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princeton123211
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Everything posted by princeton123211
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10:30am is most likely cutting it a bit close. If the ship docks on time and you self disembarked and carried your own bags off as soon as you could. And then have a car lined up for the half hour ride (without traffic which you'll prob won't have any on a Sunday morning) to the airport-- could you physically make it? Possibly. But you are also betting that literally everything goes perfectly.
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It's easily one of the worst "beaches" on the island and there is an admissions cost to boot. Far better options unless you are pressed for time on the last day of your trip there (which is the only scenario I could justify going there). Bermuda has some of the nicest beaches anywhere minutes from where you are-- avoid this one if you can.
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Very doable. The train on Canada's Via Rail (essentially their much nicer version of our Amtrak) is quick, easy, and the train station in QC (Gare du Palais) is close to the cruise ship docks. I wouldn't rent a car-- it would take extra time away from exploring both cities and won't save you time. Others have taken the bus but my first choice here would be the train. Train trip times are about 3 hours so I would leave in the morning (8am train gets you in right before lunch) and that should give you enough time to explore Montreal a little bit. Keep in mind that Montreal is much larger than Quebec City so you won't have enough time to do much but you can get a little flavor of the city. If you do take the train to Montreal I would suggest looking at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel for your overnight there. It is located right above the Montreal train station you come into and you can literally take an elevator from the station up to the hotel. It will provide you with the fastest way to drop your bags and go explore.
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It's really due to neither-- its more that it is the only route to get you back to that side of the island (the road around the North end is not viable) and in the event of an issue, such as an accident etc, it can be shut down for hours. Even when there is heavy traffic it does move. This is more about the rare times that the road gets shut down completely. I live there part of the year and rarely have had an issue so I tend to discount it a bit. BermudaBound has had more issues and will advise that you exercise much more caution. The truth is most likely somewhere in between-- its not a regular occurrence but if it were to happen it could seriously impact your trip if, for say, you were headed back to Kahului on the day of departure. This is simply an exercise in risk/reward.
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MY New York Plans..Thoughts please
princeton123211 replied to eltigre's topic in East Coast Departures
They won't love it but there's not much they can do about it. There are taxis by the PA. It'll be more than $5 though. Its like $6-7 in surcharges just to get in (and more if its during rush hour). Plus the metered short distance which will add a few more dollars. -
I believe there is luggage storage at the airport. Otherwise there aren't a ton of official options. I believe there might also be one at the Ala Moana Center. Personally I would just go to a nice hotel along Waikiki for lunch and ask them to check your bags for a nice tip.
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Hotels with transfer to port
princeton123211 replied to WeBeCruisinMon's topic in East Coast Departures
Which port? There are three different ports in New York: Manhattan Cruise Terminal, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, and Cape Liberty in New Jersey. For the most part Uber/Lyft are going to be your best bet-- there are not a ton of hotels that offer shuttles-- none for Manhattan and I believe none for Brooklyn. There might be a handful that offer them for Cape Liberty. -
Quebec restaurant recommendations?
princeton123211 replied to little britain's topic in Canada/New England
Le Continental is one of our favorite QC restaurants for a nice evening meal- classic French. They specialize in tableside prep and flambe deserts. Right outside of the Chateau Frontenac. They are open on Mondays. https://restaurantlecontinental.com/en/ -
Customs procedure Canada cruise out of NJ
princeton123211 replied to emmy's topic in Canada/New England
This really doesn't have anything to do with Customs because you aren't going through Customs-- it has to do with Immigration officers. Customs is about declaring the value of goods or money you are bringing into a country- nothing to do with letting people in. Typically Immigration for a port stop is handled by the cruise line and country and does not require you to be present unless there is an issue they would like to address with you individually about your admissibility to that country. So the short answer is this should feel like any other port stop and you should be able to disembark as soon as the ship is cleared. -
MY New York Plans..Thoughts please
princeton123211 replied to eltigre's topic in East Coast Departures
A ton. Really anything in Times Square is walkable but you have the Westin, Hilton, and Element within a half a block. And a bunch more just beyond catering to most budgets. Really its impossible to point you in a direction without an idea of what you are willing to spend a night. Most of these in the immediate vicinity tend to be pretty bland corporate hotels that cater heavily to tourists. Personally I hate staying or being anywhere near Times Square but some hotels that sort of break the Times Square mold (meaning actually have some character or make you feel like you're not in Times Square) would the the Edition, Casablanca Hotel, The Michelangelo, The Knickerbocker, or The Algonquin. -
An UberX for 2 people is usually around $25 on a trip from Pier 2 to HNL. An UberXL that can accommodate up to 6 people is usually around $45. The above is not a good deal on such a short ride.
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Question on Long Beach Cruise Terminal
princeton123211 replied to neil.roberts.77985's topic in West Coast Departures
You can walk from the park to the terminal-- you'll basically be walking through the Queen Mary's parking lot. In a traditional taxi, with a meter running by wait time, I can see why this would be attractive. In a Lyft or Uber though the price is set ahead of time so even if there is a wait you are just sitting in air-conditioning and not paying any more out of pocket. I would just take a Lyft or Uber to the terminal and not worry about it. Yes- very doable. You would be safe as early as 11:30/noon so 1:15 gives you plenty of time. I wouldn't rush off the ship. -
Just take Uber-- works great in Honolulu.
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Questions for the Seattle pros
princeton123211 replied to Motor City's topic in West Coast Departures
It's an extremely long day-- the drive just to the entrance to the park is 2 hours each way from downtown Seattle. And that doesn't take into account driving in the park or any trails etc that you would want to do. It can be done but just know you are signing up for a very long day even if you want to see just a small portion of the park. I've done this a few times (lived in Seattle for a few years) and frankly I would not want to spend 10 hours beholden to a 24 passenger mini coach on a tour. For that sort of duration personally would be much more comfortable in your own car. -
Cape Liberty to EWR for a 11am Flight
princeton123211 replied to Projunior's topic in East Coast Departures
It's physically possible. I would only attempt if walking off with luggage just so you maintain a little control over your schedule. Uber/Lyft will be your only real on call option-- you could arrange for a black car service but you could incur some waiting time as I would have them there on the earlier side. Personally I would just Uber and pay attention to the wait time on the app during disembarkation process. Even if the ship docks at 6am on time you are still not walking off at that time. You are only about 20 minutes from EWR without traffic. -
I would check your cruise itinerary-- NCL and Carnival use Kahului so my guess is that RCCL tenders at Lahaina. If you are tendering at Lahaina you'll be dropped off right in the middle of downtown Lahaina. You won't have any reason to go to Kahului (which is on the other side of the island where the airport and cruise dock are). The Budget/Avis at 11 Halawai Drive is the closest Budget to you and where I have rented a car many times. It's quite easy to get to-- I would take an Uber or taxi from Lahaina up there. As you said, about 12-14 minutes. It's very small and easy to get in and out of quickly both for pickup and drop-off.
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As Bruce says-- take a look at the boards for extensive back and forth on this. Also its hard to make a specific recommendation without knowing what your budget is, what's important (like being right on the beach or not), or if you have hotel brand loyalty (and the points that go with that). For example, if you have Marriott Bonvoy points you have the ability to book some of the more iconic (and expensive) hotels on the beach for free like the Royal Hawaiian (my personal favorite) or the Westin Moana Surfrider.
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That's a real shame-- we've been away for a bit and didn't see this. Did some reading and looks as through they are going to change things like the HuiHui Restaurant which was a great addition to the beach and turn it into a Maui Brewing Co beach bar. The KBH always had its very own vibe that was a nice antidote to the corporate Marriott and Hyatt hotels along the beach-- Outrigger seems like a step in the wrong direction if they are going to dumb it down like it sounds like they are trying to. In addition to the Kaanapali Beach Hotel you can also rent chairs at The Whaler (private condos but their Beach Hale is open to the public). Its a small hut near the entrance to their pool on the boardwalk. The other is at The Westin. The Whaler and Kaanapali Beach Hotel would be my choices as the beach in front of them is a bit larger (depending on time of year) than the Westin. Keep in mind that while these places will rent you chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards, snorkel gear, etc they will not provide towels or pool access to anyone not staying at them. You'll need to bring your own towels. There are plenty of shower stations along the boardwalk to rinse off that are accessible.
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A long time favorite of ours is Le Continental which is half a block down from the main entrance to the Chateau Frontenac. Very old school classic French cuisine with tableside preparation and flambé desserts. Always a treat.
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Options are limited but you do have options. Your best bet will be to take the bus or Uber North to Kaanapali Beach from Lahaina. Fantastic beach- ranked one of the best in the world. I know The Whaler (a condo complex) and I think the Westin resort will rent beach chairs to non-guests-- both bookend Whalers Village which has a bunch of restaurants/bars/shops. The bus will take you to Whalers Village or direct your Uber there. The rest of resorts along the beach don't rent chairs/beach services to non-guests. You'll need to bring towels as neither The Whaler or Westin will rent you those and just keep in mind that while you can access all the resorts along the beach's bars and restaurants, they all vigorously police their pools for guests only.
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Rental Car Pickup from SFO but return at Pier 27?
princeton123211 replied to SuzieQ521's topic in West Coast Departures
Uber/Lyft will 100% be a better option than a one way rental car rental from an owned/managed rental car station at the airport to a most likely franchised one in town. The one way drop fee will most likely be substantial. -
They both have bad reviews because they both use independent contractors for 100% of their rides-- they don't own or operate any vehicles so consistency is not their forte. They are essentially an aggregator and dispatch service for independent drivers. There is no difference between booking between either of them-- they pull from the same pool of drivers. If you go in with the right expectations Dial7 and Carmel are fine-- safe, vetted, and will get you from point A to B at a reasonable price for a car service. They are both not the top end of the market but they don't pretend to be. If you want to pay a few hundred more you can book with a service like Carey or Savoya-- you'll get new cars and white glove treatment, but pay a bunch more than you have to.
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Haven't personally stayed there but its a newer hotel and Hyatt Centrics are solid business class options. Personally I'm not a huge fan of Times Square but this hotel is located in a decent spot-- you can walk out your door and make a left and you are headed towards Bryant Park, New York Public Library etc so you can avoid Times Square if you want to. They are located nowhere near each other. Your hotel is in Times Square and the 9/11 Museum is in lower Manhattan. About a 20-25 minute taxi/Uber ride from where you are. You can also take the subway down there. Hard to say without some additional info from you in terms of cuisine, budget, etc. Plenty of great restaurants nearby and a bunch of very mediocre ones (by NYC standards) in and around Times Square.
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Is that entirely fair? Either of us wouldn't live part of the year where we do if it wasn't readily accessible. Sure-- there can be a crappy afternoon where things are shut down but for the most part we can get back and forth.