coastcat

The Marriott is a reliable & consistent hotel brand, and you can book with Marriott Bonvoy points (based on availability, of course). The Edgewater has eclectic decor, a cool history, a Wyland mural - and in the summer, a 2-night minimum stay on the weekends. For cruisers only interested in a pre-cruise place to sleep, the Marriott is the logical choice.

And this is how close the Edgewater is to Pier 66: So either hotel is a great choice for convenience!

Edgewater is on the same side of the road (Alaskan Way), while the Marriott requires crossing it. Otherwise, both are super easy short walks to Pier 66.

Wow, thanks for the news about the Best Western! Back in October, I experimented with staying at an airport hotel (Hyatt Regency LAX) and then doubling back to the airport to use the cruise line shuttle. While I wouldn't do the second bit again, I'd definitely consider staying by the airport again and then taking Uber/Lyft/taxi to port in the morning. The disadvantage is the lack of dining options, although DoorDash/UberEats would solve that issue.

No need to go through the parking garage as the pedestrian bridge is outside of it. Here's a screen grab from Google Street View of the bridge entrance; the garage is about 1/2 block to the right and that's NCL Encore in the background.

I'm local; the Bell Street pedestrian bridge is my drop off and pick up point. Yes, you can ask to be dropped off right in front of the pier but traffic is super busy on cruise turnaround mornings. No way I'd do that with an early check-in time since you're competing for space (both street and sidewalk) with all the disembarking passengers and their taxis/Ubers/friends/shuttles. If you pick a later check-in time, after the disembarking folks have cleared out, then getting dropped off right at the terminal should be fine. Pier 91 is a dedicated area with easy drop off/pick up. Pier 66, not so much. From the garage end of the pedestrian bridge to the elevator down to street level, it's a 400-ft walk. It isn't covered. Morning mist/light drizzle is common; think of it as a rehearsal for Alaska weather...

There are two excellent pick up points for Pier 66: 1. Edgewater Hotel: It's next to Pier 66, on the same side of the street. Cars can access the hotel entrance on Wall Street, meaning they can cross over busy Alaskan Way instead of getting into that traffic mess. This is great for Uber/Lyft rides. 2. Bell Street Conference Center Garage: The garage is on the other end of the pedestrian bridge that runs from Pier 66 over Alaskan Way to Elliott Avenue. You exit the terminal, take the elevator up, stroll across the bridge, and wait for your ride (there are convenient benches). This is my usual pickup point. A third option is the Marriott Waterfront, which is on Alaskan Way but on the other side of the street so your driver isn't mired in the worst of the cruise morning traffic.

NCL and other cruise lines do offer shuttle service from LAX to the ship, and from the ship back to LAX. On the one hand, this is an inexpensive option for a solo (I think it was $25 the last time I used it). On the other hand... ugh. You'll locate the NCL rep at baggage claim, although it might be in a different terminal than where you landed. Then you'll wait, possibly be herded to yet another area, and finally loaded onto a bus for transport. I tried it once. Called a Lyft on the next trip. However, I don't mind taking the ship shuttle from port back to the airport.

Quite a contrast to last year! Early last December I spent a week on Navigator, solo in a 1D-2D, for $800 including port fees. Splendid ship, but $6k is a bit much.

I did some mock bookings as both solo and double, and yeah, the prices are sky high for balconies and suites on that one. It looks like balconies are nearly sold out! The prices for the next 7-day sailing (October 14) are considerably lower. Heck, if you want to sail on the 24th instead, Celebrity Solstice has verandas at $2100 for single occupancy.

Studios on the transatlantic have dropped by $1000 from the listed fare right before the final payment date, so now the fare is merely 60% higher than when bookings opened. Yay? It looks like there is a ton of availability on the September 23 TA for all non-Haven categories. Considering the uncertainty about readiness, it makes sense to keep the fares discouragingly high so that capacity is limited. It might also ensure that the majority of cruisers are the early-booking OMG NEW SHIP CLASS GET ME ONBOARD types who would be more forgiving & flexible about a work still in progress.

Agreed! I'm not expecting a flawless experience on the first transatlantic, especially now that there's one less shakedown cruise before the TA. Maybe I'd think differently if I had booked the cabin at the current "you're kidding, right?" price. It's a new ship, new ship class, with new venues. As long as most things are functioning, including a blender for a sail away BBC, it's all good. Have any of the cruise vloggers announced that they're on the invitation-only inaugural or other early sailings? I'm pretty sure one of the travel agents I follow will be on the inaugural since he was invited to the ship visit event, but am wondering if any "civilians" will be invited as well.

The only areas of concern on deck 9 would be over the Cavern Club and District Brewhouse since they're late-night venues with music. Just book anything on the starboard side of the ship and you'll be fine. I am prone to seasickness but nevertheless tried a cabin all the way forward...once. Never again.

I've yet to sail Celebrity (the Christmas 2022 cruise on Apex will hopefully be my first, after three cancelled attempts) but here's a great trip report from last October: This is how I would like to cruise - with a friend but in separate cabins. All I need is a friend who wants to cruise, oh well.

These aren't like the paper milk cartons from the elementary school cafeteria! https://www.justwater.com/ They feel a bit like plastic although they're not. Not at all unpleasant to drink straight from the carton (unlike cafeteria milk).

Only Carnival sails out of Long Beach, with the other lines all using San Pedro. And to save you some scrolling, here's the most recent thread in the West Coast Departures forum regarding hotels in San Pedro: The two standard recommendations are the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor and Doubletree San Pedro. The Doubletree is further from port and the downtown SP restaurants but there's a shuttle to both port and downtown. The Crowne is in downtown SP; restaurants are an easy stroll and the port is a reasonable flat walk although there's a hotel shuttle (US $5.50 per person during my March 2022 trip). I keep saying I'm doing to book the Doubletree but keep coming back to the Crowne Plaza... very comfy beds.

One night = 1 point. For suites, it's 2 points per night. If you're sailing solo in a double occupancy cabin, and booked the cabin as a solo, it's double the points. (per the FAQ, if you booked with double occupancy and your companion does not sail, you still only get the 1 point per night) Oddly enough, I've only sailed 7 nights on RC (solo in a double occupancy balcony) and have 22 points in my account. Celebrity Summit sails out of Cape Liberty NJ, mainly to Bermuda with a couple itineraries for Bermuda & Charleston SC and one sailing to Greenland & Iceland next summer. I took a look at prices - no bargains to be found yet. The only Edge-class ship scheduled for Cape Liberty is Celebrity Beyond, which is repositioning this October from Cape Liberty to Ft Lauderdale via Bermuda/Aruba/Curacao.

No worries! I received 100% of the fare difference, with a 1-year period in which to use it on a new booking (not an existing one).

Celebrity has Single Infinite Veranda cabins on the three Edge-class ships (Edge, Apex, and Beyond, category ES). There are 24 on Edge and Apex, 32 on Beyond. All these cabins are on deck 6 and many have obstructed views (lifeboat equipment). Royal Caribbean includes Studio Balcony cabins (category 2F) on Quantum-class ships (Quantum, Ovation, Anthem, Spectrum, and Odyssey). There are only 12 per ship, with six on deck 6 and six on deck 7. I was supposed to be in one of these cabins next week but had to cancel due to job demands, ack. Oh well. As far as I can tell, Quantrum Ultra ships (Wonder of the Seas is the first) does not have these cabins. MSC has Studio Balconies (category BS) on Grandiosa and Virtuosa. However, there are only 4 per ship, at the aft of the ship, connected to the adjacent cabin... and have bunk beds. They seem to be intended to be combined with the connecting deluxe balcony to create a family suite. Here's a tour of one such cabin: Luckily MSC is so well-priced that you can just book a regular balcony. As far as I know, that's it for mainstream lines with solo balconies. If you're a determined bargain hunter, you don't need to limit yourself to the few options. Five of my last six cruises were in regular balconies!

You’re not missing anything. In a recent YouTube livestream, a TA noted that the time limit has been reduced to 14 days.

When I book a Studio, I keep an eye on prices. It’s possible that you’ll see actual solo discounts available after the final payment date. That’s fine because you can then buy your way into a fancier cabin. I booked a Studio for my last two cruises; when the discounts kicked in, I called NCL (just the regular number, I don’t even know who my assigned PCC is). Wound up in a balcony on one sailing and a club balcony on the other. I kept my original perks, which might not have been the case if I had repriced prior to final payment. IIRC, this isn’t possible if you’re using NCL’s airfare promo. The new cabin must be priced higher than the fare you’ve already paid.

FWIW, I received price-drop FCC for the 4/30 Bliss cruise. The credit finally showed up in my account a couple days ago.

No. You are welcome to dress up if you’d like, and some people go for a festive look in the evenings, but it is entirely optional.

Are milkshakes available anywhere onboard? My first RCI cruise was on Navigator, where I discovered that the Refreshment package included milkshakes from Johnny Rockets. Not a deal breaker, of course, since there will no doubt be plenty of equally decadent options available.

I had booked Quantum for June 2020, L&S'ed to 2021, L&S'ed to 2022, and then cancelled due to work obligations. Following a Bird thread is almost like being there, though! Looking forward to following along and bookmarking for future reference as I'm planning to try again in 2023...