lx200gps

We need to dig a bit deeper to find out the real situation here. If you look at the Princess site and drill down to the SPECIFIC dates that have Princess ships at the MCT, it is very clear that all of them are in-transit stops where the MCT is an intermediate stop on a longer voyage, so NOT the origin/destination of the trip. As has been stated many times on this (and other) threads, Princess trips that start and then return to New York, will be from Brooklyn. There will be very, very, few exceptions to this rule.

SWMBO spent time in Greece a lifetime ago, and even today she's still stuck on this idea of eating VERY late. We only eat early on a cruise ship to enjoy the benefits of a quiet and peaceful experience. And you're dead right that we should all be a lot more understanding and flexible. The staff on these ships are amazing, and not appreciated the way they should be.

Princess have abandoned formal arrival and check-in times. Basically, show up when it best works for you and your party. We usually sail out of PE a few times a year (always arriving at the pier by around 9AM), and Princess does it better than most cruise lines. Assuming you actually land at 7:30AM at FLL, by the time you get your bags, get a taxi and drive the 20 feet from FLL to the port ;o), it will probably be around 8:30. That's a bit early for the security lines to open up, so you may sit outside for 30-60 minutes +/- until they open up the check-in line. If it's Terminal 2, the usual Princess terminal at PE, the "waiting" area outside is a bit loud and frenetic, but there are benches you can sit at while you wait for the security and check-in to open. You may want to consider waiting at FLL before heading to the port, as it will be a bit quieter and you won't be breathing bus fumes. Re the EZ Check, you will receive a document in your cabin a few days before return showing the details as to which airlines do EZ Check for your particular sailing, but I'm pretty sure United is one of them.

There's early and there's early. It's been our experience for many years, even immediately post-Pandemic, that getting a reservation for the opening sitting in an SD, usually 5PM, is not a problem. We prefer to eat very early in the SDs, as the places are quietest, the wait staff and kitchens are relatively fresh on shift, and the crowds are only slowly filling up to peak in the 6-7PM range. Between 5 and 6PM, the SD restaurants are still nice and peaceful. Eating early also allows us to easily get to the early theater show. In the age of the Premier package we will still book our two freebies ahead of time, but have never had an issue getting our desired dining time in any of the SDs (CG, Sabatini's, La Mer, The Catch etc) when we book on board. As always, head straight to the restaurant, or call the DINE line immediately upon boarding.

We've done this a few times in the past, consuming part of a bottle in one venue (say on MDR) and having it retrieved in another such as a specialty restaurant. If it is possible, be aware that retrieving the bottle can possibly a LONG time depending on where it is being stored. We had to wait one time over 30 minutes while they searched, and there's no guarantee they will find it in time if you are in the middle of a meal.

It's no big thing to pick them up at the pier, it adds just a few minutes to the process. Once checked in at the podium/desk by the CSR, instead of going to sit down in the waiting room (or go right on board if after boarding starts) you simply walk over to a big table, give them your room # and they sift through a big pile of envelopes to find your Medallions.

As mentioned above, we usually arrive for Princess check-in, regardless of which terminal it is, around 9AM. Check-in usually starts around then, give or take a few minutes, worst case if you arrive before check-in starts there will be a small line up outside before they open up the security lines which come before check-in. Assuming you will have your Medallion already in hand, the check-in will be very quick and you then go inside the terminal and sit in one of the waiting areas until boarding starts around 10:30 +/-

As you say, Princess did away with the "official" check in times a year or two ago, but in practice they hadn't really applied them for years anyway. Even when our assigned check-in time was as late as 11AM, we would always arrive VERY early, usually among the very first to arrive, often as early as 9AM. There is usually a small line of diehards like us who like to arrive well before boarding starts, but the security and check-in process tends to be quick that early in the process, before the thundering herd starts to arrive by about 10AM and the lines really build up. For at least the last half dozen trips, out of Brooklyn, PE and San Pedro, we were walking up the gangway to board by 10:30AM, and I think our record was abut 10:15. It's my understanding that for those who don't care to arrive early and want to optimize the check-in process, by about 1PM the lines have dissipated and folks pretty much walk right on board, no lines at check-in at all.

It's been two years since we did it last, but IIRC from Red Hook it will happen pretty soon after sailaway. I'd want to be up on the top decks NLT a half hour after the ship pulls away, probably sooner. Given the proximity of the Statue Of Liberty and all the other NY scenery, you might as well just go upstairs for the sailaway and stay for the bridge passage. It's an impressive sight, this is a shot from our last Princess trip out of the BCT as we approached the bridge

Fair enough, we haven't taken a hotel shuttle in a few years since we discovered the ease of Uber. Every time we shuttled from the Hyatt Place or the Renaissance, there was no ship at T4 so we usually headed straight for T2.

I would have thought that T2 would be the first stop, as it is the first terminal off the driveway, the first one a driver would come to after turning off Eisenhower. That should mean that the Princess passengers, if any, would be disgorged slightly before the T4 passengers, thereby adding an intolerable 5 minute delay for the Disney passengers ;o) And this presupposes that the van driver doesn't decide to head straight down Eisenhower to the farthest terminals first, then double back to drop off the the T2/T4 passengers last. That did happen to us once, hence our love for Uber.

How are you arriving into Boston do you have the flexibility of being able to stay farther out and driving in? We are sailing in mid-July a VERY expensive time of year, and I was amazed at how expensive Boston is. As we are driving in from the north, we elected to stay far outside of downtown, in Burlington, and drive the 30 minutes to the port on cruise morning. That specific area was still far cheaper than pretty much any other area I could find. As in hundreds of dollars cheaper. i can highly recommend using a site like Tripadvisor to scout hotels. Enter your desired date(s) and use the map view to have it show you hotel pricing by location. You will quickly get a good idea of the relatively expensive, and cheaper areas.

Here's one data point. A few years ago, our Princess ship's return into Galveston was delayed by about 6 hours due to the ubiquitous winter fog that port is known for. Needless to say we missed our return flight and there are few flights back to YUL from Houston so we had to overnight at Bush and fly home the following day. While were parked offshore in the fog, I got on the phone to start the process with Blue Cross and Air Canada. In the end, they seamlessly paid for our Air Canada change fees, our hotel at IAH, our rental car, a small Per Diem etc. IIRC the only thing they wouldn't cover (and maybe it was a bit cheeky of me to try and claim it) was the one extra day parking charge at YUL due to the delay. They paid out quickly and without issue, though of course it was only a few hundred dollars in total.

Fair enough, we have no experience with Disney. We usually sail Princess, who only "suggest" an arrival time but in practice now pretty much allow you to show up whenever you want. Re the transport issue from the Renaissance, a group of six would be a challenge. I personally wouldn't want to do it with a shuttle service, as you may not even be able to load your entire party onto the same van. It's quite probable that those shuttles have limited hours and the schedule may not even work for you if your arrival time is too late. Even with 6 people and logistical challenges, you might still find Uber will work. On 17th St they are as thick as flies on cruise ship embarkation mornings and we never have to worry about finding one as they arrive in less than 5 minutes. In your case, I'm quite sure you could have two XLs arrive with in a few minutes of each other. You could possibly also pre-order them for arrival at the hotel at a certain time. I say probably as we never bother to pre-order them, we just call them in after check-out. Best of luck, have a great cruise.

We've used the Renaissance shuttle service a few times, but have lately started to simply Uber over to our Terminal (which admittedly is usually T2, about 5 feet from the hotel ;o) The shuttle is OK, but yes, it will stop at every PE terminal that has passengers needing to go there from the hotel. If your terminal is the first the shuttle stops at, the trip will be quick, but if your terminal happens to be the last one, the trip can drag on as passengers and their bags are disgorged at each stop. You mention the "...Disney port arrival time" What does that entail? For every trip we have ever been on out of PE, we have been able to arrive anytime between the start of check-in to a bit before sail away, an arrival window of many hours. Bottom line for us is that it is far easier to check out of the hotel, stand outside by the Valet station, dial up an Uber and watch his progress as he arrives within a few minutes. It's not much more $$$$s than the hotel shuttle and you're not sharing a cramped minivan with a dozen other people, many of whom will get off before you do.