Economical Parking Options in North Jersey for two cars coming from Philly and then ubering to the Manhattan Terminal

[fordgal34]

Greetings fellow cruisers!

 

Nine members of my family (ages 12 -76) and I are cruising for eight nights out of the Manhattan terminal at the end of this upcoming June 2024.  We can all get together to leave from my house in Philadelphia as a group and are looking for the most economical way to get to the Manhattan terminal.  After all, we chose to leave out of Manhattan so we don't have to pay for airfare for 9 people to fly to Florida.

 

Please note that the elderly in our family have ruled out taking the train at any point so that is not an option along with driving straight into Manhattan and parking for $45/day at the terminal with 2 cars.  The farthest we want to drive our two cars is New Jersey, we don't want to go into New York with our cars.  We have done some research but are not confident on anything we have found so far:

 

1 - A transportation service will cost us $500 each way from Philadelphia.  No thank you, lol.

2 - When we typically go to NYC we park at the Hamilton Station NJ Transit stop and take the train.  Well, no train this time for us and and Uber would be too much money from Hamilton Station parking lot to Manhattan on top of paying ~$14/day for 2 cars in that lot.

3 - My sister found Union station in North Jersey which is a lot closer to Manhattan than Hamilton Station and it's apparently only $4/day to park and the closer we get to Manhattan the cheaper the Uber should be but $4/day in that lot seems too good to be true.  My husband thinks the station looks small and the lot will be filled by the time we get up there.  Not sure about overnight parking either.

     Is anyone familiar with the Union Station NJ Transit lot or have any other parking lot suggestions on the New Jersey side of NYC coming from Philly in which then we would Uber to the Manhattan terminal?

4 - Our friend that lives closest to Manhattan on the Jersey side lives in South Orange and we plan on contacting him this week to see if we can park at his house and then Uber from there and get an idea from him as to how much two Ubers from there or if he has any creative ideas for us.

5 - We really don't want to stay in a hotel overnight in North Jersey since we are less than 3 hours away (and park at the hotel lot while we are gone) but I suppose if the price is right we can pay and not even stay overnight in the hotel and so far I haven't found a hotel where you can park for more than seven nights.

 

Please let me know if you have any suggestions on driving from Philly, parking somewhere in North Jersey, and then ubering to Manhattan terminal.

 

Thanks so much for your time!

 

[1025cruise]

According to njtransit.com, there are 412 parking spaces at that station with a permit required for night/overnight parking. So I'm guessing not the $4 a day.

IMHO, if you aren't going to take Amtrak from Philly (which would be my first option if I had to go from Philly to NYC), I'd just bite the bullet and park at the port. The parking is on the roof of the port and is secure.

[fordgal34]

Many thanks, 1025cruise!

[meadowlander]

Type 'cheap Newark airport parking' in Google for hotels that offer long term parking. NJ Waterways in Weehawken has a parking garage and ferry service to NYC close to the MCT. NJ Transit has a parking garage in Ramsey, NJ on route 17 that allows overnight parking but it would be far from your travel route to MCT.

[fordgal34]

Thanks so much, meadowlander!

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

IMHO, if you aren't going to take Amtrak from Philly (which would be my first option if I had to go from Philly to NYC), I'd just bite the bullet and park at the port. The parking is on the roof of the port and is secure.

 

@fordgal34 I agree with all of this.  If you've ruled out the train, you can't beat parking at the cruise terminal for convenience.  At the end of the cruise you'll be on your way home quickly.  And if the older folks in your group have vetoed the train, I presume because of the schlep factor, then parking at the port avoids the schlepping involved with the other options you are considering.  I know you said you don't want to drive farther than New Jersey, but it's not very difficult to get to the Manhattan cruise terminal from NJ.   Or, given the cost of parking at the port, and the concerns of the older folks in your group, maybe bite the bullet and do the private transportation from Philly.   

 

(All of this assumes things don't work out with your friend in South Orange and Uber from there, which seems to be your preference.) 

 

Good luck!

 

[navybankerteacher]

Perhaps your “elderly” should not be given veto power.   For someone going from Philadelphia to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, going by Amtrak is just plain common sense, followed by being willing to drive to the terminal and pay for parking .

Driving to Jersey, finding parking there, then figuring out trans-Hudson transportation to the MCT, really needs to be thought out.

 

Yes, I know your “elderly” might not like trains; but, seriously…..

ps- I am certain my children consider me “elderly” - but were well enough raised to have the gumption to tell me not to be difficult when I might be inclined to do so.

Edited February 26 by navybankerteacher

[princeton123211]

13 hours ago, fordgal34 said:

Please note that the elderly in our family have ruled out taking the train at any point so that is not an option along with driving straight into Manhattan and parking for $45/day at the terminal with 2 cars.

Agree with everyone whos weighed in on this-- as a fellow Philadelphian, ruling out the train here is just plain silliness. It is by far the best/most efficient/least expensive way of doing this and by taking Amtrak (vs NJ Transit) you will have complimentary baggage assistance on either end.

 

13 hours ago, fordgal34 said:

1 - A transportation service will cost us $500 each way from Philadelphia.  No thank you, lol.

By not flying to Florida with your group of 9 you are most likely saving somewhere between $7000-9000 during that period of time-- $1000 round trip seems like sort of a bargain in that context. 

 

13 hours ago, fordgal34 said:

3 - My sister found Union station in North Jersey which is a lot closer to Manhattan than Hamilton Station and it's apparently only $4/day to park and the closer we get to Manhattan the cheaper the Uber should be but $4/day in that lot seems too good to be true.  My husband thinks the station looks small and the lot will be filled by the time we get up there.  Not sure about overnight parking either.

I personally wouldn't leave my car unattended at Union's NJ Transit Station for a week. 

 

14 hours ago, fordgal34 said:

4 - Our friend that lives closest to Manhattan on the Jersey side lives in South Orange and we plan on contacting him this week to see if we can park at his house and then Uber from there and get an idea from him as to how much two Ubers from there or if he has any creative ideas for us.

An UberXL (of which you will need at least 2 and possibly 3 for 9 passengers and luggage) will cost about $90-100 each way, per car, to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. It could cost possibly more coming back from the MCT to South Orange. With the great deals Amtrak is running right now you could easily beat that cost with trains from Philadelphia with a LOT less hassle. 

 

I agree with most that was written here-- we often cruise from New York for the same reasons you are but by ruling out the train or parking at the cruise terminal you are hobbling yourselves needlessly to find alternatives that are much less efficient, can cost more, and needlessly put your car at risk (like parking at a NJ Transit station for 9 days). 

 

It's time to sit the old folks down and explain the benefits of Amtrak. 

[Turtles06]

39 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

It is by far the best/most efficient/least expensive way of doing this and by taking Amtrak (vs NJ Transit) you will have complimentary baggage assistance on either end.

 

Yes, perhaps the "elderly" in the OP's group don't realize there are Red Caps to assist with luggage.  (It's a free service, but tip them generously.)  Also, I would think the "younger" folks in the group could help with the luggage too. 

 

OP: what's the objection that your "elders" have to Amtrak? 

[mjkacmom]

We live in NJ, 10 miles from the MCT. I’d suggest Amtrak (a bit nicer than NJ transit) or driving and parking. I would not suggest a commuter lot for a week. W eve taken car service, and parked at the pier, costs are close but prefer driving in. There is also parking at a ferry terminal in NJ for half the price, and paying to ferry there and back. Driving to the MCT isn't difficult, especially if you take the GWB and drive south, it takes you right to the parking lot.

[thesmiths]

20 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

 don't realize there are Red Caps to assist with luggage.  (It's a free service, but tip them generously.)   

Can you tell me more about this , we are traveling from ILG Wilmington DE?

We will have 3 suitcases. I don't recall seeing them at the station.

 

Thank You !

 

 

 

[princeton123211]

2 minutes ago, thesmiths said:

Can you tell me more about this , we are traveling from ILG Wilmington DE?

We will have 3 suitcases. I don't recall seeing them at the station.

 

Thank You !

It's a free baggage handling service much like a bellman in a hotel-- you check in with them and they will deliver you and your bags to the train and help you disembark the same way. It is free but you tip then generously. 

 

It is available only at Amtraks busiest stations-- downtown Wilmington does have it (as does Philly, NYC, Boston, Baltimore, etc)

[Turtles06]

 

1 minute ago, princeton123211 said:

It's a free baggage handling service much like a bellman in a hotel-- you check in with them and they will deliver you and your bags to the train and help you disembark the same way. It is free but you tip then generously. 

 

It is available only at Amtraks busiest stations-- downtown Wilmington does have it (as does Philly, NYC, Boston, Baltimore, etc)

 

Just to add to this: when you get to the Amtrak station, ask for the Red Caps.  They'll take your luggage, sit you down to wait, and then escort you to the train when ready.  They will bring your luggage onto the train and put it onto a rack in your car. 

 

When you are on the train, let the conductor know that you'll need Red Cap assistance at your destination station.  They will call ahead and arrange this.  Sometimes in NY, you'll get off the train and find that the Red Caps are so busy they will have to come back and get you.  Just wait on the platform for them.  (You'll need to have taken your luggage off the train.) 

 

In NY, we've had Red Caps take our luggage up to the street and put it and us right into a cab. 

[fordgal34]

Thank you all for these great suggestions.  The reason for no train is that my father is not a "walker" hence one of the reasons why he is taking us on a cruise instead of a different type of vacation.  He most likely won't even be getting off of the ship at any of our stops, for example.  We also want a very relaxed trip up and back to the terminal from Philly and we would have to still get from my house which is less than one mile from the Philadelphia County line to our local train stop or uber to 30th Street Station then to Penn Station and then to the Manhattan terminal - too many transfers.   And since he is paying for most of the cruise, it's hard to argue with his wishes.  So unfortunately as much as I see where people are coming from, we are not going to take the train.  No ferry either.

 

We have ubered straight from my house just over the line Philly line in Montgomery County, Pa to and from Newark airport before (which was less than $200 each way) so I am also going to look into ubering to and from Manhattan as crazy as that sounds. 

 

I'm just testing the waters to see if we can find any way to get up there and back with our criteria that is less than the $1000 the transportation company quoted us.  And who knows, all of this research may just make us double down on the transportation company at the end of the day anyway.  Too bad we just can't cruise from Philly.

 

Anyone have any trustworthy long distance transportation company suggestions?

 

Again, thanks so much for everyone's time and efforts!

[lx200gps]

39 minutes ago, fordgal34 said:

Thank you all for these great suggestions.  The reason for no train is that my father is not a "walker" hence one of the reasons why he is taking us on a cruise instead of a different type of vacation.  He most likely won't even be getting off of the ship at any of our stops, for example.  We also want a very relaxed trip up and back to the terminal from Philly and we would have to still get from my house which is less than one mile from the Philadelphia County line to our local train stop or uber to 30th Street Station then to Penn Station and then to the Manhattan terminal - too many transfers.   And since he is paying for most of the cruise, it's hard to argue with his wishes.  So unfortunately as much as I see where people are coming from, we are not going to take the train.  No ferry either.

 

We have ubered straight from my house just over the line Philly line in Montgomery County, Pa to and from Newark airport before (which was less than $200 each way) so I am also going to look into ubering to and from Manhattan as crazy as that sounds. 

 

I'm just testing the waters to see if we can find any way to get up there and back with our criteria that is less than the $1000 the transportation company quoted us.  And who knows, all of this research may just make us double down on the transportation company at the end of the day anyway.  Too bad we just can't cruise from Philly.

 

Anyone have any trustworthy long distance transportation company suggestions?

 

Again, thanks so much for everyone's time and efforts!

I realize that you have eliminated taking the ferry across the Hudson from Weehawken, but given your criteria, there is some merit in considering it at least parking there. Our preferred mode of transport is to drive down and park at one of the two huge parking garages right at the ferry terminal, one of which is co-located with two large Marriott hotels. We drive down the day before. In our case, we do take the ferry across and do the 15 minute walk up the road to the ship, but I realize that is not an option for you. Still, getting Ubers from the Weehawken ferry terminal in NJ to the ship, either via the GW Bridge or the Lincoln Tunnel, would be pretty easy, as the ferry terminal and garages are almost right across the Hudson from the MCT.  In our case, staying in NJ and ferrying across the Hudson has two massive advantages for us Canadians with our horrible exchange rate. The parking cost for 7 or 8 days is a bit more than half the cost of parking at the MCT, the garages are big and open and the cost of hotels in NJ are about half of what a comparable Manhattan hotel would cost. 

[navybankerteacher]

59 minutes ago, fordgal34 said:

Thank you all for these great suggestions.  The reason for no train is that my father is not a "walker" hence one of the reasons why he is taking us on a cruise instead of a different type of vacation.  He most likely won't even be getting off of the ship at any of our stops, for example.  We also want a very relaxed trip up and back to the terminal from Philly and we would have to still get from my house which is less than one mile from the Philadelphia County line to our local train stop or uber to 30th Street Station then to Penn Station and then to the Manhattan terminal - too many transfers.   And since he is paying for most of the cruise, it's hard to argue with his wishes.  So unfortunately as much as I see where people are coming from, we are not going to take the train.  No ferry either.

 

We have ubered straight from my house just over the line Philly line in Montgomery County, Pa to and from Newark airport before (which was less than $200 each way) so I am also going to look into ubering to and from Manhattan as crazy as that sounds. 

 

I'm just testing the waters to see if we can find any way to get up there and back with our criteria that is less than the $1000 the transportation company quoted us.  And who knows, all of this research may just make us double down on the transportation company at the end of the day anyway.  Too bad we just can't cruise from Philly.

 

Anyone have any trustworthy long distance transportation company suggestions?

 

Again, thanks so much for everyone's time and efforts!

That’s why they make folding wheel chairs. Trains and railroad stations almost alway accommodate wheelchair bound passengers.

 

Do you really think any non-train option could work with zero walking?

 

I think you are limiting yourself to a rather costly Uber transfer from home to cruise terminal.

Edited February 26 by navybankerteacher

[1025cruise]

I can't imagine finding an Uber that will take you from Philly to Manhattan.

[princeton123211]

30 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

I can't imagine finding an Uber that will take you from Philly to Manhattan.

Have done it many times with zero issue. It can be expensive but they're happy to do it. Most of the time I will take an Uber from Philly to or from JFK but would work the same for Manhattan. 

[lx200gps]

13 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Have done it many times with zero issue. It can be expensive but they're happy to do it. Most of the time I will take an Uber from Philly to or from JFK but would work the same for Manhattan. 

We once had an Uber driver tell us he had driven a lady from Montreal to Toronto, a distance of 350 miles, after she couldn't get a flight in time. Cost her over a thousand dollars.

[princeton123211]

3 hours ago, lx200gps said:

We once had an Uber driver tell us he had driven a lady from Montreal to Toronto, a distance of 350 miles, after she couldn't get a flight in time. Cost her over a thousand dollars.

Now that is expensive. JFK to Philly is only about $180-200 so not nearly as bad but much more than I usually will spend on an Uber. Manhattan to Philly is around the $200 mark. 

[lx200gps]

2 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Now that is expensive. JFK to Philly is only about $180-200 so not nearly as bad but much more than I usually will spend on an Uber. Manhattan to Philly is around the $200 mark. 

That's pretty accurate actually. Manhattan to Philly is about 90 miles +/- and comes to $US200. Extrapolating to 350 miles and doing a US to Canadian dollar exchange does come out to the  grand he said she paid him for the 7 hour drive.

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Now that is expensive. JFK to Philly is only about $180-200 so not nearly as bad but much more than I usually will spend on an Uber. Manhattan to Philly is around the $200 mark. 

Not challenging your info, but I am surprised it is so low - Stamford Ct to NYC (a bit under 40 miles) runs about $125.

[mjkacmom]

34 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Not challenging your info, but I am surprised it is so low - Stamford Ct to NYC (a bit under 40 miles) runs about $125.

My daughter recently paid $100 from the east side of manhattan to our home, 10 miles west of nyc, on a Sunday afternoon. My husband is ubering tomorrow around noon home from LGA and the estimate is $100.

[princeton123211]

49 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Not challenging your info, but I am surprised it is so low - Stamford Ct to NYC (a bit under 40 miles) runs about $125.

Very rarely do I Uber to/from Manhattan to Philly-- Amtrak is much easier and generally more cost effective for 1. But I will from JFK and it's consistently around $200 for the past few years. A full blown black car car service will be more like $350-400 so it's not a bad deal (although you're not in the same level of car). Mile for mile Uber is much more expensive within Manhattan. I asked one of the drivers once and a NYC based Uber driver doesn't mind heading to Philly because they are allowed to pick up another ride right after they cross back into New Jersey so not much repositioning for them which starts to make more sense. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

My daughter recently paid $100 from the east side of manhattan to our home, 10 miles west of nyc, on a Sunday afternoon. My husband is ubering tomorrow around noon home from LGA and the estimate is $100.

That sounds about right for the distance involved: about 15 or so miles from east side Manhattan- but I would think From LGA it would be further.