Newark Airport/Manhattan Pier Help

[barb-ottawa]

We are sailing on the NCL Jewel on Sunday, April 10th from the Manhattan Pier. We land at Newark airport on Sunday, but I am going to try to change this to Saturday. Looking for suggestions as to the best cost-effective (i.e. lo-budget) solution. Should I stay in a hotel close to the Newark airport (one with a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel) and use a car service (Dial7) to the Manhattan Pier on Sunday morning? Or alternatively, find an economical hotel closer to the Pier? I would expect that traffic on a Sunday would not be too bad, but am concerned about arriving at Newark and going into NYC on Saturday around 5ish. NYC is a big scary place for me :eek: having never been there so I don't want to be bothered with any public transit, trains, etc. I am also not interested in any sight-seeing this time around, just want to get to the ship on time and save as much money as I can to spend on my cruise! Thanks for any advice.

[138east]

Staying at Newark Airport is going to be your low budget alternative. There is a really good deal out there right now on Hotwire - a 3 1/2* hotel for $89 + tax. Given the amenities that are listed, this is likely the Hilton. My second choice would be the Sheraton on kayak.com. These are both noncancellable hotels at those rates.

 

You can take a car service to the port, but you can also take the hotel shuttle back to the airport and take the airport bus to Port Authority for $15/pp. At Port Authority you can grab a cab to the pier for about $10.

 

Unfortunately, various modes of "public transportation" are the norm in the NY metro area. You are going to pay top dollar for a car service to take you door to door from NJ to NY. Price it all out and post back if you have any questions. You also might want to look at Supershuttle - I think they will pick you up at the airport and drop you off at the pier, but it is a shared shuttle so you might have intervening stops. Hopefully, others will have some "budget" suggestions.

[barb-ottawa]

We had already booked a car/ride with Dial7 and were prepared for the $70 cost, so this is not a problem. So I'm guessing the trip to Manhattan would be better on a Sunday morning than a Saturday evening? That assuming, of course, that I can change my flights!

[njhorseman]

We had already booked a car/ride with Dial7 and were prepared for the $70 cost, so this is not a problem. So I'm guessing the trip to Manhattan would be better on a Sunday morning than a Saturday evening? That assuming, of course, that I can change my flights!

 

Traffic on Saturday night or Sunday morning shouldn't differ too much...certainly not enough to be the deciding factor. You're not going to find any hotels in Manhattan for the $89 rate that Carol (138east) quoted. I think I advised you on a previous thread a week or two ago that your planned Sunday EWR arrival time was far too late to be comfortable, and suggested you change to Saturday if possible.

 

I hope you can eventually change your mind about New York. It' s a great city and really quite safe for a city of its size. Millions of tourists flock here every year and enjoy it.

[barb-ottawa]

Yes you did, and since then I have been tracking the reliability of Continental flights from my airport into Newark and the stats aren't good. Almost half of the flights (13/30) are at least 30 minutes late. I didn't think it would be so bad, so now I have to seriously consider trying to change them. I'll certainly know better next time!

[barb-ottawa]

Boy things sure have changed in the airline business. Tried to changed my flights to the day before my cruise. I expected a fee to change them, but not an outright refusal and I know there are still seats available on the flight. Please say a prayer for me on Sunday, April 10th that my flight arrives on time! :mad:

[greatam]

Boy things sure have changed in the airline business. Tried to changed my flights to the day before my cruise. I expected a fee to change them, but not an outright refusal and I know there are still seats available on the flight. Please say a prayer for me on Sunday, April 10th that my flight arrives on time! :mad:

 

I'm curious how you KNOW there are still seats available on the flight??? Are you depending on airline seat maps??? This is one of the most UNRELIABLE ways to tell. Very, very often all seats are sold and people just haven't picked their seats. Cruise air passengers and tour groups very often do not pick seats until the last minute. Business travelers paying high dollar last minute fares booked through a corporate travel dept often do not pick seats.

 

Post what flight you are on and how many seats you need and I will look in Expert Flyer to see how many seats are ACTUALLY available on Saturday. If you are on the nonstop, landing at 12:30, you MAY miss your cruise. You have to be checked in no less than 90 minutes before departure time. Some cruise lines REQUIRE 2 hours before departure. Plan on a bare minimum of 30 minutes from the time you get into the car to get to the pier. Add in 30 minutes for getting your luggage. You are cutting it REALLY close if you are on that noon flight.

[BlueHerons]

We are sailing on the NCL Jewel on Sunday, April 10th from the Manhattan Pier. We land at Newark airport on Sunday, but I am going to try to change this to Saturday. Looking for suggestions as to the best cost-effective (i.e. lo-budget) solution. Should I stay in a hotel close to the Newark airport (one with a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel) and use a car service (Dial7) to the Manhattan Pier on Sunday morning? Or alternatively, find an economical hotel closer to the Pier? I would expect that traffic on a Sunday would not be too bad, but am concerned about arriving at Newark and going into NYC on Saturday around 5ish. NYC is a big scary place for me :eek: having never been there so I don't want to be bothered with any public transit, trains, etc. I am also not interested in any sight-seeing this time around, just want to get to the ship on time and save as much money as I can to spend on my cruise! Thanks for any advice.

 

Barb, Newark is the big scary place not NYC.

 

You'll like using Dial 7.

[barb-ottawa]

Yeah, I'm on the flight arriving at 12:19. I called Continental directly and they will change my flight to the day before for just over $1000 which is what I paid for the flights in the first place :eek:. Gee thanks. Keeping my fingers crossed for the next 8 days.

[greatam]

Yeah, I'm on the flight arriving at 12:19. I called Continental directly and they will change my flight to the day before for just over $1000 which is what I paid for the flights in the first place :eek:. Gee thanks. Keeping my fingers crossed for the next 8 days.

 

 

Hopefully, you have seats toward the front of the plane (small RJ). Make sure you have the Dial 7 number programmed into your phone. Take a look at the airport terminal map (plane lands at Terminal C and has been landing at gate 72). KNOW where baggage claim is. KNOW where your car service is going to pick you up at.

 

One thing going in your favor: That flight has been consistently on time for about a week except yesterday. The flight didn't take off on time and landed at 1:08PM. Check Flight Stats for further info, gate changes, etc.

 

What time is the cut off for check in on your cruise???

 

Good luck.

[barb-ottawa]

Cruise ship leaves at 4 and they want you checked in 2 hours before. Would they prevent you from getting on if you are later than that? Any idea where I can get a layout of the Newark airport so I can study the logistics - baggage claim, car pickup, etc.? Flight was 12 minutes early today! Thanks.

[greatam]

Cruise ship leaves at 4 and they want you checked in 2 hours before. Would they prevent you from getting on if you are later than that? Any idea where I can get a layout of the Newark airport so I can study the logistics - baggage claim, car pickup, etc.? Flight was 12 minutes early today! Thanks.

 

YES-the manifest MUST be turned into Homeland Security BEFORE the ship can GET READY to leave. 90 minutes to 2 hours is the norm for most cruise lines. DHS MUST run the manifest through all databases before the ship can get the long shoreman ready to "unhook" the ship. Same thing with planes-the manifests MUST be run through the databases BEFORE the chocks are pulled from the plane. IF someone is on one of the watch lists, then appropriate law enforcement/other agencies MUST be contacted.

 

Just do a google search. There are many, many maps of EWR. You are going to have to call Dial 7 to find out WHERE they pick you up.

[barb-ottawa]

Found a map of the airport and will call Dial 7 to find out where they will be picking us up. According to the map, there is only one area in terminal C for baggage claim and it is on the lower level. Does this sound right? Are car pickups generally on the same level as baggage claim? Trying to map out a quick escape! Thanks for your help!

[njhorseman]

Found a map of the airport and will call Dial 7 to find out where they will be picking us up. According to the map, there is only one area in terminal C for baggage claim and it is on the lower level. Does this sound right? Are car pickups generally on the same level as baggage claim? Trying to map out a quick escape! Thanks for your help!

 

Yes, our limo driver Different company because we use one based near our home in NJ) normally meets us at the Terminal C baggage claim. They will hold a sign with your name on it...or at least that's the typical way of doing it. You will haver to pay a few dollars over and above your fare and tolls for the limo's parking fee in the short term parking area.

[greatam]

Yes, our limo driver Different company because we use one based near our home in NJ) normally meets us at the Terminal C baggage claim. They will hold a sign with your name on it...or at least that's the typical way of doing it. You will haver to pay a few dollars over and above your fare and tolls for the limo's parking fee in the short term parking area.

 

You are referencing "meet and greet" service. Dial 7 only provides that at extra cost (about $30.00 which does include parking at least at JFK). Meet and greet will NOT be as fast as pickup at the curb (throw the luggage in the car and leave). BUT some car services at EWR do not have the permits to pick up curbside at baggage claim. Then the passengers must take the train to P-4 pickup area where all the hotel vans, etc. pick up passengers. As large as Dial 7 is, I would assume they have the permits. I rarely fly into EWR and when I have, one of my employees picks me up. But the OP needs to call and MAKE SURE where Dial 7 is picking them up. If they have to pay more for curbside/baggage claim pickup instead of P-4, I would sure do it. Every minute they can save is very, very valuable.

 

The OP has less than 2 hours from the scheduled plane arrival time to get to Manhattan and get checked in. Cutting it REALLY, REALLY close.

[barb-ottawa]

The continuing saga......we decided to bite the bullet and pay the extra $1000 to change our flights to the previous day and chalk it up to an expensive lesson. Fat chance. Called Continental and now they want to charge us $1000 EACH! They will, however, make the change for $50 each if we call 24 hours before our flight - assuming there are seats on the one flight that we can change to. So we will be packed and ready to go on Saturday. Will call the airlines at 11 am and if they can accommodate us on the 3 pm flight, I will quickly make a hotel reservation and call Dial7 to change our pickup to Sunday morning from the hotel, and leave for the airport. If we can't change our flight, then we will leave as originally planned on Sunday and hope the flight is on time, arriving at 12:20. I have confirmed with NCL that as long as we are on the ship by 3, we will be fine. First stop on the ship will be the bar!!!

[mjkacmom]

I'm from NE NJ, and we always use Empire for car service when it's important to be on time (you can google them). Yes, they are probably more expensive than some of the others. DH's company contracts with them, my neighbor's company contracts with them, and they will go above and beyond. For our last cruise, my dd was making her Confirmation the day the cruise ended. She had to be at the church by 11:30. I was hopeful about self embarkment, but it was a nightmare. He showed up to pick us up at 9, I called and explained we were stuck on a not moving line, and he said to call when we were at customs. We were at the curb at 10:45, and there he was.

 

We've used them several times, they're always here at least 20 minutes early, the cars/vans are so clean, the drivers so professional. I usually like to save a buck, but when it comes to my vacation, I want 100 reliable.

[dperez2306]

barb-ottawa

 

What time did you arrive at the ship terminal? Was the cut-off an hour before at 3pm?

 

I have a 5pm cruise to make and I arrive at 2:25pm and have to take a taxi for about 45 minutes!! But if its an hour before then we'll make it by 4pm.

[greatam]

barb-ottawa

 

What time did you arrive at the ship terminal? Was the cut-off an hour before at 3pm?

 

I have a 5pm cruise to make and I arrive at 2:25pm and have to take a taxi for about 45 minutes!! But if its an hour before then we'll make it by 4pm.

 

 

Sheer madness to arrive at the airport that close to a cruise. The chances of making your cruise are very, very slim. One little glitch by more than a couple of minutes and you will watch your ship sail away.

 

I don't think there is a cruise line out there that doesn't REQUIRE check in 90 minutes pre sail and some of them 2 hours. The manifest HAS to be turned in to DHS AT LEAST 60 minutes before the cruise can leave.

 

Change your flight. I hope you have good trip insurance.

[njhorseman]

barb-ottawa

 

What time did you arrive at the ship terminal? Was the cut-off an hour before at 3pm?

 

I have a 5pm cruise to make and I arrive at 2:25pm and have to take a taxi for about 45 minutes!! But if its an hour before then we'll make it by 4pm.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I wouldn't expect barb-ottawa to reply as she hasn't posted on Cruise Critic in 3 months.

 

It doesn't matter what her cut-off was...the only thing that matters is what your cruise line requires. The Department of Homeland Security has to receive the final passenger manifest from the cruise line no later than one hour prior to the scheduled sailing time. As a result, cruise lines typically cut off check in between 90 minutes and two hours prior to sailing as they have to format the data and submit it to DHS...in your case that would mean 3 to 3:30 pm. Some may allow you a touch more leeway...but again it's up to your cruise line.

 

Frankly, you're in serious jeopardy of missing your cruise, even in your flight arrives on time...I would even venture to say you're at least as likely to miss your cruise as make it. What if your flight is delayed, or worse, cancelled? Even if you arrive at 2:25 pm, that doesn't mean you're in the taxi and pulling away from the airport at 2:25. You have to deplane walk to baggage claim, get your bags...even if you don't have checked bags and just have a carry on, you still have to walk from the gate to the taxi line, probably wait a couple of minutes to get a taxi. What if you run into some traffic? You say you have a 45 minute drive, but in the NY City area traffic delays are common.

 

Sorry to be so negative, but you really have to take an earlier flight. In fact it's best to fly in the day before. Flight delays and cancellations are fairly common.