Please help with hotel at Bayonne

[Jeanine&Jim]

Traveling from Boston by car to Cruiseport in NJ. on 8/30, Need a park and stay for 1 night and shuttle to port.=Booked the Hampton on Staten Island but read that that is not a good idea if driving from the North.

I have stayed at a Marriott in Elizabeth, NJ (next to the PATH) last time I cruised out of Bayonne but had to park at port. I would rather not this time.

When I booked the Hampton was told I needed the Park and Stay package so rate was higher than just a room.

Lastly, My son lives in Brooklyn and we may want to meet up with him for dinner so would Staten Island be the best location or does anyone have any other ideas?

Any help would be great.

[138east]

Traveling from Boston by car to Cruiseport in NJ. on 8/30, Need a park and stay for 1 night and shuttle to port.=Booked the Hampton on Staten Island but read that that is not a good idea if driving from the North.

I have stayed at a Marriott in Elizabeth, NJ (next to the PATH) last time I cruised out of Bayonne but had to park at port. I would rather not this time.

When I booked the Hampton was told I needed the Park and Stay package so rate was higher than just a room.

Lastly, My son lives in Brooklyn and we may want to meet up with him for dinner so would Staten Island be the best location or does anyone have any other ideas?

Any help would be great.

 

You have to figure out the economics of this trip and balance them against the time, money, and stress to include meeting your son who lives in Brooklyn.

 

For a seven night cruise it is $133 to park at the pier. Could you tell us why this is not an option? What are you paying for the Hampton Inn? The toll to get from NJ to Staten Island is $13 and from Brooklyn to Staten Island $15 without EZPass. The Ramada Plaza is $197 tax included for a park sleep with port transportation and Country Inns is $251 tax included. Does your son own a car so he can meet you on Staten Island?

 

If you stayed at a Marriott next to Path last time, I'm thinking you might have stayed in the Jersey City Courtyard, which is right next to Path. Unfortunately, right now there is no weekend Path service from Exchange Place Jersey City to Manhattan. Your only option is to take the ferry to lower Manhattan for $9/pp each way or to take the uptown Path to connect with the NY Subway in Manhattan. This makes meeting your son much more complicated.

 

So in the big scheme of things, you might be better off staying on Staten Island and going across the Verrazano to Brooklyn to meet your son or taking the free ferry to lower Manhattan. For folks coming from the North we do point out that getting to Staten Island does require more time and extra tolls so that they can make an informed decision. However, you are returning on a Sunday morning, which is the lowest traffic time of the week, so it's not as big of a deal for you in the logistics of your overall trip.

 

So my advice would be to firm up plans to meet your son and plan the rest of your trip around that meeting.

Edited July 16, 2014 by 138east

[flowers44]

Traveling from Boston by car to Cruiseport in NJ. on 8/30, Need a park and stay for 1 night and shuttle to port.=Booked the Hampton on Staten Island but read that that is not a good idea if driving from the North.

I have stayed at a Marriott in Elizabeth, NJ (next to the PATH) last time I cruised out of Bayonne but had to park at port. I would rather not this time.

When I booked the Hampton was told I needed the Park and Stay package so rate was higher than just a room.

Lastly, My son lives in Brooklyn and we may want to meet up with him for dinner so would Staten Island be the best location or does anyone have any other ideas?

Any help would be great.

 

Strange, I have only ever paid just the room rate at the Hampton. I have even called after making the reservation to check to make sure I could leave my car in their parking lot and they said "Yes, at not extra charge." So I have and will do it again this August.

[flowers44]

Oh, by the way, we travel in from upstate NY, near Rochester, and don't find it hard at all to get to the Hampton from the North. Our GPS brings us ring to their door every time.

Gotta love those GPS's.

[Jeanine&Jim]

Thanks for all your help. I am going to stick with the plan and talk with my son about where to meet. However I am going to rebook the Hampton and see if I can park for free. We have a GPS and an easy pass so we will be fine.

Thanks for all your input.

[flowers44]

I always just make the reservation at the Hampton online. It is quick and easy. Remember to use AAA, AARP, or any other discounts you might have.

[Jeanine&Jim]

Thanks, Did you have to pay extra to park.?

I rebooked with AARP and it is 22.00 less than the park and stay package the reservation person made for me after she cancelled my original government rate reservation, stating I needed a park and stay package in order to park. I am a little ticked off because the government rate is no longer available and was even a better rate than AARP or AAA.

[138east]

What is the rate you are being quoted?

[mypurchases2009]

We are looking for the same thing. Right now we booked a room at the Country Inn for $130 without the parking. I am planning to drive to the terminal and park. After the reading the reviews for Premier, we are going to avoid that. I am interested to know what the rate is at the Hampton to know if that works out better with the parking at the Hampton.

[138east]

What is your sail date?

[mypurchases2009]

July 31, 2014

[138east]

For July 30, the Hampton Inn is about $197 including tax.

 

The Ramada is $208 tax included with round trip Cruiseport transportation through Trinityreservations.

 

Coming from Maryland you would take Exit 10 on the NJ Turnpike and use the

Outerbridge Crossing Bridge to get to Staten Island. You would pay a $13 toll, but save on some turnpike toll, so the Ramada and the Hampton Inn end up being about the same price.

 

Parking at the port for 9 days is $171.

[mypurchases2009]

Thanks for the help. I hadn't looked at the Hampton Inn on Staten Island. It seems like the least amount of hastle. They provide the transportation, breakfast and parking. That was what I was looking for. And it is cheaper than paying for the parking at the terminal separately from the hotel.

[flowers44]

Exactly why my DH and I use the Hampton. We will be checking in on August 27th before we sail to New England/ Canada and then off to Bermuda. Counting the days.

[138east]

Flowers44 - please tell them what they need to do to book the shuttle to Cape Liberty.

[flowers44]

Flowers44 - please tell them what they need to do to book the shuttle to Cape Liberty.

 

No, problem. The shuttle to the pier is shared with the Hilton Garden Inn and you have to contact that hotel at 1-718-477-2400 to reserve your time. With a July 31st sailing, you should be able to call today and reserve both your ride over and your return pick up time. They will pick you up at the Hampton lobby. Any other questions, please ask.

[Laurab23]

Strange, I have only ever paid just the room rate at the Hampton. I have even called after making the reservation to check to make sure I could leave my car in their parking lot and they said "Yes, at not extra charge." So I have and will do it again this August.

 

We have used the Hampton or Hilton the last 3 times we cruised and never paid the entra park and sail rate. We have never had a problem leaving our car for no extra charge and they usually tell us to park near the door so they can keep an eye on our car.

We also use our GPS with no problems getting there as long as we pay attention and don't miss a turn.Some of those turns come up pretty fast.

 

Laura

[mypurchases2009]

Thanks for all of the help. We booked a room for $179 a night with the AAA discount. The person on the phone told me about booking the shuttle and got me connected to get the reservations for the shuttle. They seemed very nice on the phone and we are looking forward to our trip. They said that it takes about 20 - 25 minutes to get to the terminal from the hotel. I find it pretty amazing that the cost of the hotel is almost the same as the cost of parking at the terminal. I get a night stay at the hotel, breakfast, parking and ground transportation for almost the same price as parking at the terminal. Great deal!

Edited July 24, 2014 by mypurchases2009

[flowers44]

Thanks for all of the help. We booked a room for $179 a night with the AAA discount. The person on the phone told me about booking the shuttle and got me connected to get the reservations for the shuttle. They seemed very nice on the phone and we are looking forward to our trip. They said that it takes about 20 - 25 minutes to get to the terminal from the hotel. I find it pretty amazing that the cost of the hotel is almost the same as the cost of parking at the terminal. I get a night stay at the hotel, breakfast, parking and ground transportation for almost the same price as parking at the terminal. Great deal!

 

Shhhhh. It is one of the best deals going. It beats having to rush the day of the cruise and worry about traffic jams delaying your arrival. A good night's sleep, a good breakfast, and sit back and relax and let someone else do the driving. Sound perfect!!!!!

[DataStar]

As a Staten Island resident, I just wanted to add that both properties are owned by the husband and wife who founded the Everything Yogurt chain. They are terrific people who are very active in the Staten Island community and are very generous to community groups. We all use these hotels for our guests, and I just wanted to add that the restaurant at the Hilton Garden Inn -- Lorenzo's is outstanding.

 

There is quite a lot to see on Staten Island. You can visit the website at http://www.visitstatenisland.com/attractions/ for details. Or if it's during baseball season, consider taking in a game of our own Baby Bombers, the Staten Island Yankees in their beautiful stadium overlooking the harbor and lower manhattan. It's right next to the Staten Island ferry.

[yogaini24]

what if we are flying into Newark? How would we get to the Hampton Inn?

[138east]

Their shuttle will pick you up at Newark Airport. Call the hotel to find out how to arrange this.

 

If you do not have a car, you will be essentially stuck at the Hampton Inn, which is located in a wooded corporate park with no nearby amenities. The only dinner food is next door at the Hilton Gardens - folks really like this restaurant. To go anywhere else will require a cab. The Hampton Inn provides breakfast, so you are OK there. I think the HI is an excellent choice, but you should know about its limitations without a car.

[Jeanine&Jim]

Thanks everyone,

About the rate for Hampton on August 30-31- originally was 139. government rate- Hotel personal cancelled it and rebooked me for park and stay for 220.

Decided to try again with just booking room alone and could only get AAA rate for 197.

Still a good deal and easy it seems.

[flowers44]

Their shuttle will pick you up at Newark Airport. Call the hotel to find out how to arrange this.

 

If you do not have a car, you will be essentially stuck at the Hampton Inn, which is located in a wooded corporate park with no nearby amenities. The only dinner food is next door at the Hilton Gardens - folks really like this restaurant. To go anywhere else will require a cab. The Hampton Inn provides breakfast, so you are OK there. I think the HI is an excellent choice, but you should know about its limitations without a car.

 

The Hampton Inn has many menus at the head desk that you can call and order food and have it delivered to the hotel. It would mostly pizza, burgers, and other light meals. We come in with our car and always stop for supper before we go to the hotel. The restaurant at the Hilton in really nice. It is called "Lorenzo's" and you can find the menu on the Hilton Garden website. The breakfast at the Hampton was really nice, many choices, something for everyone.

[138east]

Quite frankly a Newark Airport hotel can be equally as isolated, but instead of being in a nice wooded corporate park, you are surrounded by spaghetti roads and airport buildings and runways. Only the hotels on Glimcher Realty Way are within walking distance of anything at all other than a neighboring hotel. Many airport hotels are not full service, but do provide breakfast. Some are actually in places you would not feel comfortable stepping outside. So that's why we advise folks to be picky about where they stay in the area.