Hire cars at Boston Port

We are using a hire car to drive from New York to Boston for our Cruise on 14 September, are the hire car drop off's near the port if not do they run a shuttle bus? Also does anyone know approximate time it will take to drive from New York to Boston?

I would also ask this question in the East Coast Departures board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415

We are using a hire car to drive from New York to Boston for our Cruise on 14 September, are the hire car drop off's near the port if not do they run a shuttle bus? Also does anyone know approximate time it will take to drive from New York to Boston?

Could you provide more details about your overall high level plan? Are you trying to drive from NY (where in NY?) to Boston the morning of the cruise?

This trip can take 4-5 hours depending on where you are leaving from and the traffic. NYC traffic can be a nightmare, but Sunday morning is the best day of the week. Are you truly comfortable driving on the other side of the road?

What car company are your renting from? Logan Airport is the major drop off area for car rentals, but car companies also have drop off locations in downtown Boston. The only car company that will shuttle you to the pier is Enterprise in South Boston. Otherwise you have to get yourself from the drop off point to the pier on your own via cab or public transit. If you have time, it would be possible to swing by the pier in South Boston and drop your luggage off before returning the car. Final cruise checkin is about 90 minutes before scheduled departure.

If you are leaving from NYC, several airlines are showing flights under $100 pp from JFK and EWR. It's very easy to get lost in Boston. I'd fly.

I'm glad you posted that. Those are good flight rates. I haven't even gotten to mentioning the Amtrak trains ($49) early on a Sunday plus the bus fares which I'm sure are even cheaper. Both the train and bus go to South Station which is about a $10 cab ride from the pier or $2.50/pp on the Silver Line.

IMO the only reason to rent a car is if you are stopping somewhere between NY and Boston that you can't easily get to any other way. Last week I made two round trips to the New York area by car, but I know how to pick the correct route (which almost never agrees with the GPS) and how to get around traffic accidents. When I cruise out of Cape Liberty, I always take the cruise bus to avoid the expense of the drive.

It is very easy to get lost in Boston, but the airport and port are easy to find coming in the Mass Pike(I90).

I would not do this. The roads are very congested and confusing and the local drivers have zero patience for someone who doesn't know them. As someone who lives outside of Boston, I can say I would never drive to NYC. Take the train. Amtrak will drop you off in Boston at South Station which is only a short cab ride away frm the port.

I would also ask this question in the East Coast Departures board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415

thank you for the link.

Unless you have a knowledge of the roads and driving in this area, I wouldn't do it.

Take the train or a flight.

And, if you are coming to NY and Boston solely for this cruise, I wouldn't risk getting here on the day of the sailing. I would be much more comfortable with arriving the day before.

(Having said that, we have cruised out of NY/NJ numerous times and always drive the day of the cruise. But we allow plenty of time and know the roads.)

Thank you for your help and suggestions, although I am not very reasurrued.

My son has driven in NY and America many times. So I don't think the traffiic will bother him. He drives in London all the time and that is bad if you are a timid driver.

we will be leaving from Newark Airport as we are over nighting there.

We have hired the car through Alamo.

What is the cost of your one way Alamo rental? Did you rent a car size that will accommodate all of you and your luggage? What time are you planning to leave for Boston?

Did you know that you can catch an Amtrak train at Newark Airport that will take you to South Station in Boston for $60/pp? There is a 6:16 am train that could work well for you because you will still be on UK time.

You have to count on about $50 for gas and another $22+ in tolls plus the time and costs associated with getting back to the port from the drop off point.

I95 is NOT the best driving route to Boston. Please ask for driving directions if you choose to do this.

What route do you suggest.

There are 4 of us, but I have no idea what the car cost as my son did all the arrangements.

We drive frequently between NJ (Hoboken) and home (south west of Boston, takes us under 30 minutes to drive to black falcon) and it has taken us anywhere from 3 - 9 hours to do the drive. There are a few alternate routes that take you off of 95 (Merritt parkway) but our experience is that it's a crap shoot - one accident anywhere along the way causes a domino effect of traffic of monumental proportions. And although you would expect that Sunday traffic would be lighter, we recently came home from NJ on a Sunday and the trip took us 6 hours.

Bottom line, I would take the train or fly, with Amtrak being my first choice, especially if you are planning on traveling the day of the cruise.

Normally folks ask directions from Boston and New England to New York and Cape Liberty and I have written directions for that. I put the "cars only" directions together for a trip in the other direction.

New York to Boston "cars only" directions

From Newark Airport I would take the NJ Turnpike north (getting on at Exit 13A or Exit 14 depending on the location of your hotel) following the signs to the Lincoln Tunnel, which will take you on the eastern spur of the turnpike. Then follow the signs to the George Washington Bridge Exit 18.

From the George Washington Bridge I would take the cars only parkways all the way through New York City, New York State, and halfway through Connecticut. You will not see a big scary truck until you get on I91 south of Hartford. To do this you take the upper level of the George Washington Bridge ($13 toll ) and get in the rightmost lane. Take the very first exit at the end of the bridge onto the Henry Hudson Parkway North. (If you end up on the lower level, get in the left lane and take the very first exit onto the Henry Hudson Parkway North) This route has a $5 cashless toll which is billed back to cars that don't have an EZ Pass - you want to ask Alamo if they offer a toll pass program. I checked online and someone posted that Enterprise car rental charged them $18 for this $5 toll. The Henry Hudson Parkway changes it's name to the Saw Mill River Parkway at the NYC line. You take Exit 4 onto the Cross County Parkway.

To avoid this toll (ok to do early on a Sunday morning) you take the Lower Bridge and stay to the right to get off at the Major Deegan (New York Thruway) North I87. This is one of the very next exits and requires you to scoot across multiple lanes if you take the Upper bridge. http://www.aaroads.com/guide.php?page=i0095nany The Major Deegan North becomes the New York Thruway at the city line. You take Exit 4 to get onto the Cross County Parkway East - a quick scoot at the exit from left to right across two lanes of traffic to the Cross County on ramp.

Get into the left lane of the Cross County Parkway and follow the signs to the Hutchinson River Parkway North. The Hutchinson River Parkway becomes the Merritt Parkway at the Connecticut Line. Around Milford Connecticut the parkway changes name again to the Wilbur Cross Parkway. You go all the way to the end where the road intersects with I91 North towards Hartford. In Hartford you take Exit 29 Charter Oak Bridge to get onto I84 east towards Boston. At the end of I84 you get on the Massachusetts Turnpike East towards Boston.

At the end of the Mass Pike you have a choice to go to Logan Airport, South Boston, or South Station.

As near as I can tell, the Alamo location in downtown Boston is located in the parking garage near the Aquarium. This isn't that far from the port so it should be just a short cab ride over.

With 4 people traveling the economics of driving make more sense but this will not be easy. Make sure your car is big enough to hold luggage for 4.

I still recommend the train. The train is easy, while driving is potentially difficult and stressful. If you insist on driving, I would probably just go by whatever route your GPS gives. While GPS systems do have difficulty in Boston, it should be able to get you to Atlantic Ave without too much trouble. Alternate routes do exist but will probably result in you getting lost since you don't know the area.