Homewood Suites-shuttle-ferry-Manhattan

[fillbee]

Cruising on the Carnival Glory Sept18th. We are booked one night precruise at the Homewood Suites in Edgewater,NJ. For those who have done this scenario before, would you do it again? How long does it take from disembarking till you are in your own vehicle and on the road? After looking at some of the other options (thanks to the other cc members) we are just looking for the assurance from someone who has done this, that it is a good choice.

[Tangocherie]

I have not had any experience with the Homewood Suites and taking the ferry from Edgewater but I have stayed pre-cruise at the Sheraton in Weehawkin. Got permission to leave my car in their parking lot and took the ferry, which is directly behind the hotel, to Manhattan. Post cruise took the ferry from Manhattan to Weehawkin and got into my car 2 minutes later. Great way to do it!

[mommyto2girls]

Cruising on the Carnival Glory Sept18th. We are booked one night precruise at the Homewood Suites in Edgewater,NJ. For those who have done this scenario before, would you do it again? How long does it take from disembarking till you are in your own vehicle and on the road? After looking at some of the other options (thanks to the other cc members) we are just looking for the assurance from someone who has done this, that it is a good choice.

 

You made a great choice...I live about 10 minutes from there. You can leave your car at no charge and there and take the ferry or you can take a cab from there to the port for $45 including tolls and arrange for them to pick you up when you get back. I know GW Taxi is great 201-363-0555. Any questions just ask.

[fillbee]

Thanks for the info, however I am curious as to which ferry landing the shuttle runs to. I see some of the ferrys only run weekdays, and I will need one on Saturday. It also appears there is limited fuerry and bus runs due to a U.N Assembly this weekend.

[mommyto2girls]

It is the Port Imperial in Weehawken to 38th Street Ferry and they always run a full schedule on Saturday.

[fillbee]

It is the Port Imperial in Weehawken to 38th Street Ferry and they always run a full schedule on Saturday.

Thanks mommyto2girls! I appreciate the quick reply, as we are leaving tomorrow morning for NJ and I've been trying to call the hotel direct this afternoon, but it seems their phones are down.

[mommyto2girls]

No problem...have a great time. You will love the hotel and the location. Some great places to eat around there, Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

[landon]

I know this reply is too late for "fillbee" but I want to thank "mommyto2girls" for suggesting Homewood and the ferry to NYC. It all turned out just wonderful! Loved the stores at City Place where Homewood is located. The trip on the ferry could not have been easier and once in NYC it was a very short walk to the pier, less than 15 minutes. We left our vehicle in the parking garage and felt it was in a very safe place. I recommend Homewood and the ferry highley. If anyone needs more info, please let me know. Thanks again.:)

[138east]

landon - so glad it all worked out for you - hope your cruise was fantastic.

 

Could you tell us how you got to the ferry? Did the hotel drop you off? Did you walk with your luggage from the ferry to the pier?

[landon]

When we checked in I explained we would need their shuttle at 10 am on Sunday, thinking that the shuttle could be very busy the next morning. The clerk said to call the front desk 10 minutes ahead and the driver would be ready. Due to being the weekend, he took us to the Port Imperial ferry. We purchased round trip tickets and in a matter of minutes we were in NY. We rolled our luggage to the pier, very very easy and convenient. Our cruise on the Veendam to Bermuda was one of the very best ever! No a/c problems at all. Wonderful weather and fantastic food! On the return we chose the express disembarkation and was back to the ferry at 7:30am, the first ferry from Port Imperial does not arrive for the return trip until 8am so we did have a 30 minute wait but that was not a problem. Halfway across I called Homewood and the shuttle arrived just as we got outside the terminal. He took us inside the parking garage right up to our vechicle and unloaded our luggage. I cannot imagine an easier plan.

[138east]

landon - thanks for the specific details. On this board "Enquiring minds want to know". It does sound like a smooth operation.

[mommyto2girls]

I know this reply is too late for "fillbee" but I want to thank "mommyto2girls" for suggesting Homewood and the ferry to NYC. It all turned out just wonderful! Loved the stores at City Place where Homewood is located. The trip on the ferry could not have been easier and once in NYC it was a very short walk to the pier, less than 15 minutes. We left our vehicle in the parking garage and felt it was in a very safe place. I recommend Homewood and the ferry highley. If anyone needs more info, please let me know. Thanks again.:)

 

You are welcome...I am so glad you liked it..it is my neighborhood so I am always glad to share our secrets with fellow crusiers. City Place is one of my favorite local shopping places and we frequently go down there to eat we love the view and we love the restaurants. Most of my neighbors commute to work via the ferry so we are lucky to have it. Glad you had a good trip..we are huge HAL fans!

[Tigergirl13]

Landon,

 

Thanks so much for the info! I am sailing next week with my group of 7 and we are all staying at Homewood the night before and are leaving 3 cars there while on the cruise. I am glad to hear how nice everything is since I do tend to worry about leaving my car parked somewhere for 7 days.

 

Also thanks to all of you on this board because without you I would not have known about this hotel and being able to leave our cars at no charge since we are staying overnight!!

[mommyto2girls]

Landon,

 

Thanks so much for the info! I am sailing next week with my group of 7 and we are all staying at Homewood the night before and are leaving 3 cars there while on the cruise. I am glad to hear how nice everything is since I do tend to worry about leaving my car parked somewhere for 7 days.

 

Also thanks to all of you on this board because without you I would not have known about this hotel and being able to leave our cars at no charge since we are staying overnight!!

 

I am sure you will love my neighborhood as much as Landon did..You will love the area and the local restaurants also great places to walk around and shop. The view is wonderful too, we live on the NJ side of the hudson (10 minutes from Homewood) and love our view of the city. Have a great cruise!!

[Tigergirl13]

I am sure you will love my neighborhood as much as Landon did..You will love the area and the local restaurants also great places to walk around and shop. The view is wonderful too, we live on the NJ side of the hudson (10 minutes from Homewood) and love our view of the city. Have a great cruise!!

 

Thanks again Mommyto2girls! Last time I was in NJ was in 2001 in Jersey City. From what I hear it is nothing like it used to be over there!! Is there a low key good restaurant at City Place that you would recommend for dinner Friday night? I know everyone is going to be tired from the drive so I am trying to stay right there. Some of us are going into the city that night and I was wondering if you could tell me how long the ferry runs for? We were looking into a cab but I know how that sometimes works. Otherwise maybe we could park in Hoboken and take the PATH??

[mommyto2girls]

Thanks again Mommyto2girls! Last time I was in NJ was in 2001 in Jersey City. From what I hear it is nothing like it used to be over there!! Is there a low key good restaurant at City Place that you would recommend for dinner Friday night? I know everyone is going to be tired from the drive so I am trying to stay right there. Some of us are going into the city that night and I was wondering if you could tell me how long the ferry runs for? We were looking into a cab but I know how that sometimes works. Otherwise maybe we could park in Hoboken and take the PATH??

 

Last ferry is 1:10a.m. weekends which I am sure includes Friday. Parking in Hoboken is not very easy, so that may not be an option for you. Within City Place there is Flemings Steakhouse (pricey) Baumgards really good chinese/sushi/american something for everyone. If you want to take a quick 5 minute ride in either direction (north or south) there is Vespas..excellent italian, Outback, PF Changs, and a lot of smaller restaurants. If you want to go to Hoboken go park and eat there..it is a great town. Just not realistic to try to park near the Path. Anything else just ask I will keep checking the boards.

[138east]

You should be able to ride the bus into NYC from Edgewater for $3-4/pp. The hotel should be able to advise you. I'm seeing a #158 bus that runs about every 1/2 hour, but perhaps there are others. By comparison, the ferry is expensive, but a good choice to go to the NY pier with luggage. For folks who live in this area, bus is the major way to go in and out of NYC.

[mommyto2girls]

You should be able to ride the bus into NYC from Edgewater for $3-4/pp. The hotel should be able to advise you. I'm seeing a #158 bus that runs about every 1/2 hour, but perhaps there are others. By comparison, the ferry is expensive, but a good choice to go to the NY pier with luggage. For folks who live in this area, bus is the major way to go in and out of NYC.

 

My apartment building is the first stop on the 158 bus and it is a wonderful way for folks (I guess that would be me) to go in and out of the city if you are commuting back and forth to work. But we use the ferry. The bus does not run any later than the ferry on weekends. It is really not the most pleasant experience to wait late at night in the Port Authority to return to the hotel. The ferry is a much more pleasant experience. We are talking a difference of about $3.00 a person to take the ferry and have the shuttle drop you off at the hotels front door. The bus is not right in front of the hotel. There are also better options when you get into the city via ferry to use their shuttle to go to areas not in the vicintity of Port Authority. I do not like to complicate it for folks visiting this area. The ferry is the way to go.

[fillbee]

We just got home from our cruise, and everything was just as Landon had posted. It took us about an hour total from when we walked down the gangplank till we were in our car and on the way home. Could have been less, but we just missed the ferry by about a minute and had to wait till it came back. Called Homewood while on the ferry but still had to wait about 10 minutes because they were waiting on a guest to bring to the ferry. The whole thing could probably be done in about 30 minutes if everything came together just right.We were happy with an hour. Especially since it saved us $210 pier parking!! Great hotel, nice staff.

[mommyto2girls]

Glad you had a good time and all worked out well for you.

[Aldeya]

Mommyto2girls, thank you for a great information.

 

I have a question too.

We booked EOS from Bayonne and need to stay at the hotel the day before the cruise and would like to leave our car for 9 days at the hotel parking.

 

You recommend Homewood for those who takes a cruise from the Manhattan Pier. I'm not familiar with NJ area so can you tell me if this hotel is located far from Bayonne Pier?

 

Can you recommend a hotel which is close to Bayonne Terminal and offers a free long-term parking?

 

Thanks in advance.

[138east]

Aldeya - what exact dates are you looking at for cruising from Bayonne? Where are you driving from? How many people are you? There are several strategies for Bayonne. You have to price each one out including estimated tax to see what will work best for you in terms of price and convenience.

 

1) Country Inns in Elizabeth - this hotel is very popular and offers both parking and transportation to the port. Usually they charge $35 for parking on top of their cruise package which offers a room and cruiseport transportation. More than 2 people costs an extra $45/2 people for the transportation. Includes breakfast.

 

2) www.trinityreservations.com - sleep park for Fairfield Inn or Wyndham Gardens. You arrange a car service to the port for about $50-55 each way. Coming back the $15/pp shuttle is an option back to P4 station at the airport where you would transfer to the hotel shuttle. Fairfield Inn offers free breakfast.

 

3) Hilton Gardens on Staten Island - offers free parking and cruiseport transportation. You pay an extra $8 to cross the bridge to Staten Island. No breakfast.

 

4) Pay the $171 to park at the port and look for an inexpensive 3* hotel 30 min to 1 hour from the port. Depending on your date and where you are coming from, you can often get a hotel for $75 or less on Hotwire or Priceline in Secaucus, Parsippany, or Edison. This is price competitive and offers the advantage of being able to get off the ship and immediately hit the road. The hotels in these areas are generally nicer than the Newark Airport hotels and are in more suburbanlike settings with nearby restaurants.

 

You should price out Homewood Suites as well. mommy2girls posted a car service number somewhere, so you could call and get a quote for transportation to Bayonne from Edgewater. From Homewood Suites it would also be possible to use public transit to Bayonne - the hotel will probably take you to the Hudson Bergen Light Rail at Port Imperial where you can take the light rail to Hoboken or Newport and transfer (same track) to the Bayonne train for $2.10/pp. In Bayonne you would call a cab company to take you into the port ($8 + tip).

[mommyto2girls]

Mommyto2girls, thank you for a great information.

 

I have a question too.

We booked EOS from Bayonne and need to stay at the hotel the day before the cruise and would like to leave our car for 9 days at the hotel parking.

 

You recommend Homewood for those who takes a cruise from the Manhattan Pier. I'm not familiar with NJ area so can you tell me if this hotel is located far from Bayonne Pier?

 

Can you recommend a hotel which is close to Bayonne Terminal and offers a free long-term parking?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

Homewood Suites is about 20 minutes from Bayonne.. the car service I use charges $60 including tolls so that would be $120r/t GW Taxi 2013630555 . I am not a fan of too many hotels in Bayonne area that is just my personal opinion. Maybe one of 138east's suggestions will work for you..again I am not a huge fan of staying in that area but I will look into it for you and post back very shortly.

[Aldeya]

138east and mommyto2girls, thank you so much for your quick responses.

 

We are booked on November 19, 2010 9 days EOS, there are 2 of us and we are coming from JFK the day before.

[138east]

OK - so I'm confused. You're flying into JFK, but you're looking for parking for 9 days for a car while you cruise from Bayonne? I'd be looking at the Hilton Gardens on Staten Island. Homewood Suites is in Edgewater NJ - about 17 miles from the Bayonne port and, according to Mapquest, about 35 minutes driving.