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Bayonne- Cape Liberty


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Fingers crossed we are going on Oasis of the Seas (LOVE her) in October from Bayonne.  

We will be flying into EWR and spending the night before the cruise.  Any hotel recommendations or are all airport hotels created equally?

Also I know the port is close to the airport, could we make a 9:30a flight back home?  I know things can happen and disembarkation delayed.  We do express walk off and have made an 8:30a flight in Miami after our January sailing.  There is an earlier flight at 8:30 as well from EWR.

Thoughts???

Thanks in advance!

Daniel

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Hi Daniel!  Yes, fingers tightly crossed for OCT and Cape Liberty!

My wife and I are also booked on Oasis (10/4/20)... switched from our original 5/31 sailing. I can’t comment on flights as we will be driving to the port since we’re so close. Which sailing did you book?

 

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23 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

Hi Daniel!  Yes, fingers tightly crossed for OCT and Cape Liberty!

My wife and I are also booked on Oasis (10/4/20)... switched from our original 5/31 sailing. I can’t comment on flights as we will be driving to the port since we’re so close. Which sailing did you book?

 

Well @JohnK6404 we are on the same sailing.

We were gonna drive (from Ohio) but the parking is more than 1 flight so with gas and wear and tear we figure we can fly and be about break even.

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1 hour ago, DanielB said:

We will be flying into EWR and spending the night before the cruise.  Any hotel recommendations or are all airport hotels created equally?

Embassy Suites in Elizabeth, NJ is a great airport hotel if you are flying into EWR.  I would say no, they are not created equally.  Some hotels in that area aren't in great shape.  But full disclaimer, I am a suite snob lol.  Embassy has great pricing, free airport shuttle to and from the hotel, modern and clean, and most importantly, complimentary happy hour. ?

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Embassy Suites has a great breakfast too.   Rooms are nice too.

You could do the early flight after returning to the port, but it would be very tight.   With the changes coming for Cruise Lines adapting to COVID19, who knows exactly how long embarkation/disembarkation might take?   Might want to give yourself some cushion.

 

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2 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Embassy Suites in Elizabeth, NJ is a great airport hotel if you are flying into EWR.  I would say no, they are not created equally.  Some hotels in that area aren't in great shape.  But full disclaimer, I am a suite snob lol.  Embassy has great pricing, free airport shuttle to and from the hotel, modern and clean, and most importantly, complimentary happy hour. ?

You'll have to let me know where to send the commission check, because I've decided that between all these possible changes, the fact that I'm sailing a few days before Thanksgiving, and just because I clearly needed arm-twisting to extend my vacation by a day, I just booked the Embassy Suites for the night before departing for 8 days aboard Anthem in November.

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16 hours ago, DanielB said:

Fingers crossed we are going on Oasis of the Seas (LOVE her) in October from Bayonne.  

We will be flying into EWR and spending the night before the cruise.  Any hotel recommendations or are all airport hotels created equally?

Also I know the port is close to the airport, could we make a 9:30a flight back home?  I know things can happen and disembarkation delayed.  We do express walk off and have made an 8:30a flight in Miami after our January sailing.  There is an earlier flight at 8:30 as well from EWR.

Thoughts???

Thanks in advance!

Daniel

Hi Daniel,

We are going on the Oasis in October hopefully also. I was looking for hotels and this was the friendliest and most honest about there prices. it's called home 2 suites by Hilton Newark airport. I think they do transfer to the Cruise's terminals, I didn't look into the transfer part due to we are driving down and we will have our own truck. We were booked there today but our May 4,2020 cruise was cancelled and they were great to transfer my may booking from now to Oct. With no problem.

 

 I hope this helps and safe travels

 

Helen.

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4 hours ago, DanielB said:

So is there anything to do around the port area?  LOL  We don't have any desire to go into the city...we are not the big city type at all.  Cleveland and Columbus are large enough for us.  LOL

The port area around Cape Liberty is all industrial. Zero to do in that area. ?

There is an outlet mall within walking distance of Embassy Suites that’s about it.  

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1 hour ago, DanielB said:

it all sounds so lovely...LOL

lol...I like to think of cruising out of Cape Liberty as easy.  Short flight for us, embarkation at that Terminal is a breeze (well it was pre-covid).  Lovely it is not.  First time we did just went to the outlet mall and had dinner.  Last year, we made plans to head into NYC.  That is supposed to be the plan for this summer too but who knows now...

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25 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

lol...I like to think of cruising out of Cape Liberty as easy.  Short flight for us, embarkation at that Terminal is a breeze (well it was pre-covid).  Lovely it is not.  First time we did just went to the outlet mall and had dinner.  Last year, we made plans to head into NYC.  That is supposed to be the plan for this summer too but who knows now...

Well flights and hotel are booked....now we just need a ship to come get us.  Fingers crossed.

 

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Fingers crossed for you too! We are sailing on 9/20/2020 on Oasis and SUPER excited. Will be our third sailing first two before any updates (2010 & 2012). Luckily we have a sailing on Harmony in December if September doesn't happen, but I suspect it will.

We are staying at casa de sk8erguy1978 the night before as we are a 90 minute drive.

While there are many NJ people here to help with hotel recommendations ... I'll also add, I have plenty of NJ friends in the area who will give me an honest opinion of hotels, if you need another opinion.

I did stay in Hotel Indigo in downtown Newark during a nasty delay last year. Honestly, I arrived at 11pm and left at 4AM, but my point is, while I'm unsure of area and assumed it to be rough, for a quick stay over, it's all good as long as the hotel is clean and nice, which this one was.

Edited by sk8erguy1978
Delay not layover
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8 minutes ago, bytheslice said:

Research where you stay to avoid unpleasant experiences. Many of the airport area hotels are isolated, some without restaurants as well. Look at hotels in Elizabeth such as the mentioned Embassy Suites, Country Inn , Residence Inn and others. These are all within walking distance of the Jersey Gardens mall in Elizabeth which has restaurants and a food court. IHOP is closer to the hotels than the mall.

These hotels should have shuttles from EWR. You must use the free Airtrain(monorail) after collecting your luggage to meet hotel shuttles at station P4.

Downtown Newark is an option as well. The Doubletree Newark Penn Station also has free EWR shuttle.  Penn Station will allow you transit options such as NJ Transit trains/buses and Newark light rail. The Ironbound section of Newark has good dining options. Avoid the Marriott Courtyard downtown. Some family and friends have stayed there despite our non recommendation and they all later regretted their choice.

Port Liberty aside from the Tear Drop memorial (which takes a few minutes and also can be seen from your ship) has nothing to see or do. It is 2 miles from the port entrance to the terminal building. Jersey City has Liberty State Park and Liberty Science Center as things to do on the day prior to sailing.

EWR and Port Liberty are very close. Your date should be a weekend which will mean less traffic on the NJ Turnpike, still I would not attempt an 8:30 flight. If all goes well, you should make the 9:30 flight with self walkoff.

Thank you....We are doing the Embassy Suites...I will get my Hilton points, free drinks, free breakfast oh and free drinks...LOL

Great info though and I certainly appreciate it.  

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48 minutes ago, DanielB said:

Thank you....We are doing the Embassy Suites...I will get my Hilton points, free drinks, free breakfast oh and free drinks...LOL

You could do A LOT worse in the area. As @bytheslice mentioned, the mall and IHOP are. very close, as is a Ruby Tuesdays.  I understand that their shuttle to/from EWR is one of the more reliable in the area as well.  GrubHub/Door Dash/Uber Eats also greatly opens up your dining possibilities both of the local and chain varieties, and that property has a number of nice public spaces where you could besides being in your room.  All in all, a good choice.

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1 hour ago, bytheslice said:

Avoid the Marriott Courtyard downtown. Some family and friends have stayed there despite our non recommendation and they all later regretted their decision 

+1 for this.  While the hotel itself is ok, the location is sketchy.  No place close to eat and terrible neighborhood 

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21 hours ago, Helen b said:

Hi Daniel,

We are going on the Oasis in October hopefully also. I was looking for hotels and this was the friendliest and most honest about there prices. it's called home 2 suites by Hilton Newark airport. I think they do transfer to the Cruise's terminals, I didn't look into the transfer part due to we are driving down and we will have our own truck. We were booked there today but our May 4,2020 cruise was cancelled and they were great to transfer my may booking from now to Oct. With no problem.

 

 I hope this helps and safe travels

 

Helen.

We stayed there last October and will hopefully again in Sept.  Nice hotel and we had food delivered by a local Pizza place.

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On 5/2/2020 at 9:01 PM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Embassy Suites in Elizabeth, NJ is a great airport hotel if you are flying into EWR.  I would say no, they are not created equally.  Some hotels in that area aren't in great shape.  But full disclaimer, I am a suite snob lol.  Embassy has great pricing, free airport shuttle to and from the hotel, modern and clean, and most importantly, complimentary happy hour. ?

Good to know!  We fly into EWR on 10/7/20 (afternoon before cruise) and will be needing somewhere to stay.  I like Embassy Suites so this is welcomed news for us.  I hope that our cruise is still happening (New England-Canada 10/8/20).  I will be so glad when we can at least start to plan and get excited about our cruise.  This limbo is stressful....

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We've stayed at the Home2 which is very nice.  When we arrived the told us they did not offer shuttle service to the port but would do it because they knew we were told they did.  Home2 does not give you the same level of Hilton points as staying at other Hilton properties just in case this is a consideration for you.  I like to build up my points.

We are trying the Country Inn this June, hopefully.  And we will try the Hampton Inn in September. 

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I used to travel a lot and Newark was one of my least favorite airport areas to stay in. Another vote for embassy suites here, at least you feel safe there. At the very least go for the bigger chain hotels, like others have said even then it can be a gamble. You really aren't going to want to be in the wrong spot of Newark.

 

Not a ton to do right there either, only thing worth seeing close IMO would be the Liberty Science Center / Liberty State Park.. I have zero interest in going into the city unless it's for Broadway or Mastro's steakhouse (if you like high end steakhouses this is where it's at in NY).

 

Since my traveling days i settled down in NJ, there is a lot to do (and eat) if you are willing to drive a bit. I live about 45 mins from the airport and it's another world out here... slower pace, houses with actual property, mountains, hiking, and the best pizza you'll ever have (sorry NY and Chicago you got nothing on Jersey).

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36 minutes ago, bossdog421 said:

I used to travel a lot and Newark was one of my least favorite airport areas to stay in. Another vote for embassy suites here, at least you feel safe there. At the very least go for the bigger chain hotels, like others have said even then it can be a gamble. You really aren't going to want to be in the wrong spot of Newark.

 

Not a ton to do right there either, only thing worth seeing close IMO would be the Liberty Science Center / Liberty State Park.. I have zero interest in going into the city unless it's for Broadway or Mastro's steakhouse (if you like high end steakhouses this is where it's at in NY).

 

Since my traveling days i settled down in NJ, there is a lot to do (and eat) if you are willing to drive a bit. I live about 45 mins from the airport and it's another world out here... slower pace, houses with actual property, mountains, hiking, and the best pizza you'll ever have (sorry NY and Chicago you got nothing on Jersey).

NJ is a funny state like that. Big cities in the North, very congested and the suburbs and then farm land. Its interesting state like that. Just down the road from me in my town is farm land in Colts Neck and Holmdel. Its beautiful actually. Sometimes I'll just take a ride out of town and see some farm land. 

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10 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Its interesting state like that. Just down the road from me in my town is farm land in Colts Neck and Holmdel.

It is funny bc people will fly into NJ and get that lovely odor on the NJTPKE and the 1st thing they say is how is this the GARDEN STATE?  They just never have driven 30 minutes in anyone direction off the NJTPKE or the Parkway.

  •  FYI, if you have never flown into NJ, the odor comes from the oil refineries.

 

 

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40 minutes ago, Pima1988 said:

It is funny bc people will fly into NJ and get that lovely odor on the NJTPKE and the 1st thing they say is how is this the GARDEN STATE?  They just never have driven 30 minutes in anyone direction off the NJTPKE or the Parkway.

  •  FYI, if you have never flown into NJ, the odor comes from the oil refineries.

 

 

It's a very diverse state. It's a small state but it is broken into 3 regions, north which is very dense, industrial, Bergen county, Ruthaford, Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City.

I live in Central NJ which is suburbs and just a short drive, farms. 

South Jersey is the sticks. I mean very low population and rural. 

It's a more interesting state that most people think. 

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5 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

It's a very diverse state. It's a small state but it is broken into 3 regions, north which is very dense, industrial, Bergen county, Ruthaford, Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City.

I live in Central NJ which is suburbs and just a short drive, farms. 

South Jersey is the sticks. I mean very low population and rural. 

It's a more interesting state that most people think. 

Trust me I know that.  My husband and I are originally from central NJ until the AF took us away, our families are still there (exits 7a-9).  We actually got married in the Pine Barrens, at a little known place called McQuire AFB?.  I think if you wanted to make a comparison to NJ, VA is the closest you will come.  Metropolitan areas like Northern VA with insane traffic.  Beaches in the south.  Mountains in the west.  Yet, everything in between the 3 is basically no mans land, minus Richmond.  

My usual recommendation for if someone is coming into NJ the day before, be it by car or flying, don't stay in Bayonne, unless you want to go to the South Street Seaport.  Instead, this is what I would do:

  •  Rent a car or take an Uber to Princeton (30 mins against traffic).  Stay at the Nassau Inn.  It is a lovely walking town with, of course, Princeton University, but great restaurants too.  If you get in early enough than you could also scoot across RTE 33 and get to Asbury Park or Belmar for the shores (wouldn't recommend doing it on a Fri-Sun).   

We prefer sailing out of NJ bc we have family there (exit  8 ), free lodging.  It takes us maybe 35-40 mins to get to the port, including the typical long line to get to the porters at the terminal.  We always leave @ 10 a.m. and are on the ship with our 1st drink by 11 - 11:15.  

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