Park, Stay & Cruise in Boston, MA

[emt6121]

Does anybody know of any hotels in Boston that offer the cruise pkgs where you can stay, park & cruise that also offer a shuttle to the port?

[138east]

There are hotels that do this, but they tend to be in "fringe" areas - they use the free parking and shuttle to attract folks who would not ordinarily choose these hotels. However, there are some park/sleeps.

 

What is the exact date of your cruise? Do you want to come in early and sightsee in Boston, or are you just driving up for the cruise. How many people and how many beds?

[emt6121]

June 10, 2012. It is just my husband & I..We are coming in the day before to visit Boston, as we have never been there

[138east]

Unfortunately, it's way too early to finalize plans for June 2012. Are you leaving Friday night and getting a room somewhere along the way? I would guess it would take you at least 7 hours to drive on a Saturday, which wouldn't leave you a lot of time to sightsee in Boston before you sail on Sunday.

 

I definitely would not recommend one of the hotels that offers a room, parking, and cruiseport transportation - they are too inconveniently located and you will not be happy with them. It's too soon for the park/sleep hotels to be offered for June 2012. For this option you want to check trinityreservations.com for Embassy Suites - this hotel is at the airport and near the "T". A cab to the port would be about $25 each way.

 

However, my number one recommendation is to start checking Hotwire about 6-8 months for a hotel in Back Bay or Waterfront. Take a look at June 11, 2011 - there is a 4* hotel in Waterfront for $138 and a 4* hotel in Back Bay for $141. The Waterfront hotel would likely be the Westin Convention Center. I'm not sure what the Back Bay hotel would be - possibly the Westin as well. There is often a 3 1/2* Back Bay hotel on Hotwire that is the Sheraton. Any 3/12-4* Boston hotel in Back Bay, Theater, Waterfront, or Quincy Market on Hotwire for $150 or less is a great deal. Parking at the port is $16/day so 4 days parking would be $64. If you stay at a Waterfront hotel, it would be possible to drop off your luggage at the hotel and ditch the car in the port parking, which is 4-6 blocks away.

 

If you're trying to do Boston on a tight budget, then staying outside the city and driving in or taking the "T" is another option that you can pursue. For June 11, 2011 I'm seeing 3* hotels in Waltham/Newton and Burlington/Woburn for $53-58.

 

IMO you will not regret a plan that includes parking at the pier. You have a long drive back to Lancaster and you don't want to waste time getting back to an inconveniently located hotel to reclaim your car.

 

Post back and let me know what you're considering.

[emt6121]

Thanks for all the info, I will probably do as you recommended and check Priceline in a couple of months...we will probably leave Friday night and get to Boston Saturday morning, that way we will have all day Saturday to sightsee. That is what we did in February when we sailed out of Charleston. Again, thanks

[138east]

That's really the best plan - you will get the most out of it. Not only will you have most of Saturday, but you will have Sunday morning as well if you like. Overall, Back Bay is a more appealing area to stay in - lots of restaurants and shops and evening activity. The Waterfront is a newly developed area - hotels and office buildings with a few restaurants thrown in. Convenient to the port and "T", but little charm. I watch Hotwire all the time as folks ask questions about different dates, and these are the 2 areas that consistently have good deals. Everyone has been happy with these hotels - just check some of the rack rates for your dates and you will appreciate just what a good deal they are.

[HappyJan]

Hi emt6121,

 

We are sailing out of Boston on Oct 29, 2011 and have booked:

 

The Best Western Adams Inn

29 Hancock Street

Quincy, MA 02171

617+328-1500

 

We searched for hotel accommodations that included these complimentary items:

 

1) transportation from Logan International Airport

2) breakfast

3) transportation to Black Falcon Cruise Terminal

 

After comparing a Back Bay hotel ($100+), cab from airport ($30) and cab to cruise terminal ($15+), we decided that the Adams Inn had exactly what we wanted.

 

From what I remember during our hotel research, the Best Western Adams Inn does offer park 'n' cruise packages. You may want to phone the hotel directly.

 

I hope this information helps to answer your question.

 

HappyJan

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Jewel of the Seas

October 29, 2011

[138east]

Best Western Adams Inn is an example of a hotel in a "fringe" area that offers shuttle and parking to compensate for its poor location. Folks have stayed at this hotel and been satisfied, but others have not. This is a hotel you pick if you want to fly into Boston and stay in a not centrally located hotel in Quincy until you go to the pier. If the 3 1/2* Back Bay hotel is on Hotwire for about $100, for a little more money you can stay in an upscale area of Boston with shops and restaurants, be in a location you can walk around at night, and have easy access to Boston sights as well as the port.

[cruislovin]

Hi emt6121,

 

We are sailing out of Boston on Oct 29, 2011 and have booked:

 

The Best Western Adams Inn

29 Hancock Street

Quincy, MA 02171

617+328-1500

 

We searched for hotel accommodations that included these complimentary items:

 

1) transportation from Logan International Airport

2) breakfast

3) transportation to Black Falcon Cruise Terminal

 

After comparing a Back Bay hotel ($100+), cab from airport ($30) and cab to cruise terminal ($15+), we decided that the Adams Inn had exactly what we wanted.

 

From what I remember during our hotel research, the Best Western Adams Inn does offer park 'n' cruise packages. You may want to phone the hotel directly.

 

I hope this information helps to answer your question.

 

HappyJan

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Jewel of the Seas

October 29, 2011

 

This is exactly what we are looking for - same amenities that you list. On what websited did you search?

[138east]

The Adams Best Western is likely to be your most economical choice if you need to park your car and get to the port. Where are you driving from? Another option is to stay outside the city in a nice suburban hotel (usually good hotwire deals) and pay to park at the pier. Depending on where you're coming from and time of day on a Friday, getting to Quincy on the Southeast Expressway could be difficult. Driving into Boston on a Saturday morning should not be a problem.

[cruislovin]

The Adams Best Western is likely to be your most economical choice if you need to park your car and get to the port. Where are you driving from? Another option is to stay outside the city in a nice suburban hotel (usually good hotwire deals) and pay to park at the pier. Depending on where you're coming from and time of day on a Friday, getting to Quincy on the Southeast Expressway could be difficult. Driving into Boston on a Saturday morning should not be a problem.

 

We are coming from Pittsburgh, but I don't know about time of arrival. Most likely it will be late afternoon / early evening, probably a difficult traffic time. If there is a hotel where it is safe to park that is convenient to get to / from the port, we would prefer to do that. It really depends on the hotel and the parking availability, how often the shuttle runs to the port, time it runs, etc.

 

What suburban area would I request on Hotwire?

[138east]

Boston is not like a Florida port city - it does not cater to the cruising crowd. Logan Airport is practically in downtown Boston so none of the downtown hotels offer free airport shuttles. Folks pay for cabs or take the Silver Line or Blue Line "T" from the airport to their hotel. The free shuttles are offered by hotels in more fringe areas like Revere, Saugus, Chelsea, and Quincy, none of which are particularly convenient to the port. Several hotels like the BW Adams also offer a shuttle to the port - from Quincy it is a quick detour to the port on the way to Logan. There is also a Holiday Inn Express in South Boston that offers parking and I think a pay shuttle to the port. There are also the park/sleep airport hotels (trinityreservations.com and stay123.com) that are primarily located several miles northeast of Boston in Revere and Saugus. You could get the parking at these hotels, but you would have to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport and then a cab or public transit to the port.

 

Parking at the port is $16/day - $112 for a 7 day cruise. For your 10/21 date I am seeing 2 hotels on Hotwire in the Burlington/Lexington area. One is a 2* for $58 that is likely to be the Quality Inn in Lexington and the other is a 3.5* hotel for $71 that is likely to be the Element in Lexington. I live in the area and know that each hotel is close to an exit on route 128/95 and about 10 minutes north of the intersections of I90 and 128/I95. The Element is a brand new hotel within the last several years and gets excellent reviews. These hotels would be on the west side of Boston which you would hit first coming from Pittsburgh and would be less than 1/2 hour drive to the port. The Burlington Mall is close by and there are many nice restaurants in the area.

[sunshine 229]

We are looking at cruising out of Boston, in late September and will be travelling with my sister who has health issues and so, we will probably not want to do much sightseeing in Boston, getting her to and from the port as easily and comfortably as possible will be our main objective. Would the Lexington Element and driving to the port the next day be a good option in your opinion or is their some better solution? We will also need somewhere that we can get a light meal close to the hotel and maybe breakfast in the morning.

 

 

Thanks.

 

ETA: we don't want to stay in a terrible hotel but money is a consideration also so don't need a $400 a night 5 star hotel.

Edited August 17, 2011 by sunshine 229

[138east]

What exact date are you looking at? Are you coming into Boston on the Mass Pike (I90)? What do you consider "close the the hotel" for a dining option? The Element offers a complimentary breakfast. It is frequently on Hotwire, but not always. However, there are usually very reasonable nice hotel choices close to the intersection of I90 and I95/128.

[sunshine 229]

The date would be Sept 29th for a cruise leaving Sept 30, we would be coming in on I-90 and "close to the hotel" would be maybe a 5 minute drive and in a neighbourhood that wouldn't make us too nervous walking around. Complimentary breakfast in the hotel would be great.

[138east]

The 3.5* hotel is out there for $76. You're going to have to drive to dinner (no walking in this area). The Element is right off of route 95/128 on route 2A west.

 

You will be right on route 2A which is the Battle Road - http://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm

 

If you arrive early enough you and your sister may enjoy a ride to Concord MA along the Battle Road - the Colonial Inn in Concord serves dinner. You can also drive into Lexington Center (Lexington Battle Green) where there are a number of restaurants.

 

If you want a mall experience, you can go 2 exits north on 95/128 to Burlington Mall where there is a Cheesecake Factory (long wait) among other restaurants.

 

No safely issues in this area - very suburban east of 128 and exurban west of 128.

[sunshine 229]

Thanks 138east for all the info. We are in the process, right now, of booking the cruise tickets so will look into the hotel in the next day or two.

[138east]

Are you planning to use Hotwire? It's possible the choice will not be there in a few days - check back if you have any questions. Other hotels in either the Waltham or the Lexington/Burlington/Woburn areas are acceptable. The 4* Waltham hotel for $96 is probably the Westin and is very nice.

[cruising mickey]

Hi,

 

I work virtually in the hotel's backyard. It's on the Neponse River with a gazebo, which is probably it's only redeeming quality. It does have a shuttle, but other than that it's virtually in the middle of nowhere. I agree, if you can find a better online deal for a downtown hotel go for it. You won't be disappointed.:p

 

Best Western Adams Inn is an example of a hotel in a "fringe" area that offers shuttle and parking to compensate for its poor location. Folks have stayed at this hotel and been satisfied, but others have not. This is a hotel you pick if you want to fly into Boston and stay in a not centrally located hotel in Quincy until you go to the pier. If the 3 1/2* Back Bay hotel is on Hotwire for about $100, for a little more money you can stay in an upscale area of Boston with shops and restaurants, be in a location you can walk around at night, and have easy access to Boston sights as well as the port.

[138east]

Great feedback cruising mickey! I haven't stayed at the BW Adams so I can only report what others have said. I have been to the Ramada area in South Boston and was not impressed - descriptions of the BW Adams area seem to be similar.

 

The problem is that folks who are used to cruising from ports that cater to cruisers don't understand that Boston doesn't cater to cruisers. Unlike most airports that have lots of free hotel shuttles, Boston has them for hotels in fringe areas like Revere, Saugus, Chelsea, Quincy and remote South Boston. Folks do it themselves in Boston - they take cabs or the "T" and get themselves around.

[Lmack]

Hi emt6121,

 

We are sailing out of Boston on Oct 29, 2011 and have booked:

 

The Best Western Adams Inn

29 Hancock Street

Quincy, MA 02171

617+328-1500

 

We searched for hotel accommodations that included these complimentary items:

 

1) transportation from Logan International Airport

2) breakfast

3) transportation to Black Falcon Cruise Terminal

 

After comparing a Back Bay hotel ($100+), cab from airport ($30) and cab to cruise terminal ($15+), we decided that the Adams Inn had exactly what we wanted.

 

From what I remember during our hotel research, the Best Western Adams Inn does offer park 'n' cruise packages. You may want to phone the hotel directly.

 

I hope this information helps to answer your question.

 

HappyJan

**************************************************

__/7__/7__/7___

\::::::::::::::::::::::/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jewel of the Seas

October 29, 2011

 

Best Western Adams Inn is an example of a hotel in a "fringe" area that offers shuttle and parking to compensate for its poor location. Folks have stayed at this hotel and been satisfied, but others have not. This is a hotel you pick if you want to fly into Boston and stay in a not centrally located hotel in Quincy until you go to the pier. If the 3 1/2* Back Bay hotel is on Hotwire for about $100, for a little more money you can stay in an upscale area of Boston with shops and restaurants, be in a location you can walk around at night, and have easy access to Boston sights as well as the port.

 

Boston is not like a Florida port city - it does not cater to the cruising crowd. Logan Airport is practically in downtown Boston so none of the downtown hotels offer free airport shuttles. Folks pay for cabs or take the Silver Line or Blue Line "T" from the airport to their hotel. The free shuttles are offered by hotels in more fringe areas like Revere, Saugus, Chelsea, and Quincy, none of which are particularly convenient to the port. Several hotels like the BW Adams also offer a shuttle to the port - from Quincy it is a quick detour to the port on the way to Logan. There is also a Holiday Inn Express in South Boston that offers parking and I think a pay shuttle to the port. There are also the park/sleep airport hotels (trinityreservations.com and stay123.com) that are primarily located several miles northeast of Boston in Revere and Saugus. You could get the parking at these hotels, but you would have to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport and then a cab or public transit to the port.

 

Parking at the port is $16/day - $112 for a 7 day cruise. For your 10/21 date I am seeing 2 hotels on Hotwire in the Burlington/Lexington area. One is a 2* for $58 that is likely to be the Quality Inn in Lexington and the other is a 3.5* hotel for $71 that is likely to be the Element in Lexington. I live in the area and know that each hotel is close to an exit on route 128/95 and about 10 minutes north of the intersections of I90 and 128/I95. The Element is a brand new hotel within the last several years and gets excellent reviews. These hotels would be on the west side of Boston which you would hit first coming from Pittsburgh and would be less than 1/2 hour drive to the port. The Burlington Mall is close by and there are many nice restaurants in the area.

 

We're also sailing out of Boston on Oct 29, 2011. We'll be arriving in Boston on Amtrak train on Oct 28th. When I was going to book I discovered there are 3 stations - South Boston, North Boston, and Bay Back. Since we're not familiar with the Boston area, could you please suggest which station we should arrive in?

 

We also need to book a hotel that may possibly be close to the train station and cruise port - if there is such a thing. It's just the two of us. Can you please suggest a hotel or how to book a hotel that is reasonable for the pre-cruise, and also transportation to the cruise port the following day.

 

We appreciate any advice or suggestions you can give us.

Lynn

[PattyG12]

Can anyone give me an update of any hotels that might have parking while cruising? I'm going on the Brilliance on 9/29 and we're driving up the day before. We'd love to be somewhere that has things to do during the evening, perhaps close to the port?

[138east]

What's your budget and how many people?

 

Please read the previous post about the park/sleep hotels in Boston. Basically none of them are in locations that have things to do in the evening without getting on the T to go into town. The best one out there right now is Embassy Suites on trinityreservations.com for $227 tax included. This hotel is in East Boston just off the airport property and they offer shuttle transportation to the T - the ride to the Quincy Market area is two stops. If you can manage your luggage, you would have the option to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport and then take the Silver Line bus (free from the airport) to World Trade Center and transfer to the SL2 bus to Black Falcon.

 

There are some Hotwire options that are more in town for a similar amount of money, but you would have to pay one night's parking at going rates plus $16/day for the duration of your cruise.

[PattyG12]

Thanks for your help. I just wanted to see if anything had changed since this thread is a couple years old. There are 4 of us and it's not quite as "budgeted" as some trips. This is my SIL's retirement cruise. Looking more like our best option is to park at the port and pay the high:eek: prices.

[138east]

Our favorite 4* hotel in the waterfront District is on Hotwire for $183 + tax for 9/28. This is highly likely to be the Westin but could be the Seaport or the Renaissance. This will put you in one of the closest hotels to the port (all three hotels are very very nice and within two blocks of one another). The Waterfront at now has a nice selection of restaurants plus excellent easy access to downtown via the Silver Line. For parking you would have the option of just ditching your car in the Cruiseport garage and walking back to the hotel. You would pay one night at the regular rate and then $16/day for the duration of your cruise.