Cape Liberty parkers beware!!!

[487]

If it we me, I would contact both RC and the controlling agency for parking and file a written complaint. I would also let all my friends know, and tell them to tell everybody. Thanks for posting about this issue. This must be an problem at this port (and was not major renovations just done here?).

 

Pretty easy to take your money to park there and then say we are not responsible to control airborne fallout which covers this place every day, and we won't tell you about it till it is too late. Kinda sneaky is it not?

 

I am scheduled for a cruise from this port and WILL cancel it if this problem is not resolved. Why would anybody park there for a cruise to return to a $$$ paint repair bill along with the worry and hassle??? There are plenty of other ports which would like the dock fees and look after customers if this one doesn't.

 

My $.02

 

Good luck to you all. My sympathies

[RKardos1]

I spoke with Ken this afternoon. Very nice guy. He is the dry dock safety manager at the port. so I guess it was a ship that was in dry dock where the paint came from. He said it was a light grey paint, I said well, on maroon it looks white. ANyway, he asked me to take digital pics, send them to him and they are having a meeting on Thursday as to the process of filing a claim. He said that he had over 150 phone calls to return today. I have a feeling that they will take an average of the estimates and cut checks for that amount. I'll keep you updated when I know more.

[rsinj]

Excellent work RKados!

 

Howard

[JOANN226]

Hi all,

Just returned on Friday from my 5 day Voyager to Bermuda. I had read months ago about some sticky substance found on cars, but then no one had any problems in the past few months. Well, after washing my car yesterday, there was a gritty film on it. On closer inspection, it looks like paint. My guess is, that they were painting a ship in port and the spray got carried by the wind and landed on my car. I have been able to SCRAPE the paint off of the windows with a razor blade, but obviously I can't do this to the paint. My car is maroon and the paint is WHITE. I will be taking it to the body shop sometime this week to see what can be done. I tried bug and tar remover, wax, etc.... My suggestion to all those going to the port, limo, shuttle, have a friend drop you off or buy a car cover.

 

Sorry to hear about your car, they are right you should call RCCL you dont have anything to loose, getting off the subject how is the 5 day to Bermuda thinking of booking this cruise next summer on the Exployer of the Seas. My last 2 cruises were 7 and 8 nights, I just hate the thought of it being over so quickly. Hope everything turns out fine with your car, hope to hear your review. Thanks Joann

[IKE]

My hubby and Self are very happy you will be reimbursed. That was a hefty estimate you received for fixing the problem.Thats the way it should be. We are so glad you were able to get in touch with the right person. You shouldn't have to pay for somebody's negligence. Would appreciate any info Ken Peterson gave you in regard to this problem. We sail on 9/23 "Voyager" 9 day and have a new "Explorer". Needless to say, I am worried something might happen to our Explorer like your vehicle. Is Ken with the NJ Port of Authority or Royal Caribbean? Was He able to tell You where the paint came from& if they are looking in to fixing this problem? Any info would be greatly appreciated. I am sure many "Voyager" passengers are all ears too! Thanks so much! Ike

[rsinj]

Was He able to tell You where the paint came from& if they are looking in to fixing this problem?

 

My guess is it was from the big ship in the drydock.

 

Just as you come around the 180 degree left turn on the main road before heading in to the dropoff/parking areas, there is a drydock and there was a big old ship in there that was being worked on. My guess is that they were spraying it with something. If you're standing in the parking lot looking out towards the Verrazano bridge it is just on the right - adjacent to the end of the parking area. Figure the wind was blowing in off the water, and I think there's little doubt where it came from.

 

There are a number of things they could do to resolve the problem. They could put up a fence or make the parking area covered. If they are looking to really expand their operations in Bayonne, they should just build a parking structure somewhere. Alternatively, instead of having the parking area where it is, move it to the other side of the building further down the dock - towards the back of the ship where the cars wouldn't be in direct line of stuff blowing from the drydock.

 

 

Howard

[jerseygirlw/cubanheart]

Hi, sorry about your car. I decided that we will have someone drop us off. Besides I hear that the drop off is easier and quicker than parking. Anyway, I wanted to ask you what you thought of Bermuda and the cruise ship? How was the crowd? My biggest concern is that they will divert the ship up to Canada. I have been following some of the tropical storms near bermuda and nothing seems to be threatening. However the cruise that left in early August was diverted to Canada and the weather was not that alarming. Thanks for your information!

[Princess_Sunflower]

I was on the VOS cruise on August 21 and parked my car in the lot. My car is burgandy but dusty from my dirt driveway. I just took a quick look at it and didn't see any paint but now I'm gonna get it washed over the weekend and so I can check it out better. I'll report back after I do.

[Princess_Sunflower]

Got the car washed today and guess what! I got white flecks of paint all over it. At first it looks like dust but you can tell it's paint. I'm gonna call Ken Peterson on Tuesday and advise him of my situation as well.

 

Thanks to all who did the leg work on getting us the information on who to contact. The sad part is how many other people have this problem and have no way of knowing what we now know.

[RKardos1]

Bermuda was wonderful, not overcrowded at all. The Voyager was beauriful as well. Here is the response from Ken after the meeting on Thursday:

 

 

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

I am writing to you with information as promised with past telephone calls this week.

 

We at Bayonne Dry Dock sincerely apologize for the incident that occurred this past week. We are actively making arrangements to prevent any further incidents of this nature. We are also working with the BLRA to agree on procedures and protocols for our yard and our neighbors.

 

As for this incident, we have contracted with a few local auto body shops and local establishments to clean the cars. I am asking for some basic information to correctly handle this. I need to apply a case number to every car, truck, or van that was over sprayed. The places that we contracted are Touchless Auto Wash and Laub's Auto Body in Staten Island, NY; Haringtons Auto Body and Roslin's Auto Body in Bayonne, NJ. I know that some of you live in areas that are not accessible to these areas.

 

For those of you that are not from the immediate area, I am asking that you get a fair estimate and fax it to me so as I can confer with the said shop and agree on a price. We are not replacing any parts of any cars and at this time not paying for rental cars. This cleaning is limited to the exterior of the car and NO additional body work unless authorized by me.

 

We are very sorry for the inconvenience. The guidelines set forth here have been given to me by the principals of the company.

 

I am looking forward to completing the cleaning of each car with proof of damage in an amicable way.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Kenneth Peterson

Safety Director

Bayonne Dry Dock and Repair Corp.

201-823-9296

scooter1992@earthlink.net

EarthLink Revolves Around You.

 

 

 

 

| |

[MikeKool]

Hi Folks,

We were on the Zenith 5/29 and parked on the Bayonne pier. I don't wash the car very often, but did notice some sort of substance on my windshield the next time it rained. About a month later when I was driving to the pier in Baltimore it poured buckets the entire ride ( 1 1/2 hrs). My windshield wipers sounded like sandpaper and further investigation once inside the pre-cruise hotel garage revealed this "substance" was all over the car.....and still is! I'm going outside now because I think my parking stub is still in the window. Who do I call?

[IKE]

It wouldn't hurt to call this Mr. Kenneth Peterson, Safety Director at Bayonne Dry Dock and Repair Corp. that RKardos got in touch with and had great results with his car. He gave everyone Ken's name and address and phone number. Mr. Peterson Phone # 201 823-9296. If He can't help maybe He would be able to direct you to someone who could help. I think You will need your Parking ticket for proof. Good Luck and let us know how you make out.

Thanks to RKardos for all his work in getting this info for everyone who may need it.

[MikeKool]

Thanks all,

I'm going to call this Mr Peterson on Tuesday. I have the Cape Liberty parking stub still on the dashboard. The stuff (paint or whatever) covers the entire car. All this time I thought maybe it was tree sap or something. I was going to try finding an auto-detailer.....but after reading these posts I'm going to take it to a body shop. I tried using rubbing compound on a small corner of the hood but it took forever. It will definitely need to be done professionally. I'll also need new wiper blades since this substance chewed up the old ones. My car is "Champagne" color and the specks appear to be grey. I'd never be able to photograph the specks. I'll keep you posted.

[rundogrun]

Just back from the 8/26 9 day...looks like we got nailed too.

 

I suspect you'll have quite a few posters along shortly who will be interested in this information. Thanks for digging it out.

[DPurcell58]

just got back today from the Voyager and parking in Bayonne and saw this stuff on the windshield and all over the car. thanks for the phone #. Mr. Petersen will be getting a call from us too. By the way, the trip was wonderful.

[Rotterdam]

who ever said to put blame on NYC - RCCL will love that --now that they sail out of NEW JERSEY(where this parking incident took place) they will believe people won't know the difference between sailing past the Manhattan skyline & being in a container port.

[Acd7]

Had a great cruise on the 8/26 Voyager sailing only to have to return to our car that was covered in the muck/tar/paint that sticks like glue. Something must be done to correct this obviously on going problem.

 

If it can't be corrected then RCCL should warn its passengers about this problem that RCCL is undoubtedly aware of by now. It's not satisfactory enough to let this continue to inconvenience passengers by simply paying people to have the car cleaned by filing a claim as mentioned above which we will obviously have to do now. RCCL should take a stance with the pier authorities to prevent this damage from happening to its passengers cars.

[waverunner]

Just got back 9/5 from 9 day Western Caribbean cruise on the VOS. I have the same substance all over my car and will be calling RCCL tomorrow morning. We should all get together and file a complaint, especially if this has been going on for 3+ months.

[rsinj]

Why are you going to file a complaint and with who? There is no need to call RCCL as they have nothing to do with it. Just read the letter RKardos posted and follow the instructions. As you can see, Bayonne Dry Dock and Ken Peterson have been very forthcoming about their desire to rectify the situation - for those whose cars have been hit with the overspray as well as coming up with a longer-term solution so it doesn't happen in the future.

 

Is it a bad situation that cars have been sprayed? No doubt about it. But, the party that caused it is accepting blame and doing what they need to for a satisfactory resolution for all.

 

After cleaning our car, it was also evident that it was worse than first thought - we'll go with the flow and work with them. I'm sure everything will work out fine.

 

Chill.

 

 

 

Howard

[QUEENB827]

Why should RCI pay when it was the city of NY that caused it?

THE PORT IS NOT IN NYC IT IS IN BAYONNE NJ

[Mark]

RS,

 

I do not agree with your statement that RCCL has nothing to do with this and the damage done to customer's cars.

 

1. RCCL decided to move the ships from NYC to Bayonne and as such has a responsibilty to make sure the port facilities are satisfactory and safe for the paying passengers. If not, RCCL has the ability to force the City of Bayonne, the Port Authority and any contractors such as a dry dock facility to make required changes...this part has obviously not been done yet by RCCL

2. Until the matter can be corrected, RCCL should furnish each paying passenger with a car cover to be used while on the cruise and car is parked in the lot.

3. If RCCL cannot correct the problem in dealing with the vendors and Bayonne, they should post a warning on their website and on their tickets advising passengers that there is a situation at the Bayonne pier that will damage their cars if parked there during their cruise out of Bayonne.

4. For RCCL to publicly do nothing, which is the case so far as indicated by these postings is an irresponsible act and shows no concern for their passengers, many of whom are repeat customers.

 

I hope that RCCL can straighten out this mess so I can book a cruise out of Bayonne and not have to book a trip to my auto body shop upon return!

 

Mark:)

[dad son team]

I was on the 8/26 cruise as well and too had my car "painted" while I was there. My guess is that every car in the lot was covered and they did not tell anyone about it. We were stopping cars and telling the drivers on the way out to check their cars. I was given Ken's number by the lot management as well as a police report number so I will see what happens.

[DPurcell58]

Hi Dad (Chris , right?) yeah our car got it too. Mr. Petersen is supposed to be calling me back. It was great to met you! Here we are, back on the boards again.

[dad son team]

Hi Dad (Chris , right?) yeah our car got it too. Mr. Petersen is supposed to be calling me back. It was great to met you! Here we are, back on the boards again.

 

Hi D,

 

Yeah funny how we cc'ers run into each other in foreign lands. Let me know what Petersen says. I have not had a chance to call him yet. Also, I was given a police reference number if you need it. I am assuming it would be with the Bayonne police.

[oakbluffscontracting]

I parked my new 2005 car at the Bayonne long term parking between Aug. 27th and Sept. 3rd. and also have paint dust over every square inch of my car. It is a disgrace that this has been going on for a while and nothing is being done. Why weren't we notified of this problem prior to our parking there? This is negligence.

 

Has anyone had their car cleaned yet? Did all the paint come off? What product did the auto body company use?

 

Does anyone know how we will be reimbursed? What about a car rental? I work six days a week and cannot take a day off since I just came back from vacation.

 

I would appreciate any help I can get.

 

Ina