Cape Liberty NJ NY

Opened in May 2004, this cruise port is on The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, formerly Bayonne Navy Base/MOTBY. Cape Liberty cruise terminal is fifteen minutes from Newark Liberty International Airport and seven miles south of Manhattan. New Jersey Turnpike Exit 14A and NJ Hudson-Bergen Light Rail provide easy access; if the cruise line offers airport transport, it may be the best choice.

Local public transport reaches a point directly outside Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal, but the relevant authorities prohibit anyone entering the port area unless travelling in a motor vehicle; pedestrians are not permitted. A taxi is needed for the short remaining distance from station to port. Fortunately, the fare is less than $10.

Royal Caribbean International spent $70 million on a new Cape Liberty cruise terminal in Bayonne.

GPS users: 14 Port Terminal Boulevard, Bayonne, NJ 07002-5038. Cape Liberty has exceptional views of Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline, but nothing of interest nearby.

Additional information is available on the New York page.

The official U.S. currency is the United States dollar, symbol $, and ATMs are everywhere.

Visa, MasterCard and other major credit cards are commonly accepted, even for transactions of a few dollars, and can sometimes be the only payment method. Overseas visitors should remember that stated goods and services prices often exclude taxes and gratuities, so look lower than the real cost.

State sales tax ranges from 2.9% to nearly 10% of retail price, most often 4-6%. Except for gasoline and, in most states, alcoholic drinks consumed on premises, it is almost never included in posted prices; it is calculated and added at payment.

Tipping is widespread and expected in America. Americans debate the right amounts and who should receive them, but the following are generally accepted standard rates:

• Full-service restaurants: 15-20%. This is often a wait(ress)’s sole income; leave cash or add the tip to the credit-card slip. Few restaurants impose automatic service charge, so check the bill and decide any extra amount.
• Taxi drivers, hairdressers and other personal services: 10-15%.
• Bartenders: $1 for an inexpensive drink, or 15% of the total.
• Bellhops: $1-2 for each bag, with a $3-5 minimum regardless.
• Hotel doorman: assistance with a bag merits $1 per bag, and calling a cab merits $1.
• Tour guides: according to tour duration, size and quality, $5-10 per person for half-day tours or less and $10-20 per person for longer tours.
• Private car and limousine drivers: 15-20%.
• Hotel housekeeping: optional $1-2 per day for long stays or $5 minimum for very short stays.
• For food delivery, pizza included, tip $2-5, with more possible for especially large orders.

English dominates everyday American use, although the U.S. has no federal official language. Several states recognize English as an official state language. New Mexico also recognizes widely spoken Spanish; French is official in Louisiana and Hawaiian is official in Hawaii, but neither comes close to English’s use and both are official chiefly for historical reasons.

In an emergency, dial 911.

Major metropolitan areas, including New York and Los Angeles, routinely have drugstores and supermarkets open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Department stores, shopping centres and most large retailers generally trade 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours, usually 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m. They often open on holidays, except major ones such as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when stores are usually shut.