THE G TEAM

Thanks for the information meg1125.  I should have outlined our plan in my original post.  We wanted to drive up from Atlantic City, park our car in a reasonable and safe parking facility for 10 days, get a hotel in that area and spend 2 days exploring New York City (we've never been) before a 7 day round trip cruise out of New York.   After the cruise, we'd planned to pick up our car and drive home to Canada. We are not locked into the Hilton, we just liked the fact that it was next to the train station, making getting back and forth to New York fairly easy, but there doesn't seem to be any long term parking nearby. Under the circumstances, I think the International Boulevard hotels are a bit far out for our purposes.  Now that you know what we'd like to do - any thoughts would be appreciated.

Does anyone know of any reasonable and safe long term (10 days) parking facilities near the Hilton Newark Penn Station hotel?

Can anyone tell me what is the best and cheapest way to transfer from San Pedro pier (Princess Line) to LAX on a Monday morning? Thanks.

Has anyone used Quick Shuttle to transfer from Miami to Fort Lauderdale? I tried to search cc for information on Quick Shuttle, but only get information on the Seattle to Vancouver QS. We are looking at Quick Shuttle for our transfer from the Port of Miami to Port Everglades. We actually need to be dropped off at the Thrifty Car Rental location at 2400 Miami Rd., Port Everglades which is on the way to Port Everglades. Any information would be appreciated.

DH and I (both 69 years young) are traveling, via Icelandair, to Keflavik on February 12th, 2017. Part of the six day package we purchased from Icelandair includes 4 nights at the Center Hotel Skajbried in Reykjavik, and a Warm Bath and Cool Lights tour including Laugarvatn Fontana and northern lights hunt. We believe we then have two or three days on our own. Can you recommend some tours/activities, given the time of year? We enjoy hiking, exploring, and cultural events. Thank you.

Thanks, PTWalton1. I googled 'The Bus' and there was a wealth of information including the circle route to the North Shore.

Several years ago, DH and I took a city bus from the Ala Moana shopping centre in Honolulu, all the way around the island. The trip took about 4 hours and, of course, there were many stops, but it was very enjoyable. It was an great introduction to Oahu and we'd like to do it again, but can't remember the bus number. Is anyone familiar with this bus?

The last time DH and I cruised Alaska, we rented a jeep from Alaska Green Jeep in Skagway and had a wonderful day touring, believe it or not, Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon. The jeep comes with a guide book full of comprehensive directions, as well as information about your trip - where to stop (Emerald Lake), where to eat, etc. You can't get lost, the highway is the only one. We're planning on jeeping again this year:)

Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Keith:D I guess I've been going at this planning exercise for too long and too hard - I simply forgot to check that great resource. Pancho Tours is, in fact, the second most popular tour company listed on Trip Advisor and I booked their free walking tour!

Has anyone taken this free tour of Cadiz? We'd appreciate any thoughts.

So, the Marriott MIA Airport Parking at 1201 NW LeJeune Rd, Miami, FL 33126 for only $112 for 14 days is a bad idea?

Our Adriatic Sea cruise begins with a flight from JFK. We will be driving down from Toronto, Ontario and want to leave our car at the airport. Can anyone give me information on the parking options at JFK? Thanks.

We did the Prague extension with Viking in mid-April, 2015. We loved Prague.

 

We were housed in the Hilton Prague on Probezni St. The neighborhood was fine (and not particularly noisy) and we could walk from the hotel to Old Town without any problems. We did a lot of walking. We used the half-day tour included with the package to get us up to the Castle District. When the tour left to do the Old Town portion of the tour, we stayed behind and spent the whole day exploring the Castle environs (including the Lobkowicz Palace--don't bother with the Viking tour; you can do it on your own for much less). We took a taxi home. The next day we walked from the hotel to the Jewish Quarter and the Old Town and then as far as the Mucha Museum before walking back to the hotel.

 

The bus trip from Prague to Budapest took 7 hours and included two stops--a pit stop and a lunch stop (cost not included in the package). Door to door service certainly beat the cab-to-station-get-tickets-find-the-right-train/bus-long-ride-worry-about-lunch-worry-about-luggage-find-another-cab routine.

 

Breakfast was not in a large banquet room. It is in this dedicated dining room off the main lobby. It is a breakfast buffet with plenty of hot and cold choices (including an omelet bar).

 

Did you have a problem with the taxi driver? A number of people on cc have said that street taxis can be iffy.

Thanks - Patti

Does anyone know the name of the tour company used by Island Marketing in Cozumel. We are looking at the Volkswagen Bug Island Tour. Thanks in advance:D

We will be in Belize, Roatan and Cozumel on the Carnival Glory in March of this year. I found a site, Island Marketing, that offers various tours for very reasonable prices. Has anyone used them? Comments?

You might contact Jim Archer (very highly rated on TripAdvisor) who does private tours. You could see if he is available and what the cost would be.

 

http://www.archertours.co.nz

Thanks for the information Scrapnana. We have decided to tour with Milestones on their Auckland Discovery. We especially liked that they pick us at the pier, drop us off and the airport and store our luggage for the day:D

We just found out that after our Australia/New Zealand cruise aboard the Celebrity Solstice we will have a full day in Auckland (February 8/15) prior to our flight home:D. Does anyone know of any Auckland tours which pick you up at the pier, drop you at the airport and take care of your luggage (besides the ship's overpriced excursions)?

Of course, 'best cruise' is very subjective, but ours is, without a doubt, POA's Hawaiian cruise, The sail by of the lava flow off the Big Island into the ocean (ship stops, lights off, prayer and songs to Pele by Hawaiian ambassador), the sail by of the Napali coast (think Lost, Jurassic Park) with whale and dolphin sitings, the beaches, the music - nothing less than spectacular.

DH and I have cruised POA in February a few times and loved it. I just checked Vacations to Go and was very surprised at the price hike (we did it February of this year for $1200 and change). At any rate, it is worth whatever the cost.

The over-nighter in Maui allows you to see the sunset on Haleakala Crater and drive the road to Hana. The whale watching with the Pacific Whale Foundation is fantastic and there are opportunities to do a luau and enjoy some of the world's best snorkeling.

Hilo and Kona on the Big Island are both great with lots of access to the active volcano, both by car/bus or helicopter. During the evening sail from Hilo to Kona, POA passes the spot where the lava is flowing into the sea. The ship actually stops, the lights are turned off and a Hawaiian ambassador sings and prays to Pele - quite the sight!

The over-nighter in Kauai allows for exploration of the canyons and waterways on both sides of this exquisite garden island. The ship's sail by of the Napali Coast (think Lost, Jurassic Park) is breathtaking and there are usually whale and dolphin sightings.

A pre/post cruise few days in Waikiki Beach is a must, so you can experience Dole's Pineapple Plantation, the North Shore (Banzai Pipeline), snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and visiting the other fabulous beaches of Oahu.

As to the ship itself, we did not notice any great difference with any other cruise ships we've been on. The accommodations, food and service was very acceptable.

Thanks for all your responses. We did try a second time and could not re-use our joint e-mail, so I just opened my own and voila - I have a visa:D

While in Wellington, DH and I plan to do the Wellington Walk (am) which ends at the Te Papa Museum around noon. Then, we plan to make the 35 minute walk to Mount Victoria Lookout for some spectacular views.

In the likely event that we're pretty worn out, is there a shuttle or bus that would take us back to the railway station/port area? If not, are there taxis readily available at the bottom of Mt. Victoria?

This morning my DH applied for and received his ETA Australian Visa. However, when I applied for mine, I was refused because our shared e-mail address had already been used in DH's application. Has anyone else run into this problem? Did you have to get your own e-mail address?

Thanks for the quick answer Kiwi Kruzer. DH and I plan to walk The Mall to the mountain, climb the mountain, then hit the pool at the bottom. I'm just a bit confused about the pricing - not sure what a Concession Fee would be for.

Thanks for your 'out of the box' idea Condocat!

Does anyone know the entry fee into the pools and what that entry fee includes?

Thanks for sharing, Steve. As a near Tewbie, I enjoyed the guide to tube etiquette very much - that wonderful dry British wit again.:D .