ace2542

1 hour ago, princeton123211 said:

Correct-- but there was an insinuation that once at Dublin Airport there was a choice to go through one process or another which there is not. 

And also you cannot be arrested or detained or hours or days you are simply refused and walk out of the airport. Like I said the irish don't have a choice nor would the want one perhaps. I can see people choosing to do it but not people flying to avoid it.

On 4/19/2024 at 8:49 PM, princeton123211 said:

Just to be clear, in Dublin it is not a choice. Everyone departing for the US goes through US Immigration preclearance at Dublin airport and the whole plane arrives as domestic

It actually is at least for people outside Ireland. People transitting through Dublin from UK or elsewhere in Europe to connect to USA  have made the choice to be on that flight and do it that way.

12 hours ago, mgcharleston said:

nd the customs line was backed up, etc. etc. We squeaked through but I would never do it again without more time for a layover.

Did they help you. Where they calling people forward based upon the flight they where trying to catch? Like at the airport when your in the check in line and they call out a flight and ask if anyone is waiting.

Booked on for 2025 carribean added on 2 days in NYC so flying out of Dublin.

I know it's a while away yet but I am just thinking about the preclearance at Dublin. How have people found it?

Thanks

On 4/2/2023 at 3:54 PM, Thejuggler said:

This is why I will generally connect via Dublin for US flights,  much less stressful to pre clear before the flight than have the huge lines in U.S. airports which can add hours.

 

We flew to Newark last year and were in our Manhattan hotel within an hour of leaving the aircraft.

I am doing this soon  and I am losing sleep over it.I have been reading the dublin airport depature board online.

How did you find the experience? How long after clearing the irish passport control did you go the preclearance? How many security checkpoints did you go through to get to the immigration desk. I have wheelchair assistance booked I am just worried about the timing of all this 9am landing preclearance seems to open at 11am for the 1.15pm EWR flights.

Sorry for all the questions thanks in advance.

18 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Remote, yes, dangerous, probably less so than Nassau.

 

Biker, who is waiting for the next installment of wild hypotheticals from ace.

I think you mean Hati didn't you? Temps are in the mid 30s in Lagos at least right now. And the nearest embassy hundreds of miles away.

To be fair NCL left them in a very dangerous place off the cost of Nigeria wasn't it? Leaving someone behind in Africa is not the same as leaving them in Spain or Iceland or whatever. Particulary Americans, Brits or Australians.

42 minutes ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

I don’t know what Reno they were doing at Norfolk. But we have sailed out of the Norfolk terminal many years ago and our son lives in Virginia Beach. The Norfolk cruise ship terminal is absolutely beautiful. It has an entire wall of windows that overlook the Hampton roads. They rented out for wedding receptions. It’s so nice

 

my only issue with Norfolk is the traffic because it’s in a highly congested area of the city and there is no immediate parking. The city has several garages, but there are a couple blocks away. You either have to park and push your luggage for a couple blocks or take their shuttle 

What about flying people in from wherever? Especially overseas? I highly doubt there are many direct flights. Far more to NYC/NJ area.

46 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

I would call Royal to ask about their protocol for this situation.

Do they have one? Considering on at upcoming vision sailings for however many weeks people have paid the final balance? Any change of port will ergo include change of flights/accomodation for many people.

52 minutes ago, TwoMisfits said:

 

Guess Norfolk's reno was easy to finish quick...

 

We'll see how long Carnival keeps Norfolk as a year round port.

Bayonne is closer to Baltimore than Norfolk and there is Brooklyn of course and any international flights to BWI can probably be changed easily for NYC/NJ. I guess it will come down to which port is cheapest for vision to sail from.

42 minutes ago, Keasel said:

When you're on a cruise ship at Cape Liberty, you can see a bunch of cranes just to the north of the passenger terminal.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6707536,-74.0791064,2676m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

How far is just to the north? Close enough so it could be used without needing to be re-enforced or whatever?

6 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, further down the bay, that ships would also have to pass under, is only 186 feet high, or the same as the Key bridge, so raising the Key bridge would do nothing.

I didn't know that. It is a real pity that explains why ships like NCLGem or Dawn never go to Baltimore. Yet I thought those ships where very similar in size to the Vision of the seas?

14 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Let's see, first we have to tear up the dock to reinforce it to carry the weight of these cranes, and add the rail tracks they roll on (in the mean time tearing down the passenger terminal to run the rails and have space to run the cranes up and down the dock).  Then you need specialist cranes to dismantle these cranes where they are (and I don't know of any just laying around spare and unused), transport them by water (so that means the idled Baltimore cranes can't be used since the channel is blocked), and then have the specialist cranes reassemble them at the new dock.  Might be done in 1-2 years.

Good to know they can't take any cruising slots then. Once is the channel is clear it can reopen problem they have is constructing the bridge in the centre.

I take it there is no chance they would construct the bridge higher to possibly open the city up to more cruising? I ask this question with no knowledge of any other bridges in the area.

3 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The vast majority of container ships are not self-unloading, meaning they have no cranes onboard, and rely on shore cranes to load/unload.  Haven't seen too many container cranes around passenger terminals.

 

Seen anything like this around passenger terminals?:

 

No and I take it they can't be bought in easily it would be too involved to try?

If they could be bought in though wouldn't it just be a case of bringing the baltimore staff down to work the equipment once setup as they probably trained in it? Be.slower with the space restrictions perhaps but better than nothing. Albeit at the expense of a few cruises. And if it is a choice between commerical ships and cruise commerical will win everytime we all know that.

13 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Yes, all of these container ships will be lining up to dock at a passenger terminal to unload their containers down the boarding ramps, and store the containers in the baggage area of the terminal.

So they wouldn't be able to bring trucks down and unload onto the truck at ship side on at a time?

Forget cruises from baltimore. Bigger question what about the container shipping where do they sail from now and do these sailings take cruise ship berths if they can? And wouldn't Bayonne NJ be a good choice given the possible ease of access to freight train at least to a close proximity. A closer proximity than brooklyn.

And since they are rebuilding the bridge do we think they will build it higher which would maybe open up baltimore to cruising?

Is NCL headed toward bankruptcy do we think? They can only cost cut so far.

7 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

and so when you googled, what was the source of your information.

State Dept B visa (the tourist visa) refusal rates by year. Shows list by country of application.

29 minutes ago, London-Calling said:

I assume Titanic II will offer cruises in Chinese/Asian waters too, as well as transatlantic crossings.

Remember the NCL Joy. The ship had chinese writing inside for the guests everything in chinese. It didn't take and they had to redo everything. They can't hang their hat on the chinese market.

I also remember keeping up appearances the BBC sitcom. I can't explain it for the Americans you just have to know it. If they wanna take on Cuanrd on the T/As they have to bring the days of the keeping up appearances the poshness that cunard has lost capture whatever is it they need to capture. I don't know how else to describe it.

32 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Interesting.

 

Please quote your source as I was under the impression the 'vast majority' of visa [Business/Tourist] applications from Chinese citizens are approved.

Well they are according to the US Bureau of Consular Affairs and I guess they have a bit of a handle on the percentage of US visas dished out.

I done a google search

3 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

The list of countries which allow Chinese visa free travel is quite small at the moment but equally, it's not too difficult to obtain visas to travel to the EU, US and UK, as long as applications are accepted of course

Apparently 30% of chinese tourist visa applications are refused to the USA. There is no point to applying again if you are rejected you know.

An interesting point to consider away from the China discussion. How like the Cunard ships of old would this be in terms of dressing up dinner the way it used to be back in the bow ties and all that jazz which many people has gone by the wayside on Cunard. If they bring back that experience perhaps they might get numbers and pose a real challenge for Cunard. If they can bring it back that is?

17 hours ago, London-Calling said:

Palmer says that she will offer crossings and cruises. Will she be a 'real' ocean Liner or a cruise ship (like Queen Vic, Lizzy & Queen Anne), that looks like an 1912 ocean liner?

 

Apparently the Chinese are Titanic "mad". That could be a big market.

I don't mean like that it sounds I really don't but I am under the perhaps mistaken impression that is difficult for Chinese people to visit America as they are not on the visa waiver program and they may struggle to visit  UK as well. I have heard it said that more Chinese people visit france every year than the U.S. If that question/statement holds any water it could be hard to get that target market onto their transatlantics?

And besides we have seen China targeted ships flunk before look at the NCL Joy.

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I believe the thread title was "tongue in cheek", as this thing could no more compete with QM2 than a ferry boat.  There isn't enough demand for "crossings" to support more than the QM2 and the industry knows it.

In fairness to it. We haven't seen it yet so we don't know what it will be like.. I can't find much info but it will be built he has the money and the will to do so lets assume it will be done. And the demand point is valid which brings the question of where it would make it's bones. Not on the transatlantic market nor the long time live on board market like the world ships. So where can it slot in?

I doubt there would be demand for a regular competitor to the QM2/Cunard on the transatlantic crossings?.

Wouldn't HAL who used to do it back in the days of regular ocean crossings to America do it once again if there where demand? Or is it purely a respect thing that no one takes on Cunard on the transatlantic market save for the seasonal sailing for relocation of fleet?

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

While the Captain has the "overriding authority" to make these decisions at the time, if it is found that they disregarded an imminent danger to people who turn out not to be terrorists, he and the cruise line could be sued under the "Death on High Seas Act", among other maritime laws.

If it was a terrorist strike would massive law suits from the passengers not be forthcoming?