Help! Family group of 11--cruising on Anthem; visiting NYC

[velmasue]

We are a family group of 11 (7 adults, 4 children) living about 5-6 hours south of Newark on Virginia's Eastern Shore and have a cruise booked for Nov 9.   We will probably be driving 3 vehicles but may try to limit to 2.  We are celebrating 2 retirements and my husband and I are basically "footing the bill".  We currently have reservations at Holiday Inn Rahway (approx $650 for 3 rooms)for the night before, partly because we have stayed there before and the rate includes the shuttle and free parking.  But those reservations can be cancelled.  Most of us (10, actually) want to stay the night upon our return and visit NYC.  My thought was to stay the extra night at the Holiday Inn?  But I am totally lost when it comes to transportation to/from NYC from Holiday Inn?  Thanks for any advice on transportation. 

 

Or, would it be better to stay somewhere else that would work out better for our plans?  

 

As far as budget, that is already blown way beyond what we initially expected!  lol.  It would be nice to keep the pre-cruise stay/post-cruise stay/transportation/parking total below $1,500. But not even sure if that is possible.

 

 

[138east]

53 minutes ago, velmasue said:

We are a family group of 11 (7 adults, 4 children) living about 5-6 hours south of Newark on Virginia's Eastern Shore and have a cruise booked for Nov 9.   We will probably be driving 3 vehicles but may try to limit to 2.  We are celebrating 2 retirements and my husband and I are basically "footing the bill".  We currently have reservations at Holiday Inn Rahway (approx $650 for 3 rooms)for the night before, partly because we have stayed there before and the rate includes the shuttle and free parking.  But those reservations can be cancelled.  Most of us (10, actually) want to stay the night upon our return and visit NYC.  My thought was to stay the extra night at the Holiday Inn?  But I am totally lost when it comes to transportation to/from NYC from Holiday Inn?  Thanks for any advice on transportation. 

 

Or, would it be better to stay somewhere else that would work out better for our plans?  

 

As far as budget, that is already blown way beyond what we initially expected!  lol.  It would be nice to keep the pre-cruise stay/post-cruise stay/transportation/parking total below $1,500. But not even sure if that is possible.

 

 

What are the exact ages of your 10 people in November?  Could the 10 people fit in 2 cars?  The rates at the Holiday Inn are very good, but there may be other options.  NJ transit will take you to New York Penn Station, but the further away you get, the more expensive the train is.

 

Cost factors are hotels + transportation for 10 round trip to NYC plus parking for 2-3 cars on a Sat.  What is the allocation of the 11 people across the 3 hotel rooms?  Could the person staying behind shuttle some of you to and from the train station?

[velmasue]

48 minutes ago, 138east said:

What are the exact ages of your 10 people in November?  Could the 10 people fit in 2 cars?  The rates at the Holiday Inn are very good, but there may be other options.  NJ transit will take you to New York Penn Station, but the further away you get, the more expensive the train is.

 

Cost factors are hotels + transportation for 10 round trip to NYC plus parking for 2-3 cars on a Sat.  What is the allocation of the 11 people across the 3 hotel rooms?  Could the person staying behind shuttle some of you to and from the train station?

The children are ages 12, 8,8 6.  All 6 adults, except 1 is on the larger/tall size.   The 10 people could fit in 2 cars but only one of us is comfortable driving in the city.   I just checked schedule/fares from Rahway for 4 adults, 1 senior, and 4 children.  Would be about $60 each way.  But a 40-50 minute ride each way,  I guess that's not too bad.  I think pre-cruise and post-cruise at same hotel is preferable--my husband refuses to go to NYC so he could stay with the luggage.  He would not be able to drive us anywhere.

 

Any suggestions or advice you have is so appreciated!

 

 

[138east]

45 minutes ago, velmasue said:

The children are ages 12, 8,8 6.  All 6 adults, except 1 is on the larger/tall size.   The 10 people could fit in 2 cars but only one of us is comfortable driving in the city.   I just checked schedule/fares from Rahway for 4 adults, 1 senior, and 4 children.  Would be about $60 each way.  But a 40-50 minute ride each way,  I guess that's not too bad.  I think pre-cruise and post-cruise at same hotel is preferable--my husband refuses to go to NYC so he could stay with the luggage.  He would not be able to drive us anywhere.

 

Any suggestions or advice you have is so appreciated!

 

 

You would also have to pay to park at the Rahway Station.  We need to get some feedback on the availability of parking there on a Sat.

 

The other option I was thinking of is to take two cars to Secaucus Junction train station where there is a lot of parking and perhaps weekend parking discounts.  The train fare is a lot less from there to Manhattan.  You are staying at exit 12 and Secaucus Junction is at Exit 15W on the western spur of the Turnpike with a $4.15 toll each way.  Train service is a bit more frequent.

[velmasue]

Are you aware of hotels that have easy access to public transportation, maybe within walking distance?  I tend to think our best plan for a hotel is using the same one for pre and post cruise.   

 

Thanks!

 

[meadowlander]

2 hours ago, velmasue said:

Are you aware of hotels that have easy access to public transportation, maybe within walking distance?  I tend to think our best plan for a hotel is using the same one for pre and post cruise.   

 

I would look at hotels along route 3 off NJ Turnpike exit 16W. Hotels in Secaucus, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, Clifton and you can add hotels off route 17 in Hasbrouck Heights, Carlstadt, East Rutherford, to find hotels for your budget.

 

There is a park and ride facility in North Bergen  with direct bus transit to the Port Authority in NYC but the cost will be almost as much as Rahway. There is a park and ride in Clifton from a mall which is much cheaper and no parking fee. Using the NJ Transit trip planner insert "Clifton Commons". There is a La Quinta adjacent to the mall but it appears no availability for your date. It would be easy to drive to that mall/park & ride from hotels along route 3 area.

[velmasue]

3 hours ago, meadowlander said:

I would look at hotels along route 3 off NJ Turnpike exit 16W. Hotels in Secaucus, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, Clifton and you can add hotels off route 17 in Hasbrouck Heights, Carlstadt, East Rutherford, to find hotels for your budget.

 

There is a park and ride facility in North Bergen  with direct bus transit to the Port Authority in NYC but the cost will be almost as much as Rahway. There is a park and ride in Clifton from a mall which is much cheaper and no parking fee. Using the NJ Transit trip planner insert "Clifton Commons". There is a La Quinta adjacent to the mall but it appears no availability for your date. It would be easy to drive to that mall/park & ride from hotels along route 3 area.

Thank you.  I will definitely check those options.   I appreciate your input.

 

 I cannot stress enough how uncomfortable we are driving in the traffic around the Newark area.  We make out fine on the turnpike but the exits on exits on exits just seem to get us.  My husband and I have cruised from Bayonne several times and have stayed in Elizabeth, Newark, and the Holiday Inn Rahway.  Even though Rahway is only a couple of exits before Elizabeth and Newark we found it much easier (so less stressful) to get to.  However, my daughter and her husband just moved here from California and I think he would be a good candidate for shuttling us around some.

[138east]

 

1 hour ago, velmasue said:

Thank you.  I will definitely check those options.   I appreciate your input.

 

 I cannot stress enough how uncomfortable we are driving in the traffic around the Newark area.  We make out fine on the turnpike but the exits on exits on exits just seem to get us.  My husband and I have cruised from Bayonne several times and have stayed in Elizabeth, Newark, and the Holiday Inn Rahway.  Even though Rahway is only a couple of exits before Elizabeth and Newark we found it much easier (so less stressful) to get to.  However, my daughter and her husband just moved here from California and I think he would be a good candidate for shuttling us around some.

I understand your angst about the NJ Turnpike traffic around Newark. My concern about Rahway is the availability of parking at the station on a Sat.  Another alternative would be to drive a bit south to the Metropark Station, which has a huge parking operation.

 

Another important question for your group would be what you actually want to do in NYC.  For example if you wanted to do the Statue of Liberty, I would recommend you drive to Liberty State Park at exit 14B to take the SOL ferry from NJ.  Parking is $7.  For another $7 you can return to Manhattan, do the 911 Memorial, Freedom Tower, Battery Park, Wall St, etc and take the Liberty Landing Ferry back to the car at Liberty State Park.

 

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by 138east

[meadowlander]

8 hours ago, velmasue said:

Thank you.  I will definitely check those options.   I appreciate your input.

 

You are welcome. NJ roads are lacking in signs to assist one is driving in the correct direction, so be aware of that as well and bring a gps.

 

Since 1 member of your group is not going to NYC, you will check in at your hotel first so that person has a place to stay while you sightsee?

 

The North Bergen park& ride ticket includes the cost of parking, which is why it is costlier despite being closer to NYC than the Clifton Commons p&r.  There are 2 p&r lots in Clifton, the other being the "Allwood Road P&R". There may be a parking fee there but not sure if imposed on weekends. I do not know where specifically in the Clifton Commons, the NJ Transit bus to NYC departs and it is less frequent on weekends. The Allwood Rd p&r, which is about 2 miles north of Clifton Commons has a clearly defined bus stop with a shelter and ticket machine. The cost for transit tickets is the same from both p&r.

 

The other factor to be aware of is on your Sunday hotel departure, most likely there will be a game in the Meadowlands so if you stay in the route 3 area, depart your hotel by 11 am to avoid traffic.

[velmasue]

Thank you for your suggestions.  I will get with everyone this week-end and see if we can work out the details and decide what options work best for us.

[velmasue]

What about Staten Island since we are coming from the south?  Does anyone have experience staying in that area and visiting NYC post-cruise?

[138east]

1 hour ago, velmasue said:

What about Staten Island since we are coming from the south?  Does anyone have experience staying in that area and visiting NYC post-cruise?

The toll to Staten Island is $15/car. The hotels are not close to the ferry, so you would have to drive from the hotel to the ferry and pay to park.  The ferry is free, but the whole trip is time consuming and leaves you at the Southern tip of Manhattan.  I’d estimate about an hour to downtown and 1.5 hours to midtown.