Bayonne for "locals"

[magenta321]

Hubby and I live 1.5-2 hours from Bayonne in CT.

 

We are looking for a convenient but cheap way to get to the cruise port.

 

Last time we went to Bayonne it was our wedding and we provided a bus to our guests, so we rode along with them. On the way home we rented a car for $100 or so.

 

We can drive our car and park for a week, take a train to NYC, or maybe there are other options? We saw there is a bus from Bridgeport but that would add about 45 minutes to get to Bridgeport, plus having to leave a car there...

 

Thoughts?

[138east]

Do you have access to a train? If you can get to Grand Central, you can get to Cape Liberty almost all the way on public transit. It's less expensive but probably not what you would consider convenient. Convenient is driving to the port and paying for gas and tolls and $133 to park for a week.

[magenta321]

I do have access to a train with a 25 minute drive. How do you get from Grand Central to Cape Liberty?

[138east]

Basically you take a cab to the handicapped Path entrance next to Penneys at Herald Square, take Path to Hoboken for $2.25/pp, take the light rail from Hoboken to 34th Street in Bayonne($2.10/pp), and call a cab to take you into the port for about $10.

 

I've done this trip and it was very easy, but it takes time. I'd say a little over an hour from Grand Central to Bayonne plus the ride into the port which is unpredictable. I made the mistake of taking the subway from Grand Central to Herald Square, which was a mistake - super unfriendly with luggage. Path and the light rail however were super luggage friendly. Path has a wide turnstile that you can get through easily. The outbound trains to Hoboken are uncrowded in the morning. There is an elevator from the Hoboken Path station to the street. The light rail is right there to the left of the NJ Transit trains - all you do is buy a ticket from the machine, validate it, and board the train. Once again, empty outbound to Bayonne. I called a cab, they told me where to wait, and a few minutes later I was on my way into the port.

 

If you're interested, we'll post links. Post Captain has videos of the light rail in action.

[marco]

What are you sailing on and where do you live in CT? Celebrity offers a bus on Sundays for the Bermuda cruise from Hartford and New Haven (maybe from other cities) sometimes they offer it complimentary as part of the cruise fare. Ask your TA or Celebrity (if that's who your're sailing on) about it. If another line, I'd still ask TA or the line, but I don't know if other lines offer this.

[138east]

You're talking about Entertainment Tours, which is what I assumed the OP was referring to when she said bus from Bridgeport. They run two routes - one goes Braintree, Worcester, Springfield, Hartford and the other goes Providence, New London, New Haven, and Bridgeport. It costs $110/pp round trip. I use them all the time from Braintree - I travel solo so it's a great deal. However, at most of these stops parking is an issue.

[marco]

That's most likely it, we went on the "Summit" last month and it was complimentary. I didn't realize it was that $$$$ when it's not comp'd.