markeb

We were just on Equinox with the premium internet, I guess Stream. The connection could best be described as spotty. As stated, better in common areas, not so great in the cabin. Probably most frustrating was that the Wi-Fi didn’t handoff well as you moved around the ship. I was constantly turning the Wi-Fi off and on (iPad) to refresh the connection. Probably my only complaint with Equinox. She’s apparently having a mini dry dock and updating the internet is a key part of the update.

Do you have an ATM card? Just pull Euros from an ATM. Easier and a better rate.

The OP is cruising on Tuesday, so I'm assuming they've already made plans, and I don't know how many are traveling, but for future travelers on that route. One online toll calculator says $33/car. Google Maps is 200 miles, currently 3:45 from BWI to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. At 25 mpg and $5/gallon, that's $40 each way (yes, that's hopefully high for gas and low for mileage, but it still costs money). There's a cool online calculator that says with those assumptions, you're looking at $95 each way (they're higher on fuel, so using different mileage I assume). Then you're parking in Manhattan. I don't remember the weekly rate, but it isn't cheap. Three days out, a one way ticket on Amtrak (NE Regional) from BWI to New York Penn is $208 for two people. Three weeks ago you probably could have done it as low as $62, or $124 round trip. You'd be paying to park at BWI (or Uber/Cab), and a $15-20 for a cab or Uber from Moynihan to the cruise terminal, but in the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak is almost always a better option. And the NE Regional is scheduled for just over 3 hours on that route. The calculus changes with more people traveling, obviously. And it depends on where they are in Maryland for proximity to a station on the NE Corridor.

To the OP: One thing others have done is find one of the larger hotels in the Times Square area with a restaurant and check bags with the bell man while you go get a brunch of some sort, then wander around for a few hours. An upfront tip and a thank you tip would probably help...

That's definitely unfortunate! Google Maps shows them "permanently closed", but they're still paying for their website? Might be worth an email for the OP? schwartzhq@gmail.com

First one. It goes to Geiranger. Gerainger is one of the most unique sites in Scandinavia. You also get Bergin. Full disclosure: I've never been to Flam, so I can't compare, but I'll never forget Geiranger.

Do you have actual dates and a price range? Any hotel chain preferences? It could boil down to actual dates and day of the week. It's hit an miss in that area for now. I'm hoping things settle down. You can get some nice hotels, but you'll likely pay for them. Whoops! While it will let me edit. How close do you want to be? Have you been to Times Square in the past? Broadway theaters are adjacent to Times Square, which is kind of its own world. Saving a few bucks on a hotel will pay for a lot of Uber. But sometimes (last week, for instance) Times Square Hotels can be less expensive than hotels away from Times Square. Not saying inexpensive, just less...

It may be too late at this point... There's a frequent recommendation on this board going back years to always price out the total trip before settling on the airport. If you save $100 flying into LGA but it costs you $200 to get to Cape Liberty, didn't really help. But it is what it is.

Can’t help with hotels, but I’d at least consider getting it over with and going on to Jersey. Traffic should be as light as it will be barring overnight construction. And then you wake up a few miles from your ship, instead of in Queens…

That’s also how it was explained to me as well, which is how it would apply to the OP. But dining services was one entry. They have a pooling system. I was specifically responding to the question about Select dining.

Add a tip with guest services. The tips are pooled, so the entire waitstaff will share them. Let the employer and their employees sort it out.

Not necessarily. The USB A on the power side is for older devices. Most of the chargers I showed have USB-A ports, but they're at USB 2 or newer voltage. Many newer electronics come with USB C (15-25W) ports, or come with no adapter and accept 15-25W from USB C adapters. The "lamp" adapters, and most hard wired USB A ports, are first generation low wattage ports. The newer adapters are "smart" and modulate the power to match the device they're charging. The hardwired ports on the ship, plans, lamps, etc., are generally just straight voltage with no electronic regulation, so they go back to first generation USB to not fry older electronics. I haven't seen a new device with a "B" plug in probably a decade. I have a very old, no longer in use scanner that has a B plug. There are still plenty of devices (getting fewer all the time) that use Micro USB on the device side. And many devices are now using USB C to USB C (iPads, for instance. My Sony headphones. Battery chargers.).

As everyone says, it's a very personal decision. I've tipped extra and not tipped extra. More often the former these days, the latter earlier. And auto-tips creates an environment where the cruise line and their employees have established a baseline. But we definitely left extra on this last cruise. If you don't want to carry wads of cash and track down envelopes, there is an extra gratuity (it may actually be called additional tip) form at guest relations (or the Retreat if you're in Retreat class). You can fill that form out and the amount will be charged to your onboard account, or deducted from you OBC. You can name employees, or give extra to a category (such as dining staff). One very nice thing in the Retreat is the concierge will track down employee numbers if you name an employee! I've just joined the world in the 21st century and gone cashless...

I buy Pros. I'm not an artist.

I was just on Equinox and they had almost nothing onboard. Not even plain old in ear Lightning (wired) earbuds. The prices looked like Apple USA prices, but there's was nothing that I recall to actually sell. Maybe a Macbook or two. So US prices. No state sales tax (although if your state has a use tax, you're subject to that, whether you choose to claim it or not). If it's only you, you're likely to exceed your $800 exemption, so it's possible (unlikely I fully admit) you'd get pulled out of line to pay duty. If you had an opportunity to claim the purchase and didn't (again, it really doesn't seem to work that way in FLL), you could lose your Global Entry and TSA Pre. If you have any affiliation, corporate, teaching, government, military, first responder, etc., you can get better pricing through Apple.com. It's not a good deal for a US citizen. Period.

I said I'd do this, then I'm probably going to consider this horse dead... A couple of key concepts. The use of Gallium Nitride (GaN) in semiconductors appears to have revolutionized the use of small footprint chargers. Many companies make multiple output USB chargers. The ones I'm talking about will have 2-3 USB C/PD (power delivery) ports. Most will provide 65-100W total charging capacity, but use smart technology to split the available power. So a 100W hub probably won't let you charge two 45W devices. But most consumer electronics are in the 15-25W range. Samsung has a smart charging technology that I'm just not that familiar with, If you have a Samsung device and want to use the fast charge, you need to be sure the hub is compatible. There are portable chargers with folding plugs that plug directly into the outlet. I would NOT buy one of these. They tend to pull out of the outlet once you plug in cords. The corded models use a standard removable electronics cord, just like most laptop bricks. They'll sit nicely on the counter in a cruise cabin, or most bedside stands in a hotel room. They're 110-240V, so you can use them worldwide with the right adapter. And they're two pronged, non-surge protected. I have one similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JZG32SW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?pd_rd_i=B09JZG32SW&pd_rd_w=3hsro&content-id=amzn1.sym.999c0877-3704-4f0f-9726-eebf80846a35&pf_rd_p=999c0877-3704-4f0f-9726-eebf80846a35&pf_rd_r=GK4SQYZQZDKKHPTXTDGX&pd_rd_wg=n2bvu&pd_rd_r=812b7d8c-621b-4534-afcc-25a09122f6ff&s=wireless&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFPUzlFMTVXSlpXVUUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyNzQzNTRBR0ZMQ0FKMlpMRDcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDAxNDU5NTFGNjgzM0VIRzVKVzMmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWwmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1 It's about 3 inches long and 1.61 inches square on the end. You can charge an Apple and some Dell laptops that use USB C (PD) cables. It's perfect for an iPad Pro and and iPhone, and a Fitbit. You can get adapters like this: for charging your camera batteries by USB C (search Amazon for your battery type). You can charge your camera batteries while you're out and about with your iPhone or iPad. This hub will give you 3 USB C and 3 USB A ports for charging (I don't think it's a GaN charger). Not for laptops: https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Sacrack-Charging-Station-Portable/dp/B09GJXVHVK/ref=sr_1_4?crid=KPAESP9YYE25&keywords=usb%2Bc%2Bcharging%2Bhub%2Bfor%2Bmultiple%2Bdevices&qid=1660686951&s=electronics&sprefix=usb%2Bc%2Bcharging%2Bhub%2Celectronics%2C138&sr=1-4&th=1 There are plenty of others. Just search for USB C charging hubs on Amazon. I like Anker, but there are a number of good chargers on the market. There are only a handful of cables left on the market. If your device accepts USB C or came with a USB C adapter, then you're looking at USB C to USB C, USB C to Lightning (iPhone), and USB C to Micro USB. If it's a low wattage device, then it's probably USB A to Lightning (will be slow for newer iPhones) and USB A to Micro USB. I have a small USB C Qi charger (wireless charger) I use for my iPhone, but could just as easily use a USB C to Lightning cable. Newer iPads use USB C to USB C. Newer iPhones use USB C to Lightning. Those will all allow you to charge 4-6 electronics with one outlet. With a Type E/F adapter, you can use them on the European 2-prong outlet in the cabin. I'd tend to say that GaN is nice, but not critical. It does allow for the really smaller chargers like the first one I linked. And it makes for small high wattage chargers that I didn't link. That's one outlet and a gadget bag maybe 4 X 4 X 1. Maybe 4 cables. Maybe a Fitbit charger. No need for a power strip for charging electronics. I completely get the power strip for medical equipment, but would tend to request it from Celebrity, unless you're traveling on land before or after the cruise.

On an iPad or I’d post the link, but post 53 in this thread is an example. If you need fewer ports, there are some really compact versions as well. I’ll find one of those and post later. I’d go with a detachable cord. The foldable plugs look really nice, but they pull out of the outlets.

To me, that's the challenge. There's a lot to do around Frankfurt, but there's a lot to do in Munich. In fairness, there's probably more to do in Frankfurt, but I know Munich much better...

I’d tend to Munich as well. Tons to do in the city and surrounding area. Lots of history, art, museums, etc., and a very walkable city center. And you’re only an hour or so from the Alps. Frankfurt has a more industrial feel. Never been to Hamburg.

Oktoberfest ends on Oktober 3. It would normally end on Sunday the 2d, but it’s extended when German Unity Day is on the 3rd.

Not a gamer, but it looks like this: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/assets/media/images/switch/common/hac-photo-console_acadapter_attach.jpg http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/assets/media/images/switch/common/hac-photo-console_acadapter_attach.jpg Looks like one power connection and one cord. Unless there's a teenager on the board who knows something else. Pretty sure there were many of them on Equinox a week ago.

That may be part of the difference. Mine is a 4 X 6 "travel bag", and its contents have changed over the years. But it's small, light weight, and takes care of everything wherever I'm traveling. I just add the right adapter if I'm going internationally (or the E/F adapter for a cruise ship). But you can totally charge what you're carrying without a power strip by using a USB charging hub. And I get the impression a lot of people are carrying power strips/outlet extenders when they really just need a low power charging hub and the right cables.

I'm curious, too. You're the only person on the thread that I remember actually saying what they were charging and I'd like to understand. What are you using the 3 socket strip for? Everything you're carrying, except probably the laptop, will charge on one USB C/A hub without carrying the original charging adapters. There are plenty of portable hubs that will give you two high wattage (25-65W) USB C ports and 3-4 (and sometimes more) USB A ports. That should easily charge two phones and two kindles at the same time from one outlet. The Schuko (type E/F) adapter will give you an extra outlet in the cabin for any of your multivoltage electronics (they pretty much all are) like the laptop and save the space of a power strip. Most phone makers don't even supply adapters anymore. They assume you'll use your old one, or a hub. Even the cables, if supplied, will detach and work on a hub. If it works for you, great, but I'd never do what you're doing. I just carry a USB hub and if travelling internationally, an adapter for the country I'm traveling to.

More like this https://smile.amazon.com/Charger-Sacrack-Charging-Station-Portable/dp/B09GJXVHVK/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=jpykF&content-id=amzn1.sym.8cf3b8ef-6a74-45dc-9f0d-6409eb523603&pf_rd_p=8cf3b8ef-6a74-45dc-9f0d-6409eb523603&pf_rd_r=4WK34KKX3BVACQ6J7M60&pd_rd_wg=dxFJv&pd_rd_r=1d0b28c8-cd11-4c9a-8d53-96ada4e1bc51&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi&th=1 This one won't charge a laptop; there are versions that have a 65W USB C/PD port that will charge USB C laptops (a lot of Dells, for instance) as well as an iPad Pro and other electronics at the same time. I have a 4 port USB C charger that looks like this, with 2 USB C ports and 2 USB A 3.0 ports. I can charge an iPhone and an iPad Pro at the same time, and and two other lower wattage electronics. I have chargers for my camera batteries that charge on the USB C port (no need to carry an adapter). They all have standard two prong plugs, just like laptop bricks. The outlet with the pigtail has USB 1.0/1.1 plug. They are very low amperage and will be horribly slow to charge most USB devices. And many if not most newer USB devices charge on USB C as well, which is even faster.

Those should all charge off a corded USB A/C hub. No need to fit adapters into the box or carry a device with extra outlets or slow USB ports.