princeton123211

Which I agree with and if I lived 20 miles from Liberty State Park I would feel the same. But for someone visiting New York City, staying in Midtown, and set on visiting Ellis Island for a good part of the day, a stop at the Statue of Liberty wouldn't be my top priority.

Remember: you are talking about folks travelling with a one year old and a three year old- if you have not done that personally, consult with someone who has. I have plenty of times. Children are to be seen and not heard. They adapt to the environments they are put in if given the right guidance.

I'll be the naysayer here and say that personally I think the Statue is best viewed from the water and that spending the time to visit, when you only have a few days in town, might not be the best use of that time. Ellis Island on the other hand needs to be visited and experienced to be appreciated.

$500-700 a night will put you firmly into 4 star hotel+ territory depending on the time of year. You are too far out to book for 2025 but some top hotels in this category I would look at are the Intercontinental The Barclay, The Sherry Netherland, The Iroquois, The Algonquin, Bryant Park Hotel, or The Pendry Manhattan West. At the high end of your budget (or if you were able to snag a deal) if you were going to look at 5 star hotels the St Regis and The Carlyle are my favorites (the St Regis can be had for free on Bonvoy points or in the $400-500 range if you combine points and cash). Le Bernadin (if you like seafood), Daniel, or Le Coucou would top my list for fine dining-- all would need reservations a couple months out. Gramercy Tavern, newly reopened Cafe Boulud, Harry Cipriani, or Raouls would be my favorite "fancy but comfortable" go to's. (While Raouls isnt a steakhouse per se, the famous dish there is a steak au poivre and its insanely good). If you want just a regular bagel with cream cheese there is an H&H Bagel in Moyinhan Train Hall at Penn Station or Liberty Bagels on 58th between 5th and Madison. If you want the whole lox and bagel show head to Russ & Daughters Cafe on the Lower East Side. Righ around the corner there is another New York institution thats well worth a visit: Katz's Deli. Empire State Building and the World Trade Center Memorial are easy enough-- depending on where you end of staying the ESB might be a brisk walk. The WTC Memorial will take you a bit of time to get downtown. Ellis Island requires a ferry and will take a good chunk of a day so just be forewarned. You might consider doing the WTC Memorial and Ellis Island on the same day as the ferry departs not far from the memorial.

Assuming they aren't at capacity. My point was really don't sign up for a Platinum Card JUST for this because of the variables and possible limited time to use it on such a long layover.

You could look into the Platinum Card from American Express-- that will grant you access to the Centurion Lounge at LAX which is better than most airline's domestic lounges. The only issue with a 10 hour layover is that most lounges, including the Centurion, only allow you in up to 3 hours before your departure. This can sometimes be waived if you are connecting on the same airline in their own lounge but you should check those rules before purchasing any day pass. Personally I would find something fun to do in LA for the day or get a day room at a hotel nearby to relax. 10 hours is way too long to spend in an airport regardless of lounge access.

New Orleans taxis are notoriously bad-- old, beat up cars etc. I have to think that whatever Uber is doing here with accessibility will be better than that. The only other option is to make a booking with a service that specializes in this locally. But I would not roll the dice with taxis there.

I would be focused on Midtown Manhattan to the East of Times Square. That puts you within walking distance of a lot of top sights including Times Square, Central Park, 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal etc. If this is only for 24 hours you have no hope in seeing a vast majority of New York so being there will let you spend a few hours walking around and seeing what you can.

On that date $300 or less is reasonable-- there are a bunch of decent options available in the Courtyard by Marriott/Hampton Inn/Hilton Garden Inn and equivalent-- basically solid 3 star hotels in good, walkable areas. If you did have points you wanted to use New York is a great spot to use them from a value standpoint and that time of year the points redemptions on programs like Marriott Bonvoy are lower than usual. You could punch into the 4-5 star hotels that are in the top locations if you wanted to redeem.

Uber offers an "Uber Assist" option in New Orleans with accessible vans.

Any major hotel, with a few exceptions, will store your bags for a while for free and a decent tip to the porter. I've stored bags at Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf and the nearby Intercontinental many times. If anyone were to give you a hard time (which they wont) just say you are getting coffee or breakfast at the hotel restaurant. On the other side of town the Fairmont Copley Plaza has always been very accommodating storing my luggage as well for the day even if I'm not staying there.

If you want to stay near most of the major sites in New York you'll want to consider staying in Midtown Manhattan. This will both provide you with easy access to the main parts of the city itself as well as an easy commute out to Cape Liberty which is in New Jersey. There are three: JFK (which is mainly long haul international plus some domestic), LaGuardia Airport (which is mainly domestic flights and is closest geographically to Manhattan), and Newark Liberty International (which is a mix of both international and domestic and is just over the river in New Jersey). The bottom line is it should come down to what airport has the best deal and most convenient flight for you. It doesn't make a huge difference which one you fly into. This is trickier-- what is your budget and needs? Manhattan literally has hundreds of hotels they are more expensive than most parts of the country. You have a range from budget to some of the finest luxury hotels in the world. We need more info to help you but I would look at Midtown, both East and West, as well as the Upper East Side. Personally I would try to avoid Times Square because of how touristy it is but some people think its part of the charm. It is where most go (and where most of the major tourist sites are) but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. You have zero chance to even scratch the surface of seeing New York in 2-3 days of touring. Pick 5-8 things you want to see or experience and focus on those only. A good option, especially since you are crossing over into New Jersey. Again, way too broad. What interests you culinarily and what is your budget? New York has thousands of restaurants of all sorts of types and nationalities. You can have a fabulous meal for less than $30 per person and you can also have an incredible meal for $200-300 per person. The range is broad. Steakhouses are popular with visitors and New York has some good ones (Keen's is my personal favorite). But let us know what you are looking for and more pointed rec's can be made. Pizza is subjective. I'm a former New Yorker who lived for 2 years in Chicago. Chicago offers cheesey deep dish Italian casseroles-- but there's no way a reasonable person can call that pizza. It's tasty-- but it isn't pizza.

If you are trying to burn up onboard credit then by all means but if you are looking for a quality tour of the island consider a private tour with a Blue Flag Taxi (specially trained and licensed to give tours). $50 per hour with up to 4 passengers, $70 per hour up to 7 passengers with a 3 hour minimum. Can be an overall better value than a bigger tour and it's personalized in your own vehicle. If you are considering a glass bottom boat or the the famous home tour perhaps burn the OBC there and take the private tour of the island.

And on the outbound, since Red Cap service isn't available in Albany, advise the conductor when they scan your ticket after boarding that you'll need it on arrival to New York or Boston (which do offer the service) and they will have them waiting for you.

Even these cancellable rates will go up for that time period in Manhattan in the beginning/middle of December. I stayed in Midtown a couple weekends ago, the weekend of 12/15-17 (thankfully on points booked way in advance). Checking a couple weeks in advance of our stay (in case prices dropped and it made sense not to use the points) the Four Points was going for $850 a night. The Algonquin (which can sort of give you the midpoint of pricing strategy by Marriott in Manhattan for any given night) was over $1200 a night. Marriott Marquis was pushing $1400 and the St Regis was in the stratosphere at $5500 for a standard room. As you said, all bets are off for Manhattan in December. Book early because the pricing fall off you can sometimes see as you get closer to the date tends not to happen during that time of year.

I'm with you on this one-- I've done the RTH 20+ times and I always prefer to drive. The driver won't get to see all of the vistas, and it is a tiring day for them, but it is a very entertaining drive if one enjoys driving. The app tours are great-- we've used Shaka and GypsyGuide (which I think is now called GuideAlong from a recent update). Our favorite is Gypsy/GuideAlong.

Appears to be two separate cruises. Once from Bayonne to Iceland and another from the UK to Manhattan.

Whole heartedly agree with this. TWA Hotel is part of Terminal 5 right on airport ground and you'll be at the hotel quickly with still a little time for dinner or to enjoy it. If you were to take ground transport or worse, several trains, you wouldn't be getting to Elizabeth until at least 11 and possibly after midnight. Uber/Lyft/Dial7/Carmel will be about $130-145 one way. As others have said do not take a NYC yellow taxi. Taking the train will literally more than double the amount of time it will take you and you will be changing trains over different services (so will need to buy different tickets). You are looking at over 2 hours to take trains from JFK to Elizabeth and then still need an Uber vs taking an Uber and it taking a little under an hour door to door at that hour.

That's disappointing to hear.

Kahului is a very industrial port of Maui that is a distance from the main resort areas and picturesque beaches most associate with the island. You are about 45 min to an hour from Kaanapali, where a bunch of resort luaus are and about a half hour to 40 minutes from Wailea where there are a few as well. Not every luau is done every day-- a bunch of the resorts have their own luaus and will stagger performances on different days so they don't cannibalize each other. We've done the Drums of the Pacific at the Hyatt a bunch of times which is 3-4 times a week (including Saturdays) but the one at the Sheraton is mostly only on Wednesdays. It will come down to which one is put on the day you are there and what sort of availability they have. The luau options are going to be geographically closer to you in Honolulu than in Maui and transportation on your own is easier in Honolulu (Uber/Lyft etc). If Maui has an excursion that includes transportation than that might be an option. If you truly want to make the most of your time in port renting your own car will be the best blend of flexibility and lower cost. The only place you wouldn't need one (because you can Uber easily). Private tours or drivers are always an option but it will cost significantly more. Larger tours of course work but they can be limiting. In Hawaii having your own car generally is the best option.

There is an Avis not far in the Anchorage Square Shopping Center. Just keep in mind that the downtown rental locations, whether they are Avis or another major company, are mainly geared towards business travellers so don't have the same hours as their corporate owned airport location counterparts. For example this one is open til 5pm on the weekdays but closes early at 1pm on the weekend. Also, since most downtown rental locations are franchises, if it is a round trip rental you shouldn't have an issue but if it is a one way rental somewhere the one way drop fees can be astronomical. Sometimes in those cases its actually a savings to Uber out to the airport and rent from the corporate owned location.

There are. Proximity to the theaters is also a major benefit of the area. In The Savoy Hotel itself you have some of London's most famous places to drink and dine. The Savoy Grill is a Gordon Ramsay affair which is quite good. The Thames Terrace for tea is a favorite (although my favorite tea in London is either The Dorchester for something a little over the top or Browns Hotel for something a little more subdued). The American Bar at the Savoy is one of the most famous bars in the world having given birth to a significant amount of modern cocktails-- well worth a visit. If they reopen Simpsons in the Strand by the time you are there its a great option for a traditional roast in a beautiful historic room. About 2 minutes walk from your hotel you also have Rules Restaurant which claims to be the oldest in London from 1798 (although the interior is more turn of the century Edwardian). Great menu that specializes in game, although plenty of options for most eaters. The bar upstairs is also worth a visit. About a 15 minute walk down the Strand you find yourself at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese-- one of London's great preserved historic pubs. Parts of the building date from the 1660s and there might not be a 90 degree angle inside of the place-- it looks like its from the set of a Harry Potter movie. The food is fine but the atmosphere is well worth a quick drink.

The location is great-- basically across the street from The Savoy which I consider to be one of the best top hotels in London from a walkability standpoint.

As others have said, I would just bite the bullet and stay in the cheapest place you can find in Waikiki. You're going to have to get there anyway to board POA so transport costs wont be a deciding issue since you'll have to pay them regardless. The area by the airport doesn't have the usual array of hotels due to I'm sure the airports proximity to downtown and Waikiki. The area in between is industrial with little to no hotels. AirBNB has been dogged for years by regulation in Hawaii. There are a handful of ones in the resort area (a lot of which can be booked directly with a little research) and a few that are grandfathered in outside of the resort area. Otherwise an AirBNB has a minimum stay of 30 nights on Oahu so wouldn't be a viable option for you. Just because it shows availability on the AirBNB website doesn't mean that the booking is legal and Honolulu has been cracking down heavily.

Most nicer full service hotels will allow you to drop your bags off at any time on the day of check in. Early check in depends on a few things. Sometimes if you have loyalty status at a particular hotel brand you can ask for early check in (but it is rarely guaranteed in the same way that loyalty programs will guarantee late check out). Some hotels allow you to add it as an extra cost add on at the time of booking. The only surefire way to arrange early check in that early is to book your hotel room the night before you arrive. We do this sometimes when we’re taking a red eye to Europe and get in at 6am and just want to go straight to the room. It’s expensive but the room is waiting for you on arrival. If you do this you’ll need to call the hotel ahead of time to let them know or else they might show you as a no show the day of arrival.