Travel and Parking in Bayonne, NJ?

[Marialivia]

My friend and I will be taking the Voyager cruise on 9/10. RCCL provides a bus from Hartford, which goes directly to the ship. This would be extremely convenient for me. However, my friend lives in Central New Jersey and is nervous about traveling alone by bus, even a relatively short distance. If she is willing to drive to Bayonne, what is the parking situation (and cost)? Would there be a better choice for her (short of driving to Conn. and traveling with me, which seems wasteful). Thanks very much.

[nicpesq]

There is plenty of parking on the pier at Bayonne, and its relatively close to the terminal. The ost is $108.00 for the nine night cruise and $60.00 for the five night cruise. The lot is secure, although not fully blacktopped (some gravel areas) making the movement of luggage a little more difficult. There is, however a shuttle whcih runs a ciruit route so the gravel shouldn't pose a problem. We used the lot for the 6/18 sailing with no problems at all and the care was fine upon our return. No one can get to the pier when the ship is not there, as the first security checkpoint is right at the turnoff to the Penisula. Enjoy the cruise.

 

Another option may be to check out NJ Transit to see what service is availbe from her home to Newark or Bayonne and then take a cab from the terminal to the pier, but I am sure the same issues regarding the bus trip would ned to be addressed in this matter.

[Marialivia]

This is of immeasurable help to me -- I will be talking with her tonight and will present all these options. I'm thinking that a "suitable" compromise would be for me to take an Amtrak bus to Port Authority and meet up with her there if she's willing, and then we could take a cab to Bayonne. More than this I cannot do for her!! The information about the parking is particulary helpful -- IF she's willing to pay the $108!!

[CarpeCerevisi]

The $108 does not sound so bad when you start adding up the cost of other transportation, i.e. train, bus and cab (especially a cab from NYC), and don't forget, that's round trip transportation.

 

As "nicpesq" said, the lot is secure and close to the terminal. Also, there is a drive up area where luggage may be unloaded and given to the porters prior to parking. On return, as long as someone watches the bags, the luggage can be loaded in this area after exiting the parking lot. I also saw a case where a porter brought a luggage trolley right to someone's car in the lot, although I'm sure it was for a nice tip.