Getting to Newark airport early in the morning after seeing a show the previous evening

[Kitsune]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 1:32am

My partner and I are doing a Broadway weekend over Memorial Day.  Because I got my ticket with frequent flyer miles, we're stuck flying out at 8 AM on Labor Day from Newark Airport.  (Not great, but still preferable over paying $600+ in airfare!)

We were planning on staying in the city, probably at one of the pod hotels (either Pod39 or Pod51).  We will be seeing a show on Sunday night, and may end up doing the stage door afterwards.

The way I see it, we have two options:

1) Go back to our Manhattan hotel and wake up at stupid in the morning to take some form of a shuttle (probably Newark Airport Express?) to Newark airport.  This is a little stressful since it's possible for a shuttle to run late and for us to miss our flight.

2) Go to an airport hotel on Sunday night after the show.  My concern with the second option is that we'd need some place to put our luggage in between checking out of our Manhattan hotel and whatever we see Sunday evening - I don't know if Pod39 or anywhere else would hold our luggage for that long.

We're somewhat economical, but also don't want to spend the last leg of our vacation super stressed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[ethan231h]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 1:36am

i'm pretty sure you can check bags at theatres...i've never done it but i know i've read you can do it. i think staying a airport hotel is a great idea only bc you'll be so close to the airport and if the flights at 8 am you'd prob want to be there no later then 6:15 ish??? if the show on sunday is at 7 the stage door is i guess do-able but if the show is at 8 don't bother because stage doors can be really crowded, hectic and just plain frustrating and you'd probably rather miss meeting a actor then missing your flight! 

[nightnic001]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 1:52am

I checked my luggage at Come From Away today actually. 2 bucks! Easy!

[Kitsune]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 1:55am

ethan231h said: "i'm pretty sure you can check bags at theatres...i've never done it but i know i've read you can do it. i think staying a airport hotel is a great idea only bc you'll be so close to the airport and if the flights at 8 am you'd prob want to be there no later then 6:15 ish??? if the show on sunday is at 7 the stage door is i guess do-able but if the show is at 8 don't bother because stage doors can be really crowded, hectic and just plain frustrating and you'd probably rather miss meeting a actor then missing your flight! 

 

"

I once brought a roller bag with me to Lincoln Center, which I was able to check.  We are actually planning on doing two shows that day, so we'd prefer to have somewhere to stash luggage during the day.  (Actually, the entire thing is five shows in three days - yes, it's nuts, but we're also Californians and don't get to do this every day!!!)

We haven't finalized our itinerary yet, but Sunday night will likely be Groundhog Day, which with a 7:30 show would get out around 10ish.  I've seen it before, and have found the stage door to be quick and (relatively) non-stressful, so assuming we could get out to Newark and have a place to hold our stuff in the mean time, that could work.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 1:58am

I've never heard of a hotel that wouldn't hold luggage after check out.  Theaters are so anxious about large packages these days so I don't know how confident I'd feel about bringing luggage in.  What about taking Nj transit from penn station to Newark airport?  Isn't that like a  20 minute trip? Then get on air train? 

[10086Sundays]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 2:02am

I've done this several times, although I always fly into/out of JFK. I  prefer to say near Times Square, so I can quickly get to my hotel to relax and don't have to worry about checking out/packing/storing luggage until after my last show is over. Also, I won't have to take the subway late at night.

I use the subway/Airtrain to get to the airport and have never had a problem. I always check the MTA site though, in case of issues caused by maintenance or station closures.

Going west, I like to stay up all night the night before so I'll sleep on the plane, because when the headwinds are bad I can start to go stir crazy after 4 hours. So I don't mind having to leave early in the morning to get to the airport.

Updated On: 8/14/17 at 02:02 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 7:24am

The Northeast Corridor and Shore Line NJ Transits run from NYC to Newark Airport. However, they close down from 1am to 4/5am or so. So they would have to plan to arrive for a train early when they resume.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 7:56am

Kitsune said: "My partner and I are doing a Broadway weekend over Memorial Day.  Because I got my ticket with frequent flyer miles, we're stuck flying out at 8 AM on Labor Day from Newark Airport.  (Not great, but still preferable over paying $600+ in airfare!)

We were planning on staying in the city, probably at one of the pod hotels (either Pod39 or Pod51).  We will be seeing a show on Sunday night, and may end up doing the stage door afterwards.

The way I see it, we have two options:

1) Go back to our Manhattan hotel and wake up at stupid in the morning to take some form of a shuttle (probably Newark Airport Express?) to Newark airport.  This is a little stressful since it's possible for a shuttle to run late and for us to miss our flight.

2) Go to an airport hotel on Sunday night after the show.  My concern with the second option is that we'd need some place to put our luggage in between checking out of our Manhattan hotel and whatever we see Sunday evening - I don't know if Pod39 or anywhere else would hold our luggage for that long.

We're somewhat economical, but also don't want to spend the last leg of our vacation super stressed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!"

 

Another option might be the Super Shuttle. I've never used to/from EWR, but it's worked well for me to/from JFK/LGA. Fairly economical and it's always run on time for me. They also have a handy app where you can pre-book and manage your ride. You can even link it to your airline rewards program so you get a few airline miles for using them. I'm using Super Shuttle again when I go to NYC in November.

On another note, when I was last in NYC in Feb. 2016, I flew in on a Friday and flew home on a Monday and managed to see 6 shows. The only way that worked out was seeing 3 shows on Sunday (Noises Off matinee, Aladdin in the evening, Then She Fell afterwards at 10:00 or 10:30 in Brooklyn). I'm in Oklahoma. So I totally get cramming in as many shows as you can when in NYC. Best wishes and enjoy your time in NYC!!!!

 

 

[astromiami]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 8:31am

Wouldn't the easiest thing be to check the bags at the hotel and retrieve them when you are ready to go to the airport? Hotel bag check is always open 24 hours.

Dragging them around and checking them at the theater seems like a lot more bother, and I see no upside.

Updated On: 8/14/17 at 08:31 AM

[Jazzman714]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 9:05am

I strongly urge the OP to stay in a hotel near the airport Sunday night. Traveling early on Labor Day morning is fraught with potential delays, slow-downs, reduced-holiday train schedules, cancellations, etc.  You'll sleep better Sunday night and have a lot less stress Monday morning. 

[sciencegirl]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 5:43pm

You probably haven't considered this, but how about staying at a hotel on the Jersey City/Hoboken waterfront? I live in JC and you will not find a more breathtaking view of NYC.  You can get to Times Square within 20-30 minutes by train or faster by ferry (which is a nice way to see the city as well).  You'll be out of an evening show on Sunday by 10pm - so you'd have to take the PATH train back to NJ as the ferry runs til 8ish on Sunday.

The Hyatt is on the water and literally right next to a PATH station in JC.  The Westin or Double Tree are across the street from a PATH station. All of these JC hotels are also walking distance to a ferry.  In Hoboken, there's a W hotel  near the water and walking distance to the ferry and PATH as well.  

You'll avoid midtown and tunnel traffic without having to stay at an airport hotel near EWR.  The airport is about 20 minutes from JC (if there's no traffic, which is a bit unpredictable - but usually traffic is going the other way in the am, and you'd be travelling around 6:30 am - it should be an easy breazy trip to the airport)

What show are you seeing? :)

 

[Kitsune]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 11:24pm

sciencegirl said: "You probably haven't considered this, but how about staying at a hotel on the Jersey City/Hoboken waterfront? I live in JC and you will not find a more breathtaking view of NYC.  You can get to Times Square within 20-30 minutes by train or faster by ferry (which is a nice way to see the city as well).  You'll be out of an evening show on Sunday by 10pm - so you'd have to take the PATH train back to NJ as the ferry runs til 8ish on Sunday.

The Hyatt is on the water and literally right next to a PATH station in JC.  The Westin or Double Tree are across the street from a PATH station. All of these JC hotels are also walking distance to a ferry.  In Hoboken, there's a W hotel  near the water and walking distance to the ferry and PATH as well.  

You'll avoid midtown and tunnel traffic without having to stay at an airport hotel near EWR.  The airport is about 20 minutes from JC (if there's no traffic, which is a bit unpredictable - but usually traffic is going the other way in the am, and you'd be travelling around 6:30 am - it should be an easy breazy trip to the airport)

What show are you seeing? :)

"

I'll definitely look into it!  It's a pretty busy weekend, so the advantage to staying in the city would be having a place to relax between shows.

We are seeing:

-1) The Great Comet (already bought tickets since we're going closing weekend), 2) The Play That Goes Wrong, 3) Bandstand (trying to talk my partner into this one), and 4 + 5) Groundhog Day.  Yes, I want to go more than once, and have told my partner that he's only obligated to go with me the one time.  I realize opinions on this show are very divided, but for me it is The Thing that I'm really, really into right now and this is likely my last opportunity to see it.

My main aim (let's face, I'm doing all the planning ) is to see shows that likely won't go on national tour.  The last time we were in New York we saw Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots.  We had a blast at both, but Book of Mormon tours in the Bay Area all time, and Kinky Boots is very likely to pop up at a regional theater at *some* point.  That's why I don't have Come From Away or Dear Evan Hansen on this list - I want to see both eventually, but I'm okay with either waiting for the inevitable tours or for ticket prices to come down.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 11:48pm

Kitsune said: "sciencegirl said: "You probably haven't considered this, but how about staying at a hotel on the Jersey City/Hoboken waterfront? I live in JC and you will not find a more breathtaking view of NYC.  You can get to Times Square within 20-30 minutes by train or faster by ferry (which is a nice way to see the city as well).  You'll be out of an evening show on Sunday by 10pm - so you'd have to take the PATH train back to NJ as the ferry runs til 8ish on Sunday.

The Hyatt is on the water and literally right next to a PATH station in JC.  The Westin or Double Tree are across the street from a PATH station. All of these JC hotels are also walking distance to a ferry.  In Hoboken, there's a W hotel  near the water and walking distance to the ferry and PATH as well.  

You'll avoid midtown and tunnel traffic without having to stay at an airport hotel near EWR.  The airport is about 20 minutes from JC (if there's no traffic, which is a bit unpredictable - but usually traffic is going the other way in the am, and you'd be travelling around 6:30 am - it should be an easy breazy trip to the airport)

What show are you seeing? :)

"

I'll definitely look into it!  It's a pretty busy weekend, so the advantage to staying in the city would be having a place to relax between shows.

We are seeing:

-1) The Great Comet (already bought tickets since we're going closing weekend), 2) The Play That Goes Wrong, 3) Bandstand (trying to talk my partner into this one), and 4 + 5) Groundhog Day.  Yes, I want to go more than once, and have told my partner that he's only obligated to go with me the one time.  I realize opinions on this show are very divided, but for me it is The Thing that I'm really, really into right now and this is likely my last opportunity to see it.

My main aim (let's face, I'm doing all the planning ) is to see shows that likely won't go on national tour.  The last time we were in New York we saw Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots.  We had a blast at both, but Book of Mormon tours in the Bay Area all time, and Kinky Boots is very likely to pop up at a regional theater at *some* point.  That's why I don't have Come From Away or Dear Evan Hansen on this list - I want to see both eventually, but I'm okay with either waiting for the inevitable tours or for ticket prices to come down.

 

I totally get wanting to stay in Manhattan to be closer. I'm doing the same in November, but I have stayed at both the Hyatt Regency and Doubletree in Jersey City. The Hyatt in particular has an eye-popping view of the Manhattan skyline, but the Doubletree usually offers a better value. It is kind of a pain to take the PATH back to your hotel every night plus anytime you just want to decompress in your room during the day. It sounds like your best bet is to book at a Pod hotel after calling and ensuring they'll hold your bags through your last day (for free or at a small fee). Then stay closer to the airport your last night. I'd hate for you you show up for your two show last day with bags in hand only to discover they exceed the bag check allowance. 

[jmuep]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 1:56am

If you can't stow your luggage at Pod, lemme suggest looking at Vertoe.com.  You can give them an address and they will locate a place for you to store your bags for like $7.  Not as cheap as a hotel, but I've used them a couple of times -- stored my bag at a store near Columbus Circle -- and they were really easy and friendly.  

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 12:24pm

I also live in JC. The PATH train is always full of out of town and country visitors. The ride from midtown to Hoboken is only 10 mimutes. Also you could even take the PATH to Grove and switch to Newark Penn Station PATH to get to the airport in the morning. From there it is one stop on the Northeast Corridor to the airport or I assume you may be able to cab or Uber it crom the train station. Just a thought.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 6:37pm

Kitsune said: "My partner and I are doing a Broadway weekend over Memorial Day.  Because I got my ticket with frequent flyer miles, we're stuck flying out at 8 AM on Labor Day from Newark Airport.  (Not great, but still preferable over paying $600+ in airfare!)

We were planning on staying in the city, probably at one of the pod hotels (either Pod39 or Pod51).  We will be seeing a show on Sunday night, and may end up doing the stage door afterwards.

The way I see it, we have two options:

1) Go back to our Manhattan hotel and wake up at stupid in the morning to take some form of a shuttle (probably Newark Airport Express?) to Newark airport.  This is a little stressful since it's possible for a shuttle to run late and for us to miss our flight.

2) Go to an airport hotel on Sunday night after the show.  My concern with the second option is that we'd need some place to put our luggage in between checking out of our Manhattan hotel and whatever we see Sunday evening - I don't know if Pod39 or anywhere else would hold our luggage for that long.

We're somewhat economical, but also don't want to spend the last leg of our vacation super stressed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!"

 

Does GHD's closing on 9/17/17 mean you'll miss seeing it again? 

 

[Kitsune]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 8:18pm

Miles2Go2 said: "Kitsune said: "My partner and I are doing a Broadway weekend over Memorial Day.  Because I got my ticket with frequent flyer miles, we're stuck flying out at 8 AM on Labor Day from Newark Airport.  (Not great, but still preferable over paying $600+ in airfare!)

We were planning on staying in the city, probably at one of the pod hotels (either Pod39 or Pod51).  We will be seeing a show on Sunday night, and may end up doing the stage door afterwards.

The way I see it, we have two options:

1) Go back to our Manhattan hotel and wake up at stupid in the morning to take some form of a shuttle (probably Newark Airport Express?) to Newark airport.  This is a little stressful since it's possible for a shuttle to run late and for us to miss our flight.

2) Go to an airport hotel on Sunday night after the show.  My concern with the second option is that we'd need some place to put our luggage in between checking out of our Manhattan hotel and whatever we see Sunday evening - I don't know if Pod39 or anywhere else would hold our luggage for that long.

We're somewhat economical, but also don't want to spend the last leg of our vacation super stressed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!"

 

Does GHD's closing on 9/17/17 mean you'll miss seeing it again? 

 

 

"

Nope!  We're going Labor Day weekend, so we're good.  (I may have gone online right after the closing announcement and gotten tickets for both the Friday and Sunday evening Labor Day performances!)  I'm obviously still very sad the show is closing, but it's tempered by the fact that I've gotten four opportunities to see it, two of which are in the future 

Now just to talk my partner into seeing Bandstand - I don't want to listen to the cast album six months later and kick myself for missing the opportunity!

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 8:42pm

Kitsune said: "Miles2Go2 said: "Kitsune said: "My partner and I are doing a Broadway weekend over Memorial Day.  Because I got my ticket with frequent flyer miles, we're stuck flying out at 8 AM on Labor Day from Newark Airport.  (Not great, but still preferable over paying $600+ in airfare!)

We were planning on staying in the city, probably at one of the pod hotels (either Pod39 or Pod51).  We will be seeing a show on Sunday night, and may end up doing the stage door afterwards.

The way I see it, we have two options:

1) Go back to our Manhattan hotel and wake up at stupid in the morning to take some form of a shuttle (probably Newark Airport Express?) to Newark airport.  This is a little stressful since it's possible for a shuttle to run late and for us to miss our flight.

2) Go to an airport hotel on Sunday night after the show.  My concern with the second option is that we'd need some place to put our luggage in between checking out of our Manhattan hotel and whatever we see Sunday evening - I don't know if Pod39 or anywhere else would hold our luggage for that long.

We're somewhat economical, but also don't want to spend the last leg of our vacation super stressed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!"

 

Does GHD's closing on 9/17/17 mean you'll miss seeing it again? 

 

 

"

Nope!  We're going Labor Day weekend, so we're good.  (I may have gone online right after the closing announcement and gotten tickets for both the Friday and Sunday evening Labor Day performances!)  I'm obviously still very sad the show is closing, but it's tempered by the fact that I've gotten four opportunities to see it, two of which are in the future 

Now just to talk my partner into seeing Bandstand - I don't want to listen to the cast album six months later and kick myself for missing the opportunity!"

 

I'm so happy for you! 

I now have bought tickets for all five shows I'm going to see in November. I don't usually pre-purchase and just try to buy tickets when I'm there either through box office, TKTS or as a last resort hotel concierge. However the shows I want to see this time are mostly in high demand and I just couldn't take the chance.

- [x] Dear Evan Hansen - Wednesday night 8:00 p.m 
- [x] Hello Dolly - Friday night 8:00 p.m. 
- [x] The Band's Visit - Saturday matinee 2:00 p.m. 
- [x] Come From Away - Saturday night 8:00 p.m. 
- [x]  Waitress - Sunday matinee 2:00 p.m.

I've been listening to the cast recordings this week and getting choked up at certain songs. Most recently "When She   Was Mine" from Waitress.   I'll be a hot mess in the respective theaters. Lol

i wish you and your partner every happiness. Be sure to post and let us know how your trip went. 

 

[Kitsune]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 11:29pm

Miles2Go2, that sounds like a really fun itinerary!  Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, and Band's Visit are all on my "want to see list."  (Waitress I am waiting for the touring production)

 

For anyone following along with this thread, I realized that our tickets to Falsettos HD are on August 26th, and then we're going to Something Rotten in San Francisco on the 29th.  That means we are doing a grand total of 7 shows in 9 days!!!!

And er...to be honest, I also wanted to catch the SF Playhouse production of La Cage Aux Folles.  Which runs through September 16th.  Whoo boy.

Moral of this story? Other compatabilities are important, but date a boy who likes musical theater 

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 8/16/17 at 12:05am

Kitsune said: "Miles2Go2, that sounds like a really fun itinerary!  Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, and Band's Visit are all on my "want to see list."  (Waitress I am waiting for the touring production)

 

For anyone following along with this thread, I realized that our tickets to Falsettos HD are on August 26th, and then we're going to Something Rotten in San Francisco on the 29th.  That means we are doing a grand total of 7 shows in 9 days!!!!

And er...to be honest, I also wanted to catch the SF Playhouse production of La Cage Aux Folles.  Which runs through September 16th.  Whoo boy.

Moral of this story? Other compatabilities are important, but date a boy who likes musical theater