princeton123211

With only two days I would pick one or the other and there is far more to do in Washington DC, by a long shot. You're just going to stretch yourself thin doing the two cities and spend more time in transit than you will seeing things. In Baltimore you would want to stay in either the Inner Harbor or Fell's Point. Baltimore has a small tourist area which both of these areas essentially encompass. Be thoughtful of your surroundings in Baltimore-- unlike DC there are areas that are flat out dangerous and they are much closer to the tourist area than you would think. DC is very neighborhoody and you have a wide variety of choices in where to stay. Personally I like staying in either Georgetown or Foggy Bottom area but there are hotels that are very close to the National Mall and Smithsonian which might be more convenient. If you have a budget in mind would be happy to recommend a few places in either city.

Maui, especially with an overnight, is super easy to do on your own-- no need for an organized tour unless you really want one (which it doesn't sound like). There are very few hotels in Hawaii, and even fewer in Maui, that offer day passes (most are in Honolulu). On Maui I believe only the Fairmont and Andaz, both in Wailea, do and its a cabana rental for about $400 for the day. The Fairmont is family friendly, the Andaz is more focused on adults. All beaches in Hawaii are public, and you can rent chairs/umbreallas and beach gear, at each resort on the beach. But otherwise the resorts have a guest only policy for their pools and they police them stringently with wristbands. You could always get a room for a day (or overnight) and that would solve it and give you a place to change etc.

Nothing in Manhattan is very inexpensive but there are some options. October is prime time tourist season so rates will be higher-- even more basic spots like Hampton Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, etc will be $300-400 a night around then. There are deals that pop up and you have time-- right now rates are high but I would suspect they could go down a little as it gets closer. Also if you have credit card or hotel loyalty points this is one of those instances where it might make sense to use them. You could also stay out of town near one of the airports-- it will be marginally less expensive (not dramatically so) but you will have the additional commute the next day into town anyway and you'll miss out on a night in one of the world's great cities. If you stay in Midtown it will only be a few minutes to the pier. I would download Uber and Lyft apps-- there aren't a ton of traditional taxis anymore that are just driving around for hire-- most are queued up at airports, train stations, etc. Uber/Lyft can be a huge help if you cant find one.

As Scott said-- no HoHo on Maui any more. Also no beach clubs-- all beaches in Hawaii are public. The hotels will generally provide beach services to non guests for a charge with a few exceptions (the ones that come to mind that won't are the Four Seasons and Hotel Wailea in Wailea). Go to the beach Hales or little huts you find on the beach side of a resort to rent chairs, beach gear, etc. Hotel pools however are strictly guest only for the most part and heavily enforced with wristbands etc. There are a few that offer day passes but not many-- if you want the full services of the hotel you can look a getting a room for the day. If you were looking at going to the beach for the day I would recommend Kaanapali. You'll have Whalers Village that offers services to day guests and has some good restaurants as well as a beautiful stretch of beach with many hotels also offering beach services, restaurants, and bars. About a 10 minute drive north of Lahaina.

As noted there are three-- Carnival will be at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in Midtown Manhattan unless noted otherwise (which is exceptionally rare). There are three major New York City airports-- JFK, Newark Liberty in New Jersey, and Laguardia. Laguardia is the most convenient into midtown, but also has the fewest options and there aren't a ton of cross country flights that go in there. JFK and Newark will most likely offer the most options. Honestly, it really comes down to which one has the best price. This is entirely up to how much you want to do and see (or not do and see). New York City is vast and there is no way you can even come close to seeing even a little bit of it in an afternoon. If you would like to see some of the sites I would recommend staying in Midtown Manhattan which will also be very easy and convenient the next day boarding your ship. This will put you near Central Park, Times Square, theaters if your'e so inclined. You can walk to a lot. Hotels in New York can generally be in the low $200s for basic hotels and run into the several thousands per night for 5 star spots and there is a lot in between. Just in Manhattan alone there are thousands of hotels to chose from. What's your budget? Happy to make some recommendations with some more feedback to narrow it down.

As Bruce said, activish is Hilo, although you will most likely not see any sort of active lava. But you'll see volcanos in various states of decline virtually everywhere you go. You can go to the top of Haleakala in Maui (which I don't recommend if its your only day in Maui) and Diamond Head in Honolulu. You wont be wanting for volcanos.

I'll answer this with the preface that I'm fairly against the whole captive animal show thing. The $18 viewing thing is sort of misleading-- I think this is the $18 admission to the Museum of Bermuda in which the Dolphin experience sits. There are a number of area from the Museum you can see into the dolphin pens including a kids playground that is just off to the side of them. If your ship is docked at Heritage Wharf, and it's large enough, you can also see right into the dolphin pens from it. The Museum is very worthwhile and you should definitely spend some time there. It's a great thing to do the morning of departure if your ship is leaving early afternoon-- you are always walking distance back to the gangway. If its worth $65 for ten minutes to get into the water is totally up to you. Personally the complimentary swim at Horseshoe Bay is more my speed.

Bermuda is extremely easy to do on your own-- I wouldn't spend the premium you pay on ship excursions unless you had shipboard credit that you needed to burn. If you're not looking to go to a beach (which is a shame since Bermuda has some of the nicest beaches in the world) I would recommend doing a Blue Flag taxi tour. Blue flag taxies are ones that the driver is specially licensed to give an island tour and they last about 4 hours (although you can customize it with them if you'd like to do more or less). You should cover most of the island but you could always get dropped off in say Hamilton and take the ferry back if you wanted to spend more time in town on the way back.

Keep in mind that Chelsea and East Boston are not the best areas of town-- I wouldn't classify this as "walkable" for someone from out of town from a safety standpoint. Its an area thats slowly getting gentrified-- I'm sure its much better than what it was when I lived there years ago. But I would exercise caution-- there is still gang activity in the area and there are no major tourist attractions.

The AirTrain is super easy and your commute from Terminal 1 (where Austrian uses) to Terminal 5 will be less than 5 minutes and it runs 24/7. Once at T5 you'll take a skywalk into the modern terminal and then follow signs to one of the original tube walkways into the hotel itself. This will by far be the fastest option to a hotel vs taking a shuttle.

Generally not the possibility of a 5 hour trip from the places I'm assuming you'll be in upcountry. There are multiple routes. If that-- most likely less. The other thing is that there isn't a ton of traffic on that road because the road north of where you'll be turning off is truly treacherous (basically turns into a one lane switchback over cliffs right beyond that ranch). Very little traffic coming the other way towards Kahului on your return except for locals. Will take you less than 30 minutes.

It will depend on which terminal you arrive in-- the hotel is physically connected to Terminal 5 which services JetBlue (who do fly to/from London from there so not making any assumptions) and Aer Lingus. If not the AirTrain will get you there.

Just make sure they are actually electric-- those city bikes are massively heavy and it would be miserable biking with a non electric one of those in the swelteringly humid heat of mid summer in Bermuda.

Its the safe bet and it's a nice, very convenient airport hotel. Its not top end 5 star luxury but its significantly nicer than most alternatives in the area.

In LA there are a bunch more options. UberX-- entry point and will be the lowest cost Comfort-- newer cars than UberX and slightly more expensive UberXL-- entry level large car that seats up to 6 UberGreen-- basically UberX with hybrids or electric cars Select- nicer than Comfort but not quite Black for more $$ UberBlack-- formal black car sedan thats usually 2-3X UberX Black SUV-- usually a Suburban or Escalade-- seats up to 6 Lux- top end luxury sedan-- usually Mercedes S Class and even the occasional Rolls Royce- 4-5X UberX

UberX is the base level of service-- the least expensive option available and usually a midsize sedan. UberXL are larger versions of the base level offering and are usually minivans or midsize SUVs with a third row.

Thats a shame they are so expensive that night-- usually is a bit less. Very worthwhile place-- we really enjoyed our night there a few months ago. Even if you stay elsewhere take an Uber over for a drink or bite to eat to see it.

Walkable to the main sites you could check out the Hilton Boston Downtown/Faneuil Hall. Good location-- a bit of a bland hotel. You also have a Hampton Inn or Homewood Suites in the Seaport District that will be closer to the pier (they are basically adjacent) but not closer to the downtown sites (you'd have to Uber or about a 45 min walk). In the same price category as a regular Hilton over those dates hotels like the Fairmont Copley Plaza, Liberty Hotel (under Marriott), or The Eliot would all be much more interesting places to stay than the Hilton Downtown.

Amtrak operates on essentially a 4 tiered system in the Northeast Corridor though-- the "next train" might not be in the same category as the one you booked. There are the Regionals, Acela Express, local services like the Keystone which is priced totally differently, and the long distance trains that you can also book segments on. They just aren't compatible. Frankly I like that the Acelas are not only all reserved but that your seat is also reserved ahead like an airplane. All NJ Transit trains are essentially the same level of service so the comparison doesn't really hold up. Someone who has a subsidized ticket on the Keystone Service shouldn't be able to just climb aboard the Acela. Also you're not taking into account dynamic pricing they use-- every ticket cost is slightly different based not just on train but also occupancy of that train. It allows them to push demand around the schedule and flatten out spikes.

No time like now! It's by far the easiest solution here and will save you money and hassle.

I think reading between the lines here part of the answer to your question is that its not a super "resorty" beach like you'll find on Maui, Oahu, etc. You're sort of wedged between a jetty and a boat ramp with no surf etc. If you are looking for a beach day, and your cruise is visiting other islands, there are better places to do it than Kona.

The rooftop outdoor restaurant/lounge at the next door Hotel Grande Bretagne is simply stunning. Wonderful views over the Acropolis and Pantheon.

It might be the last Amtrak train that goes from the EWR airport station to Baltimore but it's hardly the last train to Baltimore. You could always Uber to Newark Penn Station and you'd have one leaving every half hour or so for Baltimore well into the evening. Not as ideal as catching one from the airport but if something catastrophic made you late you could still easily get home on Amtrak that night.

An UberX is about $40 and an UberXL that would easily fit 4 is about $60. The quality and quantity of traditional taxis in LA is a bit wanting-- Uber or Lyft will be a better experience.

A little bit to unpack-- you can definitely use Uber in the area-- there are plenty and used them extensively for a wedding there last year. The issue is that they are more point to point rather than just "lets go for a spin". In theory you could take an Uber to Carmel-- well worth walking around there a bit, cute town. Then take an Uber to one of the Pebble Beach Golf clubhouses for lunch which will take you along 17 Mile Drive-- you basically can choose The Lodge at Pebble Beach (the Tap Room makes for a great lunch) or the Inn at Spanish Bay (there is a great patio with lunch service overlooking the ocean). The benefit here is that they will refund the $11.25 charge for driving the 17 Mile Drive if you make a purchase. From either of those spots you could then Uber back to Monterey along the rest of the drive. Alternatively you could also just rent a car and do all of this on your own without the need for Uber-- I have to think that it would come in for less than $117 per person. I would imagine a smaller, private tour would cost more than that though.