Free bus promotion?

[DeltaOne]

Thanks for the update Paul, are you going to take the bus? Although I like to be on the ship as early as possible, with the cost of gas & parking it doesn't seem like it is worth it for an extra hour or two on the ship. If you do take the bus please let me know how it goes when you get back. Have a great trip!!!

Suzanne

Yes, we plan on using the bus service. I agree 100%...we always check in as early as possible, but it just isn't worth $105 for parking plus $60 or so for gas, plus the hassle...to get to the ship two hours earlier.

 

The only question in my mind now is about leaving our car at the bus pickup location. I spoke to one family getting on the bus and they said they do leave their car there but there were "permit parking only--violators will be towed" signs all over the parking lot. I may try to call the hotel this week and find out what the policy is, or just have my son drop us off.

[CaroleSP]

We are doing the repo after the last Bermuda run and are considering the bus, if it leaves from these areas to pick up the returning passengers. Celebrity said to keep checking and as it gets closer they can tell us the route.

[DeltaOne]

An update, you can leave your car at the hotel. At least in Baltimore. I called the Best Western, for $50 they'll give you a permit to leave your car in their lot. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

[CRUISE BUG BIT HARD]

Thanks for the update. We are planning at this point to have someone drop us of as we are only about 10 minutes away. It is nice to know just in case.

Have a great trip and please let me know how how the bus worked when you get back.

Suzanne

[ch175]

Thanks for your work researching the bus from Baltimore. We plan to use it in September, and I couldn't find any info on where to leave a car. Although I didn't work too hard on that yet...

[patrickc]

We did the bus from Baltimore Travel Plaza in June 2006. Once we departed, was ok-- but be prepared for disarray before you get on the bus. Get there early- find your bus (Academy)-- or find others going on your trip & park near it.. get your luggage on the bus-- check in with the driver & get your seats. Then, go to the hotel front desk, pay the $50, get your parking pass & put it in your car. The bus seems to be to the far left of the facility. Our bus driver would not let any more passengers board at approx 8:20am-- he said he was "full" because he had 2 more stops. This split up several families-- and caused a lot of chaos. Bus driver shoved people, threw luggage-- was very nasty. He said another bus was coming- but no one would let this bus leave until the other arrived. The other bus arrived at 9am. No one managed a manifest with passenger names-- shame on Celebrity-- they should clearly have a rep or have instructions for the bus driver. Finally, the passengers took over, obtained the manifest & conducted their own check-in-- I am not kidding. Both buses finally left at 9:40am-- it took about 3 hours to get there. The ride back was much more organized-- but with traffic took about 5 hours. Take advantage of the bus service, but be warned about possible disorgnization from the Bus Company. I reported the problem to Celebrity from the bus & then again when I got home (1 month has passed & no response!) We cannot wait to park our car in Baltimore & take our next cruise this fall--- soooo much easier!!

[DeltaOne]

We did the bus from Baltimore Travel Plaza in June 2006. Once we departed, was ok-- but be prepared for disarray before you get on the bus.

Wow, sorry you had to go through that. FWIW, I spoke to the bus driver when I was there last Saturday. He was courteous and friendly. Of course, no way to tell if he'll be the driver next Saturday (Academy is a large company.)

 

I only saw one family boarding the bus in Baltimore, and he only had one more stop (to pick up 26 people).

 

I'm planning on arriving early, and paying for the parking ahead of time. You can bet I'll be first in line when the bus driver opens the door to that bus.

[DeltaOne]

We're just home today from a week on the Zenith, and we did use the Celebrity bus from Baltimore to Bayonne. All things considered, the bus ride was okay.

 

The bus arrived promptly in Baltimore at 9 am, having picked up two passengers in Washington. My wife and I were the only passengers to be picked up in Baltimore. By 9:05 we were on the road, headed for Philly. In Philly we picked up three more passengers and headed for the last stop (I don't remember the name of the town, sorry.) We arrived at the last stop ten minutes early and no one was there waiting to be picked up (the bus driver expected three more passengers). The dispatcher would not let the driver leave until we had waited 30 minutes (10 minutes early, plus another 20 minutes). Finally, we're on our way to Bayonne. We arrived in Bayonne at 1:15, we were on the Zenith and in our room by 1:30 pm. Not bad.

 

This morning we were off the Zenith at 9:40, on the bus by 9:50 am. I told the bus driver about the no-show passengers last Saturday. The other two parties also told the bus driver about the no-show passengers. By 10 am we were all on the bus, ready to go. Once again, the dispatcher made the bus driver wait for the missing passengers. This time we waited a full forty minutes. Finally, at 10:40 am, we were on the road.

 

The traffic was okay at first, then we hit the first of several backups. I estimate we lost around 45 to 60 minutes due to heavy traffic. We dropped off the Philly passengers at 1 pm, we made it to Baltimore at 3 pm.

 

The bus driver today was pretty mad his dispatcher made him wait so long. He said they would be working to change the policy so that they did not have to wait for no-show passengers on the return trip. I also plan on writing to Celebrity suggesting the same change in policy.

 

Would I take the bus again? I guess so. It cost me $50 to leave my car in Baltimore for the week, parking in Bayonne would have been $105. Plus the gas and hassle of driving. It *was* nice to lay back and relax during the trip.

[CRUISE BUG BIT HARD]

Thanks Paul for the info. I think we will use the bus when we go next month. We are having someone drop us off so we wont have to pay to park the car. I think the savings will make up for the small inconvience of having to wait for others. I will just take a book with me and start & finish my vacation on the bus.

I read the review of your trip and am glad you had a great time. This will be our third time there and it is so great being on a smaller ship so you can get right in downtown.

Suzanne

[Sandrop17]

Re: Free Bus Transportation Just FYI - When we booked our Bermuda

cruise on Zenith we inquired about transportation from Lehigh Valley Airport

to Cape Liberty, NJ. Our TA said that she knew of no such trans. available.

I told her that I had heard that there was complimentary transportation thru Celebtity."No way", she said. I came home and called Celebrity AND guess what! Celebrity said to have our TA call and they would handle it. We can't

figure out how TA could have Not known about this since we know that it

is/was/and has been available ... well-known agency who will not see us

again!!!!! What's up with that!

[fjb3cpa]

Here outside of Washington, DC there is an ad in the Sunday Washington Post travel section for the Zenith 7 night to Bermuda, now departing from Cape Liberty, NJ - ask about our complimentary bus program. The toll free # is 888-307-8485 and I will be calling today to inquire as we are booked for the October 14, 2006 trip. I will post any helpful information here later today.

 

Jim

[fjb3cpa]

Ok - called Celebrity - because we booked through a Travel Agent we will need to contact him regarding the bus promotion - definitly got the run around from Celebrity.

 

Jim

[fjb3cpa]

And the reply from the TA - "Hi Jim...Celebrity does have a complimentary bus program. There is a pick-up in Baltimore at the O'Donnell (?) Hotel on I-95. The pick-up is at 9:00am..the return bus gets back into Baltimore at 2:30pm the following week. While the bus is free the days can be long with multiple stops along the way. Let me know if you would like to add this on...regards, Mike".

 

I guess this trip can vary wildly from week to week based upon the # of stops, the weather, the individual bus driver, etc. I think I will keep my ears open for a little more feedback before I make a final decision.

 

Jim

[fjb3cpa]

We still have not made a decision regarding the bus option. I am bumping this back up to the top in order to see if anyone has taken the bus in the last month and to get a little more feedback on it.

 

We need to be sure it will be back in Baltimore by 2:30 as we have to be to a wedding in Middletown, Md. by 4:30 that afternoon. A one trip from Baltimore back home gives us about one half hour to freshen up and make it to the church on time. It looks like a tight fit but would be willing to give it a go if we can be sure the bus will be back by 2:30 at the absolute latest.

 

Any help is most appreciated. Thanks.

 

Jim

[DeltaOne]

We still have not made a decision regarding the bus option. I am bumping this back up to the top in order to see if anyone has taken the bus in the last month and to get a little more feedback on it.

 

We need to be sure it will be back in Baltimore by 2:30 as we have to be to a wedding in Middletown, Md. by 4:30 that afternoon. A one trip from Baltimore back home gives us about one half hour to freshen up and make it to the church on time. It looks like a tight fit but would be willing to give it a go if we can be sure the bus will be back by 2:30 at the absolute latest.

The "if nothing goes wrong" arrival time in Baltimore is 2:30. What are the chances nothing will go wrong? Only you can decide that.

 

I can tell you we lost about 30 to 45 minutes to heavy traffic on our Bayonne to Baltimore bus trip in early August. We were also late leaving Bayonne, we waited about 20 to 30 minutes for riders that never showed up. We arrived in Baltimore at 3 pm.

[tinker]

I would say if getting back by 2:30 is very important, don't take the bus.

 

We loved the bus and would never consider driving the one hour drive we have from PA, but when we used it in 2004 our departure was also held up by a woman we waited over 30 minutes for, who kept apologizing as she finally made it to her seat.

 

So between the odds of that happening, and traffic related issues, you are taking a chance trying to back to Baltimore by a certain time.