princeton123211

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.

It will be running on a more limited weekend/holiday schedule but it will be running.

I'd also take a look at Santa Monica-- right on the beach and a walkable to things like dinner at night. Downtown has come a long way in the past 15 years but there are nicer neighborhoods to be in LA and it wouldn't be my first choice coming from overseas for a quick visit.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but hotel day passes are not really a big thing in Hawaii. There are a few in Honolulu that do but not much else. The resorts in Kaanapali and Wailea in Maui police their facilities fairly closely-- as a non guest you can always make use of the restaurants and bars, but pools and hot tubs will require a wristband. All beaches in Hawaii are public so thats never an issue. I believe the Fairmont in Wailea did a while back but it was like $400 a day for a cabana rental for a non guest. The other option would be to just get a room for the day you plan to be there. Marriott has some good options if you wanted to use points for this, particularly the Westin on Kaanapali which is recently renovated and has a great pool and some very good F&B options. If you don't opt for a day room or find a day pass option I would say that Kaanapali is much more user friendly for a day guest to use the beach than Wailea. You'll have Whalers Village and there are facilities for changing and showering.

With luggage just take an Uber or Lyft. A regular sedan will be about $35 or a larger car will cost about $70. The Metro system in LA, while much further along than it used to be, leaves much to be desired. Unless at the height of rush hour, taking a car will literally take half the time of the Metro (30 min vs over an hour).

It really depends on what you are planning to do in Manhattan the days you are there. The PATH is extremely convenient to lower Manhattan. It's much less convenient to Midtown and Upper East Side where a lot of tourists want to be for the sights, theater, dining as it only travels as far north as 33rd St-- essentially the far end of Penn Station. From there you are about a 10 block walk to the heart of Times Square and about 26 blocks to Central Park (which for most people will be a cab ride). Tickets are fairly easy-- just kiosks. Buy a MetroCard which can be used on the PATH as well as NYC Subways. They also have an unlimited ride option but might be overkill if its just a commute to and from Manhattan each day. PATH will be busy during the weekdays, especially during the rush hours. It will be relatively sparse midday and on weekends. Worth noting that if you are staying over a weekend, service is limited and not as frequent. Perception of safety depends on comfort level but overall its fairly safe-- just be aware of your surroundings like in any other large city. It can sometimes get rowdy late at night with folks coming out of the bars. Also worth noting that if you were planning on using the Exchange Place stop, where a lot of the Hyatt properties are located near, the only service from there to Manhattan is the World Trade Center stop. To get to Midtown you'll have to double back to Grove St stop which will cost you time. Service into Manhattan from Grove St is limited on weekends.