Boston hotels with shuttle to/from airport and cruise terminal

[138east]

September 16-18 (cruise starts on the 18th)

Would like to stay under $250/night

3 adults, possibly 5 if we can get a 2 bedroom suite

 

That's going to be a very very difficult budget for downtown Boston.

 

If you want to stay out of town, look at the Best Western Adams in Quincy. I believe one of the HoHo trolleys picks up there for sightseeing and they have an airport and Cruiseport shuttle. You can also look at the John Jeffries House B&B hotel.

 

September weekends are high season due to all the college activities.

[Nitemare]

If you can get your budget up maybe $100/day you will save a ton in time in getting back and forth to the city from a remote hotel.

[dsvd79]

We booked the Westin in Waltham. It was $153 taxes included. We will then drive to the port the next day and park there.

 

Anybody stay here? It looks and has gotten great reviews on Tripadvisor.

[1025cruise]

I've never stayed there, but have attended meetings there. Its not a bad choice.

[Nitemare]

First hotel I ever stayed at with my (now) wife. Good memories.

 

Probably the best of the half dozen or so hotels in that neighborhood. Traffic will be nasty until around 9:30AM or 10AM if you're heading into the city on a weekday.

[peg013]

Has anyone stayed at the Envoy Hotel at 70 Sleeper Street? It's right near the Courthouse on the water in the Seaport area. It's on the SL1&2 lines so easy access to both Logan Airport and Black Falcon Cruise Port. It's also across the bridge from downtown Boston. Judging from the fact that it's not on Google maps and just shows it under construction on Bing Maps - it must be new.

 

Is this a good location? Hotels in October are crazy high but they have a somewhat reasonable Military rate. Or would we be better off at the Hotel Buckminster near Fenway Park? We will be in Boston one night before our cruise and two night after the cruise.

[Nitemare]

Great location, the bar gets raves. Is brand new, I haven't seen any reviews yet. Maybe you can find some on TripAdvisor?

 

The Buckminster is old and used to be somewhat of a flophouse. Pretty much the opposite end of the city. Good location for Fenway Park, but not much else. Check reviews before you book.

 

Both are close to transit.

[138east]

Book it now! It's a new Marriott. You can easily take the free SL1 from the airport and fir $5.50 can go directly to the port on the SL2. That will save you at least $50+ in cab fares.

[peg013]

Book it now! It's a new Marriott. You can easily take the free SL1 from the airport and fir $5.50 can go directly to the port on the SL2. That will save you at least $50+ in cab fares.

 

I do have it booked for the night before the cruise. Plus I have it & the Buckminster & the Holiday Inn Brookline all booked for after the cruise - all fully cancellable. I think overall The Envoy Hotel is going to be the most convenient and isn't much more split by the three of us.

 

Someone on our roll call said there is a water taxi from the Envoy to Downtown. Any idea how much it might cost?

Edited March 7, 2016 by peg013

[138east]

I do have it booked for the night before the cruise. Plus I have it & the Buckminster & the Holiday Inn Brookline all booked for after the cruise - all fully cancellable. I think overall The Envoy Hotel is going to be the most convenient and isn't much more split by the three of us.

 

Someone on our roll call said there is a water taxi from the Envoy to Downtown. Any idea how much it might cost?

 

Don't even consider the other two hotels. You will pay a lot in cab fares unless you are willing to schlep all your luggage on public transit that is probably not so accessible and requires multiple transfers.

 

Where are you planning to go in "downtown" Boston? Chances are you can walk to many places. Water taxis are pricey and not necessary from the Envoy.

[peg013]

Don't even consider the other two hotels. You will pay a lot in cab fares unless you are willing to schlep all your luggage on public transit that is probably not so accessible and requires multiple transfers. Will we be okay with the SL1 from Logan and the SL2 to the Black Falcon Cruise Port?

 

Where are you planning to go in "downtown" Boston? Chances are you can walk to many places. Water taxis are pricey and not necessary from the Envoy.

 

Both Cheers Pubs so we can take photos of the outside of one and the inside of the other. :D Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, Paul Revere House, The Old North Church. Any other suggestions???

 

And not Downtown but we must do a tour of Fenway Park. I have a long time to wait before I can get that set up since we don't cruise/visit Boston until October.

 

The only thing with walking everywhere is I must sit down every 5-15 minutes to take pressure off my lower back and my DH has bad knees. So although we can both walk we have to be careful not to push like we did in London last year where I am still dealing with the pain after just finishing my 18th PT session and two injections to the spine.

Edited March 8, 2016 by peg013

[138east]

Both Cheers Pubs so we can take photos of the outside of one and the inside of the other. :D Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, Paul Revere House, The Old North Church. Any other suggestions???

 

And not Downtown but we must do a tour of Fenway Park. I have a long time to wait before I can get that set up since we don't cruise/visit Boston until October.

 

The only thing with walking everywhere is I must sit down every 5-15 minutes to take pressure off my lower back and my DH has bad knees. So although we can both walk we have to be careful not to push like we did in London last year where I am still dealing with the pain after just finishing my 18th PT session and two injections to the spine.

 

Let's take this step by step. I'm concerned about your mobility issues.

 

SL1/SL2 Silver Line Buses. One step up with luggage. Courthouse Station is 2-3 blocks from the hotel depending on where you exit the station.

 

The reality is than even with the Hoho bus you are going to have to do some walking. The trolleys may not stop in front of each attraction because of the narrow streets. This would be true for the Old North Church and Paul Revere House.

 

Have you used Uber? That might work well for you in Boston to get to places like Fenway Park. The Hoho stops there, but the park is big and definitely requires a bit of walking.

[peg013]

Let's take this step by step. I'm concerned about your mobility issues.

 

SL1/SL2 Silver Line Buses. One step up with luggage. Courthouse Station is 2-3 blocks from the hotel depending on where you exit the station.

 

The reality is than even with the Hoho bus you are going to have to do some walking. The trolleys may not stop in front of each attraction because of the narrow streets. This would be true for the Old North Church and Paul Revere House.

 

Have you used Uber? That might work well for you in Boston to get to places like Fenway Park. The Hoho stops there, but the park is big and definitely requires a bit of walking.

 

About the one step up for the SL1/SL2...Is the entrance wide enough to lift the luggage up at your side or do you have to try to hold it out in from of you to get on? Do you keep it with you or put in a luggage area? We'll probably have two large and a carry-on for the two of us.

 

It's not that we can't walk. London we did 5 miles the first day and 6 miles the next which is what killed us. After the first afternoon/evening of walking 5 miles I had to start taking little breaks. After 3 days in London/Southampton and 6 days on a rocking ship I finally had to rent a cane for the last four days of the TA. I still didn't slow down...I can do that at home, lol. This time we'll be on the cruise first so I'm not sure how much lube will be left on the joints. I'm just trying to be careful to take the walking around the attractions themselves (especially the Fenway tour) into consideration along with the walking to them this time. I would think we could do 1/4 to 1/2 mile between places with little problem. Then we take a break.

 

My son was with us in London and he signed up with Uber so we got a free except tip ride to the train station when we were ready to head to Southampton, UK. I know DH and I haven't used it yet and there's a good chance the other person that's meeting us in Boston won't have used it yet either. So we probably will use it some in Boston. I'll have to check into it more.

[138east]

About the one step up for the SL1/SL2...Is the entrance wide enough to lift the luggage up at your side or do you have to try to hold it out in from of you to get on? Do you keep it with you or put in a luggage area? We'll probably have two large and a carry-on for the two of us.

 

It's not that we can't walk. London we did 5 miles the first day and 6 miles the next which is what killed us. After the first afternoon/evening of walking 5 miles I had to start taking little breaks. After 3 days in London/Southampton and 6 days on a rocking ship I finally had to rent a cane for the last four days of the TA. I still didn't slow down...I can do that at home, lol. This time we'll be on the cruise first so I'm not sure how much lube will be left on the joints. I'm just trying to be careful to take the walking around the attractions themselves (especially the Fenway tour) into consideration along with the walking to them this time. I would think we could do 1/4 to 1/2 mile between places with little problem. Then we take a break.

 

My son was with us in London and he signed up with Uber so we got a free except tip ride to the train station when we were ready to head to Southampton, UK. I know DH and I haven't used it yet and there's a good chance the other person that's meeting us in Boston won't have used it yet either. So we probably will use it some in Boston. I'll have to check into it more.

 

 

Bus entrance is wide. Luggage can be at your side. The SL1 airport buses have luggage racks through the bus. The SL2 buses usually don't have luggage racks. I always get on the rear door because there is more room for your luggage if there is no rack. I've often traveled with two pieces of rolling luggage going first to the World Trade Center stop and later on to the airport. I often just took the SL2 for the first leg of the trip. Bus is usually not crowded except at rush hour times.

[peg013]

 

Bus entrance is wide. Luggage can be at your side. The SL1 airport buses have luggage racks through the bus. The SL2 buses usually don't have luggage racks. I always get on the rear door because there is more room for your luggage if there is no rack. I've often traveled with two pieces of rolling luggage going first to the World Trade Center stop and later on to the airport. I often just took the SL2 for the first leg of the trip. Bus is usually not crowded except at rush hour times.

 

Thank you so much for all your help. We be getting into Logan shortly before noon on a Thursday and then staying at The Envoy. We'll be heading to Black Falcon around 10AM on Friday, then cruise back into BF the following Friday morning. Head back to the Envoy to tour the rest of Friday and Saturday and then flying out of Logan Sunday around noon. I assume we need to get to Logan 2 hours before our flight to check bags? Can we use cash on busses, rapid transit, subway and trains?

[EddiesToys]

If one were on a "red eye" into Boston, arriving 5am ish, what could one do with the luggage?

[138east]

If one were on a "red eye" into Boston, arriving 5am ish, what could one do with the luggage?

 

What exact date and day of the week? What do you want to do? Luggage storage options open at 7 am, so you're going to have to kill some time at the airport collecting luggage and having coffee before you go into town.

[Nitemare]

If we don't know what you're going to do next (are you going right to your boat? to a hotel? to do some touring?) we can't really tell you what to do with your luggage.

[EddiesToys]

If we don't know what you're going to do next (are you going right to your boat? to a hotel? to do some touring?) we can't really tell you what to do with your luggage.

The inquiry was for a fellow cruiser who's coming into Boston early, well before the ship's boarding time. What they might do during the interim, is anyone's guess.

Thanks for your response.

Eddie M

[EddiesToys]

What exact date and day of the week? What do you want to do? Luggage storage options open at 7 am, so you're going to have to kill some time at the airport collecting luggage and having coffee before you go into town.

Thanks for your response. What luggage storage options have you in mind? The "Warf" is the only one that I've found.

Eddie M

[138east]

The day of the week and what your friend plans to do in Boston are important so that the best and most accurate advice can be offered.

 

Basically the luggage storage options open at 7 am on most days of the week. One option is to take the free airport shuttle bus to the Rowes Wharf water taxi to go to Rowes Wharf where luggage can be stored with the purchase of the water taxi ticket for $20/pp. This leaves you near Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market, which is close to the Freedom Trail which could be walked early in the morning. For $25/pp you can get both the airport to Rowes Wharf and Rowes Wharf to Black Falcon water taxi transportation.

 

The other option is the 5th floor of the bus station next to South Station. There is a charge per bag to store luggage. This can be reached by taking the free Silver Line from the airport and walking one block. This leaves you close to Chinatown and Downtown Crossing within walking distance of Boston Common. This location is closer to the port and is a short taxi ride or another Silver Line ride on the SL2 to Black Falcon Terminal for $2.65/pp.

Edited April 10, 2016 by 138east