princeton123211

Seconded. Art Mels is not as easy to get to but I believe superior to Woodys and is my favorite in Bermuda. The Crown & Anchor Bar in the Fairmont Hamilton Princess downtown has a sleeper cell fish sandwich that, while expensive, is just about as good. When you factor in the taxi ride it's about as expensive as Art Mels.

There are a bunch of Dunkin Donuts pre security at all EWR terminals near baggage claim and there is a full service restaurant/bar in Terminal B (although not sure how excited I would be to go here early in the morning after a redeye). Your bags will end up in the unclaimed area that's usually adjacent to the baggage claim and is where you would also pick up oversized bags like skis or golf clubs. Not sure I would really want to let my bags circle the drain for an hour and then end up in the lost and found but thats where they would go. There is a full service Marriott that is on airport property right in the middle of the terminals. Regular shuttle service. Don't get me wrong-- I love the diner recommendation but once you've finished eating you are stuck at a diner in Bayonne. At least with the hotel there is a place to store your bags, lounge to sit and relax, etc in addition to breakfast. Especially travelling with your special needs teenager-- you'll have room here to spread out a bit and relax where you won't have that at a diner. There is literally nothing by the port-- it is in a container ship industrial area.

A few things to unpack here. What port are you cruising from? From what you've written I'm going to assume Cape Liberty in New Jersey, but the area also has the Manhattan Cruise Terminal and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. MCT is essentially adjacent to Broadway/Times Square. Cape Liberty isn't far but will require either a train into Manhattan or an Uber ride. This is what makes me assume it's Cape Liberty. There are quite a few hotels near Newark Airport from all brands for all budgets. If you do come in a day before you might also want to consider looking at the Doubletree Newark Penn Station-- this is a hotel that's attached to the train station in downtown Newark and will give you very easy access to Penn Station in midtown Manhattan. The next morning it would be a short 20 minute Uber to the port. There are not a ton of hotels in Bayonne (which is the town that is adjacent to the port itself). If you do go into Manhattan to see Broadway/Times Square same day heavily discounted tickets are available by waiting in line at TKTS kiosk at 47th and Broadway.

Super easy to do on your own- zero reason to use a ships excursion in Newport unless you have onboard credit you are trying to burn. You can purchase tickets for most mansions through this website: https://www.newportmansions.org. The Breakers (the largest and lost popular) is a separate ticket or you can buy a ticket that provides access to it and another mansion of your choosing. Unless you are infatuated with this time period I would suggest really only doing one other one than The Breakers for a quick one day visit. To purchase tickets for Doris Duke’s Rough Point mansion there is separate ticketing through a different preservation organization. You can walk to Bellevue Ave and the mansions but it’s a hike- The Breakers is about a 45 min walk from where the tenders drop you off. You could walk there (and see things along the way) and take an easy Uber back. Plenty to see and do downtown along the water- lots of restaurants, bars, and shops either before or after touring.

Quickest with least hassle would be Uber.

An Uber or Lyft is about $28 from the airport to Cape Liberty. I would highly discourage suing locals taxis in that part of New Jersey- they’re poorly regulated, generally filthy, and very old. Uber/Lyft will cost less and be much higher quality vehicle. Taking a private car from your hotel will both save you a ton of time as well as being literally half as expensive as taking the shuttle from the airport.

As much or as little as you like really-- you can get dropped off right by the Plaza de Armas and then you are a very short flat walk to the church (it's a fairly modest but pretty church-- don't want you your expectations out of line if you are expecting a grand cathedral which it is not). The Malecon is just on the other side of the Plaza which you can wander along and just call another car from whenever you want to leave. But the area around the church, Plaza, and malecon is very small and manageable. Plenty of seats in the Plaza de Armas itself. Bunch of restaurants etc along the Malecon and adjoining streets downtown.

Easy enough-- just the 2 or 3 train from Penn to Wall St Station. The most straight forward way might involve stairs but there are always elevators if you look for them.

I was invited on for lunch years ago and agree. The decor is like they gave North Korea an unlimited budget to create a cartoonish American themed mall.

Agree with horseman on all points. Just don't fall into the trap of Snorkel Beach in the Dockyard itself-- manmade beach and not a great place to swim or snorkel despite its name.

Your're correct in that you might not be off the ship til 9am. Your whole port stop is only 8 hours at at a very minimum 2 hours of that will be dedicated to boarding and riding the ferry to St Georges and you won't want to take the last ferry back so in reality you are looking at only 2-3 decent hours in St Georges.

There is enough time for everything there except the word "relax". It's a fairly busy day-- you can catch the ferry direct to St Georges depending on the time of year. The Orange route runs April to November and takes about 45 minutes each way so there's basically 2 hours gone. The complimentary NCL ferry runs whenever an NCL ship is there regardless of the time of year. If you want to see St George's go for it but just know your time at Tobacco Bay, keeping in mind the buffer you'll need to build in to make sure you get back to the ship, your time there will be briefer than you want. If you want a relaxing day at the beach I would just head to Horseshoe Bay.

Normally you and I are nearly always eye to eye on most things-- so this is a rare miss. Your point here about if you've been to Hawaii before or not is an important delineation though. I think we agree that if this is the OPs first time to Hawaii they should try and spend as much time there as they can.

I saw that. At very least its still in the same space and it looks pretty much the same based on the website. Hopefully they didn't mess with it too much-- that was quite a scene back in the day.

I will second this-- excellent martinis (some say the best in LA) and super atmospheric. The food is also worth sticking around for but if you have limited time (which you would on a shore excursion) it still worth it for a drink. You'll immediately remember the place from lots of movies it's been in. When you walk in the front entrance from Hollywood Blvd bar is to your right in the other dining room.

If you want some old school gaming the casino in the Fairmont El San Juan is a favorite-- wood paneling, chandeliers, etc. The adjacent Chandelier Bar as you walk is was always a good time. You'll need to Uber from old town like you would for any casino. The casino at the Ritz Carlton right down the street was also a favorite but that hotel still has not reopened and doesn't look like it will any time soon.

There is a Hilton Garden Inn just outside of T2 (so close that it is named the HGI T2) that is a full service and serves breakfast. I have not had breakfast there (I met someone for drinks at their rooftop bar during a layover which was way nicer than I thought it would be) but might be your best bet for a cooked hot breakfast.

It's like a 20 minute drive door to door. The check in times tend to be pretty loose and sometimes not observed at all so if you're 10 minutes late it's not going to make a difference-- being any earlier than that most likely would result in you just sitting around waiting though as ships tend not to board that early. I would prob just schedule one for pick up around 10.

Like Bruce says, POA gives you the most actual time in Hawaii. The ship is a gaudy barge and wouldn't be my first choice for any cruise, but the fact remains that if you must take a cruise it will provide you with the most Hawaiian cruise you can take. Next best would be cruises that either originate or end up in Hawaii from the mainland. You'll be able to spend some time before or after on the islands. Distant third place for me are those that are round trip fromm the mainland-- unless you really, really love sea days this is a truly awful way to see Hawaii-- it's more of a drive by with the limited amount of time you can spend on the islands. Don't get me wrong, I love cruising but Hawaii is one of those places that just doesn't lend itself well to going by ship. Just fly over and spend some meaningful time on the islands-- a far more enchanting way to see them in depth than you can by ship.

Otherwise known as Fort McHenry.

ZDY is the Marriott day rate code on their website/app. It doesn't always show availability when there is some, but always worth checking before calling.

Uber-- they are quick, easy, and inexpensive from HNL.

They would be taking you to Hollywood. That area is sort of the Times Square of LA (which is fine, but it's very touristy). Might I suggest looking to see if they have a tour that combines that with a stop in one of the beach towns like Santa Monica-- might make for a more enjoyable day. Easy to do. In San Diego the ship will dock very close to the USS Midway museum so that could be a fun option. Also close by is the Maritime Museum which includes the windjammer Star of India. The Gaslamp Quarter is within walking distance. Personally I would take a quick Uber ride over to Coronado for drinks on the beach at the famous Hotel del Coronado. Santa Barbara there are plenty of restaurants and cafes where you tender in at Sterns Wharf. Some highlights are the famous SB Courthouse and the Museum of Art which are next to each other-- about a half hour walk or a quick Uber. You can also join excursions or private tours that take you to local wineries (there are a few tasting rooms downtown as well).

Typically no-- American ports usually don't have the standard welcome party you see in the Caribbean. San Diego and Santa Barbara are fairly easy to "wing it"-- you essentially end up downtown and within walking distance of things. Los Angeles (assuming you are docking at San Pedro) is a whole nother animal-- San Pedro is a busy commercial port that is a considerable distance from most touristy things you will want to do. In LA you will need to do some planning such as joining an excursion, joining an independent tour, or renting a car/using Uber to get around. Do you have anything specifically you are looking to do?

You really don't need to rely on excursions at all on Bermuda and especially not for just plain old transportation. Getting from the Dockyard to Hamilton via ferry is inexpensive and easy (as is getting from the Dockyard to St Georges for that matter). For what it's worth I think the Hog Penny around the corner is a much better pub than Flannigans.