Need help with hotel near Cape liberty and NY bus tour

[stefanny28]

Hi everyone;

We are planning to book the Celebrity Summit leaving from cape liberty on July 24th, 2011... Yes I know this is last minute but I guess we didn't know what we were going to do this summer.

My question is which hotel near the Jersey Gardens i s a good choice?

If the hotel offers shuttle from/to Newark Airport, it is a plus.

 

Now the other question is since we are planning to arrive on July 22nd, 2 days before the cruise. My DD will like to go to see NY.

We want a bus tour that can give us a general overview of the city without having to plan for bus or public transit. And it is quite important that the company can pick us up either at the hotel or the Newark airport.

Have anyone has a tour company they will recommend?

The only company that I found on the Net is newyorktoursnyc.com. They will pick us up at the airport but their tours seem quite limited.

 

Any advice will be greatly appreciated since we are planning for in 4 weeks.

 

Thanks

[138east]

This is a tough one. Most folks get themselves into NY - the Hop On Hop Off Grayline tour which leaves from the Times Square area. Is there a particular reason why you want door to door service? I checked the company you mentioned and their #1 tour seems to be pretty comprehensive. Their web site doesn't mention pickup at Newark Airport, but I assume you called them and they said they would do it.

 

What is your hotel budget? The three hotels we recommend near Jersey Gardens are the Courtyard, Country Inns, and Residence Inn. Another option would be to look at Hotwire. For your dates I am seeing a 3* hotel in Secaucus for $86 which would be the Sheraton Meadowlands - the tour company lists a pickup available there. There is also a 4* Jersey City Hotel for $148 which would be the Hyatt or Westin and the tour company picks up there as well. These two hotels are on the Hudson across from NYC with fabulous views of the city from the hotel property - nothing but rave reviews from cruisers who have stayed there. For these hotels you would have to pay for a cab from the airport - about $50.

[stefanny28]

Thanks for your quick reply.

I guess any of the 3 hotels that you mentionned closed to Jersey Gardens will do.

Our budget for hotel is in that price range.

 

The reason why I asked for door to door service is I don't know any other way to get to NYC.

What would you recommend if we booked the Courtyard?

How do we get to Times square or any other location where we can get on the hop-on-hop-off bus?

 

Thanks

[138east]

How many people are you and what is your hotel budget? The hotels by Jersey Gardens are not the best for going into NYC - the bus service is there, but it's infrequent. However, there's a 3* hotel for $65 on Hotwire that is likely to be the Sheraton. This is a good deal. To get to NY you would take a cab to Newark Penn Station and take the train to New York Penn Station - about $25 for the cab and $5/pp for the train. From NY Penn Station you can walk the 10 blocks to the Times Square area.

[stefanny28]

We are 3 (myself, DH and DD) .

The reason why we want a hotel near the Jersey Gardens is because DD has her heart set on Abercrombie outlet.

 

How much will taxi cost from the hotels near the outlets center (Courtyard) to Newark Penn Station? Will there be taxi when we come back to take us back to the Courtyard?

 

Now about the Sheraton, which one is it? Sorry to ask, but I have no idea how this area looks like . I am still confused, is Newark the same place than Elizabeth?

How do you know that what I wil get on Hotwire? How much will taxi cost from the Sheraton to cape Liberty port?

If we booked at the Sheraton, will it also be easy to get from the Sheraton to the Jersey Gardens? Taxi? How much?

 

Thanks

[138east]

We are 3 (myself, DH and DD) .

The reason why we want a hotel near the Jersey Gardens is because DD has her heart set on Abercrombie outlet.

 

How much will taxi cost from the hotels near the outlets center (Courtyard) to Newark Penn Station? Will there be taxi when we come back to take us back to the Courtyard? $25-$30 - There will be cabs. Newark Penn Station is a big transportation hub.

 

Now about the Sheraton, which one is it? Sorry to ask, but I have no idea how this area looks like . I am still confused, is Newark the same place than Elizabeth? Please take a look at a map and find these places. Then you will have a better appreciation for the logistics. Newark Airport is in the southeast corner of Newark and abuts Elizabeth. Glimcher Realty way is right next to the airport, but is in Elizabeth on the southeast side of the airport. The Sheraton is on the north side of the airport within the city of Newark.

How do you know that what I wil get on Hotwire? Hotwire shows the hotel amenities, which in this case are no smoking, shuttle, fitness, pool, restaurant, business, and internet. The Sheraton is the only 3* hotel on betterbidding.com that has these amenities. There are no guarantees, but recent Hotwire have gotten the Sheraton when picking the hotel with these amenities. How much will taxi cost from the Sheraton to cape Liberty port? About $50-55 - it should be the same or less than from Glimcher Realty Way.

If we booked at the Sheraton, will it also be easy to get from the Sheraton to the Jersey Gardens? Taxi? How much? Taxi - $15-20. Public bus #40 from in front of the hotel (Frontage Road) runs hourly for either $1.50 or $2.25. http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0040.pdf

 

Thanks

 

Are you planning to go to Jersey Gardens the day you arrive or are you going to try to do NYC and Jersey Gardens the same day? How much are the hotels on Glimcher Realty Way?

[stefanny28]

We were going to go to Jersey Gardens on the day that we arrive since we arrive at 11:00AM and then try to go to NY on Sat 23rd of July to either join the HOHO bus or join newyorktoursnyc.com which will pick us up from EWR.

 

Just one question, once we get to Newark Penn Station, is it easy to go to Penn Station in NY? Is there any transfer or I just stay on the train?

Is there a map?

How much it is? Where do we get tickets?

How long is the trip?

 

Thank you so much, you are such a big help.

[stefanny28]

Any other hotel would you recommend beside the Sheraton if we want to stay on the north side of the airport?

 

Thanks

[138east]

I'm confused as to why you are asking. Please tell me more about what you are thinking - I feel like I'm pulling information and considerations out of you. The Newark airport hotels can be tricky - the ones that offer free breakfast tend not to have restaurants and the ones that have restaurants don't offer free breakfast, so food aquisition for folks without cars is always a concern. The Sheraton is a full service hotel with a restaurant at at about 35% off on Hotwire. I've stayed there and would recommend it. I've also stayed at the Newark Courtyard, Fairfield Inn and the Ramada when it was Holiday Inn. I really liked the Fairfield and will stay there again, the Courtyard was OK (this was 6 or 7 years ago), and I had a very good experience at the Ramada, but a lot of folks have issues with it. The Ramada and Sheraton are together and the Newark Courtyard, Fairfield Inn and Springhill Suites are together. For this last group the only restaurant is in the Courtyard, but the other two offer free breakfast.

 

The hotels on Glimcher Realty Way are just fine - I've stayed at Country Inns for a weekend - others on this forum stay at the Elizabeth Courtyard and Residence Inn frequently for their cruises.

[stefanny28]

Sorry if I seem confused to you, I guess yes, I am .

But now, I just called the Country Inn & Suites in Elizabeth and I know what to do now.

 

We will stay there and go to the Jersey Gardens on July 22nd.

Then on the 23rd, the hotel shuttle will take us to EWR and we will take the NJTransit train from EWR to NY Penn station to join the HOHO tour.

The train from EWR to NY is $12.50/person/one way.

 

Thanks for all your suggestions. You have been very helpful.

[138east]

If you do this, have the shuttle drop you at P4. You go up and take the monorail out to the Newark Airport Station. Coming back, just reverse the process.

 

I advise taking a cab to Newark Penn Station because the cost is similar, but the travel is less complicated and the time can be less.

 

Are you doing the sleep cruise package?

[stefanny28]

No, I believe there are no cruise package at the Country Inn nor the Courtyard.