Sailing out of Manhattan-Hotel near LaGuardia??

[alwalaska]

We are thinking about staying at the Fairfield Inn Flushing, not too far from La Guardia.

 

It looks like a rented mini-van will cost us about $80 each way, while parking at the port will cost us $210 or so. I like the idea of not having to worry about getting lost, etc, but what do you all think of this idea?

 

I still need to talk to the hotel about leaving the car there, but if we do, it will be on the street next to the hotel. Is this likely to be a big security problem?

 

Any other ideas for somewhere to stay with fairly easy access, other than the Newark area?

[Andee]

Wouldn't it be simpler to stay in Manhattan? You culd do some sightseeing that way.

[njhorseman]

Sorry, but I don't understand your plans. (which could be because I'm up too late ;) )

 

Are you flying into LGA and renting a vehicle there to park at the pier? Are you renting a vehicle in your home town and driving from Ohio and staying at a hotel near LGA? Plus I'm having trouble understanding the park on the street/$210 parking at the pier and the reference to getting lost.

 

If you're driving from Ohio for a cruise leaving from Manhattan, you don't want to stay at a hotel near LGA. You would be driving past Manhattan and going to Queens for no reason. Try a hotel in the Parsippany, NJ area (just off I 80...a possible route from Ohio), which would only be about an hour from the Manhattan cruise terminal and is a much nicer area...or you could consider a hotel in Secaucus, NJ, about a half hour from the cruise pier, and also a good area to stay with shopping and restaurants. In either case you wouldn't be driving past your ultimate destination...the cruise terminal...and then doubling back.

 

If you were flying into LGA, then a hotel in that area would make sense, followed by a taxi or car service ride into the Manhattan pier

 

The last thing you want to do is leave a car for a week parked on the street. If you were parking the car at or near the hotel you'd still need to take a taxi or car service from there into Manhattan, and then at the end of the cruise another taxi/car service back to where your car is parked.

[138east]

I didn't understand the exact question either. If I were coming from Ohio, I'd definitely look at a park/sleep at Newark before I'd deal with a park/sleep at LaGuardia. The park/sleep hotels at Newark are reasonable, but the choices at LGA are less appealing. I don't see any advantage to paying the extra tolls and dealing with the traffic to go to LGA.

[alwalaska]

Thanks for the replies. I'm sorry I didn't do a better job of explaining in the first place. With 2 kids in college, we are trying to minimize the cost. Manhattan hotels are way out of our price range and are even more expensive to park at then the port.

 

We are driving in from Ohio the day before the cruise. Parking at the cruise port is $210 and I am trying to find ways to minimize this cost if possible. If it is not reasonable to avoid the cost, we will park at the port.

 

NJ Horseman, thanks for the Parsippany idea. I was thinking about this, since this was what we did the night before our Bayonne cruise, since with 4 of us, a town car service ended up more than the cost of parking. On the other hand, we got lost on the way to the port from Parsippany, and since I am an anxious cruiser who likes to get there early and start my cruise, getting lost wasn't fun. :rolleyes:

 

Unless I am not pricing things correctly, with 4 people and luggage, it is more expensive to transfer from Newark to Manhattan, than it is to pay for the parking. For some reason (probably because it is all one state), it is a lot less expensive to get a town car from Queens than from Newark. We can use our Marriott points to get the hotel near LGA for "free".

 

The Fairfield Inn we are looking at has reserved street parking rather than a lot at the hotel. That was where the street parking reference came from. Although I won't mind getting lost Saturday night heading to the hotel, it would be a lot more stressful to get lost Sunday morning on the way to the ship.

 

Thanks again for any and all suggestions.

[138east]

Is the parking at the Flushing Fairfield free? If not, have you considered using your Marriott points to get a hotel near the GW Bridge like the Teaneck or Saddle Brook Marriott and parking at the port? It's more money, but you save yourself the car service costs, tolls ($6.50 each way on the Triborough Bridge), hassle of getting from the cruiseport out to LGA and then having to drive back to the GW Bridge.

[alwalaska]

Is the parking at the Flushing Fairfield free? If not, have you considered using your Marriott points to get a hotel near the GW Bridge like the Teaneck or Saddle Brook Marriott and parking at the port? It's more money, but you save yourself the car service costs, tolls ($6.50 each way on the Triborough Bridge), hassle of getting from the cruiseport out to LGA and then having to drive back to the GW Bridge.

 

I am totally amazed, but yes, the parking at the Flushing Fairfield is free. It is actually public street parking, but they said it is right by Conn Edison and there are constantly patrols and surveillance so they are comfortable with the safety. I'm not so sure about that, but if we don't have an expensive car and we don't leave anything in it ... They also said that there are no restrictions, so there wouldn't be a problem leaving the car there for a week.

 

I didn't know about the Teaneck area, so I will look into that now.

 

Something else to think about now, the Newark Springhill Suites said we can use points to pay for the parking package, which makes it a little more in-line with Flushing.

 

With Dial7 (I think that was it??), from Flushing is $54 each way for the mini-van, but Newark is $81 each way. Either is less than the $210 to park at the port.

[Got2Cruise]

The "reserved street parking" thing is sort of like selling you the Brooklyn Bridge if you ask me.:D;) We need to think this thing through. How much is the room at the Fairfield? Also, don't forget you need to add a tip to the car service rate. And as 138 stated, add in the tolls. I'm going to come out and say if the savings is less than $100, it is worth it to park at the pier. The savings in stress and aggravation alone is worth it. jmo

[njhorseman]

The "reserved street parking" thing is sort of like selling you the Brooklyn Bridge if you ask me.:D;) We need to think this thing through. How much is the room at the Fairfield? Also, don't forget you need to add a tip to the car service rate. And as 138 stated, add in the tolls. I'm going to come out and say if the savings is less than $100, it is worth it to park at the pier. The savings in stress and aggravation alone is worth it. jmo

 

I agree, and their Web site says nothing about the street parking being "reserved": "Limited On Site Parking Lot with 18 spaces. Additional parking located on patroled side street next to hotel."

[BlueHerons]

My suggestion would be to go ahead and park at the pier. For all the trouble and the cost, parking elsewhere isn't going to really save you much money.

 

The parking in the street thing is a big red flag to me. I wouldn't do it.

[138east]

I'm concerned as to how the OP got lost between Parsippany on I80 and the Manhattan pier. Alwalaska - Do you remember what happened?

[Budget Queen]

I'm concerned as to how the OP got lost between Parsippany on I80 and the Manhattan pier. Alwalaska - Do you remember what happened?

 

The Lakeland bus from Parsippany is excellent and cheap, if that is an option?? And they can handle their luggage? Would then just take a cab from Port Authority.

[alwalaska]

I'm concerned as to how the OP got lost between Parsippany on I80 and the Manhattan pier. Alwalaska - Do you remember what happened?

 

The problem was getting back onto I-80. Our directions were wrong, or the on-ramp wasn't marked well, or something. I can't remember exactly how it happened. By the time we realized we were on a different freeway and not I-80, it ended up costing us a total of 30 minutes to get turned around and to where we needed to be. This was over 2 years ago, so it is all a bit fuzzy now. It was also a pain trying to figure out the not very good signage heading into the Bayonne port.

 

As for the comments about it being easier to park at the port, one of the most pleasant experiences we had getting to and from a ship was when we took a town car at Port Canaveral.

 

Also, for us, $100 is a considerable amount of money. That is possibly a shore excursion for 2-4 of us, depending on the shore excursion cost.

 

I spoke with the hotel and they said the parking is ample on the street. I realize it is not reserved, but I doubt it will all be gone. The safety is the thing I am still going back and forth on. The hotel is only $99 if you pay in advance (including a free breakfast), but we will be using points. It is the same number of points as Newark, but we would have to pay to park (or use more points to "pay" to park) in Newark.

 

Thanks all for the suggestions and comments. I'll have to look at the Lakeland Bus, thanks BQ. I thought you lived in AK for some reason.

[boo214]

The problem was getting back onto I-80. Our directions were wrong, or the on-ramp wasn't marked well, or something. I can't remember exactly how it happened. By the time we realized we were on a different freeway and not I-80, it ended up costing us a total of 30 minutes to get turned around and to where we needed to be. This was over 2 years ago, so it is all a bit fuzzy now. It was also a pain trying to figure out the not very good signage heading into the Bayonne port.

 

As for the comments about it being easier to park at the port, one of the most pleasant experiences we had getting to and from a ship was when we took a town car at Port Canaveral.

 

Also, for us, $100 is a considerable amount of money. That is possibly a shore excursion for 2-4 of us, depending on the shore excursion cost.

 

I spoke with the hotel and they said the parking is ample on the street. I realize it is not reserved, but I doubt it will all be gone. The safety is the thing I am still going back and forth on. The hotel is only $99 if you pay in advance (including a free breakfast), but we will be using points. It is the same number of points as Newark, but we would have to pay to park (or use more points to "pay" to park) in Newark.

 

Thanks all for the suggestions and comments. I'll have to look at the Lakeland Bus, thanks BQ. I thought you lived in AK for some reason.

I wouldn't do it (park on the street that is) unless it was in a garage. better to park at the port.

[RHefley228]

Whether there's anything actually in the car or not, parking an unattended vehicle on the street for a week with Ohio plates is an invitation for some miscreant to see what's in the trunk. And they don't pick locks. It might not happen. But do you really want to worry about it while you're cruising? And if it does, what's the deductible on your insurance? More than $100? People here have given you great suggestions about NJ; please take one of them.

[Got2Cruise]

Flushing is close to a bunch of chop shops. Not saying that anything will happen, probably not. The car might still be there, but it might be missing a couple of tires plus rims. Or maybe an emblem is ripped off. That is typical of what happens to cars parked on the streets in the boroughs every day. It really is dependent on the make and model of your vehicle. It is all dependent of what the chop shop is looking for. We are not trying to scare you, we are just pointing out, that trying to save $100 might not be a good idea if your auto won't be in a secure environment. Getting back to your $99 hotel. Don't forget to add tax to that. Call the hotel and get the exact price you will end up paying including tax. The hotel tax in ny is ridiculous. ( I know this sounds harsh and ridiculous, but unfortunately if you live and work in NYC you get used to it)

Whether there's anything actually in the car or not, parking an unattended vehicle on the street for a week with Ohio plates is an invitation for some miscreant to see what's in the trunk. And they don't pick locks. It might not happen. But do you really want to worry about it while you're cruising? And if it does, what's the deductible on your insurance? More than $100? People here have given you great suggestions about NJ; please take one of them.

[Budget Queen]

I spoke with the hotel and they said the parking is ample on the street. I realize it is not reserved, but I doubt it will all be gone. The safety is the thing I am still going back and forth on. .

 

You are being given consistant opinions from people with a lot of experience in NYC. None, including myself, an ex Long Islander would ever consider leaving a car in that area for a week on the street. You take enough chances in pay parking lots. You appear to be wanting to do this??

[alwalaska]

You are being given consistent opinions from people with a lot of experience in NYC. None, including myself, an ex Long Islander would ever consider leaving a car in that area for a week on the street. You take enough chances in pay parking lots. You appear to be wanting to do this??

 

 

Actually, I am reconsidering now after all the negative comments about safety. Prior to my last post, most of the comments were about inconvenience, not safety. For me, inconvenience is sometimes worth saving $100, safety is not.

 

Can you tell me more about the bus you mentioned? I looked it up online and couldn't figure out what route would take me to the port.

 

At this point in time I am leaning towards Persipanny and parking at the port unless I have a lot of spare Marriott points. At that point, we will probably stay in Newark and leave the car there and take a town car to the port. This option only saves us about $30 after tolls and tip and all though, so it is just a matter of do we want to avoid driving through the city vs having the freedom to do what we want when we get off the ship without heading back to Newark first. Since I am not making a reservation in NYC, I probably have a little more time to make a decision since we aren't going until May.

 

Thanks everyone for all the help all. I'm sorry if I sounded argumentative. I just wanted everyone to understand why I was looking at the options I was asking about. I do appreciate all the help.

[138east]

Ann - one way to save money is for everyone in your group to bring luggage they can manage and take public transportation/cab to the port instead of a car service. A park/sleep at Newark Airport will be under $140 including tax with room, free breakfast, and 14 days parking. From the hotel you can take a cab to Newark Penn Station for $20-25, train to New York ($5/pp) and cab to the port for $10 - total $50-$55. If you take Path to New York ($1.75) instead of NJ Transit, your costs are down to $37-$42. This trip is not bad with luggage - there are elevators and escalators - but it is time consuming.

[alwalaska]

Ann - one way to save money is for everyone in your group to bring luggage they can manage and take public transportation/cab to the port instead of a car service. A park/sleep at Newark Airport will be under $140 including tax with room, free breakfast, and 14 days parking. From the hotel you can take a cab to Newark Penn Station for $20-25, train to New York ($5/pp) and cab to the port for $10 - total $50-$55. If you take Path to New York ($1.75) instead of NJ Transit, your costs are down to $37-$42. This trip is not bad with luggage - there are elevators and escalators - but it is time consuming.

 

Thanks for the idea. We'll look into that.

[megr1125]

You could try the Hanover Marriott (just down the street from the Parsippany hilton...and now you know your way around!! :-) There is also a Courtyard and a Residence Inn in the same general area (all along/off Route 10...which you can get to from Route 80...)

 

Just some more food for thought......there is also a decent Renaissance in East Rutherford that might be an option.......i am having trouble with my internet connection and i can't get google maps to function so i am not sure how those would work for your route...just throwing stuff out there!

[greatam]

Thanks for the idea. We'll look into that.

 

I am totally confused!!! You are driving from Dublin Ohio, correct??? Plan on your overnight in NEW JERSEY!!! No need to go anyplace close to LaGuardia.

 

Park the car at the pier in NY or take public transport from NJ as 138east suggested.

 

I also don't understand about the $80 each way car?????? $80 each way MAYBE if you leave the car at the closest AUTHORIZED car rental place. Then you would have NO PARKING fees. But where is the AUTHORIZED drop off place??? Could be a long way from where you need to be.

 

I will bet money that $80 DOES NOT include keeping the car for a week or two in a parking lot, any parking lot or at on the street parking. And you sure don't want to park a rental on the street-the liability will eat you alive, raise your own insurance if anything happens.

 

I am still totally confused. Rental car, LaGuardia, Ohio????? Makes no sense to me. Please explain.

 

If you mean a car service from La Guardia to the Manhattan cruise terminal for your $80.00 each way, you are getting charged about $30.00 TOO MUCH. Should be able to get a mini-van from LGA to the cruise terminal for $50.00 each way.

[alwalaska]

I am totally confused!!! You are driving from Dublin Ohio, correct??? Plan on your overnight in NEW JERSEY!!! No need to go anyplace close to LaGuardia.

 

Park the car at the pier in NY or take public transport from NJ as 138east suggested.

 

I also don't understand about the $80 each way car?????? $80 each way MAYBE if you leave the car at the closest AUTHORIZED car rental place. Then you would have NO PARKING fees. But where is the AUTHORIZED drop off place??? Could be a long way from where you need to be.

 

I will bet money that $80 DOES NOT include keeping the car for a week or two in a parking lot, any parking lot or at on the street parking. And you sure don't want to park a rental on the street-the liability will eat you alive, raise your own insurance if anything happens.

 

I am still totally confused. Rental car, LaGuardia, Ohio????? Makes no sense to me. Please explain.

 

If you mean a car service from La Guardia to the Manhattan cruise terminal for your $80.00 each way, you are getting charged about $30.00 TOO MUCH. Should be able to get a mini-van from LGA to the cruise terminal for $50.00 each way.

 

The $81 each way (plus tolls and "optional" tip) is to have a van and driver from Dial 7 to pick us up at our hotel in Newark and drop us at the port, then reverse after the cruise.

 

The $54 each way(plus tolls and "optional" tip) is for the same van and driver from the hotel we were looking at near LGA.

 

No car rentals involved - car services only.

 

By the way, Dial 7 says the tip for a mini-van is "optional", while the limo and 15 passenger van are "required 20%". I plan on tipping even though we are taking the mini-van if we go the car service route.

[Got2Cruise]

Ann, I know you are "stuck" on the extra $100. I realize it is a lot of money, believe me. But besides the parking on the street issue. You have the logistics of getting from the hotel to the pier and then more importantly, the day the cruise is over, you will add 2 hours to your trip back home by schlepping over to Flushing, then getting in your auto, and then getting back to Route 80. Getting to Route 80 from Queens involves going over a bridge, (either Whitestone or Throggs Neck, always backed up) then going through the Bronx on the Cross Bronx Expressway, and then going over the George Washingtpn Bridge, where you finally will be in NJ. Please consider the alternative, departing the ship, getting in your car, going through the Lincoln Tunnel which is 10 easy blocks away. Maybe between now and your cruise, your family can figure out a way to save the additional $100 it would cost to park at the pier. In theory, each person needs to save $25 each. I think it is well worth the convenience you will have. jmo

[greatam]

The $81 each way (plus tolls and "optional" tip) is to have a van and driver from Dial 7 to pick us up at our hotel in Newark and drop us at the port, then reverse after the cruise.

 

The $54 each way(plus tolls and "optional" tip) is for the same van and driver from the hotel we were looking at near LGA.

 

No car rentals involved - car services only.

 

By the way, Dial 7 says the tip for a mini-van is "optional", while the limo and 15 passenger van are "required 20%". I plan on tipping even though we are taking the mini-van if we go the car service route.

 

Thank you for the clarification. I don't care what the Dial 7 website says, tipping is NOT optional (they can't demand a tip but you will get VERY ugly responses from the driver. A tip IS expected in NYC) We have a corporate Dial 7 account. We have even been sent notes when one of our employees does not leave a cash tip or didn't add it on to the bill.

 

PLEASE stay in NJ. Don't even think of leaving your car on the street in NYC for a week or more. Find a park and cruise hotel or just save the extra money to park at the port. You will be FAR happier.