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The only other option is the Hampton Inn and Hilton Gardens on Staten Island. They offer free parking and their shuttle will take you to Cape Liberty. The Hilton offers a "cruise package" which they charge more for. As of now the parking and transportation come free with the Hampton Inn. However, they both used to be "free" - the Hilton just started offering the package this year so who knows if that will change at the Hampton before next Oct.

We often make different recommendations depending on your plans - some hotels are better for sightseeing in NY, other hotels are better for parking your car, and still other hotels are better if you are parking at the port - so let us know what you want to do and the exact dates.

There's also the fitness center and the giant indoor hot tub. On deck 14 there's a card/game room. There's also shuffleboard, pingpong, jogging track, an inline skating track, ice skating (scheduled times), and golf simulator (fee). Beware of the dreaded video game arcade - I don't know what it costs, but your kids need to know that every time they swipe their seapass card, they get charged. Same goes for the internet usage.

Spend some time exploring the ship to find all these activities - some of them are tucked away.

The balcony is worth the walk - it's larger than the cabin. We had 20+ people on it for a pre dinner gathering and it wasn't even crowded. Loved the side "porthole" and the ability to see 270 degrees. Loved looking at the wake - thought the infrastructure gave some interest and depth to an otherwise flat view of the water.

There is a large hot tub in the middle of the fitness center that is about 3.5 feet deep - it looks like your room would be on the right where the fitness center desk and walkway would be. My guess is that this space has not been filled with rooms because of the plumbing requirements and the noise of the exercise machines.

Virtopia,

Labadee is a beach day - no need to spend money on anything if you don't want to. RCL has a captive audience here, so they offer a bunch of "extras" for this day. I did the Haitian cultural tour last Feb - we went by boat to a private beach, got a short tour, and just hung out for 3 hours away from the bustle of Labadee.

IMO no real need for a ship's excursion in any of these ports. For St. Thomas you can just hop one of the safari cabs along with everyone else to go to the beach - Magen's Bay, Coki, Sapphire Beach, etc. If you want a tour, check the STT board - there are several popular private tours like Sonny Liston and Air Force One. RCL is offering 6.5 hour trips to St. John for $40 - this is a good deal so you might want to look at one of those - it would be some "tour" plus free time (or all free time if you like).

For STM you can just take the water taxi across the harbor to Phillipsburg - this gives you shopping plus the downtown beach - the best of both worlds.

You won't have much time in San Juan. There is a free trolley around the old city, but it gets crowded. If you want to ride it, it's better to walk to one of the stops before the pier so you can get a seat. If you want to go to El Morro, this is a good way to get there.

All of these ports are comfortable as a solo if you stay in the tourist areas - Labadee is a private island, STT and San Juan are US possessions, and STM is Dutch - very orderly.

Don't know what your rollcall group has planned - please try to meet Red Devil (Dick & Mari) - they will know what's going on.

It's usually cold when you board, so I wear heavier pants, turtleneck, and my white "cruise" sweater. The next day I wear a short sleeve top under the cotton sweater and either the same pants or khakis depending on the weather. I don't think there's a need to take both a summer and winter wardrobe - you can make do with the clothes you wear on the ship for the cooler times - you only need them if you're going to be outside for a long time.

Not that I'm aware of. That's an even more expensive car service transfer.

No - there are no shuttles from EWR or Newark Penn Station to the pier. Cab or car service is about $50-55. RCL may sell transfers from EWR to the pier - I guess that would be considered a "shuttle".

Wally - the only thing I can say about 8372 is that it's pretty far aft - you will get a chance to walk off calories.

Mets550 - I like Cape Liberty, but you have to arrive with a good mindset. The port is definitely not pretty, but it can be interesting. You get a fabulous view of the ship when you arrive because the terminal building is separate. You can look at the SOL all afternoon and you can watch the non-stop NY harbor traffic - bring binoculars. Bring your patience as well (and something to do) - sometimes the traffic is backed up into the port and sometimes not. Sometimes you have to wait to board and sometimes not. You will have to take a short bus ride across the "tarmac" to the ship. So if you've been reading about Cape Liberty, there should be no surprises.

I'm going solo on the 11/10 10 day Explorer cruise from Bayonne to Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Martin. I got a great deal on a promenade the day of final payment, but prices have dropped again - $879 incl single supplement (about 155%) for an inside guarantee + $104.49 port taxes. Great CC group on this sailing. All the insides are on decks 6-10.

If cost is a factor, I would suggest taking the Silver Line bus to South Station. The Silver Line stops at each Logan terminal and costs $2/pp. It's very much like a very large rental car bus with a low step and luggage racks. At South Station there are elevators to get you to the street level where you can get a cab (cab stand on Atlantic Ave) to the hotel - this should be no more than $15 if that much.

I don't recommend taking luggage on the Green Line Trolley - they always seem to be crowded and have awkward steps.

It only takes about 15 minutes - maybe less. The pier is across the harbor from the airport - you may be able to see the planes landing from the ship. However, a cab does cost about $25.

Prices on this cruise just dropped today. Lots of higher category inside cabins available at 170%. Not the best deal I have ever seen, but a nice last minute deal from NJ to the Caribbean.

I prefer one of the higher decks (12 or 13) for the experience going under the bridge - it really looks like the ship's antennas will clip the bridge. You go under the Verrazano about 20 minutes after you sail.

Great feedback cruising mickey! I haven't stayed at the BW Adams so I can only report what others have said. I have been to the Ramada area in South Boston and was not impressed - descriptions of the BW Adams area seem to be similar.

The problem is that folks who are used to cruising from ports that cater to cruisers don't understand that Boston doesn't cater to cruisers. Unlike most airports that have lots of free hotel shuttles, Boston has them for hotels in fringe areas like Revere, Saugus, Chelsea, Quincy and remote South Boston. Folks do it themselves in Boston - they take cabs or the "T" and get themselves around.

Are you planning to use Hotwire? It's possible the choice will not be there in a few days - check back if you have any questions. Other hotels in either the Waltham or the Lexington/Burlington/Woburn areas are acceptable. The 4* Waltham hotel for $96 is probably the Westin and is very nice.

The 3.5* hotel is out there for $76. You're going to have to drive to dinner (no walking in this area). The Element is right off of route 95/128 on route 2A west.

You will be right on route 2A which is the Battle Road - http://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm

If you arrive early enough you and your sister may enjoy a ride to Concord MA along the Battle Road - the Colonial Inn in Concord serves dinner. You can also drive into Lexington Center (Lexington Battle Green) where there are a number of restaurants.

If you want a mall experience, you can go 2 exits north on 95/128 to Burlington Mall where there is a Cheesecake Factory (long wait) among other restaurants.

No safely issues in this area - very suburban east of 128 and exurban west of 128.

What exact date are you looking at? Are you coming into Boston on the Mass Pike (I90)? What do you consider "close the the hotel" for a dining option? The Element offers a complimentary breakfast. It is frequently on Hotwire, but not always. However, there are usually very reasonable nice hotel choices close to the intersection of I90 and I95/128.

The water shuttle isn't all that convenient. You have to take a free shuttle bus from the terminal to the dock. The regular water taxi goes from Logan to Rowe's Wharf, which is not near Black Falcon. You can arrange for a water taxi to take you to Black Falcon, but you'd have to contact the Rowe's Wharf water taxi directly. I think it would run about $17/pp, but don't quote me on that.

Boston is not like a Florida port city - it does not cater to the cruising crowd. Logan Airport is practically in downtown Boston so none of the downtown hotels offer free airport shuttles. Folks pay for cabs or take the Silver Line or Blue Line "T" from the airport to their hotel. The free shuttles are offered by hotels in more fringe areas like Revere, Saugus, Chelsea, and Quincy, none of which are particularly convenient to the port. Several hotels like the BW Adams also offer a shuttle to the port - from Quincy it is a quick detour to the port on the way to Logan. There is also a Holiday Inn Express in South Boston that offers parking and I think a pay shuttle to the port. There are also the park/sleep airport hotels (trinityreservations.com and stay123.com) that are primarily located several miles northeast of Boston in Revere and Saugus. You could get the parking at these hotels, but you would have to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport and then a cab or public transit to the port.

Parking at the port is $16/day - $112 for a 7 day cruise. For your 10/21 date I am seeing 2 hotels on Hotwire in the Burlington/Lexington area. One is a 2* for $58 that is likely to be the Quality Inn in Lexington and the other is a 3.5* hotel for $71 that is likely to be the Element in Lexington. I live in the area and know that each hotel is close to an exit on route 128/95 and about 10 minutes north of the intersections of I90 and 128/I95. The Element is a brand new hotel within the last several years and gets excellent reviews. These hotels would be on the west side of Boston which you would hit first coming from Pittsburgh and would be less than 1/2 hour drive to the port. The Burlington Mall is close by and there are many nice restaurants in the area.

The Adams Best Western is likely to be your most economical choice if you need to park your car and get to the port. Where are you driving from? Another option is to stay outside the city in a nice suburban hotel (usually good hotwire deals) and pay to park at the pier. Depending on where you're coming from and time of day on a Friday, getting to Quincy on the Southeast Expressway could be difficult. Driving into Boston on a Saturday morning should not be a problem.

You can see the pier from the airport, but the taxi fare is $25-30. There is also a public transit option for $2/pp - Silver Line bus from the airport terminal to World Trade Center - transfer over the tracks to the SL2 bus to Black Falcon Terminal.

I found it! Yankee Trails runs a cruise bus from Rensselaer to Bayonne for $80/pp round trip. https://www.yankeetrails.com/Travel_Packages/category.asp?categoryid=55&subcategoryid=84&subcategoryid2=85

moneypit - please post your questions on the East Coast Departures board. You will get a wider response.

If you can drive to NYC, you can drive to Bayonne - just cross the George Washington Bridge and take the NJ Turnpike to Bayonne. Parking is $19/day. By train you would go to Newark Penn Station and take a cab for about $50 each way. I think there may be a cruise bus option as well from Albany.

Be sure to explore the Fitness Center. There is a massive indoor hot tub there plus locker rooms with a sauna, steam room, large showers, and plenty of towels. No need to check out a RCL towel that you have to keep track - just take what you need from the locker room.