Bayonne-good experiences--anyone?

[ritak]

I have read some "iffy" reviews about the Best Western park and cruise program, but if anyone can share a good experience, please post.

 

I am trying to keep extra expenses at a minimum (so we'll have a little fun money on the ship) and instead of flying, I am doing a five hour drive to NJ with my 3 children the day before our cruise. Several of the other hotels that folks mention, in addition to port parking, can get pricey. Also, not being familiar with the heavy traffic in NJ and the route to the port, I am apprehensive about driving. So this whole package sounded pretty good to me.

 

I plan on getting to town in daylight hours and am only staying one night. We won't plan on going out-thought we could order out for supper.

 

Is this reasonable or not? Thoughts please? Thanks.

[cds2423]

I have read some "iffy" reviews about the Best Western park and cruise program, but if anyone can share a good experience, please post.

 

I am trying to keep extra expenses at a minimum (so we'll have a little fun money on the ship) and instead of flying, I am doing a five hour drive to NJ with my 3 children the day before our cruise. Several of the other hotels that folks mention, in addition to port parking, can get pricey. Also, not being familiar with the heavy traffic in NJ and the route to the port, I am apprehensive about driving. So this whole package sounded pretty good to me.

 

I plan on getting to town in daylight hours and am only staying one night. We won't plan on going out-thought we could order out for supper.

 

Is this reasonable or not? Thoughts please? Thanks.

 

I know exactly where you're coming from, i too have some reservations about the BW after reading some not great reviews, i do have a ressie for our cruise in Oct which i haven't cancelled but i will be as i've gone ahead and made a res. at the Hampton Inn in Secaucus, a little bit of a drive, about 30 mins from what i've been told, but the reviews of the hotel have all been really good. For my family and i peace of mind is really important, not only was i concerned about the hotel but i know that the entire time we were going to be away i'd be wondering if our car was ok. By the way when you leave your car at the BW you have to leave them the keys.

:(

[starlake]

We stayed at the BW a year ago in June. We had no problems at all. I am going to give you possible pros and cons and you can decide.

 

Pros

The rooms were nice, recently redone

The people at the hotel were great, very kind

You park for free for 10 days, longer than that is a reasonable rate.

They take you in their van to the pier. Depending on how many people are staying, they make several runs

They give you a voucher for the return trip. Once you are back at the port, you turn right go down to the end, ask about the shuttle back to the BW and they will direct you.(it is a taxi company) It is very easy

Your car is locked in a fence compound while you are gone.

 

 

Cons

This area of Newark is not the best in the world.

If you are not use to driving in NJ it is a mess. We googled our trip and went there with no problem. We went out later to eat and were lost and had a terrible time with the turn arounds. Eat before you get there. They have a very small restaurant in the BW but it wasn't open for dinner.

You drive down a street to the hotel that looks like an alley, it gave me the creepies.

You must leave your keys, this bothers some people. I checked our mileage before we left and there was no extra mileage.

 

I think you will have to decide what is best for you. It was fine for us.

[MikeNJ1109]

As an alternative, how about checking out the hotels in Jersey City on the Hudson River...there is a Marriott/Courtyard, a Hyatt Regency, and a Doubletree Suites Hotel. There are some excellent restaurants all within walking distance, and it's beautiful to have the view of NYC from your hotel window...and there's a River-Front Walkway.

 

And, to top it off...Jersey City is only about a 10 minute or so drive from the Bayonne Cruise Port.

 

Michael

[Puffinater]

Stayed at the Best Western in May. Had no issues other than location. If you plan on one night and ordering food out you should have no problems. The hotel was clean and the staff very nice. The shuttle service is a big plus.

[ritak]

Thank you for your responses.

 

Starlake, this is just the kind of info I was seeking. Glad to know both sides of the coin. For us, I believe it will fit our needs. And as I mentioned, we will not be wandering anywhere that we will get lost. Thanks.

 

Michael, thank you for your suggestions. I just checked some of those hotels and came up with prices of $125-189 plus tax. Along with port parking, that puts us close to $300 and over. It's a bit too much for me.

 

I truly appreciate your help.

 

Rita

[Cruisin' Mane]

i hate bayone its so stupid you check in and then you wait in a long line for a bus to bring you to the pier

[barbaragrace]

I plan on getting to town in daylight hours and am only staying one night. We won't plan on going out-thought we could order out for supper.

 

Is this reasonable or not? Thoughts please? Thanks.

 

 

We live in NJ and never stayed in the hotel BUT it's near (a few minutes by car)Jersey Gardens mall.

http://www.jerseygardens.com/

and a Ruby Tuesday restaurant.

[BonnieSte]

Which Best Western is this. I would like to check this out.

[Puffinater]

Here is a link for you.

 

http://www.bwnewark.com/

[ritak]

Bonnie,

 

Here is the link.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

http://www.bwnewark.com/specials.html

 

 

Rita

[ritak]

Sorry for double post.

 

Rita

[BonnieSte]

Bonnie,

 

Here is the link.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

http://www.bwnewark.com/specials.html

 

 

Rita

 

OOO thank you!!

[BonnieSte]

This sounds like the way to go. I would imagine you could take taxis to the city?

[hcw80]

I wouldn't take a taxi into NYC. You can pick up transportation at Newark Airport or take the train over. I do recommend that if you want to visit the Statue of Liberty you do it from the Jersey side. There is a park where you can leave your car and take a ferry over. I highly recommend adding on Ellis Island too. It has been years since I lived in that area, so I might be a little off in the details.

 

Someone mentioned the Garden State Mall. It is very big. But I don't remember too many resturants in it. I stayed recently at the Residence Inn across the street from the mall. It was spacious and clean. I liked it because you had a little more space for a family. I know they had shuttle service to the airport, I'm not sure about to the port.

[ritak]

I'm not really sure about that. I think I've read that the taxis can be pretty expensive. I'm sure someone else who is knowledgeable will respond.

 

And about the hotel-if you are like me, I'm not looking for the Taj Mahal. Just a clean, comfortable place to lay our heads for a few hours and then an easy way to get to our ship. :)

 

Good luck!

[scopewest]

I'm planning on doing the BW but we're not driving, we're flying. I would assume the BW shuttle would pick us up at the airport, then take us back to the pier the next day, and after the cruise we get a voucher to have a taxi take us to the airport?

 

Someone said there's no restaurant open at BW in the evening. So we figure we'd eat at the airport before we catch the shuttle to the hotel. I trust Newark has a few fast food places. We're not interesting in sightseeing in NYC on this trip, we just want a place to sleep for the night before the cruise.

[WMassCruisers]

When we sailed from Bayonne last year, we found out that RC had free shuttle services from various cities on the East Coast. We live in rural Western Mass. (which is about a 4 1/2 hr ride to NJ) and picked up one of the buses about 1/2 hr. away from our house. It was GREAT! No driving or parking problems - just got my book out and either read or slept the whole way. When we boarded the shuttle for home, there must have been 30 or more buses waiting to leave NJ - going all the way up to where we live and down into Virginia. Had to have our travel agent book this - couldn't do it on our own (even though our travel agent knew nothing about it until I told her!). Definately the way to go!

[starlake]

Just some more information,

You can catch the train into New York not far from the BW. You can arrange for the shuttle to take you to the station and pick you up.

We ate dinner at the Ramada Inn (the park and ride is not available at the Ramada), which is essentially next door (sure wish we would have known that before we had to drive and get lost). As we were eating dinner, the BW shuttle dropped of a group of people to eat at the same restaurant, so that probably is available. The BW has a free breakfast.

 

I am not sure what the poster was talking about when they mentioned waiting in line. There was no waiting at the hotel and the only waiting we did at the port was for the little bus (taxi) to fill. So if they were talking about a different place I don't have any knowledge there.

 

Have a great cruise and if you have never been on the Explorer, you will really enjoy the cruise.

[starlake]

Scopewest,

The BW shuttle will pick you up at the airport. You just have to call.

We made the mistake of flying in this year on the day of the cruise. We didn't get on the ship until 3:00 pm with all of the plane delays. I normally never fly in on the day of the cruise, but was only flying from Pittsburgh. My mistake.

[ritak]

Scopewest,

 

I just called the BW to make a reservation. It is $155 +tax for 2 people ($195 +tax for 4). It includes a one night stay, 10 days of parking and transportation to the ship. I asked if they could pick you up at the airport and then bring you to the ship and then back to the airport again at the end of your cruise. (Sorry, I didn't see Starlake's post with the answer). The clerk said yes and as Starlake just said, you would just need to call on one of the courtesy phones for pickup. Hope this helps.

 

WMassCruisers,

I am originally from North Adams. Where do you live in MA?

[WMQueenie]

When we sailed from Bayonne last year, we found out that RC had free shuttle services from various cities on the East Coast. We live in rural Western Mass. (which is about a 4 1/2 hr ride to NJ) and picked up one of the buses about 1/2 hr. away from our house. It was GREAT! No driving or parking problems - just got my book out and either read or slept the whole way. When we boarded the shuttle for home, there must have been 30 or more buses waiting to leave NJ - going all the way up to where we live and down into Virginia. Had to have our travel agent book this - couldn't do it on our own (even though our travel agent knew nothing about it until I told her!). Definately the way to go!

 

I'd love to hear more about this "free shuttle"! We've cruised twice on RCCL out of Bayonne and we also live in Western Mass. They had a bus from Springfield but the cost was ridiculous! It was cheaper to drive and park at the port for 9 days! Please tell me more!

[johnjen]

I have read some "iffy" reviews about the Best Western park and cruise program, but if anyone can share a good experience, please post.

 

I am trying to keep extra expenses at a minimum (so we'll have a little fun money on the ship) and instead of flying, I am doing a five hour drive to NJ with my 3 children the day before our cruise. Several of the other hotels that folks mention, in addition to port parking, can get pricey. Also, not being familiar with the heavy traffic in NJ and the route to the port, I am apprehensive about driving. So this whole package sounded pretty good to me.

 

I plan on getting to town in daylight hours and am only staying one night. We won't plan on going out-thought we could order out for supper.

 

Is this reasonable or not? Thoughts please? Thanks.

 

Here's the pros and cons. We stayed there last year.

 

Pros: Clean rooms and comfortable enough for a one night's stay.

 

If you're a Sopranos fan, filming locations are a couple of miles north. Nice little journey out that way to see Pizzaland, the pork shop/restaurant, etc.

 

Efficient and convenient, especially the parking part. One misunderstood aspect is that they will move your car to the outside lot the day your ship returns. It's not a bad area; at least from what we observed.

 

Cons: Somewhat hard to find! We missed the turnoff the first time around; from there, good luck in getting back to that point again! Just drive SLOW, you won't miss it then.

 

Restaurants in the area are hard to find. However, there is a mall nearby. It's hard to navigate in and out of the hotel, but once you learn that loop, you're ok.

 

At first glance, it's in a weird location. There's a scrap yard next door to it, more or less an industrial area. I didn't see any hoodlums or concerns about security, but then again, we're not from that area.

 

We would stay there again.

[ritak]

JohnJen,

I appreciate your feedback. It's nice to hear both sides. I feel I can make an informed decision this way. I went ahead with the reservation and can relax knowing I have a place to stay and an easy in/out from the port. I will be sure to take it slowly so I don't miss the turn. Many thanks for your response.

 

WMQueenie,

Here is a link that I found on another thread that tells a little about the motorcoach service. It appears the free rate is only for specific cruises and I can't find a tel. number to get more info.

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/r...X_busrates.pdf

 

I have heard that at times the fare can be over $100 per person

[David4]

We stayed at the BW when we went on the 5 night to Bermuda. We flew into the EWR airport. Called and they pickup us up from airport. Room was clean and the people friendly and helpfull. The next day transfers to the ship with a voucher to return. We didn't have any problems. Would recommend for an overnight stay.