princeton123211

Right, nor do you need to when flying between the Mainland and Hawaii but I think there would be much more scrutiny in the case of a ship sailing from the Mainland to Hawaii going to Sydney to the point where the OP's lack of a US visa might be unearthed.

There's actually one higher than Titanium-- Ambassador Elite which requires over 100 nights and a large amount of spend.

If you really want to maximize your time in Montreal consider staying at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth which is directly above the Gare Centrale train station you'll be arriving in from Quebec City. You can literally take a discreet elevator from the station up to the lobby of the hotel. It is not a budget property but it usually isn't the most expensive either (although it can be). Super central to most things you'd want to walk to. No downtown hotels offer airport shuttles. Uber works quite well early in the morning in Montreal-- have done it many times.

Like Bruce said, check the NCL boards. But even if they did discontinue them this is VERY easy to do on your own with a little planning ahead (getting advanced tickets to USS Arizona Memorial) and just using Uber to get around. Could cost less than what NCL offers(ed) on a bus.

Are you sure it is sailing from Seattle to Hawaii? Usually this is from Vancouver to Hawaii as sailing between two US ports like this on a foreign flagged ship (without stopping in a distant foreign port first) is illegal. Let's say the ship is sailing Seattle to Hawaii (which I don't think it is). In this case, with an expired visa, the cruise line would most likely not allow you to board the ship in the first place. They're not going to police you on a port stop to Hawaii-- they are just going to wash their hands of you and not allow you on in the first place. If the ship is departing Vancouver, and you don't have a valid or renewed visa, the cruise line also most likely will deny you boarding.

Very reliable (I take the Acela Philly to Boston and back at least once a month) but you do need to be prepared in the 0.1% chance there is a major delay. It doesn't happen often but when it does its a real sh!tshow. Over 10 years of being an Acela regular I can think of maybe 3 times it was bad enough to cause me have to change plans. It might make for an early morning but if there's the option for the earlier Acela personally that would be the one I was on-- the worst thing that can happen is you hang out at the lounge at Moynihan Train Hall for a bit on arrival or go grab an early lunch somewhere. Just more time in case something doesn't go to plan. If something were to happen you are essentially left with an expensive Uber ride to New York as an option (which I've done once before).

Sometimes more. NJ taxis are the worst.

Frankly in this situation I would just use Uber but you specifically requested a car service. You could easily use UberX (which will cost less than anything we've been discussing) or UberBlack, which will be very similar-- its the same pool of drivers and cars.

I've lived and worked around NYC for more than 30 years. I've never heard of them-- I wouldn't.

Some insurance guy is reading this and licking their chops. Only have seen this a handful of times-- like Seabourn or SeaDream when they have private beach days.

Try booking through an app called Blacklane. I use it frequently in NYC and it connects you with multiple limo/black car companies via the app. When booking the price you contract for is guaranteed and includes all taxes, gratuities, fees, and tolls. No surprises and have always had a good experience. It's the same company Emirates uses for their transfers from JFK. Keep in mind that Carmel is an aggregator (as is Blacklane that I recommended above). They are not a brick and mortar car service. Generally Carmel (and their counterpart Dial7) have older cars and use the same driver pool that is on UberBlack. Nothing wrong with it and pricing can be a little less expensive. Blacklane is a little more upmarket-- cars generally are brand new and usually receive a large SUV (Cadillac Escalade, GMC Suburban) etc even on the "Business Class" bookings with them. You can get a Mercedes S Class with their top end booking. What I like about this vs Carmel/Dial7 is that the pricing is guaranteed and fully inclusive where the others are ++.

Italian cuisine is regional so it's hard to make any recs without knowing what you are really looking for. "Traditional Italian" is usually used in the US as a mish mash of all of them where it usually means pasta drowned in a red sauce. In Italy, at least with the better restaurants, you tend to end up with an establishment that specializes in one of them. Also are you looking for something more traditional or something more modern? Is this a white table cloth special meal that you want to make special or just looking for some casual recs? Rome is like New York-- there are literally thousands of options so its hard to just spout out a bunch without knowing what you're actually looking for.

I agree with the other poster that you are going to be very disoriented from a time perspective if you are coming from the US East Coast. We do this trip several times a year and the 11 hour flight always wipes us out. I agree to with Bear to look at Roberts but I think you are going to run into the same issue you had getting back later than your sailing time. The ONLY way to do what you propose to do is to rent a car which can be easily done in Waikiki and returned back there. It's a nice drive up to the North Shore and then down along the coast back to Honolulu but it will take all of your day. If you didn't stop at all it would take you about 3-4 hours of straight driving (and obviously the point is to make a few stops and see things). The other thing to consider is if you are going to other islands (which I assume you are) you can get a very similar experience there. To be frank, you will be much happier with yourselves if you just stay put and enjoy Waikiki. Rest up, grab breakfast, walk on the beach, go for a swim. Enjoy being in Waikiki-- because if you do anything else you proposed theres no actual point in staying in Waikiki to begin with. If you did want to hang closer but still wanted to do something cultural-- go to see the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor or to the former Royal Ioloni Palace in Downtown honolulu. Either of those things are short, easy Uber rides and let you still enjoy some time on Waikiki.

Uber and Lyft are basically interchangeable in Baltimore (usually it's the same cars and drivers) and will vary slightly on cost. Very safe to use, cost effective, easy, and MUCH nicer than Baltimore taxis. Taxis there aren't necessarily unsafe so much as they are old ratty cars that are unpleasant. If you can set up an Uber account ahead of time and use it while there you will be much better off. Which is in a much better area than the first one but even further from the city-- it's closer to BWI. Again, if the plan is to just go to the hotel and hang out for a night it works. But if you wanted to see any of the city this, from a distance standpoint, is even more inconvenient than the first one. It just depends on what you want to do. There are nice options downtown that don't break the bank-- Baltimore is for the most part one of the least expensive major Northeast cities. The Admiral Fell Inn in an excellent location in Fells Point is often in the same price point as the first Best Western you mentioned. There is a Residence Inn and Hampton Inn not far from the Inner Harbor. If you want to be in the heart of it all these would be where I would look.

Yes it is. Most of Manhattan I would consider very safe to walk around at most times of the day and night so long as, like you said, you stay aware of your surroundings. Based on where your hotel is (and to be frank I've been in and about NYC my entire life and had never heard of it, but looking it up the location is very good) you can pretty much walk most places. Although the area you are in is very safe you can do small things at night if it would make you feel more comfortable like using Park Ave to walk North and South. It is well lit, full of doorman buildings with eyes on the street, and has a decent pedestrian traffic at most times of the day and night. JFK has flat taxi fares so its the only NYC airport where I still consider using a traditional taxi. It is $70 plus tolls and tip with a $5 surcharge during rush hour. If Uber is $85ish or less I would take the Uber-- generally a nicer car than the taxi is. But either or in this situation would work. If the Uber has a surge or a long wait just jump in the yellow cab. It will depend on where you want to go. From where you are you are walkable to most major Midtown sightseeing areas and you don't need the subway at all. The only real reason to take the subway would be if you plan on going down to lower Manhattan which would be a trip down and a trip back. I wouldn't buy a day pass for a round trip. You'll need the subway most likely less than you think.

Any of this new information from what I provided?

Viator isnt an actual tour company-- its a 3rd party seller. It's like booking a hotel through Expedia. Often times you can do better booking directly with a tour company and cutting out the middle man. Things like cancellation policies and even the quality of the tour itself can be better when they aren't paying someone else a commission. You can do a private tour on the water with a private boat that is the same type of boat that comprise the water taxis. You can have 6 very comfortably and the tour takes a little more than half a day. We've done this a few times-- the last time we did it was last year and the cost was somewhere around $600-700. You will visit Murano and Burano but please keep in mind that virtually no matter what type of tour you do you will get a very hard sell at whatever glass blowing factory they bring you to as well as whatever lace outfit they bring you to-- its part of all of the tour guides commission structure. If you want to buy something (usually pretty expensive) go for it but know you can buy through separate channels for less and you can just say "no thanks". Also if you do a private water tour consider a stop at Torcello. This is a much sleepier (and very peaceful) island and lunch at either Laconda Cipriani (my personal favorite) or Osteria Al Ponte del Diavolo are a treat and your boat driver will wait for you. One of Venice's great experiences. Tours for things like the Doge's Palace and St Marks can be easily arranged by your concierge if you are staying in town and will provide you with a timed entry or ability to skip the line. No need for a formal tour for those.

OP is on a one day port stop.

Which is fine, but you are on an island there. I'm not suggesting that anything bad will happen to you at the hotel itself but the area surrounding you is sketchy and doesn't provide easy access to the tourist areas of the city itself. If you plan on staying at the hotel and not leaving then by all means but if you want to see things in Baltimore I would find something more central. Wouldn't be an area I would be comfortable staying myself.

Is there anything in particular you would want to see? If not I would just take my time and walk around the lower town for a bit. There are shops, Place Royale, etc. Then take the Funicular up to the upper town where the Chateau Frontenac is. You could grab lunch or a drink there and see the famous hotel that dominates the skyline. If you wanted to get a glimpse of the Plains of Abraham and the Citadelle, while not far from the Chateau Frontenac, you could always opt for the double decker tour. While I normally say that it's not necessary in a smaller city like Quebec City if mobility is an issue it could be an easy way to drive by things to see them. Also keep in mind that Uber works very well in Quebec City so at any time you can use them to get back to the ship or a place to rest.

But the person on the train was happier and more relaxed than the driver 🙂 Flying into DC is a mess. You either roll the dice at DCA and hope there isn't a ground stop for some sort of VIP traffic or you go to Dulles where you still get delayed and you have a wonderful 1.5 hour slog into the city that should take 30 minutes.

I just ran it in my app and I got $51pp for the July 18th Regional in Coach from NYP to Boston. Is it the return that's priced high?

How early do you book in advance? Amtrak now has a multi tier booking system-- if you book far enough out the prices on the "Value" fare are very reasonable. New York to Boston booked a month or two out is $35 at peak times. Have to imagine less from where you are if you are 3.5 hours driving to Boston.

Sort of a general statement. For you, maybe. For most people absolutely not. I live in Philadelphia quite close to the 30th St Train Station. Takes about 5 hours on the train to Boston (I get off in Back Bay since it's closer to where I like to stay). If I drove, with zero traffic, it would take a little over 5 hours according to Google maps. There is never zero traffic-- its usually 6-7 hours door to door stopping for gas etc. Flying-- about 30 minute Uber to PHL. Check in 1.5 hour in advance. Block time of an hour. Then another hour getting of plane and getting to hotel from Logan. If everything goes perfectly its a wash-- commercial aviation in the NE doesnt usually go perfectly. What's not being said here is that even if it were a wash in cost and time, taking the train is so much more relaxing and easy than driving or flying. I would still take the train if it cost me an hour vs other means.

Of course this is all subjective, and meant to be fun and informative, but undeniably is a strong word here. I stand behind my conviction of Keen's but Gallagher's is very good. At least we can agree that both Keen's and Gallaghers doesn't fall into the pit of Sparks, Smith and Wollensky, and (as much at it kills me to say this because it was a fond staple of ours when I worked in NYC in the late 90s) Bobby Vans. Luger's can still be very, very good but its inconsistency makes it hard to justify the trip to Brooklyn. That being said there are a whole new group of steakhouses that might exceed either of these. 4 Charles Prime Rib was one of the best meals I've had in a while (the only issue is it's virtually impossible to get into-- we had a friend with a reservation). Cote, while a Korean steakhouse, was most likely some of the best beef I've ever had in New York. Both of these far exceeded the quality I've ever had at Gallaghers, Keens, or Peter Lugers.