Port Imperial Ferry to Manhattan Cruise Port?

[Karen4120]

Hi

 

Looking for some input on taking the Ferry from Weehawken, NJ the morning of the cruise? A few posters here have mentioned this as a great alternative to driving into Manhattan and parking there.  Looking for some recent experiences. 

 

We depart on Sunday, 4/30th for a NCL cruise.  We will be driving down from Massachusetts the day before and staying somewhere close to the ferry.   Possibly staying in Secacus, North Bergen or right in Weehawken and taking the Ferry over to Manhattan.  Has anyone done this?  I would love to know how it worked out.  Parking here is very cheap at $22 night.   The Ferry seems to run quite frequently on the weekend.  I have been looking at some hotels and reading reviews on tripadvisor.  The more I read the more confused I get, for every good review, there is a real bad one.   If anyone has some recommendations, please send it along.  Our first priority is that its clean and safe.  Hoping to find a newer hotel.  We will need 3 rooms.  Any input would be appreciated.  Thanks!

Karen

 

 

[lx200gps]

We did exactly this last  summer, before our Bermuda trip on NCL. We've been to Manhattan many times anyway, so we didn't need to sightsee this time, and as Canadians paying a high premium due to the value of our dollar, staying in Jersey and taking the ferry saved us a ton of money. and was dead easy. In fact we did it again in September, staying in Teaneck at a big cheap Marriott and driving to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for our Princess trip.

 

The best located hotels are the Residence Inn and the Envue, both Marriott properties located in the same building literally across the street from the Weehawken/Port Imperial ferry terminal.  Morning of the cruise, we walked across the street, got on the ferry (that crossing is a busy one so ferries are frequent), and 8 minutes later were at the 39th St ferry terminal.  The ferries are very luggage-friendly and getting on and off was simple. From there, it was a very easy 15 minute walk north up the Hudson Greenway, a pedestrian-only path, to the MCT.  Walking 15 minutes towing luggage may sound daunting, but for us, healthy 65-year olds, it was a no-brainer. There is also a big Sheraton just south of Weehawken also on the Hudson, but the ferry terminal there does not run nearly as often as the Port Imperial service.

 

The Residence inn a snd the Envue are very new and clean and we will definitely stay at either whenever we sail out of the MCT in the future. There are actually two parking garages at Port Imperial. One is in the same building as the hotels, and there is another ferry garage one block north which is $2/day cheaper.  There is also a pretty decent restaurant, the Highwood, in the lobby of the hotel if you don't want to travel out for dinner. Great views of he Manhattan skyline.

[GTJ]

Excellent review of staying in New Jersey and using the Port Imperial ferry from Weehawken to New York. Note also that on the New Jersey side there is a light rail line that travels along the shore of the Hudson River. So if one is able to find a hotel with long-term parking at a good rate in Union City, Weehawken, Hoboken, or Jersey City, then one could leave the car there and ride the train to the Port Imperial ferry in Weehawken (there's a short walk between the train station and the ferry slips). On the New York side, the ferry arrives at West 39th Street, while the Manhattan Cruise Terminal runs from West 46th Street to West 54th Street, an easy walk.

[sandym718]

I don't have any info on using this ferry on cruise days, but my daughter and I have used the ferry on two trips to NYC in the past and we love it.  Inexpensive, great views, very convenient.  Highly recommend it for travel in/out of Manhattan.  We'll be sailing out of Bayonne in May, but want to come a day early and tour Manhattan.  My husband and son have never been.   We'll be driving from Ohio so thinking of driving to Port Imperial and staying at the Envue (need a room for 4 adults) for the night prior to the cruise.  We'd drive to the Bayonne port in the morning.   So thank you lx200gps for that info!!

 

[Karen4120]

Thanks!  So much for the replies.  Very much appreciated.

[Karen4120]

The hotels in Teaneck seem to be more affordable.  How was that area?  I believe its a close commute to the Weekhawken Ferry and/or the terminal if we decide to drive into NY.  

[lx200gps]

34 minutes ago, Karen4120 said:

The hotels in Teaneck seem to be more affordable.  How was that area?  I believe its a close commute to the Weekhawken Ferry and/or the terminal if we decide to drive into NY.  

We stayed at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe before our last trip out of Brooklyn on Princess last September. It's a large, business-oriented hotel near the end of the GW bridge, relatively inexpensive when we stayed, free parking for the night and well reviewed. There's nothing right at the hotel but we drove a short distance to the Riverside Mall on Route 4, and there were PLENTY of good restaurants. From the hotel, it's about 10 miles/30 minutes to the Weehawken ferry. From the Marriott, head towards the GW, get off just before the bridge and enjoy a nice drive southwards down the Hudson on River Road to the ferry terminal.   If you decide to drive to the MCT, cross the GW then head south on the Hudson Parkway/9A until you hit your ship.  The MCT is right on the 9A, so there's no way you would miss finding your ship  ;o) Travel time for both routes is about the same.

[GTJ]

2 hours ago, Karen4120 said:

The hotels in Teaneck seem to be more affordable. How was that area? I believe its a close commute to the Weekhawken Ferry and/or the terminal if we decide to drive into NY.

From Teaneck, you're likely better served by simply taking the bus directly from there into Port Authority or the GWB bus station, rather than trying to drive to Weehawken, then using the ferry.

 

As to the area itself, Teaneck is typical suburban New Jersey. In that respect, it is quite different from Union City, Weehawken, Hoboken, and Jersey City, all of which are urban communities.

[lx200gps]

15 hours ago, GTJ said:

From Teaneck, you're likely better served by simply taking the bus directly from there into Port Authority or the GWB bus station, rather than trying to drive to Weehawken, then using the ferry.

 

As to the area itself, Teaneck is typical suburban New Jersey. In that respect, it is quite different from Union City, Weehawken, Hoboken, and Jersey City, all of which are urban communities.

In our case, we were driving all the way to Brooklyn anyway, and we had about 140 lbs of luggage (my wife does not travel light ;o). The only public transport we could have possibly used was the ferry from Weehawken which, as you know, is incredibly conveniently located next to a cheap parking garage. We did that for a trip out of the MCT, but for our trip from Brooklyn, we drove. Buses are not an option for us, though they are obviously are for those who can cruise "light".

[GTJ]

8 hours ago, lx200gps said:

In our case, we were driving all the way to Brooklyn anyway, and we had about 140 lbs of luggage (my wife does not travel light ;o). The only public transport we could have possibly used was the ferry from Weehawken which, as you know, is incredibly conveniently located next to a cheap parking garage.

My goodness . . . quite a bit of baggage! Some of the buses from New Jersey to Port Authority do have underfloor baggage compartments (including those used on the route 167 buses that travel from the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe), and New Jersey Transit is not terribly strict with limiting the amount of such baggage carried in those underfloor compartments. But you would have to be certain of the types of buses used on the particular route chosen . . . that much baggage would not work well on the regular transit buses without underfloor baggage compartments! There would be the additional issue of getting from Port Authority to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, a bit more effort compared to the walk from the Pier 79 (West 39th Street) ferry terminal. And in any case, getting to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal would be yet further effort, be it from Pier 79 or from Port Authority. In these cases, it is important be aware of the details!

[kochleffel]

My choice was to park at the Weehawken ferry terminal and stay overnight in the theater district to see Leopoldstadt. When we return to New York I’ll walk along the Greenway from the cruise terminal at 48th Street to the ferry terminal at 39th. NY Waterways also has a shuttle bus along 12th Avenue.

[Nitemare]

On 2/4/2023 at 8:18 PM, kochleffel said:

My choice was to park at the Weehawken ferry terminal and stay overnight in the theater district to see Leopoldstadt. When we return to New York I’ll walk along the Greenway from the cruise terminal at 48th Street to the ferry terminal at 39th. NY Waterways also has a shuttle bus along 12th Avenue.

Great play, the first Stoppard that I enjoyed

[vacationagain]

We are cruising out of NY in October. In the past we have stayed, parked & shuttle to the terminal. Neither of the hotels we used in the past do this anymore, and I'm not finding others less then $500- $900. I have priced train train, bus. car hire, rental van the cost to park at the port is looking better and better. The parking fees added to ticket cost are almost as much or more then  pier parking$40.00 X 7 =$280.00 come and go on my schedule  and door to door. Am I missing something?? MA / NH Boarder to NY 3.5 hour trip between 4 -7 in 1 car

Any thoughts?

Thank you!

[Brighton Line]

$280 parking in Manhattan is a steal and it includes the 18+% parking tax. People pay $45 an hour plus tax for parking to go see a play. Add the ability to be to and from your car in minutes (pending normal check in/customs) and a porter helping with your bags? Priceless. 

Rooftop parking, after you clear the entrance you can stop by the elevator and drop your bags leave one of your party with the bags as you park. Sometimes there is a porter there, most times not.

And you can wave goodbye to your car from the ship so it doesn't feel left out.

 

 

Edited February 10, 2023 by Brighton Line

[Blueunderneath]

I’m looking at possibly doing this for my cruise next month, but is it safe to assume there will be parking available at the ferry? I’m planning on driving down that morning, so no hotel to worry about, and I’d love to pay $22/day rather than $40/day. Is there tax on top of the $22 or is that inclusive? Thank you, it’s super helpful to be able to talk to people who’ve done this before!

[Cienfuegos]

I haven't found weekend parking at the Port Imperial Ferry terminal to be an issue.  You may have to drive up a few levels, but there's space.  During the week is a different matter

 

Many Manhattan residents will buy monthly parking passes, and leave their vehicles in the Port Imperial garage during the week.  Cheap, relatively safe, off the street, and avoid the $16 +/- Lincoln Tunnel tolls

[Blueunderneath]

1 hour ago, Cienfuegos said:

I haven't found weekend parking at the Port Imperial Ferry terminal to be an issue.  You may have to drive up a few levels, but there's space.  During the week is a different matter

 

Many Manhattan residents will buy monthly parking passes, and leave their vehicles in the Port Imperial garage during the week.  Cheap, relatively safe, off the street, and avoid the $16 +/- Lincoln Tunnel tolls

That’s great, thank you. And is there a maximum stay? I’ll be gone 8 days. 

[lx200gps]

17 hours ago, Blueunderneath said:

That’s great, thank you. And is there a maximum stay? I’ll be gone 8 days. 

We used the Port Imperial parking garage last September (the one closest to the ferry terminal, located in the hotel, not the slightly cheaper one a block away)  PLENTY of spots available on the higher levels when we arrived on a Friday afternoon, and we stayed for 8 days with no issues.

[noshoobie]

Just a tad off topic - but could someone let me know how to get from Port Imperial to the Red Hook terminal? We will be leaving on a Sunday and I thought I read somewhere that the ferry does not run directly to Red Hook on weekends. 

[lx200gps]

18 minutes ago, noshoobie said:

Just a tad off topic - but could someone let me know how to get from Port Imperial to the Red Hook terminal? We will be leaving on a Sunday and I thought I read somewhere that the ferry does not run directly to Red Hook on weekends. 

I looked into this a few months ago and found exactly that, you can't get to Pier 11, and therefore to Red Hook, easily on weekends as the needed ferry only runs during weekday rush hours. The only way I could figure was to take the ferry from Weehawken across to the Midtown terminal on 39th, then take a taxi or Uber to Pier 11 then grab the ferry from there to Red Hook. The ferry terminal at Red Hook is literally next door to the BCT.

 

The maps and schedules from the New Jersey side are on the NY Waterways site

 

https://www.nywaterway.com/

[Karen4120]

I just wanted to report back that staying in Weehawken NJ and taking the ferry over to midtown was a great option.  Hotel we stayed in was Residence Inn (huge clean room) and it was seconds from the Ferry.  Parking was $22 nite and we left it there for 8 nights.  The ferry ride was a mere 8 minutes and the cost was $9.  Had a beautiful view of the NY skyline and great restaurants to eat nearby.  If you leave from the NY cruise terminal in Manhattan, its a great alternative to driving and staying in NY.

[GTJ]

Deleted.

Edited May 19, 2023 by GTJ

[frankp01]

On 1/19/2023 at 9:39 AM, lx200gps said:

we did it again in September, staying in Teaneck at a big cheap Marriott and driving to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for our Princess trip.

We have stayed in New Jersey (once in Jersey City and once at the Newark Train Station) and taken the ferry to Red Hook. There are two hotels adjacent to the Jersey City Exchange Place station. From those hotels it's maybe a 5-10 minute very pleasant walk along the promenade to the Paulus Hook ferry terminal. There's a ferry from there to Pier 11, at Wall Street. Then it's an easy connection to the Red Hook ferry. The downside is that the Paulus Hook-Pier 11 route doesn't run all day, so you have to catch one of the morning ferries, and it doesn't run on weekends at all (boo). There are also ferry routes from 3 other spots in Hoboken to Pier 11.

Edited May 22, 2023 by frankp01

[jack300s]

Karen4120....Totally agree. We've stayed in Weehawken twice and stayed at the Lincoln Harbour Sheraton. Nice suite at half the price of hotels in Manhatten. Love walking along the riverfront at night with the New York City lights at night. Love love love the location. We took the Ferry to go to the 911 Memorial. Also we take the Ferry to the main terminal in Manhatten and then take the free Waterways Ferry Buses to Times Square, Empire State Building and other sites. Took the free bus to Grand Central Station and then caught the subway to a couple of Yankee games. Also its only a short block or two walk to the cruise terminal. We're taking a cruise this September and are going to stay at the Residence Inn in Port Imperial Weehawken.

 

[njhorseman]

13 hours ago, jack300s said:

Also its only a short block or two walk to the cruise terminal.

It's 9 blocks to the nearest pier of the cruise terminal... close to half a mile. The ferry terminal is at 39th St. and 12th Ave. and Pier 88 of the cruise terminal is at 48th St. and 12th Ave. If your ship is leaving from Pier 90 it's an additional two blocks north of the ferry terminal, so a touch over a half mile.

 

Still very walkable as long as you can manage your luggage.

Edited June 3, 2023 by njhorseman