njhorseman

I haven't gotten a speeding ticket for at least thirty five years but I probably break the speed limit every day. Does that mean police departments can't or don't give out speeding tickets any longer? Just because you haven't personally experienced or seen something doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

This isn't relevant for this thread. The OP lives in the NY city metropolitan area probably no more than a 90 minute drive from the port and has no need for a hotel much less a sleep/park/cruise package. They can easily drive or be driven to the port on the day of the cruise.

While almost all passengers will just be cleared through the facial recognition process USCBP has the right to conduct a customs inspection on any departing passenger...and I've seen it happen.

Definitely take Uber or a taxi to Newark Penn Station. To use the EWR station you'll have to Uber or taxi to the airport and then take the AirTrain to the Amtrak EWR station, then transfer to your Amtrak train. Your train ticket will also cost you about $8 more from the EWR station than it will from Newark Penn Station because you have to pay an AirTrain surcharge. Yes, there are elevators at Newark Penn Station.

You go through an immigration (passport) check, not customs. If you were going through customs you would need your luggage. While you likely will have to disembark, in some ports on some ships the passport check is done on board the ship instead of in the cruise terminal. BTW I'm using the term "passport check" for descriptive convenience. If you happen to be a US citizen on closed loop cruises there's alternative documentation such as an official birth certificate and government-issued photo ID such as a drivers license that can be used in lieu of a passport.

We've done numerous B2B cruises with a US port turnaround and we have never had to take our luggage off the ship. Whoever told you that is wrong.

You're mistaken. Manhattan has been $40 for more years than I can remember. We've parked there many, many times. Here's the official port website: https://nycruise.com/manhattan-terminal/parking/ "No short-term parking No show parking Cruise Parking 1 to 10 nights$40.00/per night Extended Cruise Parking 11 to 14 nights$400.00" You said in your own post...#2 on this thread...the first reply to the original post that you paid $30 in Brooklyn in September: "The current price on the website is showing 30 dollars a day is the same we paid last September/October when we parked for our cruise"...and indeed the website does say $30 per night for Brooklyn: https://nycruise.com/brooklyn-terminal/parking/ "Parking Rates Short Term (Up to 4 Hours)$20.00 Overnight Rate (Up to 24 Hours)$30.00"

It's particularly nice when not overrun with several hundred cruisers . You hit the jackpot being the only big ship in port...and with fewer than 2,000 on board to boot.

I'm usually sitting adjacent to the nonexistent door holding on for dear life. 🤣

We would have been right there with you. It's our regular go to spot in St. Thomas.

I thought it's been $30 a day . I can't imagine only $20 a day including tax anywhere in New York City, with the parking tax outside Manhattan being 10.38%, and 18.38% in Manhattan. Edit...I see you said $30 a day in your prior post so using $20 here is presumably just a typo.

Docking at 7 doesn't mean you'll be able to disembark at 7 . If everything goes right...the ship docks on time, CBP quickly clears the ship for disembarkation, you don't personally get delayed by the CBP clearance process (I'm assuming you're not a US citizen so you won't just get a perfunctory facial recognition wave through) and you're able to get a taxi, Uber or car service quickly...and finally you don't encounter a traffic jam, you might be able to make the flight. It's too tight a time frame for my taste, however.

Since 'Panama" hats originated in Ecuador and I think "genuine" Panama hats are still manufactured only there and not in Panama, I suspect there is a 100% probability of a hat bought at the mall at the port in Colon will be a knock off. 😉

The poster to whom I was replying uses their signature area to identify their past and future cruises so I thought it was safe to assume they would not have signatures turned off. In fact they tagged my post with the "Thanks" emoji, so it looks as though my assumption was correct.

"A bit clickbait-ish" is being kind.

If you look in the OP's signature area you'll see the following: "Panorama 10/28/2023", so yes, they're cruising Carnival.

Judith, thanks for taking the time to do this. I was about to ask about your experience on these cruises, but now I'll just follow along as you post.

However, Florida enacted a law overturning the Key West voter initiative so some ships are still calling on Key West. As I'm writing this I'm looking at keywestharborwebcam.com and I can see Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas and another ship that I can't identify docked there.

I would assume Oceania's website is correct. Cruise lines frequently change itineraries and unofficial sites are not always updated to reflect those changes, so I suspect Oceania originally had Key West on this itinerary but subsequently changed it.

No, Canada is a foreign country for PVSA purposes just as it is a foreign country for all other purposes. To cruise from Los Angeles to Seattle would require not just a foreign port call, but specifically a distant foreign port call and a Canadian port doesn't qualify as a distant foreign port.

Two different hotels in two different areas. The Best Western referred to in this thread is in Wilmington. The Best Western you're thinking about was in San Pedro, and it closed and is now used as a shelter for homeless veterans.

You did more than imply Regent costs less...you said it straight out: "offer more for a comparable (if not less) rate" means Regent was charging the same or less...but now you said they're charging you more...contradicting your first post. It may be a "better value" if you want to do their included excursions and if you want drinks included. It isn't a 'better value" for someone who doesn't want those inclusions.

On the assumption that 'njhorseman" has been butchered by your auto spell check program to become "minor we man" 😊 I'll take the liberty of concurring with @Charles4515's comment.

The law was actually changed in late 2021 to allow extended casino hours if the cruise line makes application to do so. https://www.royalgazette.com/tourism/news/article/20211113/cruise-ships-get-right-to-extend-casino-hours-while-in-port/ The new law notwithstanding I have the sneaking suspicion that cruise lines may not really think it's that worthwhile to open too early in the day in Bermuda, which is a place where the vast majority passengers are not likely to be on board between breakfast and dinner, save perhaps a brief visit back to the ship at lunch time for some. Perhaps they would open the slot machines, which require fewer people to run but not open the table games until early evening.

Yes.