Bayonne NJ Resident will help with FAQ

[138east]

Yes - It's hard to tell where people are coming from with reviews. Unlike most non-airport hotels this hotel has people coming and going all day and all through the night. I saw lots of flight crews. If I had arrived to find an unclean room, I would have asked for a different room immediately. That's happened to me in much more upscale hotels than Holiday Inn. Only if the hotel staff did not respond appropriately would I have written a negative review. Another dissatisfier was the extra charge for parking, but that was clearly stated on the web site. It's also a personal opinion as to what constitutes "rude staff". Having spent a lot of time in the NY metropolitan area, I don't have high expectations about the personal charm of the folks behind the desk.

[megr1125]

Yes - It's hard to tell where people are coming from with reviews. Unlike most non-airport hotels this hotel has people coming and going all day and all through the night. I saw lots of flight crews. If I had arrived to find an unclean room, I would have asked for a different room immediately. That's happened to me in much more upscale hotels than Holiday Inn. Only if the hotel staff did not respond appropriately would I have written a negative review. Another dissatisfier was the extra charge for parking, but that was clearly stated on the web site. It's also a personal opinion as to what constitutes "rude staff". Having spent a lot of time in the NY metropolitan area, I don't have high expectations about the personal charm of the folks behind the desk.[/quote]

 

LOL!

 

heading up that-a-way this weekend.............MAYBE i will do some scouting...more likely i will hang out..might hit an italian festival in Hoboken!;) and am heading to the movies to see G-Force,....yes a grown up (ok..i REFUSE to grow up!) gal like me is gonna see a disney flick about furry little critters! YAY!!!!!!! can't wait.:D

[JAKE3337]

We will be staying at the Marriott Newark Airport for one night before our cruise out of Cape Liberty.

 

Which would be less expensive, to take a taxi from the Marriott to the Cape Liberty port or from the Newark airport? Any idea what the cost difference would be. Preference would be to just take the taxi from the Marriott.

 

Thanks

Angela

[138east]

If I recall correctly, the Marriott Newark Airport is the only hotel right in the middle of the airport, so I would imagine that the cab would be the same price. However, you should check out Meg's web site. Meg is our Marriott expert.

Click here for my Cape Liberty Info blog:http://mojitomegcapeliberty.blogspot.com/ -newly updated!!

 

You might want to arrange for a car service to get to the port. Are you familiar with the airport? It is my understanding that the hotel shuttles leave from P4 on Airtrain, which means that you have to collect your luggage when you arrive, take it upstairs to Airtrain, ride to P4, and go downstairs to wait for your shuttle. If that is not appealing, you might want to just get a cab at the terminal directly to the Marriott. Since the hotel is right there, it should not be expensive.

[JAKE3337]

If I recall correctly, the Marriott Newark Airport is the only hotel right in the middle of the airport, so I would imagine that the cab would be the same price. However, you should check out Meg's web site. Meg is our Marriott expert.

Click here for my Cape Liberty Info blog:http://mojitomegcapeliberty.blogspot.com/ -newly updated!!

 

You might want to arrange for a car service to get to the port. Are you familiar with the airport? It is my understanding that the hotel shuttles leave from P4 on Airtrain, which means that you have to collect your luggage when you arrive, take it upstairs to Airtrain, ride to P4, and go downstairs to wait for your shuttle. If that is not appealing, you might want to just get a cab at the terminal directly to the Marriott. Since the hotel is right there, it should not be expensive.

 

Thanks very much. I think we will take the shuttle to the airport but when we go to port, we will take taxi/car service to port. Which is least expensive taxi or car service...... I thought I read that a taxi was but not positive?

 

Angela

[megr1125]

Thanks very much. I think we will take the shuttle to the airport but when we go to port, we will take taxi/car service to port. Which is least expensive taxi or car service...... I thought I read that a taxi was but not positive?

 

Angela

 

It is basically the same price.....you can call a car service as well....should be 40-50 bucks...probably about 45. A cab may vary 3-5 bucks....each time i have taken a cab it has been a flat rate in the 40-45 dollar range....and sometimes when hotels call cabs, it is actually a car service..

 

Be advised though that there IS a car service based at the marriott IIRC....they are however very well priced....i can't recall the name-signature comes to mind.

 

i generally use this: www.blackexecutivecars.com

[Alysia]

It is basically the same price.....you can call a car service as well....should be 40-50 bucks...probably about 45. A cab may vary 3-5 bucks....each time i have taken a cab it has been a flat rate in the 40-45 dollar range....and sometimes when hotels call cabs, it is actually a car service..

 

Be advised though that there IS a car service based at the marriott IIRC....they are however very well priced....i can't recall the name-signature comes to mind.

 

i generally use this: www.blackexecutivecars.com

 

We used black executive cars a few weeks ago and we were very satisfied!!!

[megr1125]

we used black executive cars a few weeks ago and we were very satisfied!!!

 

 

yay!:d

[JAKE3337]

We used black executive cars a few weeks ago and we were very satisfied!!!

 

 

Thanks Meg and Alysia.

 

Alysia - Did you go from the airport to Cape Liberty as well and was it about this price?

 

Thanks

Angela

[138east]

Angela,

I am surprised you are not concerned about schlepping your luggage all over Newark airport on the Airtrain and shuttle to get to a hotel that you can see from any terminal. Are you committed to the Airport Marriott? If not there are probably other less expensive alternatives that would allow you to take cabs wherever you need to go.

[megr1125]

Thanks Meg and Alysia.

 

Alysia - Did you go from the airport to Cape Liberty as well and was it about this price?

 

Thanks

Angela

 

i used them in feb and it was $45 with tolls.....i also gave them a gratuity....probably 10 bucks.....(looked at my email from them that i saved)

 

i give a range as you never know when things will change....

 

BTW....i am currently AT the Courtyard by Jersey Gardens and i must say that there is some SPECTACULAR lightning outside the window.....been this way for 90 minutes already....HOWEVER, seems that the airport has HUGE delays.....and now the satellite on the TV has flaked out again!:eek::D

 

i have been on the monorail at the airport about 12 times the last few days....it isnt THAT bad...not great, but not bad......some people cheat and take the baggage carts on with them but sometimes the "red coat" helpers by the monorail will not let you!

 

*******a little off topic, but still relevant to Cape Liberty cruisers*****

 

BE advised that anyone wanting to take the Hilton Newark Penn station shuttle FROM the airport to the "hotel" to just go to the railroad station...WELLLLLLL, they are REALLY busters about it! I actually was going over to tour the place (for you guys, PLUS for a group of people i know who need about 20 rooms) and the driver refused...

 

SO..i bought a train ticket, went over to the hotel, and told his boss...who promptly drove me BACK......

 

that's OT, but many of y'all want to hop on the PATH, or save money on NJTransit and it is really NOT easy! (shhh, i did it friday too...successfully-and that WAS to go to the PATH;):o)

********************************************

now back to our thread!

[counsdr]

Hi Alysia and Meg!!!

There is also the State Shuttle which does not cost that much. www.stateshuttle.com

 

Cheryl

[Alysia]

Thanks Meg and Alysia.

 

Alysia - Did you go from the airport to Cape Liberty as well and was it about this price?

 

Thanks

Angela

 

Hello Angela,

 

We used the transportation 3 times. Once from JFK to the Doubletree in Jersey City (great hotel), from the hotel to the port and from the port to JFK. It cost about $120 to and from the airport and about $50 from Doubletree to the port. Any other questions, please let me know. BTW... the cruise on the Explorer was GREAT!!!

[JAKE3337]

Angela,

I am surprised you are not concerned about schlepping your luggage all over Newark airport on the Airtrain and shuttle to get to a hotel that you can see from any terminal. Are you committed to the Airport Marriott? If not there are probably other less expensive alternatives that would allow you to take cabs wherever you need to go.

 

Well you have a point there....the only time I have been to the Newark airport was when we came back from our Trans-Atlantic in May and we didn't have to get our luggage off in transit to Buffalo.....you might be right to just taxi it.

 

I think we actually got a good deal for the Marriott for the end of Oct. We paid $50 + tax etc = $65 through Priceline. Actually I wanted to stay in Jersey City but I read somewhere that taxi's were $70 - 80 and it scared me.....In reading other posts now, I think that was a mistake. We are renting a one way car from Buffalo - Newark (1/2 the price of a flight) as we fly home from Miami. I think we will have to hit the Outlet Mall first when we get to Newark LOL

 

Thanks for your help

Angela

[JAKE3337]

Thanks Meg and Alysia. I will contact black executive cars.

[138east]

Angela,

Sounds like you got a great deal on the Marriott. If you have a car, then you can not only hit the outlet mall, but you can drop your bags at the hotel before you return the car and get their expert advice about getting back to the hotel. Not really sure how that all works, however. The rental cars seem to be at P1, P2, and P3 on AirTrain, so you would take an AirTrain ride to P4 and a hotel shuttle from there. Check out the map - http://www.panynj.gov/airtrainnewark/around_newark.html

[megr1125]

Angela,

Sounds like you got a great deal on the Marriott. If you have a car, then you can not only hit the outlet mall, but you can drop your bags at the hotel before you return the car and get their expert advice about getting back to the hotel. Not really sure how that all works, however. The rental cars seem to be at P1, P2, and P3 on AirTrain, so you would take an AirTrain ride to P4 and a hotel shuttle from there. Check out the map - http://www.panynj.gov/airtrainnewark/around_newark.html

 

 

follow the signs that say "hotel-marriott"...they are SMALL, BLUE with white letters and the word "marriott" in red on a white background....just wanted to tell you that it is MARKED and fairly well at that, but the signs are SMALL (and IIRC on the driver's side....so your 'naviagtor' may not see them!:D)

 

i found it easily (and by accident) this weekend.....

[headusher]

Just want to say that a group for us (3 couples) cruised out of Bayonne in April. We were pleasantly surpised that everything went very smoothly. We stayed at the Newark Holiday Inn which was really nice for a 2 night stay. We arrived on a Friday evening and had to meet our friends from Utah at the AP at 11:30. We took a shuttle from the hotel to the AP & back to the hotel. Very convieient. The next day we decided to tour NY (Times Square) so we took the shuttle to the AP, a bus from the AP to Penn Station in Newark and then a train to Times Square. We enjoyed a great day in NY and then reversed our trip back to the hotel. We were so impressed with how friendly everyone was and with the ease of getting from Newark to NY. To be honest we were a little afraid to be traveling on a bus late at night but everything tuned out great. So don't be afraid to explore when cruising out of Bayonne.

 

The morning of the cruise we made one trip with the our luggage to the port, dropped it off, and then we went back to the hotel, had a bite to eat and went back to the port and boarded. The trip to the port was about 10 minutes one way - not bad at all.

 

headusher

[138east]

That's wonderful feedback. I'm glad that you had such a great experience. Another positive vote for the Holiday Inn. It's good to know that folks from a less urban area were comfortable finding bus #62 and going to Penn Station Newark and on to NY and back.

[C-Lark]

Thanks everyone for all the information.Read every post and was able to get many answers.

However, I need some help.

Will be heading by auto from the south Shore (Boston) in Sept. for a cruise out of Cape Liberty. (Hoping that 14A constructon is completed by mid Sept.)

 

We traveled this route before and got lost....Had a map, however, there was construction which seemed to reverse our travel direction. We found ourselves in local areas and got completely lost. Our route was as follows:

We left Boston at 5 a.m. the day that we planned to board ship,

We wanted to avoid the Geo Wash Bridge, so planned to travel thru Hartford, Danbury Ct, White Plains NY and cross the Tapen Zee Bridge - New York State Thruway to Garden State Parkway. It was approximately 10 a.m. So far so good.......then we got lost.

Cannot explain where we ended up next....At one point we could see the ship but How to get there????? Did finally make it to cruise terminal by 11:15. after a frustrating trip.

 

We plan to leave the car at the cruise terminal as it worked out well before.

 

Hope someone can help us with the latter part of our travel plans.

All you experts on this site have been so helpful.

Thanks in advance

Bob and Nancy from Braintree MA

[138east]

Nancy,

I drive from Metro NW to NJ at least 6-10 times per year (for 25+ years) and I have been cruising out of NJ for several years now. I am a big fan of the GW bridge - I don't like I84 between Hartford and Danbury or the Tappan Zee and I HATE the Garden State Parkway.

 

From the South Shore if you go out the Pike to I84 to Hartford (Express lane), you would want to pick up I91 South at Hartford (Charter Oak Bridge) and then the Wilbur Cross Parkway at Meriden CT(Exit 17). This turns into the Merritt Parkway and then the Hutchinson River Parkway in NY. The advantage to this route is that the parkways have no big scarry trucks. When you cross into NY state you are looking for the Cross County Parkway (Exit 15) near New Rochelle. You stay on the Cross County until the end and take the Saw Mill River Parkway South. This becomes the Henry Hudson Parkway which will take you directly to the GW Bridge (toll - $3+ ??? - worth every penny).

 

On the GW Bridge you get in either of the two middle lanes - you are looking for I80 west (local or express) which quickly has a NJ Turnpike exit. Take the NJ turnpike south and follow the signs to the Lincoln Tunnel (this is the original turnpike) but don't get off at the tunnel exit. Stay on the turnpike until Exit 14 - 14A, etc. Take that exit and get off at Exit 14A. The ramp to route 440 is straight ahead - it curves around - bear right at the end to the light at route 440. Take a left and Port Terminal Blvd is your next left.

 

I think 5 am is a bit early to leave - that puts you in the NY area right at rush hour. I would leave at 6:30-7 am. There is also an I95 option to Milford CT where you would switch over to the Merritt Parkway.

[renardbsn]

I have a Celebrity Cruise on June 6 2010 for our honeymoon. We are going to be driving up to New Jersey on the 5th from Maryland and I'm just trying to weigh my options. I have been reading through the thread, and some of my answers are there but if someone doesn't mind I have few questions.

 

The options I'm weighing are:

 

1. driving up, staying a little bit out of the area and then driving to the port and parking. Pros: Cheaper hotel rate(maybe), parking at port so no transfers to worry about Concerns: Getting lost(not a seasoned Jersey driver), the price of parking at the port, security of the lot, and this problem with paint overspray I'm hearing about(coming back to that would be very bad)

 

2. Taking advantage of the Country Inns or similar park and cruise package.

Pros: Seems to be a better overall deal Concerns: How are we transfered to port? Bus? Shuttle? and the return trip, are they waiting at the terminal? Is the parking lot at the hotel safe? It says secured.

 

And I'm open to other options...trying to make this as stress free and uncomplicated as possible. When I cruised out of Norfolk before, the parking at port was easy, somewhat expensive, but the only real option.

 

Thanks for your suggestions.

[njhorseman]

I have a Celebrity Cruise on June 6 2010 for our honeymoon. We are going to be driving up to New Jersey on the 5th from Maryland and I'm just trying to weigh my options. I have been reading through the thread, and some of my answers are there but if someone doesn't mind I have few questions.

 

The options I'm weighing are:

 

1. driving up, staying a little bit out of the area and then driving to the port and parking. Pros: Cheaper hotel rate(maybe), parking at port so no transfers to worry about Concerns: Getting lost(not a seasoned Jersey driver), the price of parking at the port, security of the lot, and this problem with paint overspray I'm hearing about(coming back to that would be very bad)

 

2. Taking advantage of the Country Inns or similar park and cruise package.

Pros: Seems to be a better overall deal Concerns: How are we transfered to port? Bus? Shuttle? and the return trip, are they waiting at the terminal? Is the parking lot at the hotel safe? It says secured.

 

And I'm open to other options...trying to make this as stress free and uncomplicated as possible. When I cruised out of Norfolk before, the parking at port was easy, somewhat expensive, but the only real option.

 

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

We always park at the port. Of course we live only an hour away, so we don't have to worry about overnight accomodations.

 

Parking is secure, convenient,and costs $19 per day, in advance, cash or credit card.

 

I haven't heard about the paint overspray problem, so I can't comment.

[138east]

Oooh! Honeymooners to Bermuda. This is actually a tough one. For a 7 day cruise I would recommend spending the $133 to park. IMO the convenience is great, the port parking is more secure than Newark airport, the paint spray problem has not been around for quite a while, and finding the port is actually very easy if you follow the directions. There's nothing like getting off that ship, wheeling your luggage to the car, and just taking off home on the turnpike.

 

Country Inns is currently the only hotel that has a fly/cruise package, but you would have to price it out carefully. The prices you see quoted are either for a room with cruise transfer or a room with parking. Getting all three is more money. I think you are shuttled to Bayonne. Coming back you might get a scenic tour of the airport before getting back to the hotel for your car and I'm sure there would be some waiting around for the shuttle at some point.

 

The reason I think this is tough is that I hate recommending a Newark Airport hotel for the night before your honeymoon cruise. Could you give us more details? Are you getting married June 5 and driving up that evening to NJ? Or are you getting married before and just not going on your honeymoon until June 5? Are you willing to spend some more money on a nicer hotel or are you looking for a good deal on an airport hotel? If you are not pressed for time, I am thinking that you might want to consider bidding on a 4* hotel (usually the Westin or Hyatt in Jersey City, but possibly the W in Hoboken) on Hotwire or Priceline. Even if you don't go into NY, you would have a really upscale hotel with a fabulous view of New York. Whatever your plans, it is way too soon to be committing to a particular hotel. The airport is a transient area, not a vacation destination.

[MartinsCruise]

We are booked on a repo cruise sailing out of Cape Liberty on Oct. 30 and are planning on taking Amtrak to Newark's Penn Station the morning of the cruise. Does anyone have info on the abailability of cabs and approximate fares from there to the port? Our other option is the train to the airport but it would mean chaning trains in Phila. I had considered the Path and light rail to Bayonne but that sounds to difficult especially with a lot of luggage.

 

Sue