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Cheaper parking at Cape Liberty Cruise Port, NJ?


LoveDoctors
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We have a Royal Caribbean cruise coming up, and the parking at the port is $19 per day, which would total almost $200 for our trip. Does anyone know of cheaper options?

 

Bayonne has strict parking enforcement. The train station near the dock only offers parking for up to 24 hours. Googling for other parking lots (the Newark Airport is nearby) only gave me one with a shuttle to the dock (park2go), and it would cost about the same as the dock after fees and taxes. NJ Transit shows that the 81 bus or the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail could get us to the dock from nearby areas, but it's still not clear where we would be able to park before getting on the bus or train.

 

Less money on parking means more money for fun, so I hope we can cut $50-100. We should be able to carry our luggage at least a half-mile without trouble, if that gives us more options. More if we use the wheels. I expect that information on more options would help other cruisers as well.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...

I've been looking for the same thing since we are doing a 9 nighter.

 

From what I can tell so far, the only other option would be to book a park/fly rate with a hotel like the Country Inn and Suites in Newark. But I haven't called them yet to find out exactly how much it would be, how far they are, and how much a shuttle or taxi would cost 5 of us.

 

I'm thinking we'll probably just park right there and fork over the cash.

 

Would love to hear other suggestions though if anyone else knows?

 

Thanks!

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LoveDoctors - how many nights is your cruise? Where are you coming from? What is your sail date? Do you need a hotel room the night before?

 

Heatherco - Call the Hilton Garden on Staten Island. They offer free parking and a shuttle to the pier and can give you a price for 5 people. Also call Country Inns - the pricing is confusing on their web site because the park/cruise rate they offer is for 2 people. Parking is extra and more people are extra.

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From what I can tell so far, the only other option would be to book a park/fly rate with a hotel like the Country Inn and Suites in Newark. But I haven't called them yet to find out exactly how much it would be, how far they are, and how much a shuttle or taxi would cost 5 of us. Thanks!

 

We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites last month for our Explorer cruise. The total cost of the hotel was a little over $200 once all the taxes & fees were included, then we paid an additional $35 to park. The round-trip shuttle fare was included in the hotel price as we booked the "stay & sail" package. It was a nice hotel and it took us about 15-20 to get to the port. The shuttle was actually a large taxi van. There were 4 of us on the trip to the ship, and 6 coming back to the hotel. The parking was in the hotel lot.

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That's what I mean about Country Inns. Linkerblink - you paid extra for the parking and you were only two people. I think 2 more people for cruise transportation is $45, so 3 would be even more. It's got to end up being at least $100 on top of the room rate. Also, I don't know if they can put 5 people in a room.

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There really is no cheap parking around the port. And you can not WALK into the port, so must pay for a taxi even if you take public transport CLOSE to the dock.

 

There are some lots around the airport for $8.00 per day (a couple slightly less with the discount coupons) BUT transport from the airport to the port is $45-50 so you don't save anything. IF you could find cheap transport from the airport (bus/light rail), you MAY save a little. But it won't be much.

Edited by greatam
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I am also leaving on the explorer in May. I've looked into Country Inn and Suites as suggested. It seems reasonable when you consider it includes the parking, however they tell me that it is 35 minutes from the port (not 15 -20). I know it is very possible that the individual I spoke to may not have been acurate, as sometimes the person who one talks to for a reservation doesn't always know the facts.

 

Can someone please verify that it is in fact 15 - 20 minutes and how did you find the experience of taking the shuttle. It seems easy enough going there, but was it a hassle on the way back. Did you have to wait a long time for the shuttle? Did you have to wait for it to fill up with passengers before it could leave?

 

When you consider the room rate and parking it comes out the a tiny bit under parking at the pier and I'm just not sure if it wouldn't just be easier to park at the pier. Any thoughts on this would be appreicated. Thank you.

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IMO if the $$ are similar, it is easier to park at the pier. The time to the pier is variable because of the traffic at Cape Liberty. It is 15-20 minutes to get there, but if traffic is backed up, it can take longer to actually arrive at the terminal.

 

I haven't taken the shuttle, but other OP's have commented that you had to sign up for a time when you checked into the hotel. This means that you have no control over your arrival time at the port. Coming back I think they provide some sort of taxi vouchers so you can go back to the hotel or to the airport if you are flying.

 

I like to drive and try to arrive between 10:30 and 11 am to be among the first folks on the ship. I bring my patience and always expect to do some waiting in a traffic line or the terminal. I've never hit a big traffic jam in the drop off line and I've waited 0-45 minutes in the terminal to board. It just depends on how you hit it.

 

Do you live close enough to drive easily the same day? If so, I would drive. None of the Newark Airport hotels are vacation destinations - they are transient airport hotels and many have limited food service. There are some good restaurants in Newark, but do you really want to wander around that area looking for them?

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That's what I mean about Country Inns. Linkerblink - you paid extra for the parking and you were only two people. I think 2 more people for cruise transportation is $45, so 3 would be even more. It's got to end up being at least $100 on top of the room rate. Also, I don't know if they can put 5 people in a room.

 

True...it made sense for us, just being two people. The included shuttle vouchers were for two people only. Our room had two double beds, but perhaps a rollaway would be available. Regarding travel time to the port, I don't think it was 35 minutes...maybe 25 at the most. It was longer coming back (maybe 35 minutes that time) because the driver had to drop two people off at another hotel before heading for ours and then he missed an exit and had to back-track. Since we wanted to go the night before due to worries about accidents/tie-ups on I-78, we selected that hotel because it was a lot cheaper to park there than at the port. It worked for us...perhaps not for others. As always, people must find the best fit for their situation. The great thing about this board is that thanks to local experts such as yourself a lot of the research has already been done. That's how I found out about Country Inn & Suites.

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  • 4 months later...

If you live in the New England area, there is a shuttle service for Bayonne pier from Braintree and Worcester, MA and Hartford and New Haven, CT. Cost is $100pp round trip. Takes you right to the terminal.

 

I've been looking for the same thing since we are doing a 9 nighter.

 

From what I can tell so far, the only other option would be to book a park/fly rate with a hotel like the Country Inn and Suites in Newark. But I haven't called them yet to find out exactly how much it would be, how far they are, and how much a shuttle or taxi would cost 5 of us.

 

I'm thinking we'll probably just park right there and fork over the cash.

 

Would love to hear other suggestions though if anyone else knows?

 

Thanks!

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Hello Bayonne experts. :)

 

Hilton Garden Staten Island has a 4 person rate Sun Mar 20th for $188 taxes in. Apparently this includes 11 night parking and 2 way shuttle. Port parking would be $209 taxes in.

 

Caveat on the hotel rate is that it has to be paid in full up front and is non refundable. Is this rate good enough to justify paying up front? I checked for this Sunday and it's $206 taxes in.

 

Anyone have knowledge of their shuttle service? What is the experience like? Is there a charge to enter the port?

 

TIA,

Mark

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8 people in our group. It turns out 4 people in our group can't leave until Sun morning.

 

But Hilton Garden Staten Island says that if we book a room for 4 people it includes parking for 2 cars plus the 2 way shuttle.

 

So the plan is to stay with 4 people Sat night. The other vehicle arrives Sun morning, drops people at the port, and heads over to the hotel. We tag both vehicles with the parking passes and take the shuttle to the port.

 

$188 taxes in for (11 night) parking for 2 vehicles. Sounds sweet.

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  • 1 year later...
We have a Royal Caribbean cruise coming up, and the parking at the port is $19 per day, which would total almost $200 for our trip. Does anyone know of cheaper options?

 

Bayonne has strict parking enforcement. The train station near the dock only offers parking for up to 24 hours. Googling for other parking lots (the Newark Airport is nearby) only gave me one with a shuttle to the dock (park2go), and it would cost about the same as the dock after fees and taxes. NJ Transit shows that the 81 bus or the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail could get us to the dock from nearby areas, but it's still not clear where we would be able to park before getting on the bus or train.

 

Less money on parking means more money for fun, so I hope we can cut $50-100. We should be able to carry our luggage at least a half-mile without trouble, if that gives us more options. More if we use the wheels. I expect that information on more options would help other cruisers as well.

 

Try Premier Parking at $11.99 a day, with free shuttle to pier (it's on the grounds of the Bayonne Golf Club, 1.5 miles from the pier). Shuttle runs 24/7 on demand.

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Try Premier Parking at $11.99 a day, with free shuttle to pier (it's on the grounds of the Bayonne Golf Club, 1.5 miles from the pier). Shuttle runs 24/7 on demand.

 

do you realize that this thread and the original question are close to 3 years old?:confused::p

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  • 2 months later...
Hello Bayonne experts. :)

 

Hilton Garden Staten Island has a 4 person rate Sun Mar 20th for $188 taxes in. Apparently this includes 11 night parking and 2 way shuttle. Port parking would be $209 taxes in.

 

Caveat on the hotel rate is that it has to be paid in full up front and is non refundable. Is this rate good enough to justify paying up front? I checked for this Sunday and it's $206 taxes in.

 

Anyone have knowledge of their shuttle service? What is the experience like? Is there a charge to enter the port?

 

TIA,

Mark

 

Okay, I know this question was asked a few years ago, but we did the Hilton sleep, park can cruise last year and it seemed to work out great! They don't actually own the shuttle, they use the Hampton Inn's shuttle. This made me a bit nervous, but the price was better for the HGI than the Hampton, and we had no problems getting a shuttle! Our only issue was getting picked up when we got back. They forgot all about us!! They did make it right by paying for a taxi to bring us back to the hotel ($60 bucks!). I figured for our 2013 cruise I'd try to stay in NJ closer to the cruiseport, but so far I can't find any better deals :(

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If you live in the New England area, there is a shuttle service for Bayonne pier from Braintree and Worcester, MA and Hartford and New Haven, CT. Cost is $100pp round trip. Takes you right to the terminal.

 

 

Also for the NY area you can take the Yankee Trails bus from Albany to the port for 70pp rt. :)

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There are other parking options for Port Liberty besides parking at the port. I've used premier parking. I had to wait about 10 minutes for the shuttle on the way back to the lot, but overall, it was a good experience. They were about half the price of parking at the port as well.

 

There are a few hotel deals out there where you can sleep and park your car there and they will shuttle you to the port. These work fine as well and I have used them. I wouldn't use these unless I needed to sleep at the hotel. If it is possible for me to arrive the day of my departure, I would rather do that because it is cheaper overall.

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There are other parking options for Port Liberty besides parking at the port. I've used premier parking. I had to wait about 10 minutes for the shuttle on the way back to the lot, but overall, it was a good experience. They were about half the price of parking at the port as well.

 

There are a few hotel deals out there where you can sleep and park your car there and they will shuttle you to the port. These work fine as well and I have used them. I wouldn't use these unless I needed to sleep at the hotel. If it is possible for me to arrive the day of my departure, I would rather do that because it is cheaper overall.

 

While you may have had a good experience with Premier Parking, did you REALLY "look under the hood" or did you just grab the lowest price??? From your post, sounds like lowest price to me.

 

If you had REALLY checked the underlying elements of your parking, you would have found out that IF your car was damaged, IF you had been injured on your shuttle, IF your car would have been vandalized or IF your car had been moved from it's original place and something would have happened, you would have been TOTALLY LIABLE!!!

 

You are booking with a WEBSITE that has ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSIBILITY for anything that happens. It is in the fine print under Terms and Service. You have to go after "third parties" which can be many-the entity that OWNS the lot, the entity that RENTS the lot, the entity that OWNS the shuttle vehicle, the entity that OPERATES the shuttle, etc. etc. and those entities may not even be the one who signed the agreement with Premier Parking.

 

Whose insurance are you going to go after????

 

I really wish people would realize that saving $20-40 on cruise parking for some fly by night outfit is not worth it if something happens to their vehicle or themselves on the shuttle.

 

Don't believe me-here are the T & C's. http://airportparkinginc.com/TermsOfService.asp

 

There numerous websites, all tied to Premier Parking. But all T & C's are essentially the same. NO LIABILITY for ANYTHING. You have to determine who is the THIRD PARTY who may actually be liable. You are dealing with a WEBSITE when you deal with Premier Parking. They OWN NOTHING-they have NO liability.

 

DON'T park there.

Edited by greatam
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do NOT use the cheap parking.....that company is not properly insured to do what they are doing and to use their out of state shuttle in New Jersey.....

 

and you do not need a TA to find you a park & cruise rate...there are not that many....and some of them are more expensive than doing it yourself.....and you're at the liberty of the shuttle...if they have one.....

 

booking your own hotel and transfers can save time and money...

 

in the next week i hope to be able to start anew with the main info thread.....the current one is getting long and tedious so i will be (hopefully) finishing up the revised info and starting a fresh Cape Liberty thread...

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do NOT use the cheap parking.....that company is not properly insured to do what they are doing and to use their out of state shuttle in New Jersey.....

 

and you do not need a TA to find you a park & cruise rate...there are not that many....and some of them are more expensive than doing it yourself.....and you're at the liberty of the shuttle...if they have one.....

 

It is just amazing how many NEW posters are advocating park at Premier. One begins to wonder if they are not somehow tied into the many, many websites that Premier/CheapParkFly/AirportParking, etc. etc. operate. All the same company with MANY websites.

 

Now we are getting hit with posters who are new to CC and advocating park at the Premier lot in Bayonne.

 

You really have to wonder.

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Ditto to what Meg said. Cape liberty is close to Newark Airport which has a ton of hotels and transportation available to support all the flights in and out of there. All that infrastructure and services are available to cruisers, but cruisers are a teeny piece of the economic action, so there's no reason for a lot of hotels to provide all inclusive pre cruise packages. It's definitely a do-it-yourself area.

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Right...none of the places up there really need cruise business to the extent that other hotels might...

 

People have to understand that " free" shuttles really are not...the cost is rolled in someplace...

 

Doing the pieces individually allows flexibility...and control.

 

I agree with greatam too...you have to wonder...are some of these people shilling for premier parking...

 

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

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  • 7 months later...

Hello,

I'm sailing out of Port Liberty on the Explorer of the Seas on Feb. 10th and I need help with parking.

I too was going to use premier but after reading everyone's advice I've decided against it.

Is there parking directly at the port? If so does anyone know the cost and what time does everyone think I should arrive to insure I get a parking space?

 

Thanks so much

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