My husband and I just sailed on the Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne, NJ, and had heard when we were looking into hotels that many of the accommodations in the Newark area were sketchy. Just wanted to let people know that we picked the Wyndham Garden Hotel near Newark Airport and were very pleased. It's in the final stages of renovation and the rooms are gorgeous and clean. There's a nice fitness room and you get Bath & Body products in your bathroom. There is an attached lounge, which is new, and an attached restaurant, which was so-so but worked for our needs.

Also, we paid $157 for one night at the hotel AND to leave our vehicle there for the entire cruise. I believe it's $15 per day alone to park at the pier, so we felt it was a good deal. We had a car service take us to and from the hotel and port.

If anyone wants any more info or pictures, let me know. I just thought this might help out people looking for a place to stay near Bayonne.

Thanks for the info Cort. With parking at Manhattan pier now at $24. per day it makes a lot of sense to fly into Newark (EWR) for sailings from any of the NY ports. In fact the hotel with the free parking will on many cruises be lower cost than the parking at the pier without a hotel stay!

Cheers, Neil

Hi Neil, we're looking at the Gem out of NYC for next spring. Do you think it makes more sense then to stay near Newark again, cost-wise? We'll be driving from Michigan. How long does it take to get from Newark to the NYC port?