My 2023 Summer Vacation in Europe - Part One getting from home to EWR

I know, I know, it's been a LONG time between blog posts and I keep promising to get better and post more often. Well, here we go! In May of this year, I headed off to Europe for a nice vacation where I visited Amsterdam (to see some singer from Jersey who lives 30 miles away, but sure, I'll fly 4000 miles to see him!), Ravenna and Venice AND where I sailed, for the first time in about 10 years, on Explorer of the Seas to the Greek Islands! Planning the trip was a lot of fun, a little bit crazy, involved several changes of flights, hotels, and ground transportation. Plus, once there, I changed plans a few times on the fly!

Grab a coffee or a cocktail, sit back and prepare to take a virtual vacation!

On May 22nd, I set out from home in Central New Jersey headed towards Newark International Airport for my evening transatlantic flight to Amsterdam via Copenhagen.  I'd built this trip around Bruce Springsteen concert tickets so the first 4 nights of my trip would be spent in Amsterdam.  

My flight to Amsterdam from Newark, on SAS airlines had a connection in Copenhagen. Following the concert in Amsterdam, I flew to Bologna so that I could travel on to Ravenna the day before the cruise was to depart. My travel map is below!

 

Generally I book a hotel before I fly but since this TATL flight left in the evening, I booked a park & stay hotel with parking before my stay, and then I used the room portion the night I got home. I stayed at the Embassy Suites Elizabeth and I booked the deal through TrinityReservations.com. They have park & fly and park & cruise rates for a variety of airports and cruise ports around the country. I've used them a few times and I save at least $100! You can also cancel the reservation up until noon the day before you arrive which is great. Check their site for details.

 The Embassy Suites' rates include a manager's reception (at this location in NJ, you get a ticket for one free drink, you're allowed to buy more. Weird liquor laws!) They have a buffet breakfast with cooked to order items which is included with your rate. Also their restaurant serves dinner until around 9:30 in the evening. Their pizza must be good as the two times I've tried to order it recently, they'd just run out. Oops.

 All the staff members I've encountered are nice and the rooms have been clean and comfortable. The property is several years old and could use a renovation but for a night, the hotel is a great choice. There's an outlet mall across the street (it's walkable but you'll be walking across a fairly busy street-with a light and crosswalk-and then a giant parking lot. If you need anything last minute for your trip, however, you're not going to find it here. There are several places to eat though, so you've got some options. (The Mills at Jersey Gardens) There is a iHop within walking distance as well as a Ruby Tuesday (which had a fire a few months ago and was closed in late May/early June. I am not sure of the status going forward). You can get menus from the Front Desk should you want to order food for delivery.

Exterior

Living room

Throne

Bathroom

Sink, microwave and fridge

Comfy bed

Once I got my car checked in, my luggage and I had some time to relax in the lobby before getting the shuttle over to the airport.  Look, I was going to be gone for 2 weeks, and I do take a few cameras and lots of chargers, adapters, and various other audio/video accessories with me!  

About 4 hours before my flight, I boarded the shuttle to Newark's Terminal B so that I could check in and drop my bags.  After that was done, it was time to head up to the AirTrain (inter-terminal monorail) so that I could take advantage of the lounge in Terminal C.

Next up:  Polaris Lounge, SAS Lounge and my flight to Copenhagen and Amsterdam!