princeton123211

The Queen Mary Hotel is immediately adjacent to the cruise terminal and is the closest-- you can literally walk out the front, make a left and you are in front of the cruise terminal. There is also Hotel Maya which is a Doubletree which is a bit further then the QM but still close. Otherwise you are headed over the water to downtown Long Beach proper and you have your choice of mainstream corporate hotels (Westin, Hilton, Hyatt, etc) with some other budget options around the Convention Center. Personally for me Long Beach isn't enough of a draw to go stay in town and I'm a giant ocean liner nerd so the Queen Mary fits the bill but your preferences might be different. Horseman is correct that Long Beach Airport is the closest (and it's a great spot to fly out of-- the antithesis of LAX in that its small and manageable). BUT keep in mind that it has far less flight options than LAX. Direct flights work well from it. If you have to connect to get to your final destination though, even a small glitch can leave you stranded at Long Beach where you would have more options at LAX.

Agree-- the OP might be better using Uber for part of this. Using public transportation to get to the Presidio, which can be 20 minutes each way direct, will take much longer with public transport and will eat into the day quite a bit.

Right-- but train 2190 departs at 5:05am. Not sure if that's a cheeky way for Amtrak to say Moynihan is closed til 5am but still have the first Acela of the day depart from it.

They generally do-- they just list the hotels since the majority of visitors to Maui are staying on land and not visiting by ship. I would call them when booking but it shouldn't be an issue at all. Kahului port is closer to the beginning of the Hana Road than most of the hotels they are mentioning. Honestly I prefer to doing the Hana Road ourselves and not getting into a minivan. There are some fantastic guide apps that narrate the whole road without the need for a guide. Allows you to have control of your day and will cost significantly less. Food for thought.

Its pretty up there but still only about 25-30 minutes to Penn Station. Moynihan Train Hall, which is where Amtrak operates from, is technically closed to the public from 1am til 5am. You don't need to be there a whole hour before-- they'll announce the train and start moving you to the platform about 10-15 minutes before departure. If it were me I would leave her place around 345-4 and be there 415-430. Will be plenty of time. Moynihan is technically closed until departure time for your train-- I haven't been on one that early in New York since the new train hall opened so not sure if Red Cap (baggage) service will be available in the old Penn Station) or if it will be available at all at that hour. There won't be much activity headed in and out of the cafe car-- most of the train will be asleep as soon as people get on board at that hour. They do have some decent breakfast sandwiches and the coffee is decent but pastries and such on board leave a little to be desired.

You really don't need them in Bermuda-- very easy to do most things on your own. Taxis and ferries are quick and efficient. Is there anything you are wondering about specifically? Happy to help. Evrima is docking right downtown in Hamilton so you can literally step ashore and you are in the heart of downtown and central to most things on the island.

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Where in NYC is your daughter? 3am seems pretty early even for a 5am train from New York Penn. The station itself is pretty easy to navigate and there is no airport like security so don't build in a ton of extra time at that hour. There will be zero traffic. Just off of the main train hall there is an H&H Bagel which is one of NYC's better bagels and I would highly recommend bringing along for the train ride. Once you book your train tickets keep in mind that the Acela comes with assigned seating, much like an airplane. You will be automatically assigned seats once you purchase them. Take a look and make adjustments as needed. The Acelas have two seats together as well as tables for four with two seats forward and two seats facing backwards. If you want to sleep, book two seats by themselves-- the tables will have people getting up and down a lot.

Same advice on train timing-- just ignore what I said about Back Bay!

Which is fine but why would CBSA need to board and clear the ship if it is coming in from Victoria? Not saying the OP has a chance of making the train (I personally wouldn't try) but it would be a domestic arrival.

Agree with horseman. Personally I would take an Acela departing in the 6am hour (it will be a little different if its a weekday or weekend from Boston as the schedules are a tiny bit different). This puts you into New York just before 10am, gives you the ability to take the next train (if yours is cancelled or delayed), and also gives you the ability to call a quick audible and drive or fly in the extremely unlikely event there's a systemic issue with Amtrak. Pro tip taking the train from Boston-- if you are staying near Copley or Back Bay, the Back Bay train station can save you a cab/Uber ride to South Station. Now that the Acelas have assigned seating there's not the need, as there used to be, to go to South Station to be the first to board.

Not likely. One tiny thing will (for lack of a better term) derail this plan. Once you are off the ship you are still a 10-15 minute ride over to the station. Even if the ship arrives on time at 6am you won't be shore side with the first group until at least 630-45. A few minutes to find a car and load up etc and you are basically arriving at the station at departure time (if things go smoothly). Sure, there could be a tiny outside chance you could pull it off but everything would have to go perfectly to do it (or the ship arrives early) and you'll be running the whole time.

Like Mark said-- that's just the case down there. I used to use a mom and pop car service in Miami and just gave up because they moved over to Uber (and literally told me that its how they prefer to do business instead of individual bookings). If you want something that's a little more upscale than UberBlack check out an app called Blacklane. Generally newer cars and more like using an independent car service.

There aren't many Bermuda resorts that offer day passes and none of the top ones (Rosewood, St Regis, Hamilton Princess) do. I think Coco Reef might offer day passes but I don't believe there is golf. There are a bunch of public courses available. Occasionally the public are offered tee times during slower days at Mid Ocean Club, which is otherwise private, and well worth looking into (your ship's concierge can sometimes help here too). Although even if allowed on for a round of golf, the resort facilities at Mid Ocean (pool, restaurant, private beach), are not available to non members. Tuckers Point Golf Club is also private, and like Mid Ocean will occasionally let non members play, but again, no reciprocal access to the beach/pool facilities before or after.

That part of the Pacific is usually too cold for me year round. Usually doesn't get above 70 around LA even in the warmer months. Either of them will have plenty to do. Frankly with your girlfriend's first time I would go with Santa Monica with some higher end things to do/eat/drink there. That's what I would do as well-- Uber will be the quickest and Saturday should not present any major traffic issues (although you never know...)

I just use Uber and Lyft in Miami-- the XL option will accommodate 5. Most of the smaller car services in the area are on UberBlack anyway so it's just easier to use the app.

About 20 minutes without traffic. The cruise port is located in an industrial port area that is adjacent to downtown. Any hotel downtown would be a short Uber ride to the port. Personally I wouldn't stay right near the port-- Fells Point and the Inner Harbor are nicer areas to stay for a night and have access to dining/nightlife/etc.

Yes-- that would be one of the better places to stay for touring as well as Downtown towards the waterfront where there might be some slightly better deals (especially on the weekend since they are mainly business hotels there). There are also a handful of hotels on the backside of Beacon Hill. All would be walkable to most major historical sites.

It's just Long Beach Airport-- if you searched Long Beach International in Uber you might not get what you are looking for. I would just Uber-- it'll be a short 20ish min ride at that time on a Saturday. I can't tell you if there is a designated area for them or not-- we walked over to the Queen Mary hotel entrance and got ours there because we had left a bag checked with them. If it's crowded by the terminal the short walk over to get the Uber could be worth it.

I'm not sure which town you are talking about-- it couldn't possibly be Lahaina (which was destroyed by fire)-- that would mean the bike ride down and then a 2-3 hour trek across the island on a very busy road with uphill sections. Did she ride to Paia? That seems at least in the realm of possibility. I know the ones that take you up and end within the park. Haven't heard of any in recent memory that take you to the water or into a town.

If you have an overnight with 2 days in Honolulu you could easily fly back and forth to Maui for the first day to visit your friend. Flights are about 20 minutes, fairly inexpensive, and plenty of them.

If you have part of a day in Boston the New England Aquarium runs a whale watching boat trip that time of year. I did it twice years ago and saw a few. If you really want to see whales go to Hawaii in the winter. I've always found New England/Canada to be hit or miss for whales.

3-4 hours might be a little long but it's a lovely little town to walk around in-- very low key surfer vibe. The premade food at Mana Foods market is great. Cafe Mambo across the street is fun for casual sit down. Tobi's has some great shave ice. The shops are mostly beach related things or souvenirs. Alice in Hulaland is a funky local shop worth poking into. But as you'll quickly see-- unless you are planning on having a long, drawn out meal (which would be difficult to do there), 4 hours will be way more time than you need. Just a word to the wise-- the town will be quite busy early in the day (when folks set out on the Hana Road) and later in the day when a lot of those who didn't drive all the way around the island come back through. I would shoot for the middle for lunch and a walk around to avoid it being crowded. Bruce is right-- Mama's is my second favorite restaurant on the island (only behind the now destroyed Lahaina Grill) but you'll have to make reservations well in advance.

Back Bay would have my vote-- my favorite overall hotel in the city is the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Not the most luxurious hotel in Boston (it's a beautiful old grande dame property designed by the same architect as The Plaza in New York) but it's the location that's nearly perfect. Off Copley Square you have easy access to Back Bay and walking distance to everything historic including Boston Common/Public Garden. The Newbury Hotel (which a lot of us who lived in Boston a long time ago would still call the "old" Ritz-Carlton) would also be a superbly located hotel. Both of these are on the pricier side so any other hotels around that area that fit your budget would be what I would say to look at. The Seaport is certainly to some people's taste but for the most part it is comprised of newly build high rises and corporate hotels and lacks most of the charm and historic character that other parts of the city have for an out of town visitor.

What is your budget and what time of year? Boston hotels in the historic core can range anywhere from modest to wildly expensive-- a lot will depend on what you are willing to spend and if it is over a major city wide event like Head of the Charles or school move in weekends or runions.