may_bartram

Looking for opinions on which Marriott to stay at near Cape Liberty on Wednesday June 5. We have points for a free night and have narrowed it down to the Courtyard at Newark Airport or Courtyard in Elizabeth (both offer queen beds). We're driving in from western PA on I-80 and won't arrive at hotel until 7 or 8 so dinner/entertainment is not an issue. We're planning on driving and parking at the cruise port so (I think) my biggest question is which hotel will be easiest to get to the cruise port from the next morning. If there are other factors I should consider, please let me know. Thanks in advance, this board has been a wealth of information for me.

So with this talk about the security of hotel parking while on the cruise (based on the jeep with the missing tires), I want to ask: is the general consensus that the parking garage at the port is more secure?

On 2/9/2019 at 4:46 PM, megr1125 said:

I stayed there a couple weeks ago....I got a ride with my friend and took us MAYBE 20 minutes to get to the pier...it's not far and there wasn't much traffic...

Can I ask if you stayed during the week or on a weekend? We'll be sailing on a Thursday and I am trying to figure out how bad traffic will be if we use points and stay at the same Courtyard.

2 hours ago, 138east said:

Queen beds are hard to come by.  The Courtyard Newark Airport has them for your date - $258 tax included with 14 days parking.  No port transportation.

 

However trinityreservations.com offers 2 doubles plus 21 days parking and round trip port transportation for 4 people for $250 tax included.  I have used this package and was very happy with it.

Thanks so much for your input!  I think the Trinity reservation is for the Ramada Plaza, right? Is the Courtyard also listed on Trinity Reservations or would I find it somewhere else?  

5 minutes ago, 138east said:

What is your sail date?  How many rooms do you need for 8 people?  Bed size requirements?  2 cars?

Thanks, sailing June 6, 2 cars, 2 rooms (4 adults, 4 under 18). Ideally 2 queen beds per room, though we could make due with 2 doubles per room for one night.

4 minutes ago, 138east said:

Unfortunately the answer is no park and cruise options outside the Newark, Elizabeth, Carteret, Staten Island area.

 

Someone recently asked this question and the response was a definite no.

Thanks, for that. Of those areas, which would you say is most easily accessible coming in from I-80 on a weekday evening? And any hotels you would recommend in general?  

Sailing out of Cape Liberty in June and am wondering if there are any hotels in the Parsippany area  (or vicinity) that offer a park and cruise option (we don't need a shuttle to the port; there are 8 of us and I think it will be more cost effective to book travel through a private service).  I am asking because we're driving in from Western Pennsylvania the night before on 80, and the last time we did this we stayed in Parsippany and loved the location and the relative ease of getting there after a long day behind the wheel.

That last time, we drove from Parsippany to the port the next morning (Saturday). This time some factors have changed: we're sailing out on a Thursday, the port parking will be considerably more (longer cruise, higher fee), and my brother (the other driver) was pretty spooked by the drive to Cape Liberty last time. Hence, my question. I know there are hotels closer to the cruise port with expended parking options, however, thought I'd ask about a bit further out. Thanks.

We sailed on the Pride recently, too and really enjoyed Schwartz. It was our first Carnival cruise (in the past have sailed Disney and Royal Caribbean) and this is the most interaction I remember from a cruise director.

My parents celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary on the cruise and somehow my mother ended up talking to him on a port day. He sent a bottle of wine, chocolate covered strawberries and a personalized note to their stateroom. Not sure if this is typical for a cruise director but it made her entire cruise.

We got back from our cruise on Sunday, and I thought I would stop in here for a quick update. I didn't use the internet while onboard so was surprised by the passion the topic engendered.

On the suggestion of the posters here, I checked with guest services about my bags being delayed and they said they would look into it. As I said in a previous post, most bags were delivered to rooms near us before we got any of our bags, including to the two cabins who were travelling with us who did not purchase FTTF. The bags, when delivered did have the orange stickers on them (or at least pieces of them; not sure is they were running low but the stickers had been torn in thirds). Guest services contacted me a day or two later to let me know that the bags had been delivered later than the FTTF standard (which I believe they said was two hours after you board the ship, I don't think this is published anywhere but that's what they told me). They refunded the $60 as an on-board credit and also sent a bottle of wine to my room, which was not expected. Please note I did not complain or rant to anyone on board, just asked them to check on my luggage.

I was very impressed by Carnival's customer service, both in this incident and in a number of other ways they treated my elderly parents while on board. They said to continue using the FTTF privileges so I took advantage of the priority debarkation, which was the best part of having FTTF. I would purchase it again for the debarkation alone.

To clarify about the priority security line because it came up on some posts, it was listed as a benefit but the security person said they were not able to offer it that day.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and advice.

My experience is I have my bags sometimes and sometimes I don't. They always arrive early though.

 

 

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Thanks for the responses. Poor DS is still waiting for one of his bags. The rest have trickled in slowly. The other two rooms in our party who did not purchase FTTF had their bags first

Fortunately DD wore hers on so all is good. It's frustrating to see other rooms bags delivered before ours. You start thinking, what the heck did we pay for?

Different ports do things differently.

Did your bags get the Orange Priority sticker?

 

 

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They were loaded with all the other bags. I pointed it out to the porter but he didn't do anything special with them.

It was nice to be on the ship a bit early and avoid one of the cattle lines but that's about it. Next time I think I'll save the money and just arrive at the ship around 2 or 3.

FTTF means your cabin is ready. If you checked bags they will get there sooner than others but not as soon as you are in the cabin.

Thanks, the way people described it on here, I was under the impression the bags would be there. My bad.

Also no priority security check which was listed. Oh well, live and learn.

Just got on the Carnival pride with FTTF but bags aren't in room. Is this typical? Very disappointed. Kids swim stuff is in there .

Echoing everyone's thanks. We're cruising this itinerary soon and nothing gets me more excited than seeing these schedules (I'm a planning geek).

I've been looking at the same thing. I think the two cheapest options are to buy directly from Atlantis on their website or do the Comfort Suites website. You really need to price out which is cheaper for you, as Comfort Suites rates can vary and they add fees for each adult guest. You all will get passes. The Atlantis passes are $120 ish for adults if bought on the Atlantis website.

I think the absolute cheapest I've read about is waiting until you're there and seeing if Atlantis is selling them cheaper for that day. I've read people get them for $99 but you risk them being sold out or not offered.

Unless you make some special arrangement with the hotel (and get it in writing), you're room will be cancelled when you don't show up. Additionally, since check out is at 11am, you're arrival at noon will mean you should have already checked out. I doubt they will make an exception.

That's what I was afraid of, I'll need to check, I guess. Since the room isn't really cancelled (it's charged), I was hoping there was some way to get the tickets.

I wanted to book Comfort Suites in Nassau solely for the Atlantis passes. The day our ship is arriving, there are no rooms available. There are rooms available for the day before. (for example, arriving 7/10, no rooms available but rooms are available 7/9). It's my understanding that with Comfort Suites, you have access to passes for both days.

Is it possible to book the room for the day before we arrive and not show up until the next day (probably around noon) and pick up the passes? I know they will charge my card automatically for the room as a no show, which is fine, I just want the tickets.

Has anyone ever done this? I know I should probably call the hotel directly but thought someone here might have experience. Thanks.

Can someone please explain to me what's included in the pass Atlantis sells for $120 on their website . Can you not get into the dig with that? Just waterpark and beaches?

Hi, I've been looking at the same thing. I just asked on the chat feature and got this response:

Keesha

11:02 am

Yes it does. Discover Atlantis Aquaventure Package includes access to the Dig and other marine habitats, beaches and water park including: slides, pools, river rapids and private lagoons. Not included are the meals. For me, it's a better deal than the Comfort Suites (we only have three people going) and cheaper than Bahamas Day Pass. I keep wondering what the catch is.

You basically have an excellent plan. I can't make the hotel decision for you. If it were me, I'd take a chance on Hotwire and get 3 rooms so that everyone would be more comfortable. Parsippany is a nice suburban area with newer properties. I think there are multiple hotels that would satisfy your group if you were split into 3 rooms.

 

What I feel most strongly about is that you drive to and park at the port. You have lots of hands to help with your Dad and you can get additional help from RCL to make a smooth transition to the ship. Embarkations can be chaotic, but if you know what help is available and have a strategy, it will go much more smoothly.

 

Of course the prime directive is that all the documentation is in order and everyone has the appropriate passports and "sealed" birth certificates to be allowed to board. The rest will all fall into place.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I am going to go with the three.rooms on hotwire. I think it will be the sonesta from the description and betterbidding site. If not, I'm sure it will be fine. I'll update when I book it. We will be driving to.the pier. I really appreciate your advice on the disability.piece. He is fine with using a wheelchair and has handicapped plates so we should be good to go on that end. You've eased mind about getting him through the port and onboard. Any suggestions as to what time to.get there?

Just wanted to update as promised. We did go with the hotwire and got the Hyatt House, which looks like a very nice hotel, especially for $69 a night with 100% positive reviews, in case anyone else is looking for good deals on a hotel in the Parsippany area pre cruise.

My brother and SIL work in the health care industry so they are exploring wheel chair rental options and I will be following up with RC as well. Thanks again for all your help.

You basically have an excellent plan. I can't make the hotel decision for you. If it were me, I'd take a chance on Hotwire and get 3 rooms sI'm sureo that everyone would be more comfortable. Parsippany is a nice suburban area with newer properties. I think there are multiple hotels that would satisfy your group if you were split into 3 rooms.

 

What I feel most strongly about is that you drive to and park at the port. You have lots of hands to help with your Dad and you can get additional help from RCL to make a smooth transition to the ship. Embarkations can be chaotic, but if you know what help is available and have a strategy, it will go much more smoothly.

 

Of course the prime directive is that all the documentation is in order and everyone has the appropriate passports and "sealed" birth certificates to be allowed to board. The rest will all fall into place.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I am going to go with the three.rooms on hotwire. I think it will be the sonesta from the description and betterbidding site. If not, I'm sure it will be fine. I'll update when I book it. We will be driving to.the pier. I really appreciate your advice on the disability.piece. He is fine with using a wheelchair and has handicapped plates so we should be good to go on that end. You've eased mind about getting him through the port and onboard. Any suggestions as to what time to.get there?

Thanks so much for the knowledge that you are sharing on this thread. I've done some research but have a few questions and also would like your expert opinions if I'm missing out on anything or could do something better.

I'm cruising with 8 other family members, so 9 people altogether (unless I can talk DH into joining us) (my parents (mid 70s), my two kids 10 and 12, my brother and his wife (early 40s) and their daughters (7 and 9). We are on the Explorer to Bermuda departing Saturday June 14. We live in Western Pennsylvania and plan to drive in the night before.

My thinking is to find two hotel rooms in Parsippany for Friday night (one room will have to accommodate 5 people), I was looking at the Hampton, which has some good deals but might be a tight squeeze or the Sonesta ES, which is pricier but definitely has more room. I don't think the bidding sites would work for us because of the need for a room to accommodate 5.

Is it even possible to leave the cars (we will have two) and take a car service to the port? I think this would be easiest, if more time consuming because of the need to go back to the car after the cruise.

My biggest concern with driving to the port is that my dad has some mobility issues, he uses a walker and has a hard time going any distance at all. If we drive to the port, where should be go to get assistance for him? Is there a special place to drop him off? He is booked in a Royal Family Suite, so I believe the concierge perks will allow him to board relatively early in the process. I have a concierge service number that I will call to discuss getting assistance for him but any insight is appreciated.

Money is not a huge concern, my parents are paying for the trip as a Christmas gift to us (they say they'd rather enjoy it with their grandchildren now than pay for nursing homes later, plus we got a huge discount because of the recent 3, 4 and 5 passengers sail free promotion) but I would like to save them some money where possible without taking away from the special nature of the trip.

If you've read this far, thanks so much for any insight you can provide.