Sailing from New Jersey

[andnickali]

I am sailing on Explorer in May and will be driving to New Jersery (Bayonne?) to embark. What is the parking like and how efficent is check-in? It was a nightmare getting on Carnival in Norfolk VA, so I am hoping to avoid a repeat!

[Merion_Mom]

If you can carry/wheel all your bags yourself a short distance, it's easy. When you approach the cruise terminal area in the driveway, stay to the FAR RIGHT and go directly into the parking lot. The mess occurs around the drop-off area. If you can avoid that, you're golden. I have joked that it was farther from our aft cabin to the theatre in the front of the Voyager than it was from our car in the parking lot to the entrance of the cruise terminal!

[cruizeblues]

"Mom" did you do the 5-day to Bermuda or the 9-day Caribbean? How did it compare to cruising out of FL? We are thinking about booking the Explorer next August, but not sure if we would enjoy 4 sea days...

[nyer]

I did the 9-day Caribbean and it was great. My husband was worried that 4 sea days would be too much, but we really enjoyed them. We did have a balcony cabin so he could sit out there if the deck chairs were full.

[superjerryw]

If you are reluctant to leave your car near the pier, I'm sure that one of the nice Cruise Critic people from New Jersey will be happy to let you park your car near their home. By the way, what type of car do you have.....:rolleyes:

[Jennygirl]

No pun intended but it is. My group went on a 5 day out of Bayonne to Bermuda in November. Compared to leaving from NYC ports this was soooo easy and organized. You drive in....drop your bags off and then drive around in a circle again and park in the lot which you passed on your way in. Then you take on your carry on stuff and walk the short distance to the place you just dropped off you big luggage. I would even consider taking another cruise out of Bayonne. Thats how pleasant it was AND disembarking was another pleasure. Have fun - wish I was going with you!!

[wishtdream]

My family did Voyager 9nt last year and will do Explorer this year.

Voyager was soo easy we may never cruse out of Miami again.

 

20 minutes after we arrived at the port we has our seapasses and were on the ship.

 

Waiting for coustoms to clear the ship was another matter alltogther but once we got off we had our luggage and were on the road in 10 minutes

 

Anna

[dizzy205]

We sailed in October, we left our car at the port, the older car :p just in case of the paint issues we heard all about. We parked close enough to walk-but were shuttled anyway. It was the most painless all around embark-disembark experience we have ever had. We loved it.....LOVED IT! Way to go RCCL! Let's see how painless it is in December when we go to Miami...I have to say it usually is fine, but I bet it won't compare to Bayonne.

Happy Sailing!

[Annieeee]

Loved cruising out of NJ. It was super fast. We dropped off our luggage, circled around to park the car and within 20 mins we were on the ship!! I thought it would be a nightmare, but wow what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be.

 

And for those of you sailing from Baltimore, we sailied out of Baltimore twice last yar and it too was an easy process. Very quick.

 

May I suggest that you do the setsail. It really speeds things up.

 

Annieeee

[Monthend]

If you are reluctant to leave your car near the pier, I'm sure that one of the nice Cruise Critic people from New Jersey will be happy to let you park your car near their home. By the way, what type of car do you have.....:rolleyes:

 

 

My mom and sister live in Bayonne and visiting them is such a pain. Since the light rail you need a resident card on your dash to park just about everwhere. It takes me as long to park as it does to drive to their house.

 

We left from Bayonne twice last summer. Once in June on Celebrity and Once in July on RCI. It was so pleasant, fast and easy.

[ribarfly]

We haved sailed out of Bayoone a couple of times, I might suggest depending on where you live check with RCCL or your TA about RCCL bus transportation. I live in Rhode Island and RCCL has a bus that swings thru the New England area to transport guest to the ship, and it is usualy free. I am sure they do the same south and west of Bayonne. Might be worth looking into.

[Merion_Mom]

"Mom" did you do the 5-day to Bermuda or the 9-day Caribbean? How did it compare to cruising out of FL? We are thinking about booking the Explorer next August, but not sure if we would enjoy 4 sea days...

I did the 5 day to Canada and New England on the Voyager in 2004. So, we didn't have lots of sea days. But we are booked on the Explorer for this June, for the 9 day, and I LOVE SEA DAYS. There is SO MUCH to do on board, you will love every day, whether a port day or a sea day. SSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier than flying to Florida. Take as much as you want, you're driving! It's great. Sure, the NJ Turnpike STINKS, but it's survivable. :D

[Enchantment 04]

Do people still come back and find that sticky substance on thier cars? My mom is getting a new BMW and we do not want it to get ruined because of that sticky stuff.

[The Big Booper]

We took the Constellation out of Bayonne relo to San Juan this past November. My son dropped us off at the terminal and drove away so we didn't have to worry about parking there and returning to Bayonne; we flew from SJU to JFK returning. The drop off was great, took no time to board the ship.

 

As a relocation trip with 5 sea days, Celebrity had even fewer activities than usual so we were bored by the middle of the second day unless wine blending talks and sushi presentations float your boat. I asked the asst CD if there were plans to have horse racing and he asked me "What is that, I've heard of it?" This is the level of activity on the X ships. They didn't even have the Love and Marriage game show which X usually has. Don't take X relocation trips unless you like to sit and stare at the water for 5 days.

 

Enough of the soapbox, Bayonne was a great port, even though not exectly scenic, We plan on doing future trips out of there in a couple years after we finish our below trips (have to book on the ship, after all, to get our cabin credit.) :D

[DPurcell58]

I had the stuff on my car from last Aug. I think it actually only happened one or 2 weeks. I doubt it's happening again, since they had to pay a lot of money to get all our cars fixed!

[judyzoo]

Has Bayonne now eliminated that long trip -- by shuttle -- between checkin and the ship?

[Merion_Mom]

1. It's not a long trip.

 

2. It's still there. The ship is docked at the end of the pier. The terminal building is by the parking lot. The dock is an old industrial pier - too dangerous, ugly and dirty to walk.

 

The shuttle bus is quick and painless.

[Wildroze]

I checked with RCCL about bus service from Mass and they quoted me $145 per person. That is really high. Greyhound is only $60 per person round trip but you need a cab from the bus station

[ribarfly]

I checked with RCCL about bus service from Mass and they quoted me $145 per person. That is really high. Greyhound is only $60 per person round trip but you need a cab from the bus station

 

 

We have used the RCCL bus transportation to Bayonne, three times so far. They have charged us at the time of booking, but as the cruise gets closer and the bus fills up they have always cancled the charge and refunded our money. I always check a month or two before the sailing, and if they don't you can cancel and go with Greyhound, but we have been lucky so far.

[Wildroze]

That is a good idea. How long before the sailing did they notify you?

Thanks

[andnickali]

Loved cruising out of NJ. It was super fast. We dropped off our luggage, circled around to park the car and within 20 mins we were on the ship!! I thought it would be a nightmare, but wow what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be.

 

And for those of you sailing from Baltimore, we sailied out of Baltimore twice last yar and it too was an easy process. Very quick.

 

May I suggest that you do the setsail. It really speeds things up.

 

Annieeee

 

Thanks for the adivce, sounds like NJ does exactly what Baltimore is doing (did). Norfolk was a complete mess- we ended up waiting outside in a line for about 3 hours to check in under a tent and then we were bussed across the city to the pier. I found out later that there was a parking deck across the street from the pier and we could check in right at the pier. Total nightmare! Baltimore was a dream compared to that. What is up with stuff getting on your car in NJ, paint? sticky stuff? And, are the cars safe there? In Baltimore you are in the shipping yard and the cars are in a locked gated area for the week.

[andnickali]

Do people still come back and find that sticky substance on thier cars? My mom is getting a new BMW and we do not want it to get ruined because of that sticky stuff.

 

What is the sticky stuff? Are we parked under tress that drop leaves/sap? Did it come off?

 

Thanks

[philamom]

Merion Mom...how long was your drive time to Bayonne?

[Merion_Mom]

Two hours, including pulling into the port area. But we did it at an "off" time, not rush hour. I found it VERY easy.

[shazzz]

My family did Voyager 9nt last year and will do Explorer this year.

Voyager was soo easy we may never cruse out of Miami again.

 

20 minutes after we arrived at the port we has our seapasses and were on the ship.

 

Waiting for coustoms to clear the ship was another matter alltogther but once we got off we had our luggage and were on the road in 10 minutes

 

Anna

we did voyager in july..and explorer july 15th this yr..when r u going