BigMike2018

Bermuda Maritime Operation just posted on their Facebook page:

"NORWEGIAN ESCAPE has cancelled call to Bermuda next week (Wed 12th Sept) due to forecasted weather."

Bermuda Maritime Operations just posted this on their Facebook page.

"NORWEGIAN ESCAPE has cancelled call to Bermuda next week (Wed 12th Sept) due to forecasted weather."

Another option is to take the EWR Air Train to the Newark Airport station and then take the NJ Transit train straight into Penn Station in New York...from there it's a short cab ride to the cruise terminal.

https://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=AirportConnectionsTo

Cruising out of Florida for 11 days and parking car at Newark Airport.

Looking for recommendations for off-site parking at EWR. :cool:

 

Thanks.

I've always parked at the economy lot right on the airport property. (Lot P6) A shuttle runs to the terminal every 10 minutes and it's only $18 a day. Personally, I don't trust the off-property lots...the neighborhoods they're in are really sketchy.

We will be staying at 6th and 37th in mid-October. We're looking for a reasonably priced Italian restaurant (not just pizza) within walking distance, if possible. We prefer a mom and pop type place over a fancy place.

Thank you for any recommendations.

It's not Midtown, but it's smack dab in the middle of Little Italy....Paesano's on Mulberry Street....my favorite Italian joint in the city. (and yes, it's a small, non-fancy place :D)....the fried ravioli is off the hook.

I've read great things on the 150-600 from Tamron. I'm thinking of getting the Nikon 200-500 simply because of the fix F5.6 aperture. I will look into the 16-80. That sounds like a great walk around lens. Thanks! :cool:

Yes. The 16-80 is my everyday lens. I am very pleased with it. IMO, it's probably one of Nikon's best lenses.

For Alaska you definitely need a long lens for wildlife shots. Tamron and Sigma both have a 150-600mm lens which from the reviews seem pretty nice. Nikon has a 200-500mm but it's pricier. You'll also need a wide angle lens for landscapes, my personal favorite is the Tokina AT‑X 116 PRO DX‑II 11‑16mm f/2.8. (I got a good used one on ebay for 300 bucks). I would also recommend the Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4. It's a great compromise and it's super sharp.

Renting a car is the way to go. As a matter of fact, we're renting a car at each port this time around. Don't like getting herded around like cattle on excursions. Prefer to go at our own pace....AND it's cheaper to boot.

The scheduled travel time for the Port Imperial ferry to W. 39th St. terminal is 8 minutes for all departures. The scheduled travel time for the Paulus Hook ferry to W. 39th St. is 8 minutes for some departures and 13 minutes for others. Please explain how the Paulus Hook terminal could be closer to W. 39th St. than the Port Imperial terminal if the travel time is at best the same ?

Hey whatever works. If you wanna deal with the traffic into Port Imperial...knock yourself out...not my problem. Like I said, I find JC much more convenient and less stressful than going anywhere near 495 and the Lincoln.

Can you give more information about parking in Jersey City and taking the ferry.

Can we take suitcases onto the ferry? Will there be a problem getting tickets on weekdays about 9:00am? Where is the ferry dock in relation to the cruiseport?

You don't want to take a ferry from Jersey City. The correct ferry terminal is Port Imperial in Weehawken. There is a substantial parking garage there and you can take the ferry to the 39th St. ferry terminal in Manhattan, which is 9 blocks...about a half mile...south of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. There's no problem getting tickets for the ferry or with taking luggage. Here's the web page for this ferry terminal: http://nywaterway.com/PortImperialWeehawkenTerminal.aspx .

 

The major problem right now with getting to this ferry terminal is that from many areas the direct route to the terminal involves using the same highway, 495, that will have the lanes closures for the next 2 1/2 years. The website does give alternate directions for those coming from certain directions that avoid 495 .

That's actually not at all correct. The Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal in Jersey City will get you to the 39th Street Ferry Terminal just as well as the Port Imperial. It's actually CLOSER to Manhattan than Port Imperial --and-- you don't need to deal with traffic around the 495. As a former JC resident, I've taken that ferry many, many times into Manhattan with no issue. It's a shorter ride than the one from Port Imperial. You can find their weekend schedule here: http://www.nywaterway.com/PaulusHookRoute.aspx

As for parking in JC, the Edison Fast parking lot at 155 Montgomery Street allows multiple-day parking and is only a few blocks from the Paulus Hook ferry terminal. It's very easy to drop everyone off at the ferry terminal, drive up to the lot and leave the car and walk back to the ferry terminal (about 12 minutes). You can find info on the parking lot here: https://www.parkfast.com/jersey-city-parking

We are staying the night before our cruise at the Residence Inn in JC, and will leave the car in the lot that night (it's a 24 hr lot). The morning of the cruise we'll simply take a cab to the ferry terminal.

Why even bother with the tunnels. Park the car in Jersey City and take the ferry. Saves the hassle and the parking is a heck of a lot cheaper.

It's The Great Courses Plus

Thanks for the correction...I couldn't remember off the top of my head...happens sometimes after 40 :D

Are drinks included in the Vibe pass or is that just to get in door?

Thanks for the information. Have you heard anything about the Nikon D3400 for Dummies book? That's the one I have. I also have Digital Photography for dummies. I really should be reading that first but I wanted to start taking photos as soon as possible.

Both of those are good, but I prefer Davud Busch's books. They literally cover everything

If you prefer watching videos I recommend the "Fundamentals of Photography" course available through Ultimate Courses Plus. It's an educational video streaming service online tht costs about $20 a month and they have a free trial period to try them out. The course is not camera specific but covers a lot of the techniques and art of photography.

https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/fundamentals-of-photography

...what is the best and/or easiest airport to fly into for a NY Cruise

Atlantic City :p

This is a great guide. Goes in to very detailed explanations on absolutely everything your D3400 can do.

https://www.amazon.com/David-Buschs-Nikon-Digital-Photography/dp/1681982307

Day Pass? This is New York...be glad we don't charge you to breathe the air.

There should be taxi cabs at the Bayonne port when you arrive.

I don't see a directional pad on my camera and it is not listed in the index of the Nikon D3400 for dummies book I'm reading. I'll check out the video. I also use the viewfinder, not live view for taking pictures.

It's also call the "multi-selector"

How do I get it on the bird? That is where I am pointing and it seems like it's in the center of the viewfinder.

You can use the directional pad (the round thing on the back of the camera) to move the focus point.

This video might help

Thanks again! I'll try tomorrow. I found that when I was in S mode I could not change the aperture at all. I kept trying and the number just kept blinking at me. Is that normal?

S mode is Shutter priority mode which means you can change the shutter speed and the camera controls aperture and ISO.

A mode is Aperture priority which means you can change the aperture and the camera controls shutter speed and ISO.

If you want to control all three aspects of exposure, then you need to me in manual mode, where the camera let's you decide the exposure of the shot.

I tried S mode several times today. I'm not having any luck with it at all. At 1/1000 there was no picture just a black screen. I kept changing it and it kept saying :subject is too dark". Even at 1/40 the pictures come out darker than I would like and the bird is blurry. ISO is at 100.

This article might help understand the exposure triangle.

https://fstoppers.com/education/exposure-triangle-understanding-how-aperture-shutter-speed-and-iso-work-together-72878

Not sure if it's mentioned already (I don't have time to read through 10 pages of posts) but David Busch's camera-specific books are great for beginners, not only does he cover the specifics of the camera, he also does a good job of explaining the basics of photography (exposure, depth-of-field, aperture, ISO, shutter speed, etc.). The one for the D3400 is on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/David-Buschs-Nikon-Digital-Photography/dp/1681982307

Tony Northrup's "How To Create Stunning Digital Photography" is also a great book if you're just getting started:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Create-Stunning-Digital-Photography/dp/0988263408

Just a word of warning...now that you've got the "bug"....there's no turning back :')

I know that New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are on Atlantic time (1 hour ahead of Eastern time). My questions is for those of us who use our phones as clocks. Since I'll have the phone in "airplane" mode because there's no way in hell I'm paying the exorbitant rates for the on-ship cell service....will the phone automatically sync up to the time change? Or will I have to manually change it? Whenever I cross time zones, my phone automatically syncs up as soon as we land because it gets the current time from the cell network as soon as it connects. Since it won't be connected to any network at the time, not sure if it will sync up properly. I'd hate to wake up an hour earlier because my phone still thinks it's on New York time...

Meh, leave the car in Jersey and take the ferry / train...