Got2Cruise

I can not believe some of these comments. Penn Station is safe! Thousands pass through there every day. Amtrak, LIRR, NJT, NYC subway. 8th Ave is safe! That’s the way you exit if you want to walk the Highline which is a couple of blocks away. Also 8th Ave is where you get to Madison Square Garden. There’s a big cab stand at 8th Ave also.

For a first time on the river I’d choose the Rhine one. Why? Because I think it fits more with what most imagine a RC would entail. You will have an entire day sitting on deck looking at all the castles. Lots of quaint towns to visit. Plenty of beer and pretzels. Amsterdam is great. It’s easy to get a trip to the alps from Zurich. If Avalon doesn’t offer it, look on Viator. That said, I think you’ll love your first river cruise and you can take the other itinerary next time.

The size of the Oceania ships is the reason we don’t consider them. For us that’s the deal breaker.

It depends what you plan on doing once you arrive in NYC. Do you wish to do some sight seeing? Or do you just want to stay in your room? Staying in Financial District of Manhattan gives you easy access to Statue of Liberty viewing and 9/11 Memorial. Staying near the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn enables you to walk the Bridge into Manhattan and get some good pizza. Otherwise you just want a nice clean room in a relatively safe area in Brooklyn. Definitely choose either LaG or JFK for airport.

I wonder who the target consumer is for these cruises? It’s too darn cold for me. Christmas markets I’m willing to suffer a little. I can’t see these cruises being popular with the Viking core clients.

I’m enjoying your trip report with photos very much. It seems like off the beaten path stops which are less touristy.

I just told you, because it’s a breeze. Lol. We flew Austria Airlines out of EWR.

I meant connection wise. The point is do some research as to which is the easiest airport to get thru passport control.

I learned thru Cruise Critic the best place for connections in Europe is Vienna. Easy Peasy.

If you want to use public transportation, choosing a cruise that leaves from Manhattan is the easiest. From JFK there’s the AirTrain to the LIRR into Penn Station or Grand Central Station in Manhattan. LGA has a bus into Manhattan. You would then switch to a local bus or subway to get closer to the pier.

I would go with Amawaterways.

I would look at the itineraries very closely. Look at the choice of excursions each day. They are not exactly the same.

Strasbourg is wonderful. It would be a shame to miss that.

I wouldn’t necessarily agree that Times Square is the best area to stay in. Maybe if you’ll see one show every night. Otherwise I would not stay there. What do you want to see when you get here? Do you want to take the subway or Uber? Is walking longish distances ok?

One thing to consider is you will be landing at 5:00. You won’t be at your hotel in Brooklyn until 6:30-7:00 pm. Some of the less expensive Brooklyn hotels have no restaurants attached, and there’s no place to get food within walking distance.

Go to newyork.mjthemusical.com. That’s the official webpage of the show and will give you the info. The tickets for MJ are sold thru Ticketmaster.com

If you are buying from the box office. Yes. Make sure it’s the box office and not a third party site that adds on extra fees. The block of tickets for Nov might not be released yet. You can wait a bit if you want. It’s always easier to obtain a single ticket to a show.

MJ has great reviews. If you love Michael Jackson’s music you can’t go wrong. A Beautiful Noise is great too it’s about Neil Diamond. The musical Some Like It Hot was nominated for several Tony Awards my friend saw it and loved it.

We saw Beautiful Noise yesterday. Coincidentally Row C also. Fantastic view and not even on the aisle. If you love Neil Diamond music you will enjoy it very much.

If you’re doing Uber anywhere in Manhattan is good. But it’s probably too far to book yet.

Yep. That’s what everyone does. And there’s bar service up there. It’s like you’re on a Caribbean cruise, but you go through locks. lol

Thanks for posting! Sounds like a wonderful vacation.

The yellow cabs need business they’ll probably be roaming. You can walk to the nearest Ave for better luck or just call Uber or Lyft. Never a problem.

Bon Voyage! Can’t wait to hear all about it.

I agree that the area is desolate. I would not feel comfortable. Uber or Yellow taxi.