jennaja

There seems to be a lot of very confusing posts here that stray away from you original question.

 

Yes, while you are in a US Port you will be able to use your jet pack to connect to your laptop without any additional setup or charges. Just make sure your wifi on your laptop is connected to your jet pack.

 

While outside of a US Port your jet pack would incur roaming charges. If you only plan on using it in the US don't worry about it, otherwise check with Verizon on options outside the US. Since you are using a VPN for work you can take advantage of a lot of free wifi hotspots in port if you need to get work done while you are there.

 

Princess onboard wifi is minute based. It looks like you may be Platinum so you would get 150 minutes. If you have a spouse that is also platinum cruising with you they too will get 150 minutes and you could in theory use that as well. The connection is very slow, think dial up. And if you are using a VPN it will get slower. Not sure what kind of work you do but this could present a problem for you or it could be no issue. Also, there is always the chance they could block your VPN. I have cruised several times and never had an issue with a VPN on the wifi. Most important part is to make sure you log out of the wifi the second you are done working so you aren't charged for minutes you are not using.

 

Hope that helps.

Not sure if the jetpack is allowed with the travelpass but I don't see why not but you need to check directly with Verizon.

 

You also don't need the travelpass but if you use it and it's covered by the Travelpass you get access to your domestic plan data back home. So for an extra $10/24 hr you connect to the cell towers in St. Kitts for example, and you are only billed an extra $10 and just use your plan minutes like you were back home.

 

If you don't have a travelpass roaming data charges can very high.

 

Keep in mind a travelpass only works while in port, not at sea with the ships cell service.

I'm only going to try to use the Jetpack while the ship is docked in US ports. Do you think Princess will try to confiscate my Jetpack?

There seems to be a lot of very confusing posts here that stray away from you original question.

 

Yes, while you are in a US Port you will be able to use your jet pack to connect to your laptop without any additional setup or charges. Just make sure your wifi on your laptop is connected to your jet pack.

 

While outside of a US Port your jet pack would incur roaming charges. If you only plan on using it in the US don't worry about it, otherwise check with Verizon on options outside the US. Since you are using a VPN for work you can take advantage of a lot of free wifi hotspots in port if you need to get work done while you are there.

 

Princess onboard wifi is minute based. It looks like you may be Platinum so you would get 150 minutes. If you have a spouse that is also platinum cruising with you they too will get 150 minutes and you could in theory use that as well. The connection is very slow, think dial up. And if you are using a VPN it will get slower. Not sure what kind of work you do but this could present a problem for you or it could be no issue. Also, there is always the chance they could block your VPN. I have cruised several times and never had an issue with a VPN on the wifi. Most important part is to make sure you log out of the wifi the second you are done working so you aren't charged for minutes you are not using.

 

Hope that helps.

Thank you -- this is very helpful!

Interesting! Were you using a commercial VPN service (like ACE VPN) or a connection to work network (like cisco AnyConnect)? My knowledge of the latter is that the VPN will drop due to large RTT. Maybe your work has tweaked the defaults.

You clearly know a lot more about this than I do:p. All I know is that I turn on the Jetpack, log into SonicWALL for the VPN, then do my work. I thought the Canadian part of the cruise might present a problem, so I only planned to work while the ship is docked in port. I don't have to put in a 40 hour week, just keep up with the higher-priority stuff. Maybe 15-20 hours for the week.

Can't give any advice regarding The Regal but we sailed on The Royal this year and the two ships are identical I believe. We loved to eat at the international cafe when we boarded It was interesting watching everyone as it was our first cruise. Stunning ship and i'm sure The Regal is too

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We are beyond excited for this cruise! Just hoping Hurricane Jose doesn't mess with us.

Jet packs work off of a cellular signal so you would need that type of service to use it. Cellular service at sea is expensive and it may not connect to cellular services in other countries. Sounds like a very expensive way to do work. I do hope the company is going to pay the costs of doing this.

I hope so too. I thought the combination of the complimentary minutes from the cruise line and use of my Jetpack in port had me covered. Glad I checked in with you guys! Thanks so much for your input.

Look into the Verizon Travelpass. For $10/24 hour period ($2 in Mexico) you can use your phone to text/call/data in many foreign ports. Worked great for us, speed was about what you would expect from home. Don't know specifically about your Jetpack if it's included or not. Might be worth looking into.

If you're in port in the US, the ship's cellular service is turned off and you'll connect via local cell service. Whether you'll have roaming charges will depend on your service plan. You won't have Internet charges as you won't be connecting via the ship's WiFi.

 

Your complementary Internet package applies only to the ship's WiFi, not cell service, which you wouldn't use while in port. You could but why would you since you could connect via your cellular plan.

Thanks for mentioning this. I'll need to check with our company IT guy, who set me up with the Jetpack. As you can probably tell, I'm technologically challenged.

Look into the Verizon Travelpass. For $10/24 hour period ($2 in Mexico) you can use your phone to text/call/data in many foreign ports. Worked great for us, speed was about what you would expect from home. Don't know specifically about your Jetpack if it's included or not. Might be worth looking into.

I don't even turn my cell phone on when I go on vacation. But my employer doesn't give vacation time, so if I want to get paid, I have to get some work done on my laptop. Do you know if I would need the Verizon Travelpass to use the Jetpack to connect to the internet?

Ditto. Just in case though make sure roaming is turned off in your Jetpack - it is likely off anyway - but one would want to avoid surprises.

 

Ship Internet is Satellite based and if you need to use a VPN to connect to work then it won't work anyway (too much round trip delay for the VPN).

Thanks for mentioning that -- I do have to use a VPN, and didn't realize I wouldn't be able to use that with Princess's wifi.

Is the main dining room open on embarkation day? Where is it located?

Hi Everyone,

We're excited to be sailing on the Regal Princess for the first time this weekend. It's our first time on a Royal class ship.

Any recommendations on regarding not to miss venues or activities? What's your favorite place for embarkation day lunch? How do we find it?

What's special about the Regal Princess, as opposed to the older ships we've sailed on (Ruby, Sun, Dawn, Sea, Golden and Grand?)

Thanks in advance for any input!:)

Hi Everyone,

My employer requires that I do some work while I'm on vacation. Can I bring my VZ Jetpack onboard the ship, and use it to provide me with internet service while the ship is docked in port within the US? If so, will I incur any internet or other charges from Princess? I have done this on Celebrity in the past without any issues, but not sure if all cruise lines work the same way.

I believe we will receive a small amount of complimentary internet from Princess due to our loyalty status (this will be the first time we qualify), but from other boards it sounds like their internet is too slow if you're trying to quickly get some work done.

Thanks in advance for any input or advise.

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

I'm mostly concerned about having to fly into NYC if there was some likelihood of a hurricane there. If NYC was under threat of a hurricane, would Princess move the embarkation port elsewhere, cancel the cruise, or postpone it? Just wondering if we would have enough notice from the cruise line to avoid even boarding the flight to NYC, or if we would get there only to find out the cruise had been cancelled.

Hi All,

We're looking forward to our Canada/New England cruise next week on the Regal Princess. I just saw a news article stating that a hurricane may be headed up the eastern seaboard next week.

What does the cruise line do if a hurricane is predicted for the port of embarkation, or other scheduled ports? Do they cancel the cruise? If so, how much advance notice do they give the passengers?

We leave from the West Coast on Wednesday. Although we're really looking forward to the trip, I don't want to go if we have to deal with hurricane conditions. We have the Princess Platinum trip insurance, but as I understand it, we would not get a refund if we cancel, only if Princess cancels. Is that right?

Sorry to disappoint, your harbor view is toward the Hudson River as the hotel is near Greenwich Street toward the west, by the WTC area - very unlikely to probably impossible to get a clear & direct line-of- sight with numerous tall buildings in the downtown financial district to the southeast toward Brooklyn - not even sure if you can look toward Red Hook to see the ship, unless you get the upper/top floors to view the harbor.

 

You will need a powerful set of binoculars to see with clarity, I think. I usually don't track ships coming into Red Hook, but you can go to nyharborwebcam dot com 24/7 to watch & track in anything, including & during your stay in NY and morning of scheduled arrival/departure. It's mobile browser friendly, just make sure any ad blockers are turned off.

 

CY downtown has good access to the Holland Tunnel, especially on Sundays & anything happening midtown East at/near the UN should not impede ... a quick 6 to 10 minutes drive via Church Street.

 

As for tall ship, the "Peking" ship is no longer there but the Seaport Musuem still has 5 ships there, one of them being the 1885 Wavertree cargo ship - a large iron sailing vessel still afloat - is -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavertree_(ship)#/media/File:South_Street_Seaport_Boat.JPG

https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/visit/street-of-ships/peking/

Thanks for the link to the webcam, and the information. What is "CY"?

If those are the musts, that's all very doable. The HOHOs can (not always) be very frustrating in Manhattan as they're in the same traffic as several million of your closest friends. Be sure to look at the Uptown loops as that's a much larger area, and typically better traffic (i.e., if you do have a Manhattan traffic day, don't get frustrated and skip the Uptown loop).

 

Check the weather as soon as you're in town and consider buying the ESB tickets early; this is a bit of a gamble way out as it's possible you could plan on going up on Friday morning, for instance, and wake up to heavy clouds and fog. If you do the HOHO as an orientation and mostly travel by subway, you'll have more time. There's a LOT you can do from the ESB if you're mobile. Somewhere around here I've posted a walking tour over the years from the Penn Station area. From the ESB, you're far closer to a lot of Manhattan than you realize. A fair amount of walking, but in 4-6 hours (or less, depending on your pace) you can see the ESB, Flatiron Building, New York Public Library, Grand Central Terminal, St Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Plaza, the shopping on Fifth Avenue, Tiffany, Central Park, Carnegie Hall, and Times Square. And throw in some great New York pizza as well!

 

I'd very much recommend dividing your sightseeing into sections. Downtown, including the SOL, South Street Seaport, possibly Brooklyn Bridge, etc., one day. Midtown including ESB, and the attractions I just listed on another day. That's probably two busy days, and if you do the HOHO the first day, you're pretty packed.

 

I don't know that Courtyard. Over the last 10-15 years there hasn't always been a lot of activity in the Financial District on weekends and evenings, but I understand that's changing. It is a very good location for getting to the cruise terminal.

 

I would be a little cautious staying near the UN if you're flying out of EWR, but it may be early enough in the morning that crosstown traffic will be OK. As Carol said, being close to the tunnel on the way out is a good thing...

One of the big box stores is offering a "New York City Choose 4 Explorer ePass" for $88 per person, which would allow us to choose 4 options from a list of approx. 30 activities. Does that seem like a good price, or would we do better to wait until we get there? They have many interesting options. They also have a Big Bus New York 48 Hours Bus and Cruise Tour eTicket for $47 pp.

Also, I see that there's a schooner that does harbor tours from the South Street Seaport. Do you have any experience or thoughts on that?

I really appreciate your willingness to share your experience and opinions with me.

We have a "Harbor View" room booked at the Wall Street Courtyard -- do you think we would have a view of the Brooklyn cruise ship terminal?

Regarding a Manhattan hotel that has easy access to the Holland Tunnel, what part of Manhattan should I be looking in? Would traffic on a Sunday morning be horrendous from the UN hotel? I though our traffic was bad in California, but 1-1/2 hours to go 15 miles or so is just crazy!

Seaport District as a whole remains open, including the Fulton Market, mullti-story food court along Front Street. Many of the upscale shops along those landmarked cobblestone street blocks that stretch from Water Street down to the waterfront are open.

 

However, the Seaport's 4 story shopping mall remained closed - with restaurants, bars & shops, etc. that extended out into the East River - has not re-open yet ... that are steps away from the Wall Street pier & tall ships, where tour buses come & go all day long, into the evenings, dropping off & picking up tourists & visitors, etc.

 

Frances Tavern on Pearl Street, of course, still there - across from Golden Sachs ... 10 to 15 minutes walk from the Seaport area, although ... many of the small businesses in that area pre-9/11 are long gone.

Tall Ships? Are they there permanently, or do they just visit a few times a year? Sounds interesting.

No new beds.......until 2019........

*The Princess Luxury Bed is now available on board Ruby Princess, Emerald Princess, Coral Princess, Sun Princess, Grand Princess, Caribbean Princess, Majestic Princess and Pacific Princess will debut on board Golden Princess (Oct 2017), Sea Princess (Nov 2017), Star Princess & Island Princess (Dec 2017), Sapphire Princess (Mar 2018), Crown Princess (Apr 2018) and Diamond Princess (Aug 2018), followed by Royal Princess & Regal Princess in 2019. Please note this schedule is subject to change.

I'm sorry to hear that....

I have a tendency to try to pack too many activities into a small amount of time.

We arrive in NY the morning of 9/21, and board the ship on 9/23. We disembark 9/30, and fly home the next morning. So 3 days in Manhattan.

We want to do a hop-on/hop-off tour first, to give us an overview of the area. We also want to be sure to see the Statue of Liberty (not necessary to go to the pedestal if there's not enough time); the Empire State Building and the South Street Seaport.

Not sure about the World Trade Center Memorial. We're interested in it, but not sure if it will cast a pall over our vacation by bringing back the horror of 9/11.

We also hope to stay in hotel with a great view from our room, if it's possible to do that affordably. I have tentatively booked the Courtyard Wall Street pre-cruise, and the UN hotel post-cruise, but I really don't know if those are good areas for tourists.

Hi everyone,

We're looking forward to our Canada/New England cruise on the Regal Princess next month. Does anyone know if the new beds have been installed on the Regal yet? Do they live up to the hype?

If you want to visit the SOL, check availability at the official seller, wwe.statuecruises.com ASAP. Pedestal access sells out

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll do that. That's one of the things on our "must do" list.

Where are you flying in from? A red eye from east coast makes no sense since ny is east coast. Truth be told, most people on red eye sleep on plane and then adjust to new time zone. Checking into a hotel and then going to sleep you will never adjust to new time zone.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

That was a typo. We're flying in from the West Coast, and the flight time options are pretty bad. WE basically had a choice of arriving sometime after midnight, or 7-8 am. We're using frequent flyer miles, so that may be part of the reason the flight options are so bad.

Thanks to everyone who's offered advice or information. Does anyone know approximately how much the car services would cost from JFK to Manhattan hotels, hotel to Brooklyn pier; and Manhattan hotel to Newark?

Yes, a month from today. We actually leave 3 days before that, so less than a month. I don't have the kind of job that lets me plan my vacations months or years in advance.

Hi, I've just bought a Canada/New England cruise on the Regal Princess for my Mom and I sailing round trip out of New York on 9/23/17. It's been at least 25 years since I've been to the East Coast, so I'm hoping some of you can answer some of my many questions.

1. We're arriving at JFK at around 8am following a red-eye flight from the East Coast. Do hotels allow check-in that early? If not, how do you deal with the exhaustion from being up all night?

2. What are the best transportation options from JFK to a Manhattan hotel?

3. Your hotel recommendations? I'm considering the Courtyard Marriott in the Wall Street area because (I think) we may be able to watch our ship come in from there. Any thoughts on staying in that area? We want to do the touristy things (Hop-On, Hop-Off; Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty; Rockefeller Center; Empire State Building' Central Park; maybe a nighttime bus tour of the city lights. We're not particularly interested in Times Square.

4. Best transportation options from Manhattan hotel to the Port of Brooklyn, and back to a Manhattan hotel post-cruise? We both have good mobility, but are not really interested in lugging our suitcases for long distances.

5. Due to available flight times, we will need to stay 1 night post-cruise as well. Any recommendations on the best area to stay?

6. We will need to catch an 8:30 am flight from Newark the day after disembarkation. What would be the best transportation options from our hotel (which will hopefully be in Manhattan) to the airport. How early would we need to check out of our hotel to reach the airport by 7am?

7. Will there be porters at the pier to take our luggage when the taxi drops us off at the pier? If yes, what is an appropriate tip?

7. Last time I was in NY, I remember thinking nearly everyone had their hand out for a tip. Any advise onwho to tip, when, and how much? I recall the guy who opens the front door to the hotel, the one who puts your bags on the cart, the one who delivers the bags to your room, the taxi driver, the shuttle driver, ...

We are so excited to be going on this trip, but I'm starting to get bogged down in the logistics of it all.

I thank you all for any advise or information you can provide.