ms sjsky

We did the walk last October, I think it was the third week. Wore a jacket and had it off and tied around my waist on the walk back! Temp was in the low 50s when we started and 60s when we ended! Wear layers and bring a backpack!

Governors's Pub which was an easy walk from the ship has many local brews on tap. Since it was raining when we were there, we sat at the bar upstairs where they also had live music. Very enjoyable.

Tipping is up to the individual but I always bring $50 in ones with me and always gave the morning room service $1-2. They were appreciative.

We were in Sydney this past Saturday and walked to the Governor’s Pub from the cruise port. They had music upstairs. Excellent atmosphere!

I got that same rate too! Fantastica with deluxe balcony and $100 cabin credit to boot!! Was sure it was a glitch in the system that would be taken away, but here we are 3 days from sailing!

I do know MSC states their excursion prices are 20% cheaper when booked prior to boarding.

I saw the boarding pass too, and hopefully can use it. The print out e-ticket also includes a health form that needs to be filled out and presented at check in, so I'll have that too.

Hi Jamie, Will be following your report as we'll be taking out first NE/Canadian cruise in a couple weeks! One question, I've seen people mention on here that they don't check the embarkation times that are assigned on your ticket. Can you tell me if this is true? We have an assigned time of 4pm, but our transportation will get us to the ship around 12:30, wondering if we can board the ship then, or should I be looking for something nearby to kill a few hours at. Thanks and enjoy your cruise!

Hi Jamie, Always enjoyed reading your reviews from NCL and now MSC. Super excited that I will get to go along for the ride with you before our NE/Canada cruise in October. I've been on the Meraviglia out of Miami, but have never sailed NE/Canada so will be interested in what you are doing in those ports. Have you pre-booked any excursions? Nancy

I had similar problem, and once I called the agent it was fixed and correct status was shown on the eticket.

I'm showing that the Budget Rental is about 1.7 miles from the cruise port, did they have a shuttle to take you there?

Thanks for the clarification. I always take NJ transit and know LIRR arrives in Penn Station. Didn't even know there was another Train Hall.

If it isn't raining, we always walk to and from our cruises to Penn Station. 30 minutes is about right. When you exit Penn Station, try to aim for the 8th and 33rd ave corner. cross over 8th and turn right one block to 34th st. Turn left on 34th st. and stay on the left side of the street. Take this all the way to the Hudson river where then you will turn right onto a nice walk and bike path along the river. (Make sure you stay on the designated walking path rather than the biking path). Stay on this until you get to the cruise pier which is right past the Intrepid. We usually have one rollling luggage bag each and a backpack and have no trouble doing this (and we're in our 60's!) Good luck!

Personally, I'm not into subways and especially with luggage. We are taking the train into Penn Station then either walking or taking a taxi to the Ferry at East 34th st. Taking the Ferry to Wall Street Pier 11 and then free transfer to the Ferry that goes to Red Hook. For $4 for the ferry and room for the luggage I'm thinking this would work best for us but I haven't seen anyone else mention the Ferry at E 34th ST. so don't know if I'm missing something. The walk is no big deal for us since we usually walk to the Manhattan pier weather permitting.

We just did the Wine Tasting Around The World benefit on our last cruise and really enjoyed it. Like someone else mentioned, you need to go the Cruise Next desk after boarding to sign up. Also sign up for the Free Behind the Scenes Tour if it's being offered as we have found these quite interesting. But they do have a maximum number of people that are allowed.