flowers44 Posted September 3, 2010 #1 Share Posted September 3, 2010 If anyone is going out of Bayonne, NJ, on a RCI ship, I would recommend an overnight stay at the Hilton Garden Hotel on Staten Island. The grounds are wonderful and the Hotel was very comfortable. I booked it online and with the early reservation, I was able to get a special package for the room and a hot cooked to order breakfast the morning of departure for $169. We had dinner the night before in Lorenzo's and met the owner and his little dog, the namesake of the restaurant. The Hotel Shuttle took us over to the pier the morning of departure and picked us up at the end of the cruise. It was a great value. Parking at the pier would run about $171 for the 9 day cruise. I would much rather have a nice hotel room, a good breakfast and a ride to the pier for the same amount of money. Traffic in the area can be so bad that I would not want to chance missing the ship because of a traffic jam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megr1125 Posted September 4, 2010 #2 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Great...I started recommending that hotel when i saw the shuttle at cape liberty and did a little research. glad to see someone tried it out and was happy! thanks for coming back with a report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
138east Posted September 4, 2010 #3 Share Posted September 4, 2010 It's good to hear a first hand review of Hilton Gardens. I stopped by there in May to check it out - just went in the lobby, but the hotel felt good. I really liked the area (the whole corporate park was like an oasis in the middle of NYC) because it had such a different vibe from the Newark Airport area - very tranquil and no sea of endless multilane roads, ramps, hotels, and industrial buildings. Is Lorenzo's the restaurant in the hotel? There is also a Charlie Brown's down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megr1125 Posted September 4, 2010 #4 Share Posted September 4, 2010 carol, you don't like endless messes of concrete and roads??? LOLOL:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowers44 Posted September 4, 2010 Author #5 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Yes, Lorenzo's is the restaurant in the hotel. It is also where the cook to order hot breakfast as served. We could have pancakes, waffels, french toast, omelets or just about anything you could think of. Very good food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
138east Posted September 4, 2010 #6 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Meg - even when we lived in the area and drove to the airport often, I never got the hang of the roads. I've been lost on endless ramps and access roads within sight of my unreachable destination. What's not to like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megr1125 Posted September 4, 2010 #7 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Meg - even when we lived in the area and drove to the airport often, I never got the hang of the roads. I've been lost on endless ramps and access roads within sight of my unreachable destination. What's not to like? hahah...heck i STILL live here, and i STILL goof up that wacky exiting to go to the 3 marriott brands that are in a row...i always wind up turning around by the sheraton/ramadas---LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinunlimited Posted September 5, 2010 #8 Share Posted September 5, 2010 flowers44- based on your review, you just have left your car at the Hilton..no concerns leaving your car there for 9 days? And how did they know when do pick you up from the cruise..? Did you have to call when you were off the ship or was it a pre-arranged time for pickup? We are sailing in Oct on a 11 day, and have reservations at the Hilton. Glad to hear the good review. Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated. Also, what time did they take you over to the pier? Thanks..Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted September 5, 2010 #9 Share Posted September 5, 2010 hahah...heck i STILL live here, and i STILL goof up that wacky exiting to go to the 3 marriott brands that are in a row...i always wind up turning around by the sheraton/ramadas---LOL LOL, rookie mistake, my wife and found it on the first shot to the hotel, as for the shuttle driver finding the hotel on our return from the ship back to pick up our car, that is another story:eek: Jimbo:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megr1125 Posted September 5, 2010 #10 Share Posted September 5, 2010 LOL, rookie mistake, my wife and found it on the first shot to the hotel, as for the shuttle driver finding the hotel on our return from the ship back to pick up our car, that is another story:eek: Jimbo:) hahah....actually i wasn't able to get into the correct lane due to too many lunatics not knowing where they were going.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
138east Posted September 5, 2010 #11 Share Posted September 5, 2010 krhnbt - let me describe the area and you will understand why leaving a car there would be less of an issue. I left Brooklyn early one morning where my car was left parked overnight on a random street nearby. I went on locals NYC streets to the Verrazano and dodged traffic on I278 west. I got off at the exit in the hotel directions, made a couple of turns, and suddenly I am in another world. I'm looking at a long wide avenue with woods on each side. Every so often there is an entrance road with a discrete street number. Peeking back in I can see that these entrances lead to office complexes tucked back in away from the road. I turned into the number for Hilton Gardens and followed the road to the end where I found the Hilton and the Hampton Inn at the end of a cul-de-sac with a shared parking area in front. What a difference from Newark Airport with its constant background din of traffic and airplane noise! No real need in this tranquil area for security gates on the parking and I would have no problem leaving my car there for 11 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowers44 Posted September 5, 2010 Author #12 Share Posted September 5, 2010 krhnbt-As 138east said, the area that the hotel is in is really nice. There are office buildings, a day care, and a walkin surgery center that share the same parking lot. The Hotel backs up to a really quiet wooded area. You would never know you are even in NJ. When we checked in, I inquired about the shuttle to the ship and they looked in their book and said that there were six other people scheduled to go over to the ship at 11:30 AM. We booked the same time but could have picked any time we wanted. The next morning all 8 of us met in the lobby and the van was waiting for us. They loaded all of our luggage in and we were off to the ship. It was about a 15 minute drive and we were at the pier. We made arrangements to be picked up after the cruise at about 9:30 AM before we left the Hotel. That was a bit early since the ship did not start to disembark until about 8:45 and the express disembarkation was really backed up. We had signed up for the express but probably would have made out just as well taking the 9:15 AM disembarkation with the brown luggage tags. The other 6 people did that and they were at customes shortly behind us and did not have to carry their own luggage. When the luggage tags are given out on the last day of the cruise, if you get a late departure time, you can go to customers relations and exchange them for an earlier time without any problem. One suggestion, take the hotel phone number with you. That way, you can call when you get into the pickup area and have the hotel tell the driver where to find you and what number parking spot your are standing in front of . It makes it easier to find the hotel shuttle. We had parked out car on the far side of the parking lot against the hedge that divided it from the road on the other side. When we returned to the parking lot, there it was safe and sound and not a scratch on it. All four tires were there too!!!! With the parking lot being shared by all of the surrounding businesses, it was a very nice and secure area. Hope you enjoy your cruise in October. If I can give you any other information, just ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted September 5, 2010 #13 Share Posted September 5, 2010 krhnbt-As 138east said, the area that the hotel is in is really nice. There are office buildings, a day care, and a walkin surgery center that share the same parking lot. The Hotel backs up to a really quiet wooded area. You would never know you are even in NJ. When we checked in, I inquired about the shuttle to the ship and they looked in their book and said that there were six other people scheduled to go over to the ship at 11:30 AM. We booked the same time but could have picked any time we wanted. The next morning all 8 of us met in the lobby and the van was waiting for us. They loaded all of our luggage in and we were off to the ship. It was about a 15 minute drive and we were at the pier. We made arrangements to be picked up after the cruise at about 9:30 AM before we left the Hotel. That was a bit early since the ship did not start to disembark until about 8:45 and the express disembarkation was really backed up. We had signed up for the express but probably would have made out just as well taking the 9:15 AM disembarkation with the brown luggage tags. The other 6 people did that and they were at customes shortly behind us and did not have to carry their own luggage. When the luggage tags are given out on the last day of the cruise, if you get a late departure time, you can go to customers relations and exchange them for an earlier time without any problem. One suggestion, take the hotel phone number with you. That way, you can call when you get into the pickup area and have the hotel tell the driver where to find you and what number parking spot your are standing in front of . It makes it easier to find the hotel shuttle. We had parked out car on the far side of the parking lot against the hedge that divided it from the road on the other side. When we returned to the parking lot, there it was safe and sound and not a scratch on it. All four tires were there too!!!! With the parking lot being shared by all of the surrounding businesses, it was a very nice and secure area. Hope you enjoy your cruise in October. If I can give you any other information, just ask. I hope not! The hotel is in Staten Island, which is part of New York City, not NJ. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowers44 Posted September 5, 2010 Author #14 Share Posted September 5, 2010 OK, so it is in NY. For me, this country girl from upstate NY, it is all one big, busy, city down there in that area. Just give me some trees in the back of the Hotel and I will be happy. I stand corrected. "You would not even know you were in New York City." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinunlimited Posted September 5, 2010 #15 Share Posted September 5, 2010 Flowers44 - Thanks for all the great information, sounds like the parking will not be a concern, and it certainly beats parking at the pier at $19 per day. I see that it says you are from Upstate NY, so am I. Where are you located? Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowers44 Posted September 6, 2010 Author #16 Share Posted September 6, 2010 We live in a small town east of Rochester, called Ontario. Have lived here all my life. Lots of apple orchards and lots of open country. Great place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariawoman Posted September 8, 2010 #17 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Hey my band plays there! :-) We love playing there, always a great crowd. Lorenzos has great food, I ate there once before doing a gig in their adjacent room. We'll be back there 11/13 if anyone is booking a room there :-) It is a very nice hotel and very easy to get to from the SI expressway. They also have some meetup groups gather there for singles night. Very popular place! If i had a hotel need, I'd definitely not hesitate to stay there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurab23 Posted October 2, 2010 #18 Share Posted October 2, 2010 So they offer free parking for the lenght of your cruise?What if you are sailing out of Brooklyn?How much do you think a cab or limo would cost to get you to Brooklyn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shenaniganzz Posted October 4, 2010 #19 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Hi there, We are taking a Norwegian cruise out of Manhatten in January and I am not all that familiar with NY - well, not at all! Would this hotel be a feasible place to stay for us? Is it easy to get to get to the Manhatten port from there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
138east Posted October 4, 2010 #20 Share Posted October 4, 2010 No - this hotel is best for Bayonne, but doable for Brooklyn. You are cruising out of Manhattan. Give us more details. Are you driving or flying? If flying, what airport? Where are you coming from and how many people? Is sightseeing in NY part of your plans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton Line Posted October 4, 2010 #21 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Staten Island is the only borough that does NOT have alternate side street parking rules. LOL ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love the beach Posted October 5, 2010 #22 Share Posted October 5, 2010 This hotel is also near a commercial strip with stores, etc. in case you have forgotten something. After exiting the hotel make a left turn onto South Ave and keep going straight until you get to Forrest Ave (approx 1 to 1&1/2 miles) and turn right onto Forrest Ave ---you will find a Kohls Dept. store, Dunkin Donuts, CVS and Walgreens Pharmacies, supermarket, pizzerias, fast food places, etc. Marge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreshOffTheBoat Posted October 5, 2010 #23 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Hey, can someone give me the exact address to this hotel? I want to make sure I call the right hotel to book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted October 5, 2010 #24 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Hey, can someone give me the exact address to this hotel? I want to make sure I call the right hotel to book. Hey...if you google Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island, you'll get a link to the hotel's Web site. :rolleyes: Hilton Garden Inn New York/Staten Island 1100 South Avenue, Staten Island, New York, USA 10314 Tel: 1-718-477-2400 1-718-477-2400 Fax: 1-718-477-5620 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreshOffTheBoat Posted October 5, 2010 #25 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Hey...if you google Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island, you'll get a link to the hotel's Web site. :rolleyes: Hilton Garden Inn New York/Staten Island 1100 South Avenue, Staten Island, New York, USA 10314 Tel: 1-718-477-2400 1-718-477-2400 Fax: 1-718-477-5620 Yeah thanks, when i googled it bunch of Hiltons came up for the area. Just wanted to make sure I was looking at the right one (which I was). Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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