CAPE LIBERTY 411 (and NYC too) Version 4!!

[138east]

Switch to the 28th cruise. The other cruiser is also named Carol and was assigned your room when you disembarked and she found your business cards in room.

 

Yes - that is my friend Carol M - Merion_Mom. We still joke about that. She will also be on the Jan 28 cruise, so no cards for her next year!

[cfitch]

I suspect I already know the answer, but what are the pitfalls to renting a car at the airport? Are there any sites in NYC area that it's feasible/cost effective to rent a car to drive to (4 people in our party).

 

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[138east]

I suspect I already know the answer, but what are the pitfalls to renting a car at the airport? Are there any sites in NYC area that it's feasible/cost effective to rent a car to drive to (4 people in our party).

 

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Cars are a liability in Manhattan and not cost effective. We need more details.

 

What do you want to see? What date would you want to do this and how much time would you have? Are you staying at an airport hotel? If so, which one. Are you seniors? Do you have any mobility issues?

 

Two high level cost effective suggestions would be:

Take a cab from your hotel to Newark Penn Station and the train to midtown Manhattan or PATH to downtown Manhattan

 

Rent a car and go to Liberty State Park (parking $7) and take the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Return to Lower Manhattan and walk to the 911 Memorial area via Bowling Green, Wall Street, and Trinity Church. Take the Liberty Landing Ferry back to Liberty State Park for $7/pp. (last ferry 7:45 weekends - http://www.libertylandingferry.com)

[cfitch]

Thanks. I am just on the ground floor of planning a day prior to our sail date. We leave on the Anthem on 10/12/17, 4 of us. We are educating ourselves on what to see/do, where to stay and the details of getting around without breaking the bank. I am making notes so suggestions are great! Decent hotel, travel, must see place(s) and best food spot in/around the area. Is there anything notable that doesn't require going into the congestion? We have no issues with mobility and are not seniors.

 

I do love your suggestions above.

Edited December 24, 2016 by cfitch

[138east]

Thanks. I am just on the ground floor of planning a day prior to our sail date. We leave on the Anthem on 10/12/17, 4 of us. We are educating ourselves on what to see/do, where to stay and the details of getting around without breaking the bank. I am making notes so suggestions are great! Decent hotel, travel, must see place(s) and best food spot in/around the area. Is there anything notable that doesn't require going into the congestion? We have no issues with mobility and are not seniors.

 

I do love your suggestions above.

 

Quite frankly the Newark area is a highly industrialized urban area, so you're already going to be in the congestion. I understand that the idea of renting a car is tempting, but it may not be cost effective or appealing when you consider tolls, parking, and overall driving stress.

 

If you want to do Manhattan, I would suggest looking at 1-2 nights at the Robert Treat in downtown Newark - modest prices, airport and Newark Penn Station shuttle, free breakfast, and free wifi. Train to New York Penn Station is $5.25/pp and PATH to downtown Manhattan World Trade Center is $2.75/pp

http://www.njtransit.com/hp/hp_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=HomePageTo

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html

http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf

 

I have stayed at this hotel and was very happy with it.

 

You can organize a "big circle" trip to Manhattan - NJ Transit train to NY Penn Station, NY subway to World Trade area, and PATH back to Newark Penn Station or you can just focus on one area of Manhattan.

[WAVTAM]

Yes - that is my friend Carol M - Merion_Mom. We still joke about that. She will also be on the Jan 28 cruise, so no cards for her next year!

 

Can't wait to see you both on board!!!!

[mking8288]

Cars are a liability in Manhattan and not cost effective. We need more details ...

Underscore Liability in bold.

 

A full-size, rental "car" these days can be a Camry or Altima, seating for 4 but not enough space anything more than 4 MLC 22" rollers + small personal bags - will need to drive a minivan. Parking this oversized vehicle in Manhattan will typically be an extra $10 to $15 daily/each time in a commercial garage, on top of a typical $40 to $50 fee for parking (taxes are almost 19%) Airport car rental has hefty surcharges, fees on top of taxes, etc. - tunnel/bridge tolls are a given, if using a car service between NJ and NY).

 

OP is arriving on a weekday and traffic can be a nightmare, worst for someone unfamiliar with getting around in NYC. I can't think of any major, popular tourist attraction anywhere in Manhattan ... where driving one's own/rental car has any "advantage" - not going to beat the locals or daily commuters in finding any "reasonable" on-street, metered (paid, 1 or 2 hour) parking or deals ... maybe after 6 PM or 7 PM. Besides, you do NOT want to leave any luggage or items appearing to be valuable in the vehicle or its truck, backseat, etc. Those little "bar-codes" and PlatePass on the windshield are giveaways to would-be thiefs to do smash & run.

 

For short hops and 4 travelers, taxi in Manhattan are almost equal or better (or, Uber/Lyft it ... just personally not a fan of "ride-sharing") ... taking you almost, door-to-door, curbside-to-curbside if mobility is an issue. Mass transit (buses, trains, subway, light rail, ferries) is the frugal way to get around - as long as one can manage luggages (sturdy wheels.)

[Got2Cruise]

Cars are a liability in Manhattan and not cost effective. We need more details.

 

 

 

What do you want to see? What date would you want to do this and how much time would you have? Are you staying at an airport hotel? If so, which one. Are you seniors? Do you have any mobility issues?

 

 

 

Two high level cost effective suggestions would be:

 

Take a cab from your hotel to Newark Penn Station and the train to midtown Manhattan or PATH to downtown Manhattan

 

 

 

Rent a car and go to Liberty State Park (parking $7) and take the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Return to Lower Manhattan and walk to the 911 Memorial area via Bowling Green, Wall Street, and Trinity Church. Take the Liberty Landing Ferry back to Liberty State Park for $7/pp. (last ferry 7:45 weekends - http://www.libertylandingferry.com)

 

 

 

Using the ferry is a fantastic option. It's win win. You beat the huge lines getting to the SOL yet you have the entire lower Manhattan to explore. IMO, lower Manhattan is infinitely better than midtown. But if you do want to check out Times Square you can easily hop a subway

[cfitch]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I have never been to the area and just wanted a feel for it. I suspect we will end up using cabs, Uber, or public transit. It sounds like a nightmare to get around. I am used to back country roads in the middle of no where. Thanks again.

 

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[138east]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I have never been to the area and just wanted a feel for it. I suspect we will end up using cabs, Uber, or public transit. It sounds like a nightmare to get around. I am used to back country roads in the middle of no where. Thanks again.

 

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It won't be a nightmare if you put together a good plan.

 

Don't take cabs between NY and NJ - it will be very expensive. Decide what you want to do and post back for folks to comment. You can't do all of NY in a day.

[Single_dreamer]

Searching for shared shuttle from JFK to Cape Liberty to board the Anthem in May.

 

I originally wanted to book a post cruise tour of NYC, but RCL only offers site "seeing" and you aren't able to get off at any of the stops. If anyone knows a shuttle service that provides a tour of NYC after the cruise that would be awesome!

 

I have returned to this port on a Celebrity repo cruise, but did not save the name of the shared shuttle service I used. Any help would be great!

[bigeck]

Happy New Year everyone.

Thanks for all the info and options.

[framboesa]

Hello!Happy New Year!

I keep reading this forum but I still need some additional clarification...thank you in advance!:)

We will sailing out of Port Liberty, Sunday, 3 pm, March 26th. We will arrive 5 days before to NYC and will stay near Penn Station/33rd st. We will return home at the end of the cruise (April 2nd) ; our flight will be at 8:20 p.m.

 

1- We pretend to use the public transportation on Sunday to Port Liberty so we are thinking about PATH 33 rd street to Hoboken and then we have two options:Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (to Bayonne) and then call a cab or get a cab from Hoboken

 

Our question is:we are afraid that regarding to language issues (spoken English) we will not be able to call a Cab when we arrive to Bayonne and give the correct directions.We were thinking about get a cab from Hoboken, but we don't know if there will be cabs outside the Station on a Sunday morning...What are your toughs?:confused:

 

2- We will carry with us 2 big bags and two small trolleys, all with wheels; we are in good shape and there are elevators in all the stations. Do you see any issues regarding to luggage?

 

3- Ship departs at 3 p.m., Sunday; Is 11 a.m., soon enough to leave from NYC by public transportation? Should we leave earlier? If we change our minds and use a driver like dial7, how soon should we leave NYC?

 

4 - Because we have a late flight after our cruise and will arrive to Bayonne around 6 a.m., we booked an hotel to drop our luggage during the day (there are no place to drop the luggage at Newark Airport) and we will go to Jersey Mall that only open at 11 a.m.. How long is the process of leaving the ship and ship area, being an European citizen? Is it similar to the process to enter USA by plain? Are there cabs outside the port or do we have to call a cab?

 

Thank you very much for your help!

[emtb12]

Found a great hotel in Newark. Best Western Robert Treat Hotel. It offers free shuttle service to Penn Station Newark every 30 minutes. Taking Uber to cruise port for $20 plus tip.

 

 

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[A Pisces]

Hello!Happy New Year!

I keep reading this forum but I still need some additional clarification...thank you in advance!:)

We will sailing out of Port Liberty, Sunday, 3 pm, March 26th. We will arrive 5 days before to NYC and will stay near Penn Station/33rd st. We will return home at the end of the cruise (April 2nd) ; our flight will be at 8:20 p.m.

 

1- We pretend to use the public transportation on Sunday to Port Liberty so we are thinking about PATH 33 rd street to Hoboken and then we have two options:Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (to Bayonne) and then call a cab or get a cab from Hoboken

 

Our question is:we are afraid that regarding to language issues (spoken English) we will not be able to call a Cab when we arrive to Bayonne and give the correct directions.We were thinking about get a cab from Hoboken, but we don't know if there will be cabs outside the Station on a Sunday morning...What are your toughs?:confused:

 

2- We will carry with us 2 big bags and two small trolleys, all with wheels; we are in good shape and there are elevators in all the stations. Do you see any issues regarding to luggage?

 

3- Ship departs at 3 p.m., Sunday; Is 11 a.m., soon enough to leave from NYC by public transportation? Should we leave earlier? If we change our minds and use a driver like dial7, how soon should we leave NYC?

 

4 - Because we have a late flight after our cruise and will arrive to Bayonne around 6 a.m., we booked an hotel to drop our luggage during the day (there are no place to drop the luggage at Newark Airport) and we will go to Jersey Mall that only open at 11 a.m.. How long is the process of leaving the ship and ship area, being an European citizen? Is it similar to the process to enter USA by plain? Are there cabs outside the port or do we have to call a cab?

 

Thank you very much for your help!

 

I am sorry that I don't have the answers for you, to all of your questions, but maybe you could ask some of your questions on an Anthem Roll call that will be leaving soon, like January 14th's roll call. When they return, they can probably tell you how customs goes, and if there are cabs at the port.

 

Kathy

[framboesa]

I am sorry that I don't have the answers for you, to all of your questions, but maybe you could ask some of your questions on an Anthem Roll call that will be leaving soon, like January 14th's roll call. When they return, they can probably tell you how customs goes, and if there are cabs at the port.

 

Kathy

 

I asked this as a new thread and I get the answers :) Thank You ;)

[kc320]

Are there any van size taxi's that pick up at the Newark airport hotels to Cape Liberty that would hold 3 people plus luggage? I'm guessing that is something the hotel should be able to arrange for me? Private car service is coming in at around $100 + tip...rather not spend quite that much

[emtb12]

Are there any van size taxi's that pick up at the Newark airport hotels to Cape Liberty that would hold 3 people plus luggage? I'm guessing that is something the hotel should be able to arrange for me? Private car service is coming in at around $100 + tip...rather not spend quite that much

 

 

Uber would be far cheaper. You can go to Uber Estimator and get a quote and pick your type of car. It cost us $20.

 

 

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[138east]

Typically we recommend booking a car service like Dial7 or Carmellimo. A more budget option would be

 

Independent driver - 888-816-0973

inde.drvr@gmail.com

 

$100 is excessive. What company quoted you that?

[vondofife]

Are there any van size taxi's that pick up at the Newark airport hotels to Cape Liberty that would hold 3 people plus luggage? I'm guessing that is something the hotel should be able to arrange for me? Private car service is coming in at around $100 + tip...rather not spend quite that much

 

 

I used Junior Luxury NYC and I'd highly recommend them.

 

 

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[kc320]

Uber would be far cheaper. You can go to Uber Estimator and get a quote and pick your type of car. It cost us $20.

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Uber was $96 for 3 people & luggage...

 

 

Typically we recommend booking a car service like Dial7 or Carmellimo. A more budget option would be

 

Independent driver - 888-816-0973

inde.drvr@gmail.com

 

$100 is excessive. What company quoted you that?

 

Dial7 quote was $97 for 3 people with 5 pieces of luggage... Most companies I did online quotes with are showing we won't fit in a "standard" vehical

Edited January 14, 2017 by kc320

[mking8288]

Uber was $96 for 3 people & luggage...Dial7 quote was $97 for 3 people with 5 pieces of luggage... Most companies I did online quotes with are showing we won't fit in a "standard" vehical

Nowadays, a standard 4 door sedan in the metro NY area (unlike the old days of Ford Crown Vic V8 ex-PI w. huge trunk) might be something like a Camry, Altima, Fusion or Prius w. smaller trunk capacity.

 

Are all 5 pc. of luggage the same large/jumbo size, how big are they - hard cases (spinners or rollers, as those are harder to fit in modern-sized vehicles) ? Any chance of 1 or 2 of them being smaller, carry-on sizes and/or backpack - any other "carry-on" items ... one of our JetBlue "carry-on" is a 22"+ Kirkland Signature, expandable rollers by Costco (A320's allow up to 24" carry-on) - can one of these be a soft duffle bag as easier to squeeze & fit for its shape.

 

Another reason that we tend to go with (and, also - recommend) with Carmel instead of Dial 7 (as being consistently higher, almost all the time - but still shocked by the price difference) - a quick lookup for a Sunday morning pickup from EWR Airport (should be same as one of the airport hotels nearby as it's the same general "zone") to Cape Liberty -

Standard 4 door sedan - $47 as base fare + toll (small)

Deluxe 4 door - $52 + toll

Minivan - $61 + toll (this is good for 5 people + 5 or 6 pc. of checked luggage

 

For the standard or deluxe 4 door, 3 people and 4 pc. of luggage (the 5th. pc. as softside/duffle or soft bag could be placed in the middle of the backseat, 1 of 3 pax would ride in the front pax. seat ... as long as you don't have 3 extra 20" or 22" backpack, loaded plus jumbo "hangbag" totes :D (well, you can each "hug" one of the backpack on your lap for the 20 to 30 minutes ride to Cape Liberty) - if so, please tip nicely the driver for going along.

 

You can go to Carmel's online site to price it & see for yourself - book if you like. I've posted previously the online & digital coupon code for anyone using them, good for a $3, 4 or 5 discount off the fare.

 

Any price quote yet from Ind. Drivers recommended by 138east/Carol as that's one of her many expertise on getting around/to/from CL.

Edited January 14, 2017 by mking8288

[Lucie Renee]

Hi Everyone and thank you in advance for any information.

We are travelling on the Summit out of Cape Liberty on May 7, 2017.

Our pre-cruise hotel will probably be in Jersey City.

We want to visit relatives the Saturday before sailing on Long Island.

What is our best way to get to Long Island and we don't mind using public transportation?

Again, thanks much.

[138east]

Hi Everyone and thank you in advance for any information.

We are travelling on the Summit out of Cape Liberty on May 7, 2017.

Our pre-cruise hotel will probably be in Jersey City.

We want to visit relatives the Saturday before sailing on Long Island.

What is our best way to get to Long Island and we don't mind using public transportation?

Again, thanks much.

 

Could you provide more details? Are you flying in to Newark Airport? What time does your flight arrive? Where exactly are you going on Long Island? How do you envision your trip? Fly into Newark, go to Long Island and visit, and return to Jersey City for your precruise night?

 

My initial reaction would be that a car rental from EWR with a return in Jersey City could be a strategy. If you want to do public transit with luggage, you should consider taking the NJ Transit Hudson-Bergen light rail to Bayonne 34th St and local cab to Cape Liberty. The only concern would be the rental car hours in Jersey City for a car return on a Sunday.

[Got2Cruise]

Jersey City you can get the PATH train to NYC Penn station. Switch to LIRR. Have relatives pick you up at station

 

 

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