Transportation & Hotel Recommendations

[Yay Travel]

Hey there!

First time cruiser here and will be departing from Manhattan boarding the Venezia.

 

Can anyone recommend the following:

 

-Affordable transportation options from EWR to Manhattan and from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal to EWR?

-Any hotels close to the cruise terminal that are recommended?

 

Thanks a bunch!

[lx200gps]

1 minute ago, Yay Travel said:

Hey there!

First time cruiser here and will be departing from Manhattan boarding the Venezia.

 

Can anyone recommend the following:

 

-Affordable transportation options from EWR to Manhattan and from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal to EWR?

-Any hotels close to the cruise terminal that are recommended?

 

Thanks a bunch!

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You'll probably get better responses over on the East Coast Departures sub-form, as it's better targeted to answering questions about sailing out of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.  Lots of locals over there who know a lot about the area.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/317-east-coast-departures/

 

If you haven't sailed out of the MCT, be prepared for sticker shock, hotels and parking in Manhattan are VERY expensive, particularly for us Canadians with our exchange rate.  You might want to consider staying in New Jersey then traveling in on embarkation morning.  That's what we do when we drive down

[Yay Travel]

Thanks for the tips, appreciate it!

[lx200gps]

1 hour ago, Yay Travel said:

Thanks for the tips, appreciate it!

No sweat, have a great cruise

[*Miss G*]

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic, @Yay Travel!

 

DIAL7 is a great option for travel from EWR to Manhattan.  You will get the best rates if you book in advance and use the coupon from their website.

 

When sailing from Manhattan Cruise Terminal we stayed at the Residence Inn Manhattan/Central Park.  It was literally a two minute drive from the hotel.  Sorry the links and pics in the trip thread no longer work.  CC was doing a site upgrade at the time and most of them were lost.

 

Manhattan Cruise Terminal from our hotel window:

 

 

 

There were lots of pubs and restaurants just steps away but we happened upon Happy Hour at the hotel and got amazing food and drinks for half price!  THIS POST will describe it if you are interested.  

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[GTJ]

12 hours ago, Yay Travel said:

Can anyone recommend the following:

-Affordable transportation options from EWR to Manhattan and from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal to EWR?

Generally, public transportation is more affordable than private transportation, but private transportation is more convenient than public transportation. Which is better is a value judgment only you can make.

 

As to private transportation, other persons on this board can provide better advice than I can provide.

 

As to public transportation, there are three reasonable options. All provide service from the airport to midtown Manhattan. For the return trip, all of the three options can be followed in reverse back to Newark airport (with Port Authority Bus Terminal being closest to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal). The three options, in order from most convenient and most expensive to least convenient and least expensive, are as follows.

 

1. Express bus, operated by Coach USA, from each Newark airport terminal to three locations in midtown Manhattan: Port Authority Bus Terminal, Bryant Park, and Grand Central Terminal. Express bus departs at least every 45 minutes, travel time is about one hour, regular one-way fare is $18.70, $9.35 for elderly and disabled.

 

2. "AirTrain" monorail plus commuter train, operated by Alstom (under contract to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) and New Jersey Transit, respectively, from each Newark airport terminal to one location in midtown Manhattan: Pennsylvania Station. (a) AirTrain monorail departs at least every 5 minutes, travel time from the Newark airport terminals to Newark Liberty International Airport station is 7 to 20 minutes, one-way fare for all is $8.50. (b) Commuter trains depart at least three times per hour, travel time from Newark Liberty International Airport station to midtown Manhattan is 27 minutes, regular one-way fare is $7.25, $3.25 for elderly and disabled. N.B. A single ticket, combing the AirTrain monorail fare plus the commuter train fare, is sold at Newark Liberty International Airport station.

 

3. Local bus plus "PATH" subway train, operated by New Jersey Transit and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, respectively, from each Newark airport terminal to many locations in midtown Manhattan and one location in lower Manhattan. (a) Local bus route 62 departs at least every 20 minutes, travel time from the Newark airport terminals to Newark Pennsylvania Station is 15 to 19 minutes, regular one-way fare is $1.60, 75 cents for elderly and disabled. (b) PATH subway trains depart at least every 20 minutes, travel time from Newark Pennsylvania Station to lower Manhattan is 25 minutes, regular one-way fare is $2.75, $1.25 for seniors (but only with a SmartLink card obtained in advance). Change at Journal Sqaure station, in Jersey City, for all points wtihin midtown Manhattan. N.B. Separate fares must be paid for the local bus and the PATH subway train.

[mjkacmom]

If you stay in Manhattan it really doesn’t matter how close the hotel is to the MCT. Personally I’d probably choose a waterfront hotel in weehawken or Jersey city, cheaper than hotels in Manhattan but a short path or ferry ride. I’d take the ferry over the next morning and just walk to the MCT (I think the ride is around 7 minutes). 

[Yay Travel]

Thanks! Which ferry is it? 

[lx200gps]

2 hours ago, Yay Travel said:

Thanks! Which ferry is it? 

There is a large ferry terminal in Weehawken, almost directly across the Hudson from the MCT. There are two hotels pretty much right at the ferry terminal, a Residence Inn and an Envue, both in the same building as one of the ferry parking garages. When we stayed there last summer, it was a $US9 ferry ride across the river, then a 15 minute walk up to the ship at the MCT. The Residence Inn, at the time we stayed there, was almost half the cost of a similar class property in Manhattan, and the cost to park was also about half.

[GTJ]

There are three terminals in New Jersey that have regular ferry service to Pier 79 in midtown Manhattan. Pier 79 is at West 39th Street; the Manhattan Cruise Terminal encompasses pier 88 and pier 90, located at West 48th Street and West 50th Street, respectively, about one-half mile from pier 79.

 

The three terminals in New Jersey are (1) Port Imperial, in Weehawken; (2) Lincoln Harbor, in Weehwken; and (3) 14th Street, in Hoboken. Ferries operate at least every 20 minutes, and travel time across the river is 8 to 12 minutes. Regular one-way fare is $9.50, $8.75 for seniors There are two hotels adjacent to Port Imperial (Residence Inn and Envue), one hotel adjacent to Lincoln Harbor (Sheraton), and no hotels adjacent to 14th Street.

 

Transportation between Newark airport and these New Jersey terminals and hotels is primarily by private transportation, though public transportation is practicable but not convenient (broadly: local bus route 62 to Newark Pennsylvania Station, then PATH subway to Exchange Place or Hoboken, then light rail train to Lincoln Harbor or Port Imperial).

[meadowlander]

For travelers at Newark Airport that use the Air Train (monorail) there is no $8.50 fare or any charge at all. Travelers can transit as many times as they wish between the Air Train stops at EWR without incurring a fee. There are no fare machines selling tickets to ride Air Train because it is free for these travelers.

 

For those travelers who purchase a NJ Transit train ticket & use Air Train between terminals to the EWR railroad station (Amtrak stops here too) a surcharge is added to the price of the train ticket. That surcharge is for the cost of Air Train and that surcharge is included into the NJ Transit ticket. Separate charges and separate tickets for Air Train and NJ Transit does not exist.

 

For those thinking there is an $8.50 charge to use Air Train between terminals, based on what is posted in this thread, there is not. One can use Air Train to EWR station as well without incurring a fee but without a NJ Transit train ticket(that includes the surcharge) they cannot access entry to the station.

Edited November 12, 2023 by meadowlander

[1025cruise]

I transited the EWR Airtrain station some years ago. I came in, and left, via Amtrak. I had to show my ticket to someone to get through the fare gate, going both ways. I believe a NJ transit ticket would have let me through. But, this was a long time ago, so things might have changed.

[GTJ]

8 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

I transited the EWR Airtrain station some years ago. I came in, and left, via Amtrak. I had to show my ticket to someone to get through the fare gate, going both ways. I believe a NJ transit ticket would have let me through. But, this was a long time ago, so things might have changed.

When buying a New Jersey Transit or Amtrak railroad ticket to or from Newark Liberty International Airport station, the fare collected for the ticket is the combined total of the railroad fare plus the AirTrain monorail fare. Such railroad tickets sold by New Jersey Transit are specially coded to automatically activate the fare gates, but not so for railroad tickets sold by Amtrak and these are handled manually. Where passengers have a New Jersey Transit or Amtrak railroad ticket to or from some other station, but choose to board or alight at Newark Liberty International Airport station (something that is entirely legitimate to do, as railroad tickets may be used to and from intermediate points), the AirTrain monorail fare is not included, and a separate fare must be paid for the AirTrain monorail service at the Newark Liberty International Airport station.

 

This discussion, however, is mere detail as to the mechanisms by which the two fares--AirTrain monorail and commuter railroad--are collected. More generally, both fares get collected, be it in one transaction or two transactions. For someone who is traveling from one of the Newark airport passenger terminals to midtown Manhattan, the combined AirTrain monorail fare plus the commuter railroad fare is collected in a single ticket purchase transaction at the Newark Liberty International Airport station. For someone who is traveling from midtown Manhattan to one of the Newark airport passenger terminals, the combined commuter railroad fare plus the AirTrain monorail fare is collected in a single ticket purchase transaction at New York Pennsylvania Station.

 

Finally, there may be some confusion as to the applicability of fares for using the AirTrain monorail service. The fare is $8.50 only if one's AirTrain monorail travel begin or end at the Newark Liberty International Airport station. If one does not begin or end AirTrain monorail travel at the Newark Liberty International Airport station, then the $8.50 fare does not apply. Similarly, the fare is $7.25, or $3.25 for elderly and disabled, only if one's commuter train travel is between New York Pennsylvania Station and any zone 5 station, including Newark Liberty International Airport station. If one does not travel between these stations, then the $7.25, or $3.25 for elderly and disabled, fare does not apply. In short, fares vary depending on the points between which one travels. In my prior post, I noted only the relevant fares applicable to a journey between the Newark airport passenger terminals and Manhattan, and I made no attempt to note the fares applying to travel between other points.

[Brian V]

On 11/11/2023 at 12:24 AM, GTJ said:

. Express bus, operated by Coach USA, from each Newark airport terminal to three locations in midtown Manhattan:

Thank you so much for this!

 

We were going to take the train from EWR to Penn Station then a cab / Uber to our hotel (E45th and 3rd) but this gets us within a 5 minute walk...for less than $10.00 each? Sold! 🔨

 

 

[GTJ]

20 minutes ago, Brian V said:

[T]his gets us within a 5 minute walk...for less than $10.00 each?

Depending on your age, then yes. The precise age for "elderly" is minimum 62 years. The precise location for the Grand Central Terminal bus stop--the last stop from Newark airport--is East 41st Street, just west of Lexington Avenue. More details at http://www.coachusa.com/airport-transportation/newark-airport.

[Brian V]

Looks like that will work perfect for us, our hotel would be about 10 minutes with carry ons 🙂

Looks way easier than navigating Penn Station!

[DuckTollerFans]

On 11/11/2023 at 3:52 PM, GTJ said:

There are three terminals in New Jersey that have regular ferry service to Pier 79 in midtown Manhattan. Pier 79 is at West 39th Street; the Manhattan Cruise Terminal encompasses pier 88 and pier 90, located at West 48th Street and West 50th Street, respectively, about one-half mile from pier 79.

 

The three terminals in New Jersey are (1) Port Imperial, in Weehawken; (2) Lincoln Harbor, in Weehwken; and (3) 14th Street, in Hoboken. Ferries operate at least every 20 minutes, and travel time across the river is 8 to 12 minutes. Regular one-way fare is $9.50, $8.75 for seniors There are two hotels adjacent to Port Imperial (Residence Inn and Envue), one hotel adjacent to Lincoln Harbor (Sheraton), and no hotels adjacent to 14th Street.

 

Transportation between Newark airport and these New Jersey terminals and hotels is primarily by private transportation, though public transportation is practicable but not convenient (broadly: local bus route 62 to Newark Pennsylvania Station, then PATH subway to Exchange Place or Hoboken, then light rail train to Lincoln Harbor or Port Imperial).

Do you happen to know if those parking garages allow long term parking, as in for a 10 day cruise? We did take the Weehawken ferry once, but for sight seeing trip into NY, not for our cruise.  (Side note: There was an interesting plaque or two about the "Miracle on the Hudson" )

 

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, DuckTollerFans said:

Do you happen to know if those parking garages allow long term parking, as in for a 10 day cruise? We did take the Weehawken ferry once, but for sight seeing trip into NY, not for our cruise.  (Side note: There was an interesting plaque or two about the "Miracle on the Hudson" )

 

Port Imperial does. That is where any number of cruisers  departing the Manhattan Cruise Terminal park.