice restaurants, some shopping? Any ideas?

[138east]

What dates are you looking at? Will you rent a car? The problem with little towns is that without a car there is no way to get around.

[Mabers]

It appears to be on 440 south beyond the turn off to Port Terminal Blvd between 31st and 30th St. Google shows a map of exactly where it is. They have a web site - you could call them directly.

 

Thanks....I will call them again. Did it last year, but wasn't too successful communicating.

M.

[dalitos]

What dates are you looking at? Will you rent a car? The problem with little towns is that without a car there is no way to get around.

 

Thanks. April 25th to 28th.

We weren't planning on renting a car if we were going to Manhattan, but definitely will consider it if going somewhere else... probably can rent on/around the port, and return at the airport before our flight back.

[megr1125]

En route to the pier from EWR last year we stopped for wine. We were looking for Bridgeview Wines at 300 Rte 440. Our car service got us to a wine store in the vicinity, but it was not that one.

Could one of you give more detailed directions please? I have googled and can't come up with the last 1/2 mile or so.

Thanks,

M.

 

it appears that it is in the shopping center (near stop n shop) adjacent to the entrance to the pier....

[megr1125]

Unless there is an Enterprise or hertz local edition that will pick you up, you'd have to rent at the airport...

 

how far are you willing to drive??? You're looking at probably an hour to get to any cute little towns such as :

 

Red Bank or other towns near the NJ Shore (probably my 2nd favorite)

 

Lambertville (my personal favorite;):p)

 

Cape May (probably too far though)

 

Atlantic City (not terribly cute)

 

Princeton (near the university and actually you COULD get there with public transportation-NJ transit to Princeton Junction and get into town via the "dinky"/bus (depending on what they are running...the dinky is a little 1-car train...then you can walk or cab around town...PLUS some of the hotels outside of town have a shuttle....those places are along a busy-ish road, but it's not bad...you could drive though)

 

http://www.redbank.com/

http://www.lambertville.org/

 

http://www.princetonol.com/

 

let me know if any of this tickles your fancy...

[138east]

You might enjoy poking around the Princeton area - expensive to stay right in town, but there are some nice hotel properties further out. It would be an easy drive over to Lambertville, Pa, which is arty, or Flemington, NJ, which has outlets. If you've never been to Philadelphia, you might enjoy doing that - easy return to Newark Airport on Amtrak so no car would be required.

 

Meg lives over by Lambertville - I'm sure she will have some comments.

[dalitos]

Meg and 138east, thank you so much for your suggestions, and the links, all three towns look lovely and I'm checking them out. Actually love the idea of Princeton an moving a bit around from there. The Lambertville site does not have that much going on (at least in comparison to the other 2) but I will resarch more on other sites. I love the idea of visiting a new area instead of staying again in NYC!

[megr1125]

Meg and 138east, thank you so much for your suggestions, and the links, all three towns look lovely and I'm checking them out. Actually love the idea of Princeton an moving a bit around from there. The Lambertville site does not have that much going on (at least in comparison to the other 2) but I will resarch more on other sites. I love the idea of visiting a new area instead of staying again in NYC!

 

Lambertville (NJ) is small but mighty...a couple inns and a small hotel...right across the river from New Hope PA...lots of little places to eat, antiques, vintage clothing stores etc....

 

Princeton is cute...here are a couple hotels...there is one in town that is OK, but there are bigger chain options on Route 1 (which BTW goes from Maine to Fla....not that you'd want to drive that far on Route 1)

 

Princeton Marriott

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ttndf-princeton-marriott-hotel-and-conference-center-at-forrestal/

(farther away...nice...quiet, nothing really around the hotel per se, but a short drive thru the office complex into Plainsboro and there are places to eat but I would skip Plainsboro)

 

Princeton Westin

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1440 Across route 1 from the marriott...in a small shopping area with what is supposed to be a very good restaurant (not in the hotel, in front of it..) (i got this on PL for about $55 or so....)

 

Tre Piani italian restaurant

http://www.trepiani.com/

 

Hyatt Regency Princeton

http://princeton.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Probably the closest to town...about 1/2 mile-ish formthe Princeotn Junction rail station...not a bad hotel...usually you can get this on Priceline for under $60.....I did it when i needed to be close to the hospital in princeton and got it for about $50

 

Residence Inn by Marriott Princeton/Carnegie Center

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ttnww-residence-inn-princeton-at-carnegie-center/

 

Kind of across route 1 from the hyatt, adjacent a mall with several dining options..including a nice place for fish (and i don't like fish, but i had it there when my old boss took us for dinner and it was good...)

 

Big Fish

http://www.muer.com/ (hmm...never knew it was a small chain)

 

Nassau Inn

This one is in DT Princeton....it can be hit or miss..it is an older historic place but you can walk everywhere

http://www.nassauinn.com/

 

Whatever you do, this is a requirement....it is in the 'rules'-you go and order a blend in. Trust me.

http://thomassweet.com/locations.html

(you want the top one, on nassau street-the main drag in town)

 

Other good spots...

If money isn't a concern:

http://www.lahieres.com/

 

http://www.theferryhouse.com/

probably the most 'famous' chef in our area

 

http://www.alchemistandbarrister.com/

 

http://www.princeton.edu (the university website)

 

http://www.njtransit.com

 

music collectors love this place...

http://www.prex.com/

 

Small local micro brewery with good food and better beer

http://www.triumphbrewing.com/indexfl6.html

 

 

There are other hotels along Route 1 in the Princeton area.....some I would skip...if you use priceline...do NOT bid less than 3.5 stars...they have realigned the area and you could wind up in a dopey location...Actually I would only bid 4* ...but frankly I would just book direct.

 

You can email me if you want extra info...

cruisermeg at yahoo dot com

[megr1125]

I can also give you advice on Lambertville/New Hope/Flemington (they're close enough you could do them all...

 

and red bank/shore as I spend too much time there....(i am sure there are other peeps around who know more too!)

[138east]

Let us know if you are serious about the Princeton area. I have stayed at the Wyndham and my cousins have stayed at the Chauncy Conference Center - these are both lovely properties, not just a chain hotel on Route 1. My daughter recently got Staybridge Suites for a good price on Priceline - a more modest establishment, but had some kitchen amenities.

[madelinerose]

Hey, Meg or Carol...have you ever been here? Been meaning to, but....;)

 

http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/

[megr1125]

Let us know if you are serious about the Princeton area. I have stayed at the Wyndham and my cousins have stayed at the Chauncy Conference Center - these are both lovely properties, not just a chain hotel on Route 1. My daughter recently got Staybridge Suites for a good price on Priceline - a more modest establishment, but had some kitchen amenities.

 

forgot those....what is the Wyndham?? was that the thing at Merrill Lynch?? yeah it is...

 

you;d think i know..since i live here...sheesh.....

(as a rule i skip wyndhams...just me...i've been in more ickypoo ones that good ones!)

 

i didnt know the conference center was open to the public....go figure

[megr1125]

Hey, Meg or Carol...have you ever been here? Been meaning to, but....;)

 

http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/

 

I haven't but I've seen some of them....

like this that is near the hamilton RR station

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/3782412051_a63b41f390_m.jpg

 

the restaurant is supposed to be excellent....