Today my Quantum of the Seas adventure begins and it almost didn't begin today.
I had planned originally to just drive to the port the day of my cruise because my home is about an hour and a half away (with no traffic). I figured that I would wake up early, head on the highway and get started fresh.
And then I started getting excited.
With my excitement about my cruise, I wanted to avoid any problems and one of them was traffic. I had reserved in Cruise Planner a boarding time of 10:45am and I was still planning on arriving no later than 10am, so I'd be driving through New York City and New Jersey during rush hour. Anyone from the area will tell you only bad things happen when you tempt rush hour traffic in this area.
So I decided to find a hotel to stay at the night before and that way, I could sleep a little later and not have to worry about traffic or any other unforeseen issues.
I searched a number of sites and considered even Priceline a few times but nothing really stood out as a slam dunk choice. There are no hotels in Bayonne, which is where Quantum of the Seas sails out of. Let's also just say you wouldn't want to sleep in Bayonne anyway. And the surrounding area of Newark and Elizabeth aren't winning any tourist awards either.
I considered staying in New York City but since I was coming in so late (I was going to work that day and then leave in the evening) and because I didn't want to pay a lot to park my car, I decided to find something in New Jersey.
Ultimately I decided on a hotel in the Newark airport area (not to be confused with Newark, the city). The hotels near the airport are frequented by business travelers and they were generally well reviewed. I managed to find a good rate at the SpringHill Suites at Newark Airport. Interestingly Expedia had a lower rate by a good $10-20 from anyone else. It was $120 per night and with taxes came out to $138. Trust me when I say this was the best of my choices assuming I was not willing to drop $200-300 per night.
I went to work, put my time in and then headed home to eat dinner, say good bye to the family and grab my things. I got on the road and was ready to go on Quantum of the Seas!
Until 5 miles in when I realized I had forgotten my passport.
Fifteen minutes later I was back on the highway (again) and ready to go on Quantum of the Seas!
Other than one construction delay, I made it to the Newark area in about an hour and a half. I had originally planned to go to the hotel but Quantum was calling me and I just had to see her. After all, I wouldn't have another chance to see her at night from land.
So I changed my GPS to point me to the port and off I went.
Cape Liberty is much like any other port you've ever been to. It's industrial and not exactly pleasing to the eye but getting there was fairly simple. I was able to drive right in and go all the way to the drop off area.
Then I saw her!
I spent a good 20-30 minutes taking photos of Quantum and she was as beautiful as I had hoped. Royal Caribbean does an amazing job lighting these ships up at night and I love how all the ships look at night
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There were perhaps another 5-10 people also at the port taking photos and enjoying the view. There was also a stream of crew members exiting and returning to the ship.
Adjacent to the pier is a lovely September 11th memorial that is simple and peaceful. It's a wonderful tribute to a terrible day and I thought it's something worth seeing as a means of paying tribute and showing your respect.
After taking my photos, I hopped back in the car and headed to my hotel. According to the GPS, SpringHill Suites is 15 minutes away by car and it was fairly easy drive, although you definitely need a GPS because it's a convoluted way to get there and involves a lot of turns and getting on and off highways.
Checking in was easy and the hotel looked recently refurbished. It was clean and check-in took no more than five minutes.
My room is a suite (as the hotel name implies) with two double beds and a sofa that opens up into another bed. There's a vanity sink area and seperate bathroom as well as a small kitchenette. It's clean, quiet and looks good enough for one night.
The hotel does charge a $10 per night parking fee, which is quite lame. It does offer complimentary WiFi and breakfast in the morning.
I'm looking foward to getting some sleep and then boarding Quantum first thing in the morning!
We will have a lot of updates in our live blog here but also on Royal Caribbean Blog Twitter and Instagram. I'm also planning on live streaming sailaway with a web cam so look for the stream right here on the log. Follow along and then get the whole summary here tomorrow.
