Cruising out of New Jersey
- alyh95
- Jul 15, 2024
- 3 min read
Did you know that some of Royal Caribbean's largest and most family-friendly ships sail from New Jersey?!? Both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity sail out of the Cape Liberty Cruise Port -- and if you live between Bayonne, NJ and one of these major cities, you're within about a 4-hour drive from an amazing cruise vacation:
Boston, MA
Providence, RI
Keene, NH
Rutland, VT
Syracuse, NY
State College, PA
Ocean City, MD
Hagerstown, MD
Washington, DC
Fairfax, VA
Martinsburg, WV
So now that you know your next cruise vacation is within a short drive (so you don’t need to worry about the added expense of airfare -- and the weight of your luggage for those of us who may struggle with overpacking), where would YOU want to sail?
My favorite ship currently sailing out of New Jersey is Symphony of the Seas. This amazing Oasis Class ship is one of the largest in the world, and literally has something for everyone onboard! Most of her sailings out of Cape Liberty are 7-nights with stops in Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Perfect Day at Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean’s private island), but you’ll occasionally find an 8- or 9-night sailing with an additional stop planned. Aside from awesome water slides and FlowRiders, you’ll find ziplining, mini-golf, a rock climbing wall, the tallest (dry) slide at sea, ice skating, an amazing aqua show, and SO much more…
Liberty of the Seas often sails to Bermuda for 4-6 nights, though she also has some longer sailings that also stop in the Caribbean, as well as sailings visiting New England and Canada. This Freedom Class ship is a bit smaller than the Symphony of the Seas, but still has plenty of bells and whistles to appeal to the entire family, including the same water slides and ice skating rink that Symphony of the Seas offers.
If you don’t mind sailing out of New Jersey when it’s a little cooler out, you will absolutely LOVE Odyssey of the Seas. Parts of the pool on this Quantum-Ultra Class ship have a retractable roof so you can still enjoy the pool deck until you reach the warmer weather (as well as other indoor activities like bumper cars and rollerskating). Odyssey offers many longer sailings (11-12 nights) to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean… or you can catch her at the end of her season in Cape Liberty and experience a Transatlantic Cruise that will take you from New Jersey to Italy, with stops in Spain along the way.
Celebrity Cruises, which is part of the Royal Caribbean family, also sails out of New Jersey if you’re looking for a more refined cruising experience. While these ships aren’t going to be decked out with water slides, there’s going to be plenty of onboard activities and entertainment to enjoy, along with incredible food. You’ll find primarily 7-night sailings to Bermuda on the Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette… but these two ships also offer unique 12-night sailings to Greenland and Iceland – yes, from New Jersey!!! Note though, these sailings are one-way so you will need to fly back to the US from Iceland.
Did I forget to mention that all of these activities along with all of your meals, kids clubs, shows (and more) are INCLUDED in your cruise fare? If you want to explore the ports of call, excursions do cost extra, but you could essentially go on a cruise and not spend a penny more if you plan accordingly.
Cruising out of New Jersey is SO easy too! Since only these ships sail out of there, it’s easy to get in and out of the cruise terminal, parking is right on-site… and there is no flight necessary! I would say that once we entered the terminal to go through security for our cruise last summer, it took about 15 minutes until we were cleared to board… Quick and easy!! Plus, it was pretty cool seeing Lady Liberty with New York City in the background from the pool deck, not to mention sailing directly under the Verrazzano Bridge.
While it isn’t impossible to find a last minute cruise on one of these ships, I will say that these sailings (especially the Royal Caribbean ones) are in high demand. I highly recommend booking as far in advance as you can to ensure you have the best room options at the best price. We can even book your cruise with a refundable deposit too, so if you’re not 100% positive that the trip is going to work, you can at least get it reserved and if anything changes, you have until your final payment (90 days before your departure) to cancel for a full refund.
If you’re ready to get planning, I’d LOVE to help you make this cruise happen! Whether it’s your 1st cruise, or your 50th, it’ll surely be one you won’t soon forget.
~ Aly ~
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