I guess we have a problem as to where we can park as we are driving from Michigan. You say you would not take the train because you cannot get a cab and then you do not recommend parking at the pier. I guess we will have to take our chance at the pier. Hopefully it will be better in Oct.
What is the best route to get to the pier?
If you are driving, then the best place to park is at that lot. My understanding is that the gates into the pier are kept locked when there is no ship in port. There was barbed wire over the gates.
And there are plenty of spaces - when we were there, there were only about 20 cars in the lot.
BTW - the best route to get to the pier depends on where you are coming from. If you come over the Verrazano,you would normally take the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the Hamilton Ave. exit (I think it is exit 26)
But the BQE traffic is just awful. We got off the BQE on exit 23, took 4th ave north to 9th St and made a left, took that to Hamilton Ave, made a left in Imlay St. and a right on Bowne and hat took us right to the terminal.
Here is a website you can go to that has info on the piers and you can mapquest getting there:
Originally posted by willysgrandma:
BTW - the best route to get to the pier depends on where you are coming from. If you come over the Verrazano,you would normally take the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the Hamilton Ave. exit (I think it is exit 26)
But the BQE traffic is just awful. We got off the BQE on exit 23, took 4th ave north to 9th St and made a left, took that to Hamilton Ave, made a left in Imlay St. and a right on Bowne and hat took us right to the terminal.
Here is a website you can go to that has info on the piers and you can mapquest getting there:
I have heard that traffic is really bad and I want to avoid as much as possible. Not being really "locked" in to the direction that I am comming from what is the best route to get there. We are planning on getting there a day in advance and would then try to get a room in that area.
I have heard that traffic is really bad and I want to avoid as much as possible. Not being really "locked" in to the direction that I am comming from what is the best route to get there. We are planning on getting there a day in advance and would then try to get a room in that area.
There are really no hotels right near the cruise terminal. You are better off looking for something near JFK Airport if you are staying the night before.
Driving from Michigan I would stay somewhere on the NJ side. Last year I stayed at a Comfort Inn about 40 miles out. In the morning I left the hotel by around 9:30 AM. It was an easy hour drive in to Bayonne on a Saturday morning. You might want to stay closer if you are leaving on a weekday and have to contend with morning traffic. Plus you have to get over the bridge to Brooklyn.
We are now planning on staying on the NJ side. One of the casinos in AC is "giving" us two free nights. Using Map Quest it looks as if it is about a 2 hour drive from there to the port.
Might have some luck and win a little. Can't beat the price plus will be able to spend some time on the boardwalk and just relax before the hard life on the cruise.
I think I heard someone on one of the late night shows talking about how people in different parts of the country give directions. It was said that people living in NY and that area give directions in minutes and in the midwest it is miles. Here in Mi we will always refer to miles or blocks. Looking at 100 miles or so made 2 hours seem reasonable. People here complain about traffic but it is only heavy. We don't have stand still traffic jams.
We were planning on leaving AC around 9:00. Thinking we would miss some early morning traffic and still have plenty of time to get on board. We don't want to be in the big jam when they start processing at 11:00. We may have to change our plans.
The traffic in the NY area is like nothing you have seen in other parts of the country (except California) so while 100 miles should be a 2 hour ride, it isn't here. The Staten Island Expressway is horrendous as it the BQE. There is always road construction here - always.
When we were at the pier, I think the ship was supposed to leave at around 4:00 - we got on the ship at 12:30, the lines were kind of long, but when we exited at 2:45, there was no line at all to get on, so the later the better.
When you get back, let us know how you liked it - the ship is beautiful!
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