alreadypacked

As others have stated already, definitely ask for the egg crate topper.

Read about my party's experience regarding the sofa bed situation last year on Escape in posts 9, 10, and 14 on this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2492363

Been living in NYC for 29 years. Regarding taxis, here’s a tip: Do not ever tell the driver where you’re going until you’re in the cab. Tourists are basically the only ones I’ve seen lean in to the driver window to tell their destination. If the driver doesn’t want to go there they drive off. If you’re seated and the doors are closed, they have no choice.

 

On the same note, if the door is locked and the driver insists upon knowing your destination, find another cab. I generally go full on New Yorker on them when they pull that b.s. and don’t bother getting in the car. I live in Queens and drives aren’t too fond of the long trek to my apartment. I never tell them until I’m in the car.

 

 

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Excellent advice! Thank you!

We got to Times Square, and it was packed! It was a gorgeous day and everyone was out and about.

 

 

 

 

After a little while, we decided to take a break since it was hot and we were tired. A quick google search of “outdoor bars in NYC” led us to the Perfect Pint, which had a rooftop bar. We decided to go there and check it out. There’s two floors of dining and then the rooftop bar. There was a ton of stairs, but we made it to the top and were able to get seats at bar and watch the soccer game for a bit.

 

 

 

After a couple of beers, we decided to go back to the hotel to change since we had a dinner reservation and show that evening.

Loving this review! Thank you!

DH and I just booked our first cruise out of New York City. I'm taking note of good eating establishments based on cruise critic reviews...

And I know DH--being a Guinness fan--will loveThe Perfect Pint!

I am recently off the Grand in Alaska with multiple food allergies. I cannot have any dairy (including butter, yogurt, cream, etc.), jalapeños, or walnuts. Embarkation day we ate lunch in the main dining room - I just ordered very cautiously. I think I had a salad and french fries? I inquired about talking to the MD and was told I could talk to our dining room head waiter at dinner. I met him in the dining room and he was amazing. He gave me suggestions for safe ordering for the first night and then every night after brought me the lunch and dinner menus for the next day so I could pre-order. I ordered several dishes for each meal just in case what I felt like having changed or something was gross. He also put a standing order in for breakfast and high tea for me to have allergy-safe options.

 

I made a document with food photos & comments -- https://docs.google.com/document/d/17bvstvzAMNmPOrgfzwh33s8KW6GRAxPLqpEji6lnHI0/edit

I have a family member who was recently diagnosed with an allergy to poblano peppers (despite having eaten them all her adult life).

So far she's only done the oral food challenge for poblanos, but her allergist said to avoid other peppers containing capsaicin such as jalapenos, serrano peppers, cayenne etc. just to be on the safe side for now.

Her blood test for ImmunoglobulinE antibodies to bell peppers, which are not spicy, came back negative, so she theoretically can still eat those (but has avoided them too due to anxiety over this whole situation).

Since you mentioned being allergic to jalapenos, I was wondering... Are you also allergic to other spicy peppers such as poblanos or is it just jalapenos?

I have food allergies too, but it's a common one--shellfish (started out of nowhere at age 43). We're all just floored by her sudden pepper allergy and are constantly on the lookout for more information, others' experiences etc. Unfortunately there are no IgE blood tests for poblano peppers, capsaicin etc.

Our upcoming fall cruise will be her first one since the allergy diagnosis and she's a bit nervous because her allergy is an uncommon one, not one of the "big 8" most establishments are used to dealing with.

Excellent info from the knowledgeable posters on this board! Special thanks to markeb, Got2Cruise and 138east for your insightful advice!

Especially liking the looks of Marriott Courtyard Chelsea--gets great reviews, rooms look nice and new, has nice modern bathrooms and the price is right!

I'm putting together a list of possible choices based on Cruise Critic members' advice and general hotel reviews to discuss with DH... but this one tops the list for me so far.

You may be too early for a lot of hotels. Rates may well drop.

 

The Marriott East Side currently has a classic king room, cancellable until 3 days out, for $206 plus tax (AAA). That’s on Lexington, so a crosstown cab ride on Saturday morning. It’s a nice hotel, and there are a lot of neighborhood restaurants on 2nd Avenue.

 

A lot of the typical suburban businessman/family hotels such as Fairfield and Courtyard can be just as expensive, and sometimes more, than their full service cousins. For instance, there’s a Courtyard in Manhattan right now that’s listed at $899. That’s probably not “real”, but it’s an outrageous example.

Will definitely look into Marriott East Side. Thanks!!

Exact date in May? What airport are you flying into and what time does your flight arrive. Your budget is $300 for a Friday night.

Want to fly into LGA from FLL and arrive late morning or early afternoon on Friday May 10, 2019.

Our sailing is NCL Dawn Saturday, May 11, 2019.

Just DH and I.

Not interested in sightseeing, but don't want to be too far from cruise port.

Would like to be within a block or two of decent places to eat lunch and dinner the day before cruise.

After the cruise, we're planning to take a car service or NCL transfer back to LGA for a mid/late afternoon flight back to FLL.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!

I should add, preferably king bed.

Is $300 for one night unrealistic for a decent hotel (AAA rate)?

The Fairfield Inn is in a safe location. Not really a tourist location more residential. I would stay there if I were using points. You can walk to Columbus Circle or Lincoln Center area if you don’t have mobility issues.

 

 

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Thanks,

Glad Fairfield is in a safe location. Not really looking to sightsee--I'm originally from NJ; DH is from NE PA, so been there, done that.

Planning to arrive late morning/early afternoon. We (I, mainly) want decent quality, well prepared food (not asking for gourmet) at a clean restaurant with knowledgeable staff. I have food allergies so where to eat is always a concern.

We're not using points...

So it sounds like this hotel would not be your top choice...

Your choice of hotel is not a popular one. If you provide the requested details, there might be another option out there for you to find a "nice" hotel.

Great info on this East Coast Departures Board!

Thank you to all!

DH and I are sailing our first Canada/New England on NCL Dawn May 2019.

We're flying in the day before (Friday) and aren't looking for fancy or luxury accommodations...but we do have standards. I don't want to go, "ick!" when I walk into the hotel/room or have to walk up 6 flights on arthritic knees because one of the two [tiny] elevators is broken.

We have stayed in Fairfield Inns, Marriott Courtyards, Hyatt Places, Hilton Garden Inns etc. in various cities (usually somewhat suburban areas) across the country and all were clean, new, nearly-new or recently renovated.

I realize that these same moderately-priced "brand hotels" tend to be older with smaller rooms in New York City.

I saw some suggestions for Skyline Hotel and checked Tripadvisor, but now I see negative comments about it here--is it really bad? Someone recommended Fairfield Inn on W 58th--any opinions on that one?

How about Holiday Inn Long Island City-Manhattan View?

Or can anyone suggest another reasonably priced ($300) hotel room with king bed for one night prior to our sailing for us (no kids), that's in safe walking distance to a few decent eateries?

BTW we'll be using AAA rate if available and we like to book directly with the hotel (no hotels.com etc.)

My type of person. When mine were little I would tell people at Church that if they saw my kids misbehaving they had my full permission to tell them to stop. It takes a village and all that. And I have to say sometimes I just cannot help myself if the behavior is bad enough that I just come out and say something. Happens before I can tell myself not to, lol.

I'm 47 years old and when I was a kid, ANY adult could correct you if your behavior was off and your parents weren't right there... and we as kids knew to buckle down and straighten out our behavior forthwith (last thing you'd want was for said adult to inform your folks--because then you'd be in REAL trouble).

So, I agree wholeheartedly with you...

But I have to say, nowadays I keep my mouth closed when I see misbehaving kids, because many are so out of control and disrespectful, they'll just curse you out, then go fetch their parents who'll pick up where the kids left off.

If I see truly dangerous behavior, I'll report it to the store/cruise/restaurant (or whatever) staff or call 911.

Too late for this time but... besides Trenton (TTN), did you check ABE (Lehigh valley international airport), ACY (Atlantic city), Harrisburg, and Scranton airports? Go to Wikipedia for each airport and they list all the carriers and each carriers' destinations (e.g., Allegiant ABE). Too late for now but another idea that hopefully you won't need going forward!

 

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Again sorry for OP's parents...

But I do believe weather in the area was the issue. I asked DH about weather in Northeast PA where his mom lives. She reported high winds like she'd never seen before in years...

So I think Wilkes Barre Scranton Airport was even out of the question.

Thousands of dollars just for the trip insurance? Or thousands for the cost of the cruise plus the trip insurance? Are you buying your policy through the cruise line? We always buy a comprehensive trip insurance policy, but NOT thru the cruise line.

I think the poster is saying the travel insurance has amounted to "thousands of dollars" cumulatively (accounting for all the trips they've purchased it for over the years) regardless of where it was purchased.

While I have sympathy for the poster and parents missing their cruise. I have to say, I would be kind of ticked off is someone that didn't purchase trip insurance got a refund from the cruise line. I only say that because in all of my cruises, I have purchased the trip insurance, it's amounted to thousands of dollars. I don't want to but I know its a necessity. Thank goodness I have never had to use it.

 

How fair is it for people to be responsible and purchase it and then someone that doesn't want to spend the extra money get refunded? What the heck am I paying for it for then. I'd rather not spend the extra either but I know things can happen and so I do.

I always buy travel insurance...

Now.

Been cruising for 16 years now... But I was a new cruiser once--and didn't initially realize the many ramifications of not doing so...

Cruise Critic educated me.

After our first few uninsured cruises, I've never sailed without insurance.

OP doesn't have a long history with cruise critic and may be new to cruising. Possibly her parents are new cruisers...and possibly senior citizens...and maybe infrequent flyers (maybe not internet savvy).

Not necessarily irresponsibility.

Thanks so much for allowing us to share in your memories. I enjoyed your review. It was well written, the pictures were beautiful, your family seems delightful, and I appreciate that you were able to share your experiences and perspective in a fair and balanced manner. This was helpful to me and I am sure it will be for many others who consider the Sunshine in their vacation plans.

 

All the best!:champagne-toast:

Agreed!

OP thank you again for your balanced review highlighting the various aspects of your experiences.

OP just remember if you book through a travel agent (in person, online...whatever), you'll likely forfeit direct control over your booking--such that you may have to go through the travel agent to make a cabin change, take advantage of a price drop or better promotion etc.

I have only sailed on Carnival, and been loyal to them for over 13 years. Maybe its me getting older, but it seems that the unsupervised children running around and doing really disruptive and even dangerous stuff is just gotten completely out of control. The staff absolutely refuses to do anything about it. So I am thinking of changing lines and have been looking at NCL.

 

Can anyone that has sailed on both Carnival and NCL give me a comparison between the two when it comes to people keeping their kids under control? I'm not talking about kids just acting like kids and being loud or a little rammy I'm talking about completely unsupervised "packs" of young teens knocking elderly people down, throwing condiment bottles down ten decks in the atrium, invading the adults only area and refusing to leave. Are the kids allowed to run wild like this on NLC as well? Are there as MANY kids on NCL? Does the staff hold the adults accountable for the actions of the kids? Is there a curfew? Is there an adults only area like the serenity area on Carnival?

 

I don't really want to switch to new line just to come up against the same situation I see on Carnival now. Thanks.

Yikes!

I have about 15 or 16 cruises on Carnival, but I haven't sailed them since 2015 mainly due to declining food quality and lack of sit-down restaurant choices.

We've been sailing NCL mostly now (with a few Princess and Celebrity).

I have not seen the likes of what you describe on any line--including Carnival.

If I may be frank, may I ask--just to be 100% clear--are the behaviors you're describing (knocking elderly persons down, throwing condiment bottles down over the atrium) actual things personally witnessed?

Hi! It was from Newark, NJ airport. We quickly looked for any other airport they could fly from today (EWR, JFK, Phila, Boston, CT, Delaware, Maryland, etc). Nothing under $1000 one way that would get them there on time. We looked on ALL carriers.

The airline they originally booked was Spirit Airlines (Again, I know, I know. Never fly Spirit. I warned my parents but they didn't believe me how bad Spirit is).

Sorry your parents missed their cruise. Can't imagine how disappointing that must be but... Are you sure it wasn't bad weather that caused flights to be cancelled?

My cousin was to fly from PHL to Las Vegas last night--her flight was cancelled due to weather.

Also, a good friend of ours who's been a flight attendant for 20 years, was able to dine out with us tonight because her flight into EWR was cancelled tonight due to weather (as was her flight last night).

So needless to say, I suggest you avoid Wet Money.

 

Meanwhile, as all this was happening my sister had been talking to a lady at the taxi stand. She recommened that we take a cab to Pillory Beach, which is exactly what we did once the golf cart fiasco was resolved. Most of our morning had been wasted, but the taxi driver was friendly and gave us some history about the island as we drove. We decided to spend a couple of hours at the beach and arranged for her to come back to pick us up at a predetermined time.

 

We really liked Pillory Beach. Beautiful white sand, clear blue water, and not at all crowded. There were also bathrooms available and a bar. Of course you can just walk off the ship to the beach in Grand Turk but the beach there is very crowded.

 

 

 

Really enjoying the review! Thanks for taking the time to post specific details!

Two questions:

How long did the taxi ride from the cruise port area to Pillory Beach take?

Were the bathrooms reasonably clean (and stocked with toilet paper)?

Thanks!

(Have only read thus far--please forgive me if these questions have already been asked and answered later)

Happy to read another Dougout review!!!!

Thanks so much for posting!

Pictures are amazing!

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

Thanks for taking the time to post!

Wonderful review!!!

Thanks so much for posting!!

I view additional gratuity as a way of saying thank you for great service. I don't expect to get a thank you for expressing a thank you. That's just me.

CM

Agreed!

I did this in 2011 (different cruise line) no problem at all. They literally, at the pier check-in, changed my name on the computer and gave me a ship card with my new married name.

Seems this happens a lot, but...

I had been very nervous about it though, just as you...was afraid of some snafu or that they wouldn't believe I was who I said I was...

So I brought ALL identification I had proving my identity (my new passport, birth certificate, driver's license, marriage certificate, credit cards, AAA membership card, even supporting documentation such as my cell phone bill showing my name and address, club membership cards with my picture; I think I even brought a copy of my passport renewal/name change application).

All unnecessary, but I wanted to be safe, than sorry...

So, my advice is bring all supporting documentation--probably won't need it, but it's better safe than sorry.

Enjoy your cruise!!

MSC cheap prices are enticing, but I've been wary. Thanks for the in-depth review. I see now that there are many more things to consider before booking.

A close friend (American) sailed an older MSC ship in the Mediterranean a couple years ago and thought the food not great and way TOO salty. I wonder if MSC has reduced salt too much, thinking they're in line with American tastes...

Just a thought.

Again, loving every step of this review!

Thanks so much for taking the time to post this in-depth photo review; Shadowmeboy, you have outdone yourself with this one!