NYC Cruise Terminal

[emergencymedic]

Hello,

Looking for the best way to go from Howell NJ to the New York City cruise terminal round trip. We have five people and probably four suitcases. Two of the five are little girls 5 and 6. We can't fit all in the car with luggage to park at the pier. We are leaving of Carnival Sunshine August 17,2016 for 8 nights.

Thank you for any advice.

Joe

[Nitemare]

Use the search function here or scroll through a board or two and look for Car Service recommendations.

[njhorseman]

Hello,

Looking for the best way to go from Howell NJ to the New York City cruise terminal round trip. We have five people and probably four suitcases. Two of the five are little girls 5 and 6. We can't fit all in the car with luggage to park at the pier. We are leaving of Carnival Sunshine August 17,2016 for 8 nights.

Thank you for any advice.

Joe

 

We lived in Western Monmouth County for 30 years, and have lived in Mercer County for the past 10 years. When we don't drive to the cruise terminal or an airport we use Concorde Worldwide, which is based in Freehold Twp. Their phone is 732-577-0023. They are defintely not inexpensive but definitely are reliable. There are some other car/limo services that serve the Central NJ area such as Arrow and A-1, but I've never used them.

 

Another possibility is two one way rentals of a minivan. The major car rental companies such as Avis and Hertz have locations in the West 40's not overly far from the cruise terminal. You could rent a van from a local NJ office, drop your family and luggage off at the pier, return the van to the NY location and then walk or take a taxi to the pier. Just reverse the process for the trip home. If that sounds like it would work for you, call a couple of the car rental companies to price it out. Sometimes one way rentals can be expensive but I suspect it still many be cheaper than taking a car service.

[njhorseman]

Use the search function here or scroll through a board or two and look for Car Service recommendations.

 

That's not going to work very well. Over the years there have been very few questions asked about transportation from Central NJ and even fewer good answers or solutions offered. Searching the board will mostly produce the names of car services that are based in NY or North Jersey that don't serve this area.

[mjkacmom]

We took a car service several years ago, when my twins were 5. They made me bring their booster seats because they were under 8.

[mking8288]

OP in this case traveling on a weekday for CCL @Manhattan, has anyone looked into/considered whether the Academy "commuter" buses are a viable option ?? Question came up recently by another CC poster near the Jersey shores & said they could get to one of the pickup points/stops along the GCP and/or bus terminal at nearby Asbury Park - and use the bus option.

 

I would think that the bus driver "can" store the suitcases below in the bus luggage/storage compartment, with a little "appreciation" for extra efforts. Upon reaching the PA Bus Terminal @ 42nd. Street, it's a matter of catching a taxi van for that last mile and a half with the 2 children in tow.

 

Taking along booster seats aren't too bad - even with a pair of them - strap them together & checked it once at the pier, and, store them under the beds during the cruise ... unlike the full-size child safety seats, those are bulky.

[Brighton Line]

I would think that the bus driver "can" store the suitcases below in the bus luggage/storage compartment, with a little "appreciation" for extra efforts. Upon reaching the PA Bus Terminal @ 42nd. Street, it's a matter of catching a taxi van for that last mile and a half with the 2 children in tow.

 

This is allowed but you have to handle your own bags.

See: http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=HowToRideTo

 

Click on "How To Ride A Bus"...

 

Limit is 30lbs so I don't know what cruise you can go on with only 30lbs x 2 bags but as they say there is no scale.

 

Here is a snip-it:

Bus passengers traveling on vehicles with underfloor storage may store up to two items of conventional size. No single piece may exceed 30 lbs.

 

Passengers wishing to load/unload their luggage may do so at terminals and along routes. NJ TRANSIT reserves the right to deny permission to load/unload luggage at any location where it may jeopardize the safety of the passenger, bus operator, or bus.

 

Passengers traveling on vehicles without underfloor storage will be permitted to bring up to two pieces of baggage aboard provided it can fit safely and securely in the overhead parcel racks or on the passenger's lap. Baggage may not block aisles or be placed on empty seats or cause inconvenience to other passengers

[njhorseman]

OP in this case traveling on a weekday for CCL @Manhattan, has anyone looked into/considered whether the Academy "commuter" buses are a viable option ?? Question came up recently by another CC poster near the Jersey shores & said they could get to one of the pickup points/stops along the GCP and/or bus terminal at nearby Asbury Park - and use the bus option.

 

I would think that the bus driver "can" store the suitcases below in the bus luggage/storage compartment, with a little "appreciation" for extra efforts. Upon reaching the PA Bus Terminal @ 42nd. Street, it's a matter of catching a taxi van for that last mile and a half with the 2 children in tow.

 

Taking along booster seats aren't too bad - even with a pair of them - strap them together & checked it once at the pier, and, store them under the beds during the cruise ... unlike the full-size child safety seats, those are bulky.

 

Having lived adjacent to the OP's town for 30 years, and having commuted to NYC by bus upon occasion, I'd recommend walking to NY City over taking the bus with luggage and two young children in tow. :eek:

That's why I didn't mention the bus option.

 

Since you brought up the idea of going by bus, it's quite possible that the NJ Transit route 139 buses that run on Rt. 9 would be more convenient for them than the Academy buses that run on the GSP. It depends on exactly where in Howell Twp. they live.

 

If they could get a ride to and from a NJ Transit train station I'd recommend taking the train into NY Penn Station followed by a taxi to the cruise terminal over a bus to Port Authority any day.

Edited June 21, 2016 by njhorseman

[mking8288]

Just trying to brainstorm a bit since OP is looking for ideas, oh well - scratch them off.

 

Sigh ;) - I knew our friends commuting from northern NJ have absolutely no love for NJT (they've "camped" often without notices at their parent's home in Brooklyn far too often instead of going back to NJ in the evenings) and thought, maybe ... just maybe, Academy buses might be a little better. It sounds like both are bad choices but for some of the weekday commuters, there isn't much choices to come into NYC ... and the NJT commuter trains aren't exactly beloved either (speaking of the devils, just got SMS alert, extension delays & possible cancellations in/out of NY Penn stations @ 7:05 PM, earlier - it was supposed to be just LIRR.)

 

Looked at Academy's guideline for luggage, they are more "vague" than NJT and have no restrictions or weight limits ... somewhere else, it mentioned "luggage compartment," here - http://www.academybus.com/Commuters/FAQs.aspx

 

With NJT, 2x 30 lb. luggage meant basically a pair of well packed 20" or 21" carry-on sized duffle bags or ultra-light bags on wheels ... most cruise pax will have a hard time doing that. DW & I flied overseas for week+ trips with just a 22" carry-on and a small cabin bags that fit both overhead and underneath our seats in "coach", it can be done but no easy.

 

Another option - "bribe" a family member/close friend/neighbor to drive them in & do the same on their return, reimburse the driver for gasoline & tolls, and perhaps some gifts as token of appreciation - since it's late summer. Coming into NYC via the tunnels and/or bridges on a weekday is a PITA, however, go to the NY Waterway ferry terminal & ride over, then do a short taxi van ride to the pier.