| Author | Post |
|---|
BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Wed Jun 11th, 2008 06:19 pm | 1st Post |
|
Hey, gang, I'm hoping you'll give me feedback to help me make a decision.
Hubby and I are sailing on the Caribbean Princess out of Red Hook/Brooklyn on Aug. 15th. I can't decide if we should drive and park or hire a car service. Here are some factors to consider:
- Self-parking for 9 days is $174, plus our gas expenses AND the hassle of driving. Becky is a MAJOR back-seat driver even in our local area. The thought of us having to navigate through NYC and the area around Red Hook is already enough to send my BP up. Not necessarily the way I want to start our vacation, but is it worth...
- $300 round-trip to hire a car service
For those of you who know your way around the City -- what's the least stressful way for us to get to Red Hook (we're about 35 miles west on I-80)? We don't mind driving a few extra miles for less stress. Do you think that would be worth the ~$100 savings?
The only City driving we've done is across the GW Bridge, down the West Side, and into the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. From there it's back into the tunnel and out to Joisey again. Needless to say, we are NOT seasoned City drivers.
Thanks for your help! 
|
shoreguy
Charter Member
back to top
|
Posted: Wed Jun 11th, 2008 06:50 pm | 2nd Post |
|
I think you answered your own question. It is a matter of health and welfare.
____________________
“I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead.” Jimmy Buffett
NCL Jade,Gem,Pearl,Jewel,Dawn,Sun Pics
http://community.webshots.com/user/jimalaska
|
Srutko1226
Charter Member
back to top
|
Posted: Wed Jun 11th, 2008 07:23 pm | 3rd Post |
|
When we sailed out of Red Hook last Sept, I was so happy after getting there that my BIL offered to drive. I wasn't going to bother him but my sister insisted that we drive from PA to their house in NJ, have lunch and then have them drop us off.
We are not used to driving in what to us was crazy scary traffic. It is much easier to get to the pier in NYC. We have done that several times with no problem.
I think if we do it again from Red Hook, I would get a car service to pick us up at my sister's.
____________________
I am almost normal if you use a sliding scale.
|
Seahorse123
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Wed Jun 11th, 2008 08:00 pm | 4th Post |
|
I hated that drive in and out of Red Hook Made a wrong turn on the way home (My DH did not listen to my directions) and it was a nightmare.
I would much rather drive into Manhattan.
____________________
Ann
*************************************************
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."~~~~~Thomas Jefferson
|
BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Fri Jun 13th, 2008 10:59 pm | 5th Post |
|
Thanks for your feedback, Jim, Sheila and Ann!
Anybody else?
|
Welove2cruise2
Casual Cruiser
| Joined: | Sun Feb 18th, 2007 |
| Location: | Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 473 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Fri Jun 13th, 2008 11:59 pm | 6th Post |
|
| Good info -- we'll bear this in mind if we decide to do the EOS in March! If we do book, we'll do the Entertainment Tours bus from Providence!
____________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'll take the deck of a ship any time..." Jimmy Buffett
Majesty 10/00 & 01, 7/03 & 04, 5/05, 6/06, 9/06, 7/07 Dawn 11/04, 10/05, 3/07 Spirit 11/06, Dream 7/08 Noordam 10/07, 3/08
|
BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Sat Jun 14th, 2008 12:30 am | 7th Post |
|
Welove2cruise2 wrote: Good info -- we'll bear this in mind if we decide to do the EOS in March! If we do book, we'll do the Entertainment Tours bus from Providence!
Doesn't the EOS sail out of Bayonne?
|
BarbCT605
Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Sat Jun 14th, 2008 01:40 am | 8th Post |
|
Tony & I drove to Red Hook for "our" Princess cruise.
It was so miserable, I swore if I ever cruised out of Red Hook again, I'd hire a car.
West side of Manhattan was a cake-walk compared to that area of Brooklyn (if you're unfamiliar with it like we are).
:)
____________________
The only difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull is....lipstick!
|
BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Sat Jun 14th, 2008 01:43 am | 9th Post |
|
| We took a car service to "our" Princess cruise there, too. Driver kvetched about it from the moment we hit Manhattan. Then he was a couple of hours late picking us up because there'd been an accident in the tunnel and he was stuck in traffic. He kvetched about that, too. In the intervening two years -- and countless rides -- since then, we've come to learn he kvetches about everything. But we still love him!
|
Welove2cruise2
Casual Cruiser
| Joined: | Sun Feb 18th, 2007 |
| Location: | Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 473 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Sat Jun 14th, 2008 01:45 am | 10th Post |
|
Explorer of the Seas? I think that's the name of that behemoth... Still undecided -- I don't know how we'll like that huge ship! There are no balconies available on the 12-night (which is what we'd prefer) so we'd have to do a 9-night...
We usually cruise in July (to BDA), late October/early November, and March (those two are longer -- 10/11 days from NYC). Last year nothing on NCL long enough for us in Oct/Nov or March (from NYC), so we cruised on the Noordam -- it was very nice, but we miss NCL. This year, we'll either do the repo on the Dawn or the Jewel in late Oct/early Nov and RCCL in March, or wait until January and just go on the Gem. If we do the Gem in January, we'll skip the early spring cruise (probably). I'll miss those breaks after four months though! The other downside to the repos is having to fly back home, but I think I may have the logistics figured out. It's the FLYING part that just doesn't twirl me around...
____________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'll take the deck of a ship any time..." Jimmy Buffett
Majesty 10/00 & 01, 7/03 & 04, 5/05, 6/06, 9/06, 7/07 Dawn 11/04, 10/05, 3/07 Spirit 11/06, Dream 7/08 Noordam 10/07, 3/08
|
BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 01:38 pm | 11th Post |
|
We just booked the car service to Red Hook for Aug. 15th! I want to get there plenty early so I can be one of the first onboard -- I need to book the Ultimate Balcony Dinner for our anniversary, and they only do TWO  of these each evening. Our pick-up is at 8:30. It's going to be an early morning as we'll need to get the boys to the kennel at 7:30. The good news is that getting there so early we'll likely get our bags nearly immediately so I can be unpacked before sail-away. How I LOVE cruising!
|
shoreguy
Charter Member
back to top
|
Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 02:15 pm | 12th Post |
|
BeckyThane wrote: We just booked the car service to Red Hook for Aug. 15th! I want to get there plenty early so I can be one of the first onboard -- I need to book the Ultimate Balcony Dinner for our anniversary, and they only do TWO of these each evening. Our pick-up is at 8:30. It's going to be an early morning as we'll need to get the boys to the kennel at 7:30. The good news is that getting there so early we'll likely get our bags nearly immediately so I can be unpacked before sail-away. How I LOVE cruising!
What makes you think what time you get to the pier has any relationship as to when your bags get to your room  We were at the pier before they opened the waiting room perhaps the 15th person thru security. I saw 100s of bags delivered far earlier then ours. They showed up about an hour after the lifeboat drill.
Car service a brilliant idea.
____________________
“I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead.” Jimmy Buffett
NCL Jade,Gem,Pearl,Jewel,Dawn,Sun Pics
http://community.webshots.com/user/jimalaska
|
BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 02:21 pm | 13th Post |
|
shoreguy wrote: What makes you think what time you get to the pier has any relationship as to when your bags get to your room We were at the pier before they opened the waiting room perhaps the 15th person thru security. I saw 100s of bags delivered far earlier then ours. They showed up about an hour after the lifeboat drill.
People recently disembarking the Caribbean Princess who arrived at the pier early have reported their bags showing up at the room by 12:15! Amazing. We had a similar experience when we sailed the Crown Princess -- bags were at the room when we arrived. I couldn't believe those were actually my bags sitting in the hallway until I checked the tags. This and our steward immediately coming to offer us a glass -- then the whole bottle  -- of champagne was the beginning of a GREAT cruise.
|
shoreguy
Charter Member
back to top
|
Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 02:24 pm | 14th Post |
|
BeckyThane wrote: shoreguy wrote: What makes you think what time you get to the pier has any relationship as to when your bags get to your room We were at the pier before they opened the waiting room perhaps the 15th person thru security. I saw 100s of bags delivered far earlier then ours. They showed up about an hour after the lifeboat drill.
People recently disembarking the Caribbean Princess who arrived at the pier early have reported their bags showing up at the room by 12:15! Amazing. We had a similar experience when we sailed the Crown Princess -- bags were at the room when we arrived. I couldn't believe those were actually my bags sitting in the hallway until I checked the tags. This and our steward immediately coming to offer us a glass -- then the whole bottle -- of champagne was the beginning of a GREAT cruise.
:toocool:
____________________
“I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead.” Jimmy Buffett
NCL Jade,Gem,Pearl,Jewel,Dawn,Sun Pics
http://community.webshots.com/user/jimalaska
|
hstrybuf
Founders
| Joined: | Sat Jun 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas |
| Posts: | 19974 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Fri Jul 25th, 2008 01:47 am | 15th Post |
|
BeckyThane wrote: shoreguy wrote: What makes you think what time you get to the pier has any relationship as to when your bags get to your room We were at the pier before they opened the waiting room perhaps the 15th person thru security. I saw 100s of bags delivered far earlier then ours. They showed up about an hour after the lifeboat drill.
People recently disembarking the Caribbean Princess who arrived at the pier early have reported their bags showing up at the room by 12:15! Amazing. We had a similar experience when we sailed the Crown Princess -- bags were at the room when we arrived. I couldn't believe those were actually my bags sitting in the hallway until I checked the tags. This and our steward immediately coming to offer us a glass -- then the whole bottle -- of champagne was the beginning of a GREAT cruise.
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!
____________________
Deb - Research, research, research!
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
|
Current time is 11:39 am | |
|
