Park & stay in Boston

Hi we will be sailing the Dawn this summer and I hate driving to the pier. Does anyone know if any of the hotels in the area have the package where you stay at the hotel before hand and then can leave your car for the length of the trip? I am not so concerned with a shuttle to the port, we can cab it. Thanks.

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What's your exact date? What's your budget? How many people?

Quite frankly coming from NYC the pier is easier to get to than the hotels where you can do a park sleep. Most of these hotels are in fringe areas northeast of Boston in Revere, Saugus, Winthrop, or Chelsea or south in Quincy.

Parking at the pier is $112 for a seven day cruise. The strategy I usually recommend is to drive up the night before and Hotwire a room in the Newton/Waltham area near the intersection of route 128/I95 and the Mass Pike I90. It is a straight shot in the Mass pike to the pier in the morning.

Thanks. I guess I'm used to Manhattan and I just hate driving there at all

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From Queens you need to get to Westchester and get on the Hutchinson River Parkway north. This is renamed the Merritt Parkway in CT and renamed again as the Wilbur Cross Parkway. You take this to the very end at I91 north. At Hartford you follow the signs to Boston onto I84 East, which has a nice restricted lane for 2 or more people in your car for about 10 miles. At the end of I84 you take the Mass Pike east right into Boston. When in town you follow the signs to Logan Airport/South Boston and get off in South Boston before the Ted Williams Tunnel.

I drove a good deal of this route yesterday from Westchester. Decided to vary our route and tried I95 for a while, but it really sucked so we cut over to the Merritt in Stamford. I don't know what we were thinking!!!

There has been some construction on the Mass Pike inside of route 128/95. I don't know the details because I don't drive it often, but perhaps someone can comment on this.

I don't know where you live in Queens, but I would allow at least 4 hours from the Whitestone Bridge to Boston - more if you stop frequently.

Cheap gas tip - paid $3.41 yesterday at a Mobil station at Exit 2 in Mass on I84. CT gas is very expensive (can't imagine what NYC gas is) and I think this station just over the border in Mass is trying to lure in CT customers. On the way down I paid $3.65 at a local station, but a more normal MA price is between $3.50-3.60.

Getting to the pier in Boston is easy. Just take the Pike to the South Boston exit and follow the signs. The rate for parking for a cruise is decent. There really isn't a park and stay hotel near the port.

If you are driving in from NY, I would look for a hotel in the Waltham/Newton area for pre-cruise, then right back to the Pike for the rest of the trip.

If you are driving into Boston the day before your cruise, check out the Holiday Inn Express on Boston St. They do the park and stay option, with free shuttle to and back from the port. Reasonably close, and a really nice breakfast. Book it through stay123 for $159.

We were going to drive ourselves in for our cruise on the Dawn this fall, but decided to fly in instead.

From Queens you need to get to Westchester and get on the Hutchinson River Parkway north. This is renamed the Merritt Parkway in CT and renamed again as the Wilbur Cross Parkway. You take this to the very end at I91 north. At Hartford you follow the signs to Boston onto I84 East, which has a nice restricted lane for 2 or more people in your car for about 10 miles. At the end of I84 you take the Mass Pike east right into Boston. When in town you follow the signs to Logan Airport/South Boston and get off in South Boston before the Ted Williams Tunnel.

 

I drove a good deal of this route yesterday from Westchester. Decided to vary our route and tried I95 for a while, but it really sucked so we cut over to the Merritt in Stamford. I don't know what we were thinking!!!

 

There has been some construction on the Mass Pike inside of route 128/95. I don't know the details because I don't drive it often, but perhaps someone can comment on this.

 

I don't know where you live in Queens, but I would allow at least 4 hours from the Whitestone Bridge to Boston - more if you stop frequently.

 

Cheap gas tip - paid $3.41 yesterday at a Mobil station at Exit 2 in Mass on I84. CT gas is very expensive (can't imagine what NYC gas is) and I think this station just over the border in Mass is trying to lure in CT customers. On the way down I paid $3.65 at a local station, but a more normal MA price is between $3.50-3.60.

Last couple of weeks, the Pike between I-93 and I-95 has been down to one lane each direction in various spots. Underpass and bridge maintenance from what I see (I avoid that section of the pike like the plague, but then I-93 and I-95 takes me between Maine and Mass Ave).

If you are driving into Boston the day before your cruise, check out the Holiday Inn Express on Boston St. They do the park and stay option, with free shuttle to and back from the port. Reasonably close, and a really nice breakfast. Book it through stay123 for $159.

 

We were going to drive ourselves in for our cruise on the Dawn this fall, but decided to fly in instead.

As a local, I would not suggest this hotel.

We just booked the Embassy Suites for a couple of nights in June for $239/night (which I thought was a GREAT price for the location/season), and that includes 14 days of free parking, plus the hotel site says it's located at a trolley stop for those wanting to do some site-seeing.

I don't think they do a shuttle to the cruise port, but they have one to the airport. I think we'll take that, then the Silver Line to the port.

As a local, I would not suggest this hotel.

Could you elaborate...?

Amstr65 - Holiday Inn Express on Boston St. is in what we call a "fringe" area - someone on a Tripadvisor review referred to it as sketchy. When folks from all over the country ask hotel questions on this forum about any east coast port in a highly urban area, we can't in good conscience say it's wonderful if the locals considerate it to be a fringe area. On the other hand, Boston hotels are expensive so it's natural that less expensive hotels will attract out of towners surfing the web. Boston and New York don't operate like the Florida ports - local parking is expensive. The port parking is only $16/ day, which is a substantial discount from other Boston parking. Only hotels in more fringe areas offer port shuttles to attract customers. Hotels in downtown are close enough to the port so that a cab fare would be less than $20.

Please post the details of what you are looking for - budget, cruise date, number of hotel nights, number of nights parking, plans in Boston pre cruise, where you are driving from, number of people, number of beds, etc. That way we can offer suggestions that are customized to your overall objectives and expectations.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like we will be better off just driving up from DC,staying in a hotel overnight or two nights and driving to the port the second day. Had a feeling that the Express was to good to be true.

The suggestion I most often make for folks coming from the south is to book a Hotwire hotel in the Newton/Waltham area that is at least a 3* and has a high approval rating. These hotels are business hotels along route 128/95 and they often have deals under $100 on the weekend. They will be close to the Mass Pike so you have a straight shot into the cruise terminal in South Boston. The Burlington/Lexington/ Woburn area hotels are a second option. The whole area along 128 between the Mass Pike I90 and I93 in Woburn is a series of suburban towns with restaurant and shopping amenities. The Minuteman National Historical Park stretches along route 2A between Lexington and Concord.

The Holiday Inn Express gets good reviews as a hotel, but basically it is close to I93 in Dorchester with few local amenities other than an urban shopping mall. It can be a serious Boston traffic jam experience to drive that stretch of I93, which is the last thing you need after driving up from DC. You also don't need to deal with it post cruise - much better to leave the port right onto I90 and head home.

Heed 138east's recommendations. The closest hotels to the port are in the Seaport neighborhood and are good, with good restaurants and clubs nearby, but not inexpensive. Inexpensive hotels in Boston proper are not places I would recommend anyone staying; I wouldn't.

There are quite a few 3 star, reasonable places around Route 1/Interstate 128 in Dedham with restaurants and the Legacy Place mall nearby that would be easy to get to the port, as well -- Holiday Inn Express, Residence Inn, etc.

We have reservations at the Hyatt Boston Harbor. Is this an ok place to stay? We will be there October 11 for a cruise on the 12th.

We have reservations at the Hyatt Boston Harbor. Is this an ok place to stay? We will be there October 11 for a cruise on the 12th.

No personal experience with them....and I know you will get great advice from 138east like always...but I am into numbers...so here are some :

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60745-d89620-Reviews-Hyatt_Boston_Harbor-Boston_Massachusetts.html

76% recommended

http://www.expedia.ca/Boston-Hotels-Hyatt-Boston-Harbor.h26283.Hotel-Information?chkin=23%2F10%2F2014&chkout=24%2F10%2F2014&rm1=a2&hwrqCacheKey=e8200a1c-6b99-4123-87d4-ce3ecc4446ddHWRQ1403216048504&c=7060dc72-3ebb-4768-8da9-99afc

93% recommended

Have fun !

The Hyatt is definitely a nice place to stay and normally quite pricey. However, it is an airport property, so you have limited dining choices. What are your plans in Boston? There is a water taxi from the Hyatt to Rowes Wharf for $10/pp each way or $17 round trip. However, if you take the shuttle back to one of the terminals, you can take the free Silver Line bus to South Station. Another option at the airport is to get to the Blue Line Station to take the subway two stops to Aquarium, which is close to Faneuil Hall. I know this can be done, I just don't know if you have to go back to the terminals to pick up the free subway shuttle bus.

No personal experience with them....and I know you will get great advice from 138east like always...but I am into numbers...so here are some :

 

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60745-d89620-Reviews-Hyatt_Boston_Harbor-Boston_Massachusetts.html

 

76% recommended

 

http://www.expedia.ca/Boston-Hotels-Hyatt-Boston-Harbor.h26283.Hotel-Information?chkin=23%2F10%2F2014&chkout=24%2F10%2F2014&rm1=a2&hwrqCacheKey=e8200a1c-6b99-4123-87d4-ce3ecc4446ddHWRQ1403216048504&c=7060dc72-3ebb-4768-8da9-99afc

 

93% recommended

 

 

Have fun !

The Hyatt is definitely a nice place to stay and normally quite pricey. However, it is an airport property, so you have limited dining choices. What are your plans in Boaton? There is a water taxi from the Hyatt to Rowes Wharf for $10/pp each way or $17 round trip. However, if you take the shuttle back to one of the terminals, you can take the free Silver Line bus to South Station. Another option at the airport is to get to the Blue Line Station to take the subway two stops to Aquarium, which is close to Faneuil Hall. I know this can be done, I just don't know if you have to go back to the terminals to pick up the free subway shuttle bus.

IMO I think the reviews are often related to how much was paid for the room. It's been a long time since I stayed there and I know my company paid around $500 for the room for one night - an outrageous price at the time. Even today for that amount of money I would expect a near perfect hotel. However, if I paid a lot less, there are things I would overlook.

 

One thing you have to know about the airport hotels is that folks often end up in them because their travel plans have gone wrong and they are ****'d off and stuck somewhere they don't want to be. One way of expressing their aggravation is to write a review somewhere.

I am not the one to say "I told you so" ... but.... I told you so ;)

IMO I think the reviews are often related to how much was paid for the room. It's been a long time since I stayed there and I know my company paid around $500 for the room for one night - an outrageous price at the time. Even today for that amount of money I would expect a near perfect hotel. However, if I paid a lot less, there are things I would overlook.

One thing you have to know about the airport hotels is that folks often end up in them because their travel plans have gone wrong and they are ****'d off and stuck somewhere they don't want to be. One way of expressing their aggravation is to write a review somewhere.

We paid about $220 for the night and have no problem going out to eat...taking the ferry. Actually considering that part of the vacation. I understand we will be there Columbus Day weekend and coming back the following Sunday so rates are high all over Boston. Reviews don't look bad and as long as it's safe and clean we will be happy!

Hi all, last minute decision to book for next week, but will be driving in from Toronto to Boston. Will spend the night around Springfield maybe then park at the port but thinking of spending the 11th and 12th (Friday and Saturday) in Boston to see the city. Looking at the HOHO trolley too but still looking for a decent place to park and stay those 2 days before we head home. Any suggestions?? Our first time in Boston!

What's your hotel budget?

Getting rid of your car is another problem. It's a weekend so you might do better staying outside the city and driving in and paying to park.u

What's your hotel budget?

Getting rid of your car is another problem. It's a weekend so you might do better staying outside the city and driving in and paying to park.

Hotwire has a 4.5* hotel in Copley/Back Bay for July 11-13 for $181 plus tax. This is a great deal and will disappear quickly. It could be the Colonnade or the Westin but whatever it is, it will be a great hotel.

If you look at Boston Best Parking on the net, you can make a reservation to park for 2 days July 11-13 10:00 am to 10 :00 am for $62 at Laz Parking, 51-63 Belvidere St between Dalton and Mass Ave or for $42 at Patriot Haviland Street Garage, 5-11 Haviland St between MassAve and Hemenway St. which are locations that should be within easy walking distance of your hotel. This is worth doing because for the same time and dates, the Colonade Hotel is showing a rate of $102!!!

138east would like your opinion/ help. Arriving 7/9 for 2 nights sailing NCL's Dawn on the 11th, I have a reservation at Four Points Sheraton Logan Airport using my cc points. When I went on the website its actually a few miles away from the airport. I can stay at the Boston W also using points but almost double. Do you think I should switch hotels? Our plan was to sightsee on Wednesday and catch a game at Fenway Thursday night and head to port Friday morning. If we stay in the Sheraton should we take public into the city or chance finding parking? Appreciate any advise.

My post disappeared!

If you have the CC points,mid consider staying downtown at the W. Your problem there will be finding a reasonable place to park your car for two days.

If you stay at Four Points, you will not be able to drive into the city and find free parking. Does your hotel offer any kind of shuttle to the T?