mdj59

We did this last fall. ViaRail to Montreal was great. We checked our luggage at Quebec City’s Gare du Palais and saw more of QC, had lunch and caught an afternoon train. We then spent 3 great days in Montreal and flew home from there. As mentioned earlier, you will need to go through customs. If you don’t have global entry, I would suggest that you download the MPC (Mobile Passport Control) app once you arrive at the airport. Load your info and you’ll be able to go through an expedited line at customs.

You may also want to visit the Punchbowl - National Cemetery of the Pacific. We visited the day after Memorial Day and it was quite moving. All of the markers have flags and there are impressive mosaics of the battles of the Pacific on the back walls. It’s a very impressive and meaningful site.

Thanks. We’ll check it out.

This question was asked in the Hawaii Ports of Call board, but didn’t receive much traction. I’m hoping that some of our Princess friends might have some insights and recommendations to share. Mahalo!

Excellent question. I’d be interested in hearing recommendations too. Especially if open door or closed door helicopter tours are preferred?

We’re planning to take an independent tour from Hilo that includes Volcano National Park. We have looked at tours from C Big Island Tours, Mauka Makai Adventures and Shore Excursions Group. We’d appreciate any recommendations and insights from those who have used these vendors. Mahalo!

We are looking at a 15-day RT cruise to Hawaii from LA. We’re mostly concerned about weather and sea conditions. While we understand that weather and conditions are always guesswork at best, we would appreciate any insights and opinions regarding us choosing between mid-March or mid-October. Mahalo!

If you are going by ViaRail that day, you can store your bags. I just contacted ViaRail and they said “You can store your bags at the baggage counter by showing your ticket for the later train.”

We’re arriving at JFK on a Saturday around 5:30pm and heading to midtown. What’s our best bet, a taxi or Uber, considering it is the weekend?Thanks!

For those who may know….we will be taking the afternoon train from QC to Montreal after disembarking. Is there luggage storage at Gare du Palais, so we can spend a few more hours exploring QC? Easier with a business class ticket? Merci!

The National Park Service has a free app. Download it, look under Boston, and you can choose the Freedom Trail (as well as others) under self-guided tours.

We booked ours 5 months in advance. Fares will probably go up as availability goes down. Very easy to due through the Via Rail website.

We like to pack a couple of sheets of small bubble wrap. For the trip home, it provides a little bit of extra protection for any souvenirs that are fragile.

This sounds interesting. Can you please tell me how many people were in your group?

We did a full transit in February and there were 3 formal nights.

Thank you for sharing your journey. We’ll be onboard in 2 weeks. You’ve provided a lot of valuable insights and have only increased our anticipation. Thanks again and safe travels home.

Great review. I looked at Alfonso’s site and everything looks interesting. Could you please tell me which specific tour you took? It sounded great.

Since area hotels are usually a madhouse on departure mornings, has anyone given Uber/Lyft an adjacent pickup address instead of the hotel’s location? Thanks.

We did this excursion with Princess in 2019. Echoing the others, it is a long, hot day, but so worth it! The buffet lunch that was included was nothing special, but it will suffice. There was plenty of shade and sun on the boat, whichever you prefer. The restroom onboard wasn’t glamorous, but certainly was fine. Plenty of drinks were available and very affordable. The bus ride back to Colon was pretty quiet, as it was a long day, but we rode in air-conditioned comfort. Going through the canal on a smaller boat was spectacular. A wonderful experience that we highly recommend.

We’re on the same cruise and I agree that we’ll probably have Nicaragua dropped. I cancelled our excursion for San Juan del Sur a couple of days ago and have already been credited.

Looking for recommendations for a resort day pass in Huatulco for our full transit Panama Canal cruise.

I’ll have a coffee package on an upcoming cruise on the Emerald Princess. I know I can get coffee drinks and brewed coffee at the International Cafe, but can I also get them at Coffee and Cones with my package? Also, does Coffee and Cones have just brewed coffee?

We’re looking at a Canada/New England cruise on Princess. The NYC to Quebec City route includes Saint John instead of Saguenay and the Quebec City to NYC route includes Saguenay instead of Saint John. We appreciate your insights and suggestions regarding these two ports. Thanks and happy cruising!