navybankerteacher

It may be the best way for you to get to the port -- but there is very little "easy peasy" about driving from anywhere in Maine to Bayonne.

You left out the economist’s classic: “seasonally adjusted”.

Thanks for the great picture - definitely not advisable for an independent tour on a port call. We went there, and to Orvieto from Rome (a couple of days before boarding ship for a TA home) on a private tour we arranged by talking it up on the cruise’s roll call.

We Amtraked to Baltimore from NY - staying at the Hilton Garden on President Street -- surrounded by good restaurants, and reasonable cab fares from station and to port.

If I were coming from Maryland for a cruise from Manhattan, I would consider Amtrak to Penn Station.

What countries provide basic medical coverage for "digital nomads" who happen to be passing through?

We sailed this itinerary on Zuiderdam a number of years ago. While you just go halfway and turn around in Gatun Lake, you still do get a good view of the canal. Since OP is from Rhode Island, he might find the related travel easier and less expensive than that which would be required for the longer (and likely more expensive) one way itinerary.

I think some lines would have restrictions -- certainly some of the ports visited have strict rules. in any case, smoking anything on any ship now is strictly limited to small, specific areas -- forget your cabin.

You are a “resident” of the country in which you reside. You can be a citizen by birth, but to be a resident of a place you need to reside there. You might be able to convince your family members “with an address in the USA” to let you claim that address as your residence - but potential insurers might be able to deny coverage if that deception were uncovered.

I was referring to a carry-on which met the airline’s definition. Just because my carry-on MIGHT fit under the seat in front of me (causing significant inconvenience) I should not be expected to give up space in the overhead to convenience others (many of whom are toting over-size items).

A carry-on is a carry-on - the overhead bins are intended to accommodate carry-ons — with no size qualification. If someone wants to bring a carry-on larger than mine, it’s his choice, and also his problem.

We would only stay over in port of debarkation if we were interested in seeing the area or if there were simply no convenient transportation options on debarkation day. When we have come in to a west coast port -- San Diego, LA, San Fransisco or Seattle, we stayed over one night because we did not want the hassle of getting to the airport for an early flight to the east coast - and we were not interested in a red eye. Once, coming into Miami, we stayed over because we were catching an Amtrak train to NY (about 8;00 AM) next morning.

If you are ever in Fort Myers, FL you should take the bridge over to Sanibel Island - a peaceful place (half nature preserve) with limited development — none of the high rise buildings which increasingly blight Florida’s shores — and then go north up to Captiva Island : even more remote from the trashy over-development of Florida’s coasts. There are no traffic lights on either island - some traffic delays now and then, but if you know the back roads you can avoid them.

Agreed 100% - that "high tech" ordering has driven the comfort and ease out of having a drink. Damn foolishness, if you ask me.

Well, if we are talking about sea otters - the best place to see them is on Captiva Island - from the pier at the Green Flash before going in for the best dinner on the barrier islands.

LGA has just completed a major re-building. I have flown from LGA probably 100 times in last 20 years -- the most recent dozen or so (since 2019) have been the easiest

If you have a bag large enough to need to worry about weighing, it would be a bit of a hassle to haul it up to the gym. Those little hand-held scales are inexpensive and take very little room. Unless you are certain you will NEVER travel again, it just makes sense to buy your own, use it, and travel with it.

Often when passing the Bahamas towards the Caribbean we've seen porpoises paralleling the ship just off the bow - they seem to want to move along with the ship. Often flying fish break the surface in the bow waves - probably scared of the ship - and glide many yards. Our best whale experience was when anchored off Maui -- we did not sign up for a whale watching excursion -- and while sitting on our balcony after coming back on board we saw three or four whales , one a very small calf, breaching repeatedly just 50 yards off -- our table mates, who had spent over $100 each, for the whale excursion and had not seen any, were rather frustrated. Sea life is out there - you just have to be on deck to catch them when they choose to show themselves --they do not seem particularly interested in seeing you.

Great options for getting to NYC - either PATH to down town or commuter trains to Manhattan’s Penn Station in midtown- but, did you consider looking into Manhattan hotels to avoid back and forth travel over several days?

We were on a TA from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale on Prinsendam, and met a couple from Sweden who had boarded in Athens (I believe) and were going to be on board for a month or so, around South America, or wherever. Their luggage had somehow gone astray - and they were continually advised that it would catch up “at the next port”. They were usually seen wearing HAL logo things, and stuff from the on board shop. Fortunately for them, their bags did finally catch up at Lisbon - the last port before the trans-Atlantic leg.

If you mean you land at Heathrow at 9:00 AM and are on a 4:00 PM flight out, you will (if you are lucky) be able to head into London by 10:00 AM (AT THE VERY EARLIEST), and you will want to back at Heathrow by 1:30 PM (AT THE VERY LATEST). Because you should allow about an hour each way to get to and from any place in London which might be of interest, you are talking about an hour and a half actually seeing/doing anything of interest. Do not kid yourself about having four hours --- and even if you did, I do not think it would be worth the hassle/stress.

Good suggestion - since a dark suit (which will not need black shoes or dress shirt) will cost very little more than a tux rental (if anything) and leave you with something for future use.

Rain is apparently no longer to be relied upon. I expect to soon hear of the Missouri/Southwest Aquaduct project -- which will divert the excess flow from the upper Mississippi watershed to the parched southwest.

As opposed to involuntary tipping???????? Can you suggest a better way to appropriately reward those who go out of their way to provide those personal services --WHICH, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, ARE A SIGNIFICANT PART OF WHAT MAKES CRUISING ENJOYABLE.

But the people who are best qualified to determine performance of personal service are the recipients of that personal service — not the bean counters back in the home office.