GTJ

There's not a lot of space between public transportation and hired vehicles. A number of Canadian cities, especially in Québec, have taxi-bus service, but not that much in the United States (other than some collective taxi services to and from airports). Among hired vehicles, you'll probably get the best price with a regular yellow taxi, a TNC vehicle (Uber, Lyft) being a bit more expensive, and a black car service (Carmel, Dial 7) being most expensive. "[CBS News] found that without tips or surge pricing, hailing a cab was always less expensive than an UberX or a standard Lyft. Cab prices averaged 35-83% less than a ride-share." http://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/ride-sharing-prices-new-york-city-uber-lyft-yellow-taxis (There's a certain irony here in eschewing public transportation to the port in that most cruise vessels--other than those chartered for a private group--constitute public transportation themselves . . . that is, they are shared transportation open to the public upon payment of the fare.)

That's terrible, and a poor reflection on that segment of the transportation industry. Alas, if traveling by hired car, that's always going to be risk (even if just a small risk), so if you're now completely averse to that risk, then you might have to face a somewhat convoluted trip using public transportation (though even their drivers have fallen asleep and created disaster). Only the automated transportation systems, e.g., AirTrain, completely avoid the sleepy driver problem, but no such alternative here.

Two criteria that usually lead to different answers, depending on which is more important. For "easy," that means is a hired car, be it taxi, TNC, or otherwise. For "reasonably priced," that means public transportation (in this case, $2.75 per person using subway into downtown Brooklyn, then free transfer to a bus for the last leg to the port). There is no single "best" means of transportation for every circumstance.

"Princess Rail" is a marketing term used by Tour Alaska, LLC, to describe all of its passenger railcar operations. Tour Alaska, LLC, owns several passenger railcars, all of which are double deck "Ultra Dome" cars, and it employs crews that provide passenger services on those cars. The trains that utilize these railcars are the "Denali Express," described below, and the "McKinley Explorer," which operates between Anchorage and Denali National Park. "Princess Rail" may also be used to describe a charter train, the "McKinley Express," described below, which does not use Tour Alaska, LLC, cars (and therefore would not truly be a "Princess Rail" operation), but which Princess Cruises and Holland America Line sell tickets. Tour Alaska, LLC, is not, itself, a railroad company, but it contracts with the Alaska Railroad, a division of the State of Alaska, to haul its railcars. Tour Alaska, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. "Direct to the Wilderness" is a marketing term used by Tour Alaska, LLC, to describe two distinct passenger rail transportation services that operate between the cruise vessel port in Whittier used by Princess Cruises and Holland America Line and either McKinley station, near the community of Talkeetna, Alaska, or Denali National Park station. These services are characterized as "direct" because they both pass through the city of Anchorage, without requiring passengers to change trains, or to stay overnight, at the Anchorage station. The "Denali Express" train travels to and from Denali National Park station, and utilizes Princess Rail double deck "Ultra Dome" cars. The "McKinley Express" train travels to and from McKinley station, and utilizes Alaska Railroad single deck "Panorama Dome" cars provided by the railroad pursuant to a charter contract. The McKinley station is at a remote highway crossing south of Talkeetna, and buses operated by Royal Hyway Tours, Inc., another wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, transfers passengers between the station and the Princess Wilderness Lodge, also near Talkeetna. All of the land services owned and operated by Carnival Corporation subsidiaries are known collectively as "HAP Alaska," the acronym "HAP" referring to "Holland America Princess." Finally, note that there are several other passenger rail services operated along the same tracks as the two trains described above, using cars owned by the Alaska Railroad and another private company, Premier Alaska Tours, Inc. (which uses the marketing term "Wilderness Express"). All trains are operated by the Alaska Railroad, regardless if specific cars are owned by the railroad or by a private company.

Providing additional context: The inspection station for Canadian immigration and customs is about 8 miles north of the international border, and the inspection station for American immigration and customs is about 8 miles south of the international border, leaving a 16-mile gap, a sort of "no man's land," between the two inspection stations. Nonetheless, for purposes of entering and leaving a country, the actual border, not the location of inspection stations, controls. Thus, if on a bike tour the group passed the American inspection station going northbound, but then turned-around before getting to the actual border, then the group would never have actually left the United States, nor have entered Canada . . . and thus the quotation marks around "left." Encountering an American inspection station is not, itself, passing through the border, but simply passing through an inspection station. Look at the border itself, not the location of the inspection stations. (If the group had crossed the actual border, then it would have been obligated to report for Canadian inspection before turning-around and back into the United States.) Whether persons never having actually left the United States are obligated to report for inspection upon encountering an inspection station is an interesting question. In Canada, for example, there is a Canadian inspection station at Cornwall, Ontario, that is physically located north of Cornwall Island, with is part of Canada. Separate procedures have been developed at the Cornwall inspection station, to ascertain whether persons arriving there are coming from the United States, and subject to immigration and customs inspection, or are coming from Cornwall Island (without having actually crossed the actual border) and not subject to immigration and customs inspection.

You already had a built-in buffer, so that gives you an extra half hour! A planned departure time between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. should work. You may get a good travel day, and get into the city quickly with plenty of time to spare. It is also possible that you'll experience the traffic that nearly everyone despises--it is such a terrible introduction to New York City--but this timing should accommodate such a delay. The video below shows the journey from the New Jersey Turnpike to midtown Manhattan on the most congested part of the trip, on a day when traffic is flowing reasonably well. It is about 15 to 20 minutes from your hotel to the point where the video begins, and it might be another 10 minutes (two crosstown avenues) from the end of the video to Times Square itself, for a total of about 45 minutes total travel time. When traffic is heavy, the buses continue to move regularly, but the automotive traffic will stand still.

You did your research correctly. The railroad is practicable as a day excursion only if you're looking to do a sightseeing trip from Whittier to points south and return, and it simply does not work for a day in Anchorage. It is possible to travel from Whittier to Anchorage and return by bus, but because the bus schedule is sparse the practicability is borderline. The earliest bus from Whittier to Anchorage is operated by Alaska Cruise Transportation, departing Whittier on cruise vessel days at 8:45 a.m., and arriving in downtown Anchorage at 11:00 a.m. (stopping at several hotels between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.). The last return bus from Anchorage to Whittier is the Park Connection service, departing from the Dena'ina civic center in downtown Anchorage at 3:00 p.m., arriving back in Whittier at 4:45 p.m. Thus, this schedule would give you, at most, four hours in downtown Anchorage, less time required for logistics with the downtown Anchorage bus stops. If you choose to use rental car, don't forget that you're also going to have to drive on a timetable. The tunnel out of, and back into, Whittier is open only for 15 minutes every hour, so you would need to plan your driving around the tunnel timetable.

Your plan is probably the worst imaginable: a weekday morning during rush hour, and instead of being able to use the contraflow bus lane to bypass all the traffic queued up to enter the Lincoln Tunnel, you may be stationary within that traffic. Times do vary from day-to-day, but typically you could expect the trip to take between 45 minutes and one and one-half hour. No wonder why most people travel to midtown in rush hour by train or bus. Assuming that you would want to arrive before 9:00 a.m., so that you can find your precise meeting point, then you might want to plan on leaving your hotel between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. You might need to allow more time if you're making the taxi or TNC arrangement at the time given that some drivers may not want to get stuck in that traffic for so long (and also be prepared to pay double, so the driver can return empty back to New Jersey, plus $14.75 for the tunnel toll). In sum, it may be a long and expensive trip by taxi or TNC. You might want to consider traveling on the bus direct to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, one block west of Times Square. There's a bus stop on North Avenue, just east of U.S. routes 1 and 9, a short 2-mile taxi ride from your hotel. Buses on New Jersey Transit bus route 112 travel non-stop from that location to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Departing at approximately 8:07 a.m., the bus is scheduled to arrive in New York at 8:41 a.m. The fare for seniors is $3.20. On the way back, you might travel on New Jersey Transit bus route 111, which travels directly from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to your hotel in Elizabeth, or bus route 115, which on some trips travels directly from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to the Jersey Gardens Mall, across the street from your hotel in Elizabeth. The last route 111 bus departs New York at 4:15 p.m., route 115 buses depart New York at 9:00 p.m., 10:30 p.m., and 11:50 p.m. Otherwise, route 112 buses return regularly from New York to North Avenue.

Real estate in Manhattan is the most expensive in the United States, and hotels prices reflect that reality. If price is an important criterion, then my suggestion is to look outside the premium rate geography of midtown Manhattan and seek lodging in a closeby area that offers both inherently better value and easy access to places you want to visit. One such area is Queens Plaza in Long Island City. It is located across the East River from midtown Manhattan, on the east side of the Queensborough Bridge, has seen a spate of new hotel construction, and generally offers good values compared to midtown. It should be easy to find comfortable rooms within your range of affordable accommodations: choosing a random weekend in July 2023, I see prices generally between $150 and $250. Look for hotels within close walking distance of a subway station (Queensborough Plaza station, Queens Plaza station, Court Square station, 39th Avenue station), and you will have very quick access 24 hours daily into midtown . . . even staying in midtown it is likely that you would need to travel by subway anyway. A quick historic note: Long Island City was one of three cities that were merged, in 1898, to form modern-day New York, and this area has long been an important area in New York City.

Do you have a citation to the Amtrak website that shows a "Cape Liberty station"? There is no Amtrak station at Cape Liberty, so I am curious to know how Amtrak is advertising "Cape Liberty station." (It is possible that an Amtrak passenger could change at Newark for a PATH rapid transit train to Jersey City, then change again for an NJT light rail train to Bayonne, but then having to change again for a taxi or TNC for the remaining 2-1/2 miles to Cape Liberty, a rather complicated trip for Amtrak to be advertising.)

Transportation to and from the Québec is not very good. It is likely that you will have to rely upon hiring a taxi or TNC service.

One of the companies for which I was working at the time had been performing some facilities work at the then-abuilding Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, and I remember going out with that company's executive director to take a look at the progress being made. (I had been working with bus operations, and so I was not directly involved with this facility.) It was marvelous seeing the change to the Brooklyn waterfront. Refreshing my memory by now reading a New York Times article, agreement had been reached in 2004, between the city and both Carnival and NCL, for the development of the terminal, so I might have first been to the terminal anytime between 2004 and 2006. It has now been so many years that the precise details have been lost on me, and being off by two years is not surprising. Meanwhile, I was not following in great detail what was going on in Bayonne, it being so distant from New York City. On the other hand, the Manhattan Cruise Terminal had first opened in 1935, then as the New York Passenger Ship Terminal and succeeding the Chelsea Piers as the preeminent passenger maritime terminal, and clearly the granddaddy among all the mass market cruise lines terminals in New York's harbor. Are there other harbors in the United States with three distinct cruise cruise line terminals?

I think njhorseman is correct; they both opened close in time to each other. I recall having visited the Brooklyn terminal prior to its opening, probably before Bayonne went into service, and that may be the basis of my mistake (but with in now having been over 15 years memory failure could also be the reason!).

At some points the railroad and highway are parallel, so you would see the same thing. At other points the two are separated, so you will see similar, but not identical, views from the highway.

In New York Harbor, there are three terminals that are used by the mass market cruise lines. The traditional terminal is the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, formerly known as the Passenger Ship Terminal, located on the west side of midtown Manhattan. There is the newer Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, located in the Red Hook neighborhood, near the eastern portal of the Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn-Battery) Tunnel and not far from downtown Brooklyn. Newest is Cape Liberty Cruise Port, located in Bayonne, New Jersey, at the former Military Ocean Terminal. Cape Liberty is used exclusively by the various cruise line brands owned by Royal Caribbean. Some smaller cruise lines, including day cruises and those going up the Hudson River, might use other terminals, including the Chelsea Piers, also on the west side of Manhattan, or Pier 11, on the East River in lower Manhattan. LaGuardia Airport is closest to the cruise terminals in Manhattan, and both LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport are similarly situated with respect to the cruise terminal in Brooklyn. Newark Liberty International Airport is closest to the cruise terminal in Bayonne. None of the airports are so distant that one should categorically exclude any one, and if fares are substantially better at one particular airport that is not the closest, then it might be worthwhile considering that airport.

It is that wonderful aspect of being individuals that we're all different from one another! My preference is different than yours, and vice versa . . . and that is good. You might find it interesting that I was raised in suburbs, chauffeured by automobile, but never particularly liked it . . . I much preferred the bus when the option was available. If you want to check out something that has been given substantial praise for being the most comfortable seat for travel, take a look at The Jet, http://www.thejet.coach, a motorcoach service between New York and Washington, D.C., and the review given to it by Greener Grass, https://youtu.be/Oh1ULPYMQhI. I try to look for bases upon which a poster would judge options, and respond accordingly. But too often there is a request for "best" without more. In those cases I might prompt for decisional bases, or I might explain the options with which I have familiarity (including my own experiences), but I really hesitate to claim something as universally "best."

BoltBus was not a separate company, as much as it portrayed itself as being. It was simply an operating division of Greyhound Lines, designed to entice persons who would never dare set foot in a Greyhound terminal or bus. On the east coast it operated as a joint venture with Peter Pan Bus Lines. The assets of BoltBus remained with Greyhound Lines. Subsequently, Greyhound Lines was acquired by what is now Flix SE, the latter also owning FlixBus North America, a broker for motor carriers of passengers that sells, inter alia, tickets for MTR Western. Yes, a bit convoluted, no doubt. There's pros and cons for both. My wife easily gets carsick, and I can get a bit nauseous, too. There's also a discomfort in riding so low and close to the pavement in a car, vis-à-vis the usual elevated deck upon which we travel on a standard motorcoach. A car is less spacious, and there's little ability to move around on a large motorcoach. All else being equal, we're much more comfortable traveling by motorcoach than by car. On the other hand, border crossing procedures do differ, and a hired car has the convenience of going exactly to where one is destined (a self-drive car is somewhat less convenient, having to be driven to a particular base station, be it a rental agency or otherwise). Bottom line is that there's not always a universal "best" means for travel, perhaps a disappointment to those who post on these boards asking for that "best" means.

It is unfortunate that Quick Coach Lines has not fully restored its services, because that company alone is the only transportation company that offers service between River Rock Casino Resort, near Vancouver International Airport, and Pier 91 in Seattle. In the absence of Quick Coach Lines, the best alternative might be Cantrail Coach Lines. Its coaches pick up passengers at the Sandman Signature Hotel, 10251 St. Edwards, in Richmond, near the Vancouver International Airport (courtesy shuttle from airport every 30 minutes at :15 and :45). In Seattle, buses deliver passengers to the King Street (Amtrak) station. Departures from the Sandman hotel daily at 5:50 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 4:30 p.m.; travel time is about 3 hours 30 minutes. Schedules subject to change. Note that both Greyhound Lines and FlixBus are under common management and are in the process of being integrated. Greyhound Lines operates its own buses, while FlixBus sells its tickets for transportation provided by a separate company, MTR Western (FlixBus, itself, does not operate any bus service). Both services, however, depart Vancouver from the city centre, so the first step would be going from the airport northward on the SkyTrain Canada line, in the opposite direction from Seattle. Both services pick up passengers at the Pacific Central (Via Rail) station (where Cantrail Coach Lines also picks up passengers), adjacent to the Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station, while MTR Western additionally picks up passengers along the sidewalk near the Burrard SkyTrain station. Going to the Pacific Central station offers the greatest variety of options and facilities, and would ordinarily be the best option. Greyhound Lines does not offer convenient schedules. It departs the Pacific Central station daily at 1:30 a.m. and 8:35 a.m. MTR Western departs the Pacific Central station daily at 7:50 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and also daily except Wednesdays at 9:50 a.m., and also daily except Wednesdays and Thursdays at 3:20 p.m. Travel time is about 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours. Schedules subject to change. In Seattle, Greyhound Lines buses deliver passengers to the Greyhound station. MTR Western buses deliver passengers to a sidewalk in the Chinatown-International District, with some, but not all, buses also dropping off passengers prior on a sidewalk at the University of Washington. The university campus is slightly closer to Pier 91, and would likely offer a somewhat quicker overall travel time, assuming that a taxi or TNC service can be arranged. An earlier post mentions Amtrak's "bus service." Amtrak does not operate any buses. Amtrak will sell tickets for the bus service operated by Cantrail Coach Lines.

I don't know if I would say "charming," but probably the best under the circumstances of the time and place of your stay. I suspect that you don't want to spend too much time that evening, and it will be late enough already. The Buccaneer Diner is best for being closest and readily walkable, though your expressed desire for cannoli might make it worthwhile to use a bus or taxi to get to the Park Side restaurant (use Q23 bus from Ditmars Boulevard, outside the hotel, to Corona Avenue, or a taxi would be relatively inexpensive for the 2-mile journey). I believe that all the restaurants have websites, so you can see their menus.

Yes, there is good public transportation to the falls. Buses in the city are operated by the Réseau de transport de la Capitale, or RTC for short. Basic cash fare is $3.75, though there is an entire panoply of fare options available. http://www.rtcquebec.ca/en/rates-and-purchase/rates-and-passes/fare-schedule To the falls you will want to use Métrobus route 800, which operates about every 10 minutes, and has a 35-minute travel time. http://www.rtcquebec.ca/en/schedules-and-routes/bus-schedule/all-routes/800/terminus-chute-montmorency The primary stop downtown is at Terminus Place-d'Youville, on the east side of avenue Honoré-Mercier at its intersection with rue d'Aiguillon, convenient if you're already in the city centre. However, if you're coming directly from the Port de Québec, it would be easiest to board near the Gare du Palais (walk from the port along quai Saint-André to the station), on the east side of boulevard Jean Lesage at its intersection with rue de la Gare-du-Palais. Stay on the bus until its last stop, which is Terminus Chute-Montmorency. Note as well that, depending on your vessel's schedule, you might be able to enjoy an all-day ride on the scenic Train de Charlevoix. http://www.traindecharlevoix.com/en/schedules The train begins its journey at the Chute-Montmorency station at the bottom of the falls (use the cable car to get there from the top of the falls), departing at 9:00 a.m., and returning at 6:30 p.m., including a 1 hour stop at la Malbaie, or a 4 hour 45 minute stop at Baie-Saint-Paul.

I can certainly understand the situation. Eating at the airport itself does not require much more elaboration, being overpriced and underwhelming. Let me further explain that, not only do I reside in Flushing, just east of the airport, but several years ago I actually stayed at the LaGuardia Plaza Hotel (then it was a Holiday Inn) when I was sequestered while serving on a supreme court jury in Jamaica. The hotel served all twelve of us dinner and breakfast in its dining room, which was entirely satisfactory (especially because I did not have to cook myself!), but nothing fabulous. I also had an office then, on 85th Street, at 23rd Avenue, right at the end of runway 4, and for lunch I would most often head to a deli on Astoria Boulevard for a sandwich, perfectly satisfactory but once again nothing fabulous. As to the area immediately surrounding your hotel: there's absolutely nothing except houses surrounding it. Not too far away, just under one mile (about 15 minutes: walk along 25th Avenue), is the Buccaneer Diner, 83-01 Astoria Boulevard. Nothing fancy, and noting memorable but for it being a good NYC Greek diner open 24 hours daily. But if you really like diners, then on the other side of the airport, a little under 2 miles from your hotel, is the Jackson Hole Airline Diner, 69-35 Astoria Boulevard, which is an architectural jewel, with its classic streamlined railroad car appearance. It closes at 10 p.m. (midnight on weekends). There is a very good traditional Italian restaurant (you wanted cannoli?) called Park Side, 107-01 Corona Avenue in Corona, also just under 2 miles from your hotel. Absolutely wonderful food here (open until 10:00 p.m.), and across the street, in William F. Moore Park, you will find a bocce ball court . . . and on the far side of the park is the Lemon Ice King of Corona (also open until 10:00 p.m.). If you like Peruvian food, then Pio Pio, 84-02 Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights, just under 2 miles distant, might be a good choice. Note that the full restaurant is on the south side of the street, and a small take-out, Pio Pio To Go, is on the north side of the street (84-21 Northern Boulevard). Open until 11:00 p.m. (midnight on weekends). A large Mexican population has been established in central Corona, and along Roosevelt Avenue, under the elevated train track from about 74th Street to 108th Street, there are many small Mexican restaurants where you can find a good plate of enchiladas. A bit more distant, about 2-1/2 miles distant in central Jackson Heights, you will find La Fusta, 80-32 Baxter Street, for excellent Argentine cuisine (open until 10:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m. on weekends); and the Jackson Diner, 37-47 74th Street (open until 10:00 p.m., 10:30 p.m. on weekends), one of the best-known Indian restaurants in the city. Also in Jackson Heights is Jahn's, 81-04 37th Avenue. Once having locations locations throughout all of NYC, this is the last location remaining. Known for ice cream--its "kitchen sink" is legendary--this location also serves diner-type food. It closes early, at 8:00 p.m. As for those bagels . . . the best place in Queens County is in Whitestone, past Flushing, at Utopia Bagels, 19-09 Utopia Parkway. That might have to wait for a future visit. So these are my favorite places in the area surrounding your hotel. Perhaps one of these will be satisfying. They're all a bit distant, however, and there's really nothing outside your hotel's doors.

No, there is not. I reside in Flushing, which is located immediately east of the airport. The hotels immediately surrounding the airport are in an area that is not particularly notable. There are some "airport hotels" in Flushing, and if you stay in one of these hotels then you will find spectacular Chinese and other Asian cuisine (arguably the best in the United States). But the hotels within sight of LaGuardia are in residential areas that don't really have much that's interesting, at least not without going south to Northern Boulevard or beyond.

If a reasonable distance and the weather cooperates, walking is almost always a better option in NYC than being stuck in a motor vehicle. From a hotel at 538 West 48th Street (between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues), I could not imagine doing anything other than walking to the cruise port. Walking in NYC may be a bit more intense compared to other places, but watch where you're going and where others are going, pay more attention to actual traffic conditions, crossing when it is safe to do so than worrying about red and green traffic signals, and you should be able to walk safely throughout NYC.

Related to that thought is that the vast majority of cruise line passengers are carefree, looking to engage in mostly mindless and meaningless activities. The proportion of cruise line passengers seeking to enrich their intellectual curiosity (at least beyond absorption of random factoids tossed out by tour guides reading from a script), to pack a parka instead of a swimsuit, and to otherwise to do things outside mass market activities, is small. But that market having the interest will not be deterred by the lack of commercial excursions on remote islands. That there is no local Diamonds International is irrelevant (but for its absence being a plus). They're going there to have an adventure. Yes, the cruise lines are not going to make their profits from selling those excursions, and have to build-in the costs of Zodiacs launches. But I don't think it is so much that cruise lines refuse to offer such itineraries because of the lack of those excursions, but rather that few passengers are adventurers: Disney World is more appealing to most than a cold and remote island with no permanent population.

The Alaska Marine Highway regularly sails out to Dutch Harbor and return during the summer season. There are a handful of cruise lines that also serve the Aluetian islands, typically as part of longer itineraries that travel to Nome and the Northwest Passage. Most of these itineraries are classified as "adventure" or "expedition" cruises. Lines to investigate include Hurtigruten, Silversea Cruises, Ponant, Seabourn Cruise Line, Scenic Cruises, and Hapag-Lloyd, all of which periodically schedule cruises through the Northwest Passage, between Alaska and Greenland, and some times passing through the Aluetian islands as part of the voyage through Alaska.