Park and Cruise specials at EWR hotels?

[alligeek]

I know there have been a few threads about private transportation to/from hotels in the EWR area (and thank you all for the wealth of information!), but are there any hotels offering a stay/park/cruise package?

 

We're open to just about anything. At this point we're planning to park at the port, but exploring all of our options. Is the port the safest place to leave our car? Is a hotel safer? Thanks!

[megr1125]

The port is safest and easiest..

 

Where are you coming from....how many people....budget.....dates..

 

None of the hotels have true, all encompassing packages.....well one does....you do not want to stay there....yuck.

 

Really.....unless you want to just be closer the day before...parking at the pier is best.....do you want to stay??

 

And a note...it took a full HOUR to get onto the turnpike...people need to allow plenty of travel time LEAVING the pier.....you don't want to be stuck in a shuttle.....

 

sent from my ellipsis..

[138east]

It looks like you're doing a nine day cruise and coming from Maryland.

 

You have a number of options - run the numbers and the pros and cons and see what will work best for you. Most of the stay park cruise package tend to be more expensive. Cape Liberty is much more of a DIY port than Baltimore or Florida. You must be selective as to where you leave your car, but in general folks have not had issues parking at the port or at a carefully selected hotel.

 

1). Drive up the morning of the cruise and park at the port for $171. If you want to come up to the area the night before, book a Hotwire room in Edison or Central Jersey for under $100 with at least an 80% approval rating.

 

2). Book the Hampton Inn on Staten Island for $159 + tax which has free parking and a free port shuttle. Bridge toll is $13.

 

Coming from the south I don't see any reason to get involved with the Newark airport area with its traffic and often confusing roads. Country Inns charges $249 + tax for their stay park cruise package. Trinityreservations offers a stay park cruise at the Ramada for $208 including tax.

 

The Central Jersey area is about 45 minutes from the port and Edison is about 30 minutes if you leave about 9:30 am. These are semi-rural and suburban areas with services like restaurants and stores as opposed to Newark Airport which has a severely limited restaurant choices and no stores except an outlet mall.

 

My mother lived in Central Jersey and when I cruised with her, we drove to the port many times from that area - an easy drive up the turnpike after rush hour in the cars only lanes. The advantage to parking at the port is that you just hop in your car and take off when you disembark.

[alligeek]

Thank you! I used to live in the New Brunswick area, so I'll check out hotels in Edison or NB. We just don't want to have to deal with 3-4 hours of traffic on the morning of the cruise, and as megr1125 said, the Turnpike can be an adventure in itself.

[138east]

Great! You are familiar with the area so you know what you're looking at in terms of hotel locations in New Brunswick or Edison.

 

When you disembark, going south through Staten Island on route 440 and paying the $13 toll is always an option to avoid the turnpike between exit 14A and exit 10. You save $5.65 in turnpike tolls, so it costs max $7.35 to do this. This could also be an option to get to the port if you stay overnight at exit 9 or 10, but you have to check the status of the Bayonne Bridge before you choose this alternate route.

[megr1125]

The alternate route to the pier needs to be a helicopter..

 

 

BTW, some decent options in Edison are the Courtyard and Fairfield Inn, i f you want to hop off at 7A there's a really nice, new (few months old) Hampton inn & Suites in Robbinsville, it's off of 195, maybe 2 miles off the TPKE..not bad at all .....if you don't want to go as far as Edison area, you can look around exit 4 in the Cherry Hill/ Mt Laurel area....

 

If you do head to the EWR area, SKIP the Best Western and Wyndham......stay with the Ramada, or the places on Glimcher Realty Way off exit 13A bu Jersey Gardens: Courtyard, Residence Inn, Country Inn and brandy-spankin new (a few months old) Embassy Suites..

[luvscruising2007]

Which bridge has a toll of $13? Can you use E Z Pass? We are coming from Maryland to Staten Island and taking Hotel shuttle.

[138east]

All the bridges to Staten Island from NJ have a one way toll of $13. To save some money you can get off the turnpike at exit 10 and take route 440 through Staten Island. Coming back to NJ there is no toll.

 

With Ezpass it's either $9 or $11 depending on the time and/or the day of the week - http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/tolls.html

Edited June 2, 2014 by 138east

[luvscruising2007]

All the bridges to Staten Island from NJ have a one way toll of $13. To save some money you can get off the turnpike at exit 10 and take route 440 through Staten Island. Coming back to NJ there is no toll.

 

With Ezpass it's either $9 or $11 depending on the time and/or the day of the week - http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/tolls.html

 

Thanks for the info. The directions provided by the hotel have us using exit 10. So, that is the way we will go.

[138east]

Sounds like you are all set. When you get off at exit 10, drift to the left for the Outerbridge Crossing and route 440. The right hand lanes are for the Garden State Parkway South exit. If there's congestion, most of the traffic will be trying to get on the Parkway South.