princeton123211
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Posts posted by princeton123211
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1 hour ago, skoeper said:
We are interested in whale watching on a catamaran, but haven't found a company that picks up at the cruise port. Are there any? Thanks!
There aren't any on Maui that pick up-- you need to take a taxi or Uber to them.
Would also say that the catamarans aren't the greatest for whale watching. There are much better options with companies that use rafts or large zodiacs. You are closer to the water so you can sometimes even see whales beneath you. Much fewer people than the catamarans and you tend to get closer to the whales because they are faster, cover more area during a whale watch, and more maneuverable.
We used Captain Steves for years but they lost both of their rafts in the Lahaina fire. They partnered with Hawaii Ocean Rafting. Ultimate Whalewatch is another company that uses rafts.
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13 hours ago, Moz said:
do they keep adding on fees if a uber has to sit in traffic
No- the Uber price you get when you request the trip is the price you pay regardless of traffic.
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1 hour ago, Moz said:
Guess we will have to adapt my traveiing partner booked this so can't do much but thanks for all your input appreciated it so much,
There’s no cancellation policy?
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5 minutes ago, Moz said:
Someone else made the reservation so now it's impossible to change is it that bad or a terrible place
I mean I don't think you're going to die but if we're being honest it's sort of a crummy hotel in a crummy and desolate area. Gets lots of bad reviews with a lot of them about the cleanliness and noise from the adjacent freeway.
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1 minute ago, njhorseman said:
The OP's hotel is not in San Pedro, it's a few miles away, and their cruise embarks in Long Beach, not San Pedro so the reference to the USS Iowa being near the cruise port might be confusing, because it's not near their ship's cruise port.
Fair point of clarification on the embarkation port being Long Beach but I know where their hotel is and it's very close to USS Iowa-- closer than from Long Beach which is why I recommended at as something nearby as there isn't much at all in the immediate vicinity of their hotel.
Personally if I were the OP I would find a hotel in or closer around Long Beach.
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47 minutes ago, Moz said:
Is there anything to do nearby
Not really-- you're on a bit of an island. You could go to see the USS Iowa which is right near the cruise port. Or head over to nearby Long Beach where there is a downtown as well as the Queen Mary.
49 minutes ago, Moz said:what is the best way to get to the port
Uber or Lyft-- it's a short ride.
50 minutes ago, Moz said:lso what us the best way to get to the hotel from Lax and the approximate cost?
Also Uber or Lyft. If you use UberX or Lyft you'll need to take a shuttle to the LAXit lot. If you splurge for UberBlack you can get picked up curbside but it will cost a bunch more. UberX will be about $40 and UberBlack would be about double that.
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On 10/14/2024 at 9:31 AM, georgiacat said:
Does Commander's Palace still offer Brunch on Saturdays? I looked at their website, and it says they open on Saturdays at 11 am. On Sundays they open at 10 am; that sounds more like brunch time. I hope someone can help me out.
They do. Its at 11am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday. Jazz brunch. Personally I prefer dinner experience at Commanders vs the brunch.
My favorite jazz brunch is Arnaud's-- they have tableside flambe desserts like bananas foster and crepes suzette.
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10 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:
Should have had him come to you it would have been much more fun for him to come to SF than you go to Merced.
That one was doomed from the beginning-- way too complicated to go out to Oakland Airport via public transportation when there were plenty of viable options in town (and the passport issue could have been much more easily and quickly rectified).
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10 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:
Reagan library is miles from Disney
That's sort of putting it lightly-- the Reagan Library is over 70 miles and close to 2 hours away from Disneyland.
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2 minutes ago, 1bets1 said:
That does sound nice, as long as I could use the bathrooms at St Regis.
There are restrooms at the hotel and there are also public restrooms at the nearby Fort St Catherine's which is worth a visit. Tobacco Bay is a short walk away as well so a bunch of stuff right there.
5 minutes ago, 1bets1 said:Ferry then cab?
Correct.
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42 minutes ago, 1bets1 said:
We’ve been to Horseshoe and love it, but wanted to try something different. The beach area at Pompano does look small in the pictures. I’ll keep reading
It's not a day pass situation (in that you would have full access to the hotel's facilities) but St Catherine's Beach near St Georges is quite nice and the newer St Regis resort is there. While you couldn't swim in the pools you could eat and drink there and the beach itself is quite nice (and you obviously wouldn't have to pay a fee). Unlike the beach at the Rosewood, which technically is public but nearly impossible to access without being a hotel guest, St Catherine's is easy to access.
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5 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:
On the other hand, fresh air and a view of the horizon assist with motion sickness.
Was going to say the same-- I'm not normally prone to seasickness but the most nauseous I've ever been on a ship was in rough seas in an inside cabin without fresh air and a view of the outside.
Best advice on seasickness I ever got was from an officer on the QE2 on a particularly rough crossing: drink soda with bitters and then chew ice. Works every time.
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17 hours ago, 1bets1 said:
Thank you. How was the beach there? It’s hard to tell from the pictures I’ve seen.
It's a postage stamp. If you want a great beach Horseshoe is going to be much better than this, but obviously lacking the hotel amenities that a day pass gives you (although there are beach amenities there). But the beach at Pompano is tiny and hugged by outcroppings. It also has jettys on either side so the water itself is pretty calm but lacks any sort of wave action if that's what you're looking for.
Coco Reef is often on those websites-- I would say that it is more of a beach than Pompano has. Also a slightly larger pool. I wouldn't say one has a dramatic advantage over the other.
The top beach club on the island is the one at the Rosewood Tucker's Point-- absolutely perfect with a few pools, once of the nicests beaches on the island which is sort of de facto private (although legally not private), and the food is amazing. But they strictly only allow overnight guests of the hotel. On a multiple overnight cruise to Bermuda we once got a room there just to access the beach club for 2 days by cashing in a ton of Amex points. It was fun but extremely expensive.
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8 hours ago, KeepCalmBearOn said:
My preference would be Santa Monica, but it is more expensive.
This. Santa Monica is a great base to see LA from.
Also consider Beverly Hills if you want to stretch the budget a little. Hollywood for me is like staying in Times Square in New York which is not a place I want to spend the night in in but is worth seeing.
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14 hours ago, 1bets1 said:
Has anyone gone here recently? Hopefully cruising June 2025, and would like to hear more about this resort. Thank you!
It's nice enough-- a bit dated in places. Smaller pool that can get pretty crowded during the peak season. Food is fine but nothing to write home about. Easy to get a drink-- they have a pool bar as well as one down by the beach. Small patch of beach nestled into the rocks the hotel sits on-- make sure everyone in your group can handle stairs to get to and from it.
It's not bad nor good-- shoots right down the middle.
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16 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:
Wow that's crazy. All the Hiltons downtown even the Del are sold out Fri-Mon that weekend and the next weekend Sat-Tue.
The Del is most likely sold out because all of the rooms in the historic Victorian wing are under renovation. All that's open from a room standpoint are the newer section near the pool and the Beach Village villas.
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3 hours ago, moses0 said:
Does anyone have a hotel to reccomend near the cruise termianl in Brooklyn
There are a bunch of threads on this that list out a bunch of specific options but the general gist is that Red Hook is an industrial area and there aren't any hotels immediately nearby. Depending on where you are coming from it can make sense to stay in Manhattan (some recommend lower Manhattan where you can take a ferry to Red Hook, I prefer Midtown) or Downtown Brooklyn which is about a 15 minute Uber or taxi ride away (lower Manhattan can be 15-20 minute Uber and Midtown can be more like 25-30 min). There are also more trendy/upscale hotels in Brooklyn a bit further out in Williamsburg.
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1 hour ago, Shand9219 said:
Was thinking the fort and something to eat in old san juan, but it looks like everything closes by 5?
I would definitely do the El Morro fort in the day-- a lot of it is a public park and wouldn't want to be there once it got dark.
Plenty to do from a restaurant standpoint after 5pm. A favorite of mine is the courtyard at the Hotel El Convento-- super atmospheric and the food and drinks are good. They might get a kick out of the historic surroundings-- it's a former convent from the 1600s.
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On 9/24/2024 at 8:23 PM, KK847 said:
We were at Orient Beach last November, and wondering if any improvements or additions have been made at the nude beach. At the time of our last visit, the Perch was the one and only bar that provided drinks and snacks.
Nope. Had friends there a few weeks ago. Apparently it's still the same post apocalyptic scene it's been since Irma. A few more of the buildings have crumbled into the water but that's about it from what they said.
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4 hours ago, mlmdaisy said:
I had contacted another agency that had a one week minimum. I can look again but didn’t see much else.
You can book Avis right through their website and just for the day. I’d imagine you can book Hertz online as well. Rates are very reasonable especially given how everything else is priced on the island. You’ll pay more for the taxi each way to the airport than the rental for the day.
3 hours ago, fizzy said:We had the most horrendous experience with sixt a couple of months ago.
I too have heard not great things about Sixt through several people I trust in these matters. Similar story- nickel and dining on wear and tear issues and insurance. I wasn’t going to say anything negative since I haven’t rented with them myself before but clearly it’s not isolated.
Personally I find Avis to be the most consistent internationally. Go Rentals is also a great option for more premium cars but don’t think they are an option here.
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1 hour ago, garnet115 said:
Or are Uber/lyft easy to get?
Yes. Have never had an issue even disembarking a bigger ship there. I generally just keep an eye on the app to make sure the wait times aren’t too long and if they go up I’ve hit the button even before disembarking to time it right. But usually it’s like 10 minutes max,
Don’t use local taxis in Cape Liberty- they’re awful. Uber and Lyft are the way to go.
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On 9/27/2024 at 5:31 PM, Fayetheatre said:
I am going to be in PR in Dec and want to walk around Old San Juan Is it near where the ships dock - will be on Oceania and if so can I walk around alone and feel safe or should I do an excursion
Is this a port stop or is your cruise originating in San Juan? If its a port stop the pier where you get off puts you right in town and it's quite safe to walk. You can take a taxi or Uber over to Condado or Isla Verde where there are beaches and resorts.
If your cruise starts in San Juan then it can be at the Pan American Pier which is outside of town and would require a taxi or Uber to get to town.
San Juan is generally safe in the tourist areas and easy to do on your own. Just be aware of your surroundings like in any city.
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On 9/29/2024 at 1:02 PM, mlmdaisy said:
I am looking into renting a car and Sixt seems to be a good (only?) option. We would enjoy exploring on our own, which should be easy on a tiny and reasonably safe island.
Sixt isn't the only option. We've rented before from Avis at the airport there and I think there is Hertz as well.
On 9/29/2024 at 1:02 PM, mlmdaisy said:I am tempted to reserve one of their tiny electric vehicles. Has anyone done this? I don't know about charging stations, but I assume we'd have enough power for several hours and don't mind paying to return it "empty".
I've driven a Smart Fortwo electric car before but just not actually on St Barths. Range was decent but not as good as I was expecting-- batteries get grumpy in Caribbean heat. They are small and tinny but get the job done for some touring. Was told that the heat causes the range to go down.
I was looking at Sixt's website-- they also have plenty of other options like a Polo or Mini Cooper that are petrol. Personally would go that route if we had to do it again.
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19 hours ago, eileen11 said:
If we want to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific or take a tour of Queen Mary, where can we store out luggage?
The Queen Mary is a hotel-- for a decent tip to the bellman I'm sure they would be happy to store it. You would enter at the hotel level and go to the front desk in the lobby there.
Whale watching tour pick up at port - Maui
in Hawaii
Posted
Quite stable-- they are essentially what a lot of high end expedition ships use for their launches. Lahaina Roads, the area that most go whale watching in from Maui, is like a lake that sits in between Lanai, Maui, and Molokai. Usually not much chop because it is very sheltered water.
The catamarans are fine but are much better suited to sunset sails and snorkeling trips. You are high out of the water, they are usually fairly crowded, and it's not easy to quickly get from one side of them to the other when a whale is sighted. You won't have a bad time on one but there are better options.