princeton123211

It's very easy to do on your own. You'll tender ashore at Perrotti Park which puts you in the middle of town. You can walk down America's Cup Ave to Memorial Blvd over to the beginning of Cliff Walk. You'll pass the Casino and Audrain Museum along the way (on Bellevue Ave) which are both worth a stop on the way to or from the mansions), The Cliff Walk will put you along the water but wont offer easy access to the mansions-- they are better accessed from Bellevue Ave. Its long enough that if you walk one way you might want to Uber back,.

I hear what you're saying but issues along that road aren't as frequent as some indicate and the Lahaina Bypass has also improved odds considerably. Especially if the ship was overnighting at Kahului I don't know if that would give me pause enough to get onto a bus with some more inconvenient touring times for twice the amount it would cost me to do it on my own.

You can continue on the (or a) train from Penn Station to Newark Penn Station in New Jersey and then take an Uber over to the pier. If you don't plan on staying in Manhattan you can stay overnight at the Doubletree thats attached to Newark Penn Station which is super convenient. From Manhattan with luggage I would just jump in an Uber or Lyft over to Cape Liberty. You will get a bunch of responses here outlining all sorts of public transportation options as well but frankly I think its a bit onerous with luggage, especially when I'm trying to get geared up to go on vacation.

I don't think this is a great deal then-- both from a $$ standpoint (you can do it for half for 2 people on your own) and the time you'll be there isn't really the best. Uber in Maui works well in the afternoon/evening from Lahaina and where you dock in Kahului (which is also where the airport is located) but still leaves a lot to be desired in the morning. Another option would be prearranging a private taxi service. We use a fellow named Kevin who owns several nice Toyota minivans (808-205-4555) but there are plenty of other private services you can google. This might be a good option for the outbound. You shouldn't have an issue getting an Uber in Lahaina though.

An Uber from the port to Lahaina is about $60 each way, so if the excursion is less than $120 for 2 people its most likely not a bad deal if you don't mind being on a bus with a bunch of folks. The timing of the excursion will have a lot to do with how enjoyable it is. Lahaina is pretty sleepy in the morning and not a lot is open. If they are dropping you off at 9am it's going to be until about lunchtime that things start to fire up. If you have an option I would do this in the afternoon into the evening (assuming you have an overnight stop). Far more to do and a bunch of great options to eat/drink etc. If you go on the earlier side consider taking a a short Uber ride up to Whalers Village and seeing Kaanapali-- about a 12 minute drive from where you are. I love Lahaina but would be hard pressed to find 6.5 hours worth of things to entertain me-- especially if it's earlier in the day. If you don't have an option about timing with the excursion, but you do have an overnight stop, it might be worth just doing this on your own and staggering your departure from the ship into the afternoon.

Another "money is no object" recommendation would be the Hotel Grande Bretagne. We had a spectacular stay there and the rooftop restaurant has some of the most spectacular views of the Acropolis. They also have a fantastic outdoor rooftop pool on the other side of the restaurant. It's part of the Luxury Collection so you can redeem Marriott points on what can otherwise be a pricey stay.

Its fairly common in the US for a 4 star (business class) hotel and 5 star hotel to accept checked luggage at their bell stand. Typically this is a service for overnight guests but rarely if ever is that checked. You would speak directly will a bellman and in this situation I will typically tip $10-20. If you are concerned about it, the easiest way to do it is make a breakfast/brunch/lunch reservation at the hotel's restaurant. They are then obligated to accept your luggage. A good option for this in Boston would be to go to the Fairmont Copley Plaza and make a reservation at their Oak Long Bar + Kitchen restaurant.

Its becoming a bit more rare than it used to be (mainly because most major phone carriers offer very competitive daily roaming fees internationally these days) but I believe you can still rent an internationally enabled phone for the duration of your trip. If you don't switch carriers (which could make sense if you plan to travel internationally more in the future) this would provide you with the ability to make and receive calls without being on Wifi and give your son a number that he can reach you at.

Sounds about right. You might also want to check Kaanapali-- can be a bit more reasonable and accessible than Wailea and frankly I think it's the nicer of the two beaches.

Your two main requests are sort of at odds with each other-- you can have convenient or economical but usually not both together. From a mobility standpoint it sounds like a meet and greet pickup with a traditional car service is going to be the best option here-- but it will also be the most expensive one at the high end of your estimate. You could maybe shave some off of that using UberBlack curbside pickup which is coming in around $125. UberX is only going to be only $45 but she's going to need to be able to make her way to LAXit.

Yes, no one picks up at the pier. What I was asking though was what you were planning to do with the car when you have it. If you're going to drive up to the North Shore or along the coast you'll need it. If you are planning on doing things around Honolulu like go to Pearl Harbor or Waikiki, a rental will be more trouble than its worth in terms of parking costs and wasted time picking up and dropping off.

You'll either need to Uber/Lyft/taxi to the airport or one of the rental desks in and around Waikiki. The locations not at the airport do have more limited hours. What are you trying to accomplish and are you going to the airport the same day or overnighting in Honolulu?

As Bruce said, early check in isn't always given and is generally more difficult to come by than a late check out. That being said, if you want to guarantee it, you can also book the night before and call ahead to the hotel to block the room for you as you'll be arriving early the next morning. Granted you'll pay for 2 nights instead of one, but you will be able to go directly to your hotel without rolling the dice.

Its not just close-- if you are tendering at Lahaina you will get dropped right in the middle of town. Walking distance to anything in town. It's not large, it's a bit touristy, but its pleasant and charming. Tendering at Lahaina is WAY better than the alternative of docking a Kahului. There is a ton of shopping-- mostly Hawaiian trinkety things, jewelry, and the like. Dining in Lahaina runs the gamut from top notch fine dining to extremely casual. Local spots you'll only find there to chains like Cheeseburger in Paradise. Personal favorites for fine dining are Lahaina Grill and to a slightly lesser extent Fleetwoods on Front St (although Fleetwoods has live music-- its owned by Mick Fleetwood-- and a great bar on their roof). In the middle Kimo's is a favorite and you can dine right on the water-- its part of a well regarded local chain. If you go see if you can sneak into the Lahaina Yacht Club next door to it. Its a private club but sometimes if you ask nicely they'll let you in for drinks. Its a rollicking bar with a bunch of colorful locals. Star Noodle is also very good but its a bit of a walk to your North on the outskirts of town. On the casual side we like Cool Cat Cafe which is essentially burgers and right near where your tender drops you off. If you are willing to jump in an Uber, Kaanapali just to your North is a lovely beach resort that has a bunch of good dining. Japengo in the Hyatt has very good sushi (reservations are mandatory). At Whalers Village you have Leilanis and Hula Grill (same owner as Kimos) which are both a lot of fun. Monkeypod Kitchen has a good bar and Mai Tai but we don't think much of the food. The Kaanapali Beach Hotel opened up a new restaurant a couple years ago called Huihui which is very good for both lunch and dinner and has ocean views.

Go to some of the prettiest beaches in the world and relax, walk around Lahaina, go on a whale watch (in season). The only reason I would ever suggest someone do the Road to Hana is if you were staying there for 1-2 weeks and wanted to mix it up for a day and explore different areas of the island.

HPN is a small airport that mainly supports private jets and general aviation. It doesn't have the same level of facilities of a major airport and commercial aviation is sort of an afterthought. I've short term parked there in the garage but there is a long term down the street for a little cheaper with a shuttle, although not covered. I don't believe there is more than one long term parking lot, private or otherwise. Services in the small terminal are basic. There's a few magazine kiosks, a very mediocre diner, and what amounts to be a dive bar. If you see something you like outside or on the way to the airport that will make it through security, grab it.

Uber works great in Quebec City-- just used it there over the summer. About $50 CAD for a larger SUV for 4 and luggage. Its a short 25 minute trip.

If we're bring honest nowhere in Hawaii has really great nightlife except maybe some spots in Honolulu. Even restaurants in Lahaina are closing kitchens by 10 and the bars not much longer behind that in tourist areas/resorts.

Go back and take a look at some past threads. There have been stories since last season on the boards in the Canadian Maritimes about rental car shortages, especially on cruise ship port call days.

Plenty of things to see and do in Salem without having to dwell on a few months in the 1690s. The Peabody Essex Museum alone is worth a trip up and is wonderful. The House of the Seven Gables (and adjacent birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne). Lots of nice restaurants. Plenty to do without going to the witch rabbit hole. For a cruise ship passenger visiting Boston for the day, with limited time, it really comes down to "is the trip up and down worth it when there are equally great museums/historical spots to visit there?".

Unfortunately still doesn't provide a guarantee-- as per most rental car terms and conditions (including Budget) they can revoke a car reservation for any reason so long as they provide a refund. Much like a hotel that is overbooked, they will prioritize their top tier loyalty customers and work down from there. Not saying that this will happen to you, but I've seen it happen before and always good to have a backup plan-- especially in places like Sydney right now that are fairly notorious for things like this happening.

You will be disembarking with bags to go through immigration. You really have three options-- book one of the bus excursions that's offered that ends at the airport with your bags, rent a car for the day and use it for storage, or go to a nicer hotel for brunch/lunch/drinks + tip well and have them check your bags for the day. If you were going to tour Pearl Harbor the visitors center has a limited capacity to store bags which may or may not be at capacity when you visit.

Whats your budget and do you have points/loyalty status with any particular brand? Hard to make a recommendation without that info. Talking in broad strokes my favorite hotel right on Waikiki Beach is The Royal Hawaiian. A close second would be Halekulani (but it doesn't have nearly as good of a stretch of beach as the RH). Both of these are going to be on the higher end and won't be in everyone's budget. There are other options at a lower price point often discussed on this board.

Just to clarify the Fairmont is in Wailea and Whalers Village is in Kaanapali-- not close to each other. You'd have to pick one or the other. Most of the hotels (and some of the condo buildings on the beach) have little huts called Hales that provide beach service to both guests and non guests. All you have to do is walk up and rent two beach chairs and an umbrella. The main reason for a day room is if you wanted to use the pool facilities of the resort. If you just go and rent chairs for the day I would recommend that Kaanapali will have more facilities for day guests than Wailea. Kaanapali is where Whalers Village is located with additional restaurants and shopping.

You're about 40 minutes without traffic to Newark Airport from BCT but could be close to an hour if it was a weekday morning. If the ship arrives on time and you can be one of the first off you should be fine for 12:45 although you'll most likely have less time at the airport than you'd think. Uber or Lyft will work fine and be available-- it would be my first choice since NYC taxis are not required to take you to New Jersey. You could also prearrange a pickup through Carmel or Dial 7 but frankly Uber/Lyft will get the job done.