MJSailors

@bubba83 Regarding hotels nearby the cruise terminal. The terminal is on the West side of Manhattan.between 46th and 54thStreets. There is a Holiday Inn Express on West 48th St. within walking distance of the pier. We have stayed there. The rooms are small and the breakfast area can be busy with pre cruise guests. There is also a hotel ,Ink, in the area. At least it was before Covid. When looking for a hotel,consider keeping your search on the West side, 46th- 54th Streets. Of course you could stay further away as the hotels that ninjacat123 indicated in the link in their post, but that would have to include a cab,Uber or Lyft ride to the pier. Greg- Not being a Debbie Downer, but being realistic. On the NYC local news yesterday evening, a subway passenger was stabbed at a very busy station near Rockefeller Center yesterday during the day. I will reiterate to you and any first time visitors to the City. Be aware,be careful,be safe. MJ🙋🏻

To the OP- Covid has effectively changed so much from the way it used to be. Why would a cruise vacation be exempt from the effects of it ? As others have posted,lower your expectations if you plan to take a cruise or move on to another type of vacation. MJ🙋🏻

Norris- Thank you for the info about the Lake District. There is a gentleman from England,Graham, that posts on the RCCL board. He often takes short trips to the Lake District as it is not very far from where he lives. His photos of the area are lovely and have caught my interest. Will you be reporting about the Beatles tour? I see that you mention Ringo’s home in Dingle. Is that the Dingle in Ireland ? My paternal grandmother’s family by the name of Griffin emigrated to New York from the Dingle area. Wishng you and Carol good days ! MJ🙋🏻

Dani- Wishing you,your hubby and your family a most enjoyable stay in Cyprus. Looking forward to any photos that you can post as I am not too familiar with that country. Cheers! MJ🙋🏻

@51st FMSAs I was reading some of the responses posted here questioning your choice of CCL and ship, I thought those posts were unnecessary. You have already booked the cruise and planning a vacation for twelve family members is certainly not easy. The suggestion that I have is if you cannot be accommodated with a table for twelve,you may consider two tables of six next to each other.There may be more availability of two tables and it may be more comfortable for your family as you can talk with each other if there is a smaller group apt each table.. Family members could change table places each night on a rotating basis so you get to visit with all of your family that way. I hope you enjoy celebrating your special anniversary. Sharing the vacation with each other is more important than what ship you have chosen. Bon Voyage and cheers! MJ🙋🏻

@baelorVery detailed review. Just curious- did you keep notes while on this cruise to refer to when writing this review? So far, only day 2 has been posted with so much information. Looking forward to the continuation of your vacation recap. MJ🙋🏻

Happy 41st anniversary,Pauline and Graham! So young in your photos with happy smiles that remain today . Hoping you enjoy your day and the celebration tomorrow. 💐🥂💝⭐️🎉 Cheers! MJ🙋🏻

Greg- You have a good idea to visit NYC for a few days before the cruise to Bermuda. I am a native New Yorker, born and raised in the great borough of Queens. From a young age, I went into the City to shop,see plays,go to museums and go to restaurants. First, with my parents,then friends and my hubby. I worked for a time in Midtown,commuting on the Subway from Queens. I have an extreme fondness for NYC, but I am very disappointed in what has happened to the City over the past five or so years. If you are not aware of what I am referring to,perhaps you can do a little research on news web sites. Always good to have an understanding of what is going on in a place that you are visiting for the first time. Because of Covid and the present state of the City,my hubby have not been there since the Fall of 2019. I am not mentioning this to you to dissuade you from enjoying your trip, but. I am encouraging you to be very cautious as you move about the City. You mentioned that you plan to use the Subway for transportation. That may be a way to get around during busy times of the day,but I would be cautious in taking it during the wee hours of the morning. I would consider using cabs ,Uber or Lyft and budget accordingly When walking on the streets, walk with confidence. As my Dad would always remind me- walk like you belong there. On a positive note, I have stayed at The Warwick a few times. You have a very good rate for that lovely hotel. It has retained some of the glamour of NYC from bygone days. The bar there is very attractive with dark paneling and low lighting -at least it was the last time we were there. The hotel is located more Midtown than Times Square,although the theaters are in easy walking distance. In the opposite direction is Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue and then Lexington Ave. You will find some good restaurants in that area. There are - or used to be -pizza places and luncheonettes in that area also. Please do not eat at any chain restaurants such as Olive Garden or TGI Friday’s ! Go to authentic NYC restaurants. As far as going to a Mets game at Citi Field, the E or the F train changing to the #7 train is the way to go,particularly in the daytime. The #7 train was always a League of Nations in the ridership. You will not be the only Met fan on the train though! As others have posted, sailing from the NYC cruise terminal is a wonderful experience. We have done this many times on Cunard and NCL. We have also left from the Brooklyn terminal on Princess and have left from Bayonne,NJ on Celebrity.We have never tired from the experience. Usually, the ships will back away from the NYC pier,moving down the Hudson River with the Statue of Liberty being on the starboard (right) side. We always stay on deck or on our balcony until we have passed under the Verrazano Bridge on the way out to sea. I wish you a pleasant stay in NYC. Be safe ! MJ🙋🏻

Checking in here this afternoon and realizing that some of you are faced with medical challenges as we begin another week. Good wishes to Lenny, baby Finnely and her mom and Andrew’s mom. Hoping the days ahead are filled with improved health for all. @h20skibumMy heartfelt thoughts go to you,your wife and daughter ,her husband and children during this time where medical decisions will need to be made for her best care. It is apparent from the way that you have taken care of your grandchildren,especially your grandson from California, that you are generous and caring parents and grandparents. You will do all in your power to support your daughter and her family. I am sending positive thoughts and prayers to all of you for continued strength and love on this journey. MJ🙋🏻

Norris- Those infinity balconies seem to be intricate to me. I much prefer to slide open the door and sit down on the balcony for fresh air and a pleasant view. What if I don’t agree with the Captain closing the balcony from the bridge and I want my balcony open ?! I may be asked to walk the plank!!! As to not making any cruise bookings,you would have to chat with my dear hubby. He has been very cautious since the debacle started in Spring 2020. Perhaps a note from you may convince him that we need to take a cruise ? Actually, I am mentioning to him a British Isles cruise with Princess to celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2023. He has wanted to visit Ireland for awhile and we ain’t getting any younger ! He did not immediately say no,so there’s that. i am going to do some research and present a plan to him soon. I would like to visit Liverpool as I was/am a Beatles fan from long ago. I also would like to see Guernsey and Cobh ( not necessarily Blarney Castle though) . I have also thought about flying from NYC to Manchester in hopes of visiting the English Lake District before the cruise. Thinking about how I can make this happen. Our next trip is to Florida for three weeks this October ,using a friend’s condo and staying a few days at a very pleasant resort in Jensen Beach. We did something similar last March and that trip was a success. Hoping to build confidence with another successful trip so that a BI cruise may happen.🤞 MJ🙋🏻

@aussielozzie18 My hubby enjoys watching the pelicans when we are in Florida. Do you know the poem about pelicans ? A wonderful bird is the pelican His bill will hold more than his belly can He can take in his beak Food enough for a week But I’m damned f I see how the helican. This poem is attributed to Ogden Nash,but,apparently, it appeared in a Tennessee newspaper,written by its’ editor, Dixon Lanire Merritt- in 1910- according to an internet source. Thank you for sharing the photos of beautiful places in Australia. It is always a treat to see them posted ! MJ🙋🏻

Norris-I had to chuckle when I read your plan to take care of the toss pillows on the bed! Good idea! I have read some reviews of the Apex and it seems that some issues on the Edge have been corrected.ie: shade on the Sunset Bar area. Totally agree about the Infinite Balconies. We always like a balcony to enjoy room service breakfast, look up at the night sky or watch the world go by. Something that I don’t get about the Infinite Balcony being an open window. Passengers are frequently reminded to close balcony doors so that cabin AC is not compromised. Wondering how that works when the Infinite Balcony windows are open. Good that you found a true balcony that you can enjoy. Take care, MJ🙋🏻 Who is still hoping for a cruise vacation.

Looking forward to your review in June. Besides the interesting ports that you will visit, I will be interested in both Carol’s and your views of the Apex. We have sailed on the Summit three times to Bermuda and I have been reading about the new Edge class ships which seem to be very different from the Summit.I am not sure if they would be our cup of tea as I am not a fan of the Kelly Hoppen designs. But,on a port intensive journey, the ship is not the main attraction. It is a means of comfortable transport. Wishing you and Carol good health and good days until your June adventure ! MJ🙋🏻

Hello Norris Good to see that you and Carol have returned from Germany. I assume that you enjoyed the Wagner festival and all that you had planned. Will you be writing about your holiday in Germany? Regarding the upcoming cruise on Apex. Interesting that you will be going to Iceland. Good friends of ours went to Iceland in Feb.2020 with their two children. They loved Iceland ! They were so impressed by the people and the way of life there. They plan a return trip to Iceland this coming February. Wishing you and Carol good days ! MJ🙋🏻

Lenny- My Godson and his family live in Princeton,NJ. You are right, it is a lovely place. Andrew- Good news that Owen is healed and has returned to playing sports. Wishing him a good school year. Mimi- Bon Voyage to you and your hubby.🚢 To all on Dani’s thread who are traveling in the next few days- wishing you safe and enjoyable vacations. Happy Wednesday everyone ! MJ🙋🏻

@A&L_Ont Andrew - the photo of the lighthouse is from “my neck of the woods”. Orient Point is about thirty miles east of our home. The lighthouse is BugLight. It was vandalized by fire many years ago,but a replica was built and installed in 1990. It helps sailors navigate a sandbar between Orient Harbor and Gardiner’s Bay.There are very strong currents there also. At one time, people could stay overnight at the lighthouse. It was a romantic honeymoon destination,but the logistics of such a stay caused that accommodation to be discontinued. @bobmaclibertyBlock Island is a lovely place to explore. To get there from Long Island’s East End,two ferries are needed. One from Orient Point to New London CT where there is a ferry to Block Island. I think access to BI may be simpler from Rhode Island. Perhaps OB can confirm this. Plum Island is government property. For years, apparently,laboratory work for animal diseases was conducted there. Access to the island has been ,and most likely remains so limited.Nelson De Mille’s novel depicted the East End and Plum Island fairly well,although a bit dramatized (MHO). When we read Plum Island, my hubby and I were trying to figure out the real local people DeMille characterized. For us, it made the book interesting .😉 @dani negreanuYour grandsons are very cute ! I am sure they are enjoying their stay with grandma and grandpa. Wishing them many good days as they begin the new school year. MJ🙋🏻

Very,very adorable !

When our sixteen year old grand niece was visiting from Hawaii,we decided on pizza one night for dinner. We have two very good pizza places nearby. She insisted on frozen DiGiorno (sp?) from the grocery store. She was pleased we served that for dinner- us not so much. Just sayin’🙄 MJ🙋🏻

@scottraveller If prunes/ prune juice are a part of your daily diet,I can suggest two things. You could bring a package of dried prunes onboard. Or, I have seen a pack of small cans of prune juice . There may be four cans to a pack. Sunkist is the brand that I am familiar with ,but I don’t know if these products are available where you live. MJ🙋🏻

Graham- Lovely photos of the Lake District! I am getting more and more convinced that I would like to explore the area. Giving thought to the possibility of visiting in 2023 as part of a British Isles Cruise holiday. Always good to have a dream! Regards to you and Pauline- MJ🙋🏻

@Ozark_Kid Finnely is beautiful ! Many blessings for that baby girl !l💝 MJ🙋🏻

@Ozark_Kid Finnely is a good size baby! Glad to hear she has joined her family. Hoping baby and Mama are resting comfortably ! MJ🙋🏻

Graham- Was your dessert Sticky Toffee Pudding? I had that dessert at the Waterlot Inn in Bermuda- yummmy! It is not featured here in restaurants- unfortunately ! MJ🙋🏻

Lenny- We used to go to an ice cream parlor/ luncheonette in Sag Harbor village. It was called the Paradise. Could that be where your granddaughter went for ice cream? The establishment is smart to hold prices,if they can swing it financially ,as they would draw customers with those prices. By the way, I wish your granddaughter many good days as she begins her college years. Mimi- Thank you for the update of your friend,Ginny. It seems that she is regaining her spirit. Hoping good days continue for her. Marietta-Your post about your granddaughter being pleased about the carousel brought me a smile! It will be worth thecruise fare x 2 to see the look on their faces when they first see the ship,especially inside. Does the ship have a Promenade? I am assuming so because of the carousel. If so,that will be quite a sight for them to take in! MJ🙋🏻

@LionesssSue - wishing you and hubby a very happy anniversary ! Celebrating 31 years with a cruise vacation is wonderful! Cheers!🥂 MJ🙋🏻