JFontaine

Too many stories of delayed luggage because the porter's handwriting could not be read. I'd find a Fed Ex or a Staples or anywhere else where you can print them out. 

33 minutes ago, ORV said:

One thing that I didn't mention. I'm sure many world travelers know this, but I've never flown out of Dublin before back to the USA. It's one of those airports that you clear US customs before you ever board the plane. So, that speeds things up considerably if you're looking at a tight connection. Your bags are checked all the way through to your final destination without you having to touch them. We actually came into Boston at gate A19 and went out on our next flight at gate A18. It don't get any better than that. 

You can thank Ted Kennedy for that Preclearance convenience,  I believe. It created some US jobs in Ireland.  It started in Shannon only,  if I recall correctly,  and later expanded to Dublin. 

That's the D train for us old timers. 

2 hours ago, Cruisenewbie2023 said:

Hi,

 

thank you so much, we will make sure to look at those places, the hotel weren’t helpful and said they didn’t have any, thank you that’s a good idea about the knots. I don’t know if she will keep one on as she is only young but I’m worried for her health so want to try. 
 

Thanks you for the children’s museum suggestion, we will take a look, and I have managed to book the natural

history museum for tomorrow so at least we have that x 

The Museum of Natural History is huge and will surely tucker her out. It is across the street from Central Park at West 79 Street. If you walk down to West 72nd Street you can see the famous Strawberry Fields and the Imagine sign. It is less than a ten minute walk.  Unfortunately for you NYC schools are closed tomorrow (pre-planned teacher work day, not related to smoke), and the museum will likely be crowded. Make sure to stop at the museum Cafe, it is a neat spot.  Weather reports continue to show some improvement for Friday, and better still on Saturday and Sunday.  Expect flight delays today. 

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

Earlier Mayor Adams had state that Thursday will be worse than Wednesday. I hope you're prediction will be accurate.

 

We're having an out-of-town guest from Idaho this weekend, and I am hoping that we will actually be able to go around the city on Sunday. Our plan is: arrive via LIRR to Grand Central Terminal, walk uptown to Bloomingdale's, tram to Roosevelt Island, sightsee on foot and on red bus, NYC Ferry from Roosevelt Island to Pier 11, then onward to Rockaway Park, sightsee on beach and boardwalk, Q35 bus over Marine Parkway Bridge, visit old neighborhood (Midwood) and maybe Di Fara (or maybe a place I just heard about recently, Wheated (Flatbush), bus or subway to downtown Brooklyn, maybe Brooklyn Heights promenade above BQE, then either subway to Jamaica ("A" to East N.Y., then elevated "J" to Jamaica) and LIRR, or LIRR direct from Atlantic Terminal. A busy day, largely off the tourist circuit, but clear weather needed to make it worthwhile!

 

It was eerie. Will there be an encore on Thursday?

Your plan for Sunday is aggressive.   It would kill me!  Did you check the ferry schedule to Rockaway - it's only a few times per day, and I think it is a 40 plus minute trip)?  I belong to a beach club in Breezy Point (and I'm a Madison High School grad).  If you wanted to shorten this somewhat,  consider the subway to Coney Island, walk the boardwalk and Nathan's. Restrooms are in short supply. Have fun. 

Any pharmacy should have decent masks, and there are pharmacies all over. Also, all fire  and police stations are supposedly giving out masks for free.  If you are staying in NYC there will be a pharmacy,  a fire station and a police station within walking distance.   Your hotel might be giving them out. And check the airport on your way here. Not sure about masks for your daughter, but I've seen people tie knots around the ear loops to shorten them for kids. 

The good news is that they are reporting today is the worst day.  Tomorrow will reportedly be slightly better, and Friday even better (chance of rain).  Many outdoor activities were shut early today (like the zoos) so check before you go. Indoors - Museum of Natural History and the Children's Museum might be appropriate.  Good luck to you. 

@GTJ The amount of knowledge on this board is extraordinary.   Thanks for your post. 

There are at least two apps that allow you to request a yellow cab  - Curb and Arro - I believe. I'm in NYC cabs every day (or give up and get a Uber) and I haven't tried these apps. The drivers I speak to say that they don't like them - often they respond to a request but by the time they get there the passenger has spotted another cab and taken off.  But I have tried to hail empty cabs (light on the top is on) only to be told they're waiting for a pickup. 

Your food options will be extremely limited staying at a NYC airport hotel. Unless you have a very early morning flight and want to be close to airport to take their shuttle, I wouldn't suggest it. 

If you do stay at an airport hotel, I wouldn't book a car service in advance, unless you have special needs (including a limited budget).  You will always be able to get an Uber within a few minutes unless you are in a storm, and then your car service might cancel on you. An hour before you are ready to go, just check Uber for price and how long for pickup. It should say a few minutes. If it doesn't,  plan to leave earlier.  Uber has surge pricing  and at very busy times the Uber fare can go very high. Your fallback is to get on the airport shuttle and get on the taxi/yellow cab line at any terminal.   In the worst of the worst traffic/construction delays, i never waited more than 30 minutes on that line. If you stayed in Manhattan and your ship leaves from Manhattan you wouldn't have anything to worry about. If you are fit and can roll your suitcase you could even walk from some hotels, if need be. 

I have a personal driver and also use Communicar, which is one of the companies known as 'black car' companies in NYC.  There I ask for Presidential services, which is their VIP service (more expensive).  I use Presidential services with their top drivers cars and dispatch service because I'm usually with my elderly mom and I want to lessen the chances of something going wrong (occasionally it still does, like an assigned driver quitting and not telling anyone and leaving my mom stranded in Atlantic City - luckily we found a replacement quickly). For a ride like yours where it doesn't matter if you are a few minutes late, I'd check out their regular service.  I think you will need to open an account in advance. 718-418-1200  and Communicar.com. 

I have my driver pick me up at 8:45.  I text when I'm on the way off the ship before  I have my luggage; he waits a few minutes away. I turn left out of the building to meet him.  There are lots of stories about a shortage of Uber and taxi drivers at the port on some days.  

One thing you will pass exiting and entering the port is the Tear Drop Memorial at the end of the pier. Be on the lookout, and you can read about it on the internet. How times have changed. 

I just booked a short, $20,000 cruise.  First with O.  I did all the work, including shopping around for a new TA, as my old  Crystal TA told me how hard life is for a TA and gave nothing.  I didn't ask anyone to do the pricing, just curious about what I was leaving on the table. I went with someone who advertised one thing, and delivered less.  This Flatbush Brooklyn girl (Madison HS) would love to meet @Flatbush Flyer one day! 

I don't think the genie and the butler are the same. The genie seemed empowered to make big things happen, including spending money (delivering real gifts to the suite or arranging a private meet and greet with a  headliner).  I've been in Celebrity upper level suites mostly for the past 10 years and I've never seen that. But the EV is great, and I don't know of another suite at sea on any line that is better. 

1 hour ago, Spurs Fans said:

.  I wouldn’t move from there to a suite even if Celebrity paid me. Both the room and the balcony are so much larger than any suite onboard plus you have sweeping views of the back and side of the ship. 

You might not want an upgrade where Celebrity pays you,  but the room and balcony are not larger than ANY suite on board. 

Yes, cabins become available up until sailing.  But the entire Celebrity  Bermuda season has been very tight - much more so than last year (both years were short seasons ending around August 1). I've been looking for a Penthouse on almost any sailing, I've checked multiple times a day since January, and nothing. I need three more suites or balcony cabins and I've been watching those also. Occasionally a sold out category does become available, but are gone within hours. There has been no big or small cancelations prior to final payment dates. I'm not sure about the waitlist; I've been on them in the past and was never called  - I found the open cabins and upgraded myself. Celebrity rather sell empty cabins at these high rates than upgrade. The only advice I can give you is if you see a cabin that you want to book, don't wait. The cabin can be gone in an hour.  Have birth dates and credit card info, etc  ready to go. Good luck.  

I have stayed in a middle (not end with a window on the balcony) on 9 twice. I think they are a great cabin in a convenient mid-ship location. For me, I couldn't see spending more for an S2 or S1.  The middle cabins share a vestibule with the adjacent inside cabin.  I never heard the folks in those cabins, and because of the vestibule there is zero noise from the hallway. 

Finding a car with driver at JFK is not always easy. If you want them to park and come in, that will cost you significantly more. If they pick you up outside, they aren't allowed to sit and wait for you to come out. They have to wait some distance from the terminal, and when you have your luggage, then they proceed to the terminal, which depending on a variety of circumstances,  could be a madhouse. That's why I take a NYC cab into Manhatan, just get on line and the dispatcher will tell you which cab to get in, even at 12 am. My backup if there is a problem is Uber,  which has surge pricing, and could be quite expensive, and it isn't always easy to spot the Uber driver. 

In a Penthouse (pre-Covid) I once found my suitcase left on the other end of the ship near a service door, many hours after sailing. From what I've read, the norm is free laundry, as often and as quick as reasonable, whether luggage is lost or delayed by an airline or the ship. Sorry that it happened to you. 

18 hours ago, Attyaz901 said:

My husband and I are booked on the equinox selling July 2 in a suite. Interested to hear of other’s experience with the Retreat perks on equinox.  Also, does someone from concierge reach out precruise to help with bookings or do I wait to do it once on board?  Thank you!

You didnt mention which suite you are booked in. If it is a Royal Suite or Penthouse expect contact from a shoreside rep a few weeks before the cruise. I'd ask them to make any specialty dining reservations.   Luminae doesn't take reservations (with some exceptions).  

8 hours ago, catgirl411 said:

Posters keep saying that OP meant disabled people when they talked about people who can hardly stand. I think they meant people who were so drunk that they could barely stand up. I can’t imagine they were mean-spirited enough to diss disabled people.

 

They wrote 'people eating so much fried food of this and that all while barely able to stand'.  That means overweight people to me. Perfectly wonderful  and ideal fellow passengers who because of their size have limited mobility. 

I think you will go to the Premium beverage package because that is an amenity of the cabin, along with the bar setup, laundry, specialty restaurants.  I love the Villa and hope you have a great cruise.  

2 minutes ago, NJRonbo said:

 

For Day 2, since the ship is already docked, any idea how early disembarkation would be?

You can disembark at any time during your stay in port, including throughout the night and early morning.  

It's going to be very tight. I've cruised to Bermuda many times and we were delayed by fog a good many of those times. If you do arrive on time, the ship has to clear customs.  If all goes well and they let passengers off on time, will you be competing for cabs with a 5000 passenger ship also docked where you are?  I've been there where I've had to wait for a cab. There's a frequent poster who is an expert on Bermuda (Charles, I think), he should be able to give you some advice.