Today begins my Quantum of the Seas adventure but Mother Nature certainly did not make it easy.
I had made my plans weeks ago the night before my cruise, I would stay close to Cape Liberty in the Newark Airport area and that way I would have no trouble getting to the port bright and early to get onboard Quantum of the Seas.
Clearly I was underestimating the likelihood of snow in New Jersey in late March (on the first day of spring, in fact).
Earlier this week the meteorologists started predicting snow for today and go figure they were exactly correct with their prediction for this storm. Right around noon it started snowing and would keep snowing all day and evening.
Driving from Connecticut, it would mean I would have to traverse the uber-busy New York City metropolitan area on a Friday and in the snow. For those not familiar with the travel conditions in this area, it's akin to passing Mordor. One does not simply walk into Mordor and one does not simply get through New York City on a Friday in the snow.
So right around 4:30pm, I was able to leave work and hop on the highway and give it my best. I was prepared for an epic journey at no faster than 4 miles per hour. I was prepared for the absolute worst.
Luckily, the snow forecast scared off enough people that I was able to get to Newark in a relatively good amount of time. Less than two hours with the conditions I mentioned above is grounds for a Noble prize in breaking the laws of physics.
My GPS got me right to where I was going, the Marriott Hotel at Newark International Airport. And when I say at the airport, I mean it's right in the middle of the airport. Don't let the location fool you; It's a beautiful hotel built around business travelers and that means it is no dump.
To get to the hotel, you drive like you are going to park at the airport and you will find an exit for the hotel right before the parking area. Check-in was super simple and many of the rooms have been recently refurbished. My room on the fourth floor was one of them and it feels, smells and looks like a brand new room.
The room has two double beds and a regular sized bathroom and shower. Considering it's been recently refurbished, it's great for what I need.
Unfortunately, the hotel does charge a hefty $25 daily parking fee along with a $15 internet charge. Alas, nothing is perfect, right? The hotel is about 17 minutes from Cape Liberty and tomorrow there should be next to no traffic.
The snow forced me to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, the Aviation Grill. It serves New American cuisine and it really was not bad at all. A little on the pricey side ($17 for a burger) but I was not about to drive to find something else and there aren't many convenient options in the area even if the weather was perfect.
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. Please feel free to post any questions you may have about Quantum of the Seas, I'm happy to answer as much as I can while onboard. Follow along and then get the whole summary here tomorrow.
