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Are you sure the $115 is for Acela? I was pricing Amtrak tix last night and didn't see any one way BOS/NYC fares on Acela for under $70 one way Northeast Regional trains, the slightly slower ones, priced regularly at $30 each way

Train is easy and you can take all your bags along with no extra charge. They don't "check" luggage on Acela, and there is plenty of room at the end of each car to store your bags. Finding a cab at Penn Station is easy. You could also use an uber, they cost about the same amount

Check the price of the ship transport option. We've never seen it be anything less than double doing it yourself, even doing it yourself in a cab

I mostly agree with @ljandgb. I definitely agree if your South Coast tour includes Jokulsarlon and the Diamond Beach opposite it. I'd also want to be visting Solheimjokull Glacier or another glacier on a South Coast trip. I'd lean a bit more towards Golden Circle if you have never seen a Geysir. And the Gulfoss Waterfall there is just HUGE, while the two on the South Coast trip are taller (you see them from below as opposed to Gulfoss from above) and just beautiful. For Westman Island, I'd do one of the boat rides around the island to see the puffins and caves. Fos Isafjordur I'd plan a trip over to Vigur Island, and if you like seafood, my favorite restaurant in the world is https://www.ferdalag.is/en/service/tjoruhusid Edit: just noticed you are seeing Jokulsarlon from Djupivigor, so that makes South Coast a little less "mandatory", but you definitely want a glacier visit, even if you don't take a glacier hike. You can easily walk up to the edge of Solheimjokull or Svinafelljokull, it's amazing being so close to so much ice

I’d weigh the odds of lost luggage vs. the odds of being really cold*. Pack smart, if your main bag is delayed pack in a way so you can still make the trip. * the odds are much higher on the cold. Especially if you are flying in a day early. If you aren’t doing that then I’m not sure talking odds makes sense here because the risk of arriving late on a same day arrival is much higher than that of your bags getting lost.

Unless you were trekking in South Korea, then I am guessing you had shelter you could duck into to escape the cold and wind. On your shore excursions in Antarctica there are no shelters, although you can take an earlier Zodiac back to the ship. But then you miss out on shore time and the penguins and seals, etc. We lived in New England for decades and know how to deal with cold. You don’t say where you are from so I have no idea if you are familiar with two hour stretches in low wind chills or not, which you could experience on this trip. We regularly traveled to NYC and stood in the TKTS lines in midwinter for 60-90 minutes or longer. It was quite easy to identify folks who were not accustomed to the cold. I am not sure why you need to “be clever” with your packing. Is there a reason beyond cost why you plan to skimp on baggage?

We wore fleeces and/or sweaters on board for our Silversea Antarctica cruise, and we lived in New England at the time so were familiar with the cold. In addition to the parka they gave us, which was very warm, we wore at least 2 additional layers underneath on some of the excursions. We did have a couple days where the air temps were near 40, but also had some colder days in the low 20s plus wind that required extra layers. It will be hard to pack 1 person's gear for this cruise in a carryon that goes in the overhead compartment. Don't skimp on spending to check a bag on a trip of this magnitude. We checked one plus 2 carryons and got right to the weight limits for each of them and used every thing we brought.

Hotels with shuttles in Boston are generally in non-tourist areas and aren't very nice. If you are planning to do any touring at all, just stay in Boston and take a taxi or uber to the port.

Interesting, thanks for the info

Waaay too early to see 'real' room rates for next November. Most places that have loaded rates just have Rack Rates listed. Are there cruises out of Boston next November? I thought they mostly stopped after the Fall Foliage cruises?

Public transit from the Yotel is simple. I'd walk to South Station, take the Red Line to Park Street, then catch the Green Line "B, C, or D" train westbound to the Kenmore Square Station. Buy your return fare ticket before you leave Kenmore so you don't have to wait in long lines to buy on your way back

Double check the charge for the Carnival bus before you follow blindly and compare with other options. We found the ship option for two of us in Florida was 5x as much as a cab from ship to Airport, and similarly overpriced in other locations.

I agree with @princeton123211. Best places for tourists to stay are Copley Square, Back Bay, Downtown Crossing, and Faneuil Hall areas. The Omni Parker House is usually relatively affordable, is right on the Freedom Trail, and is quite historic

I'm surprised you'd consider using car transport for children anywhere, but especially in a city, without a car seat, even if it's legal!

Doesn't look like the first two actually go to Antarctica. How much time does the last one spend there if you are starting all the up in B.A.?

Above is correct. Feel free to look on google Maps to see for yourself the distance

I think some of the info in @WatchHill's post may be out of date. You can go from B to C "airside" and continue to E. And the Delta bus from A to E is also Airside. There is a curbside bus that also goes to the MBTA and Rental Car office which is "landside", but that is not what the OP is asking about here. One can also walk from terminal to terminal thru the Central Parking Garage in about 15 minutes or less, door to door

Glad to help. Best cruise we've ever taken! We were there in February. Lots of bare patches then, most of the stops you would have had to travel beyond the marked perimeters the SS staff set up to even make a snowball. I would expect December might have more snow since it is earlier in the summer there. Pics are of the steep snow area and of one of the other landings with bare ground. Be prepared for penguin poop to be everywhere

Based on the complaints about Viator on TripAdvisor's Support board (and TA owns Viator), I wouldn't recommend them as they seem to have minimal customer service if things go wrong. If cancellation policies *are* different with them than the actual provider then it may well be worth the upcharge and other risks if your plans may change. October in Salem is a zoo. I'd book anything for that area ASAP to make sure you aren't locked out, and make sure you have transportation to there lined up or included in your tour

Good questions, we had the same before our Silverseas Antarctic cruise a few years ago (note my avatar). You need those boots as you do get out of the zodiacs in ankle deep water. And they are fine for walking on the shores. My wife bought her own boots as she found a cheap but high quality pair in a Clearance sale for less than the rental was going to cost. She did the same with water pants. I rented both. The boots are flexible enough that walking for 30-60 minutes wasn't uncomfortable. We wore a few layers of socks for warmth, that also kept our feet from slipping around and being a blister issue. The "hardest" hikes were one onto snow (technically a glacier, I guess) which was steep, and poles made that much easier, and Deception Island, where you walked 20-30 minutes up the side of the Caldera (and back).

You might want to double check on Flyertalk or TripAdvisor as they know more about airports and airlines there in general than we do here, but I've read on TA about the bus from A to E. If you don't have to pickup your luggage, that would save you the security line at E

How sure are you that Vermont was included? Because that would be a VERY long bus ride to get that train ride. I'd do the Wiscasset train option in Alna. Now *that's* an hour ride from Portland

Expect temps around freezing with the usual breezes you get while on the deck of a cruiseship. If that means your LL Bean coat, then so be it! Bring a fleece or two, too. Better to be overprepared than under! You certainly don't want to go inside and miss some of the experience again.

I am not familiar with that ticket seller. If you have one PNR for your entire trip and you can see the entire trip as one record at Delta.com then you will be fine for baggage

Those are great hotels for getting to the ship. Lousy for touring Boston, although the MBTA Silver Line does come pretty close. Decide which is more important to you: Near the ship or near the attractions