Ricanicole

Ricanicole-- I also like the convenience of being dropped off! I decided to book the park and cruise with Hilton garden for $219. I think its worth it. They also pick you up after the cruise. I don't want to drive into ny and I don't want to take any chances of train delays or any traffic jams.

Thats awesome! So glad to hear you booked it. And the price is the best! Less then the pier for the week and YOU dont have the headache of driving into the city! Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

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Can I bud in with a question for Ricanicole? I am also from Philly and was wondering the best way to get into NYC for a cruise. A little scary to take Amtrak the morning of, because I have (more than once) experiened delays. So your idea with the Park and Ride at the Hilton Garden is a good one. My question is this: how do you usually get back to the hotel after the cruise?

The car company picks you up at the terminal. They will give you a number to call when you come through customs and a car will pick you up abd bring you right back to the front door of the hotel.

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BEST WESTERN PLUS Hotel & Conference Center

5625 O'Donnell Street

Baltimore , Maryland

21224-4630, United States

Phone: 410/633-9500

Used them for our cruise in 2013.

I just read an earlier post from someone who was dissatisfied with their to/from port shuttle experience with the Hilton Garden Inn at Ridgefield Park. I am hoping someone with recent experience with their Park and Cruise Plan could answer a few questions as we are considering this hotel for our March cruise. There are 4 of us, and we would need two rooms.

 

1. Does each of the couples have to book the park and cruise room rate? We would like to book one room at the P&C rate and one room at the Senior's rate and split the difference. The person I spoke to at the hotel yesterday said the person paying for the P&C rate would tell the shuttle scheduler at check-in there would be 4 people to ride and so the second couple would be included with no extra charge. I want to know if anybody was actually able to do this, as he said it would cost $85 pp to schedule the transfer independent of P&C cruise rate.

The hotel maybe able to swing something for ya to keep your business. We booked 4 in 1 room (2 adults and 2 children). We were told that our 1 daughter who was 13 was considered an adult by the car company and would be charged $10.00 each way. The driver didnt even bat an eye or say anything. So when the desk schedules your car, they will prob just put 4 adults for transportation.

2. Does the hotel use shuttles or private car service?How big are the cars or shuttle vans and is there enough room for luggage? One of our cruisemates consistently overpacks. :eek:

It is private car service (Seoul Transportation to be exact). We had Cadillac Escalade to and Town & Country Mini Van for return. They will ask when you check in at hotel when you want to be picked up in the morning and how many bags you have. The car service will come into the hotel to the front desk to ask for you. We were all done breakfast and actually taking turns going to the restroom when our driver got there. He was about 5 min early.

3. Do you know long it takes to get to the terminal from the hotel on Sundays? We will be cruising Sunday to Sunday.

It took us about 20 minutes to get to the terminal. Our driver took us North over another bridge to NY and then we came south down the hudson river right to the terminal.

4. Do you have to call the hotel on disembarkation day to tell the vans to come, or do they know already what time to be there?

The hotel will give you the number to the car service and advise you to call them when you clear customs. When you call, the car service will try to tell you that you have to meet them across the street that they can not come in to the port to get you. I told them I refused to cross NYC traffic with 2 kids, myself and husband with 8 luggage. They did come finally and picked us up where they dropped us off. My advice also, when you get back to NYC and get into the area to claim your luggage, get a porter to put the luggage on the cart and help you through customs. We did that and sailed right through customs as we looked at others that were standing in a long line with their luggage. Customary tip is $1.00-$2.00 per bag. We tipped our porter $20.00 as she waited with us until our driver showed up.

 

Thanks in advance.

BTW I am in Northern Delaware!! Wilmington area.:o;p

Cruising on the Gem out of manhattan. we are coming from the Philadelphia area. Can anyone recommend a reasonable place to park our car on the jersey side on the way up and then a ride service to the pier?

 

OR

 

a reasonable hotel suggestion for the night before along our route on the jersey turnpike (don't want to go out of our way too much off the turnpike) that would offer parking there while on the cruise and ride service to the pier?

Bermudagal,

Check out Hilton Garden Inn at Ridgefield Park NJ. Hotel stay, transportation to and from in private car service, indoor pool, hot breakfast and parking for the week. Some people like the convenience of some one else to drive in NYC for them (I am one of them). And on the other hand there will be some that dont think that it is worth the money. But when we did it for the October 2016 cruise we paid $220 for the park and cruise package and to me, it was so worth it. We came up early and relaxed and didnt worry if there was a shut down or prob on the highway on the way up. We come from Delaware and have been to this hotel 2 times and have it booked for a 3rd time Sept 2017. Clean and convenient.

We did a I Love NYC package here in August of 2016 and it was $10.00 per person round trip to get from Hotel to the Bus Authority in NYC. The city bus picked you up right at the entrance of the parking lot of the hotel. We had this hotel booked for our October 2016 cruise. We actually booked 2 nights and the 1st was booked at a military rate and the 2nd was booked as the park and cruise. We paid $220.00 for the park and cruise package for 4 people in a 2 king bed room. Had the hot breakfast and enjoyed our time in the indoor pool and hot tub. The morning of the cruise we had a Cadillac Escalade to take us to the port with our luggage and on return we called as we came through customs and our car met us on the 2nd level. We had a town and country mini val for the return. There were no other people with us on either to or from the pier. We came home and I have another cruise booked for Sept 2017 and have already booked the hotel again for that. In either of the stays we never experienced any issues with hearing traffic from the main road. 1st time we stayed we overlooked the business behind the hotel, the 2nd time we stayed we were on the front side of the hotel and were able to see the Freedom Tower at night in Lower Manhattan.

Ive searched also for our cruise end of October. Hilton Garden Inn in Ridgefield Park NJ is the only one I have found. I actually just got a price drop on our reservation. For the 1 night it is $269. Which includes transportation to and from the pier, 2 queen beds (there are 4 of us in the room), breakfast for all of us and parking for the week. That in its self is worth it since the parking would have been more then the total of our reservation. I dont have the headache of driving in a city that I am not familiar with.

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!!

We are also looking to book this hotel for our 10/30/16 cruise. I was looking at the parking at the pier for our cruise and it is $280.00. The hotel with the breakfast, car service and onsite parking for the week was approx $287.00. We are coming from Delaware (about a 2 hour drive), but want the comfort of knowing we are close the day of. We sailed out of Baltimore 3 years ago and did a park and cruise as well. The day before when we were driving to Baltimore we came up on a accident that closed 95 down for 2 hours. I know if this was our cruise day, I would have been in a PANIC!! Plus, we are sailing with our 2 kids, so if they can sleep a little later the day of the cruise and we will get a nice breakfast as well and hopefully no panic, I think the price is well worth it!!!

Hope everyone enjoys their cruises and we get some feedback soon from someone that has stayed here and done this deal!!

I am curious too. I have seen that there will be some but not all. I am sailing Dec 1 2013 and want to know what we are in for!! DH is hoping for Guys burgers!!