Just returned from MAJESTY & DAWN---YOU GOT QUESTIONS-WE HAVE ANSWERS!

[bragstarr]

Does anyone know if they have the Presidents' Dinner on the Dawn that I keep reading about on other ship threads? Sounds phenominal, even better than lobster!

Explorer of the Seas (Western Caribbean) 12/7/02
Serenade of the Seas (Canada) 9/25/03
Majesty of the Seas (Bahamas) 2/16/04
Norwegian Dawn (Bahamas) 2/20/05

Until we sail the Dawn!
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=006400&cdt=2005;2;20;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[buzzandjulie]

How did you find the beaches and hotels in Bermuda-I have been online trying to decide if next June we want to cruise to Bermuda or fly ( our 25th and spent honeymoon there) and of course pricing is not available for June 05 but seems like alot of the hotels on south Hampton side are still not up and running is it still showing signs of hurricane Fabian arond the island

[debjo]

[B]For bragstarr (Robin)...[/B]
Well, it has now been three weeks since we began our MAJESTY cruise and just over six since our embarkation on the DAWN...seems like I should be getting ready for another trip! Sadly, we're stuck on land and at home until Spring 2005. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif[/img]

Part of the fun of going on a cruise is the anticipation and the advance research and planning, but don't get so involved in your February cruise that you don't take time to enjoy your trip to Maine! We love traveling through the New England states to visit our relatives. There are so many interesting places to see if you get off the main highways.

I'm glad that some of the information that I've gleaned from numerous sources will enable you to have a more enjoyable time on the DAWN. Sounds like you have two great trips to look forward to...be sure to have an enormous amount of fun with both!

[B]AND ON TO YOUR SECOND QUESTION...[/B]
Regarding PRESIDENT'S DINNER on the DAWN, it was Wednesday on our cruise after our day in Miami. Sadly, my husband and I had our "anniversary" dinner scheduled in Le Bistro for that evening, so we couldn't partake of the President's cuisine. The menu selections are the favorites of our past presidents and first ladies (although there is one appetizer attributed to Lady Diana). Apparently one of the main chef's for Norwegian Cruise lines, who prepared this menu, is a former White House chef. The friends that were traveling with us on this cruise said that the President's Dinner was great and it was interesting to see how their "tastes" fell in line with the presidents and first ladies favorites.

We discovered on our MAJESTY cruise that the menus were quite similar (if not the same) as on our DAWN cruise. The MAJESTY had a President's Dinner night, as well. My particular favorites were President Reagan's Gruyere Cheese Crepes Fondue for an appetizer, Lady Bird Johnson's Beef Consomme with White House Garden Vegetables, President Johnson's Grilled Butterflied Tenderloin of Beef for my entree, and President Reagan's Floating Islands with Cointreau Sauce. Guess I've got republican tastes even though I'm a registered "independent"!

Apart from the presidental notations on the menu, I was surprised they didn't have any other "presidental" festivities. One thing I missed on both the DAWN and the MAJESTY that we've seen on other cruises was the "parade of waiters" on the themed dining nights. I surmised that it is something that is too difficult to do with NCL's "freestyle" dining program with everyone eating at different times. The cruises this year were our first experiences with "freestyle" type dining.

One thing you'll experience on the DAWN, that we won't be able to is sailing from NYC in the winter. What a odd sensation it may be to see snow and ice on the decks of a cruise ship one day and a couple days later be basking in the warm sun of Florida!

Debjo

[img]http://www.cruisemates.com/animated/Boatwht.gif[/img]
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;4;25;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]  Until the NORWEGIAN DAWN 2004 (Can't Hardly Wait But Still Wishing I Was Going On The NORWAY Instead!)

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2004;5;23;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] NORWEGIAN MAJESTY 2004 Bermuda Bound Again!

QE2-Bermuda 2003
PACIFIC PRINCESS-Bermuda 2002
REGAL EMPRESS-New England/Canada 2001

[debjo]

[B]For DivaG...[/B]
I'm always happy to "share" my (probably previously plagiarized) ideas with anyone and glad that I could add some comedy to your day, although my husband thinks I'm much to serious a person!

Is this to be your first cruise? We booked our first cruise as a "tester" prior to our 25th anniversary. We weren't sure that we'd like cruising and wanted to "test the waters", so to speak, before we actually took the plunge and spent the "big bucks" for our 25th anniversary. As you've guessed it, we were hooked immediately and vowed to ourselves that we'd take a cruise vacation every year, especially since we'd not taken any vacations in our 25 years of marriage except to visit my husband's family in New England. Now every time we "need" to spend "big" money on something, we ask ourselves if it is really necessary -or- should we save the money for next year's cruise. Our U.S. dollars now translate into "cruise" dollars!

We've even solved the "sadness" problem with disembarkation from a cruise...just make sure you have next year's cruise booked a year or more in advance...that way you can get off the ship knowing that you have another cruise to look forward to! I guess we are hopelessly addicted! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] WARNING...there is no known cure for cruise addiction! Only the supportive and theraputic treatment of another cruise!

By the way, I'm completely understanding of the desire to have our husbands plan a trip, but the impossibility of allowing them to do that...besides, we'd miss out on all the research fun!

Debjo [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[img]http://www.cruisemates.com/animated/Boatwht.gif[/img]
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;4;25;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]  Until the NORWEGIAN DAWN 2004 (Can't Hardly Wait But Still Wishing I Was Going On The NORWAY Instead!)

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2004;5;23;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] NORWEGIAN MAJESTY 2004 Bermuda Bound Again!

QE2-Bermuda 2003
PACIFIC PRINCESS-Bermuda 2002
REGAL EMPRESS-New England/Canada 2001

[debjo]

[B]For buzzandjulie...[/B]
Try this site [url="http://www.bermuda.com"]http://www.bermuda.com[/url] . I've linked to a vast amount if information from there.

We've found that it is far less expensive to "cruise" to Bermuda as the ship is your hotel and place to eat. Pricing of hotel rooms and restaurant dining is quite expensive by comparison...adding airline fares to that really makes the per diem rate of a cruise quite affordable!

Having just returned from Bermuda on the MAJESTY, and being there last year prior to Hurrican Fabian, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the Bermudians have recovered as much as they have and as quickly as they have. The only "real" signs of damage that we witnessed was in the beautiful trees and gardens. There are some buildings that remain derelict and there was signs along the waterfront of damage to the docking area, but all in all, we still found Bermuda to be a paradise.

Good luck with your plans.

Debjo [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

[img]http://www.cruisemates.com/animated/Boatwht.gif[/img]
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;4;25;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]  Until the NORWEGIAN DAWN 2004 (Can't Hardly Wait But Still Wishing I Was Going On The NORWAY Instead!)

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2004;5;23;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] NORWEGIAN MAJESTY 2004 Bermuda Bound Again!

QE2-Bermuda 2003
PACIFIC PRINCESS-Bermuda 2002
REGAL EMPRESS-New England/Canada 2001

[debjo]

For mikenpat (Patti)...
Not too many more days before your MAJESTY cruise...I'll bet your excitement is building. Hope you have figured out these new message boards by now. Things have been pretty quiet lately...guess everyone is getting acclimated to the new system (I know I have...miss everyone's avatars). I hope by bumping this thread to the top again it will revive more lively questions and answers regarding the MAJESTY & the DAWN. We haven't been home a month from our cruise and it seems like an eternity!

Debjo

[bragstarr]

Debjo, Thank you as always for your informative posts. You really should be a travel writer. You'll be pleased to know, I finally got my act together and am now furiously organizing for my trip to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, with a stop off going home in Portsmouth, NH (staying in a B & B for the first time ever, always wanted to do that). Of course, the boards being down for a couple of days helped me get focused! I just wonder how much of the Dawn information you are giving me will still be in effect in February '05--hopefully all my planning will not be wasted!

I'm looking forward to cruising out of NY in the winter--should be an interesting experience. My husband and son are thrilled, since they hate to fly, I'm just praying the seas are not rough. We sailed out of NY last September to Canada and that was a wonderful experience (especially since I left my house on a 10:35 train from LI and was in my cabin at 12:10 pm!). I've heard it can be wild--cauldrons of fire warming up the decks with the die hards standing outside while another party goes on in Spinnaker Lounge. There are some pictures out there on the internet from a Dawn Cruise which left during a snowstorm, with people building snowmen on the decks and all of the staff all bundled up in parkas. Should at least be worth some good photo opportunities, although maybe I'll get lucky and it will be a 50 degree February day :D !

[debjo]

Glad to hear that you are getting excited about your New England trip as well as your DAWN cruise. My husband's family lives in Rochester, NH and we've visited Portsmouth many times. The historical recreation at Strawberry Banks is top-notch!

I just read on another "board" that the three main shows (Andrew Lloyd Webber Tribute, South Beach Rave, and Bollywood) will probably remain the same until about 2007, although the stage professionals may change periodically. Apparently so much goes into the staging of these productions, it would be difficult to have new ones each year, so they have a 4-5 year run. In any case, we thought they were phenomenal the first time and will look forward to seeing them again on our DAWN cruise next April. I also think that much of the DAWN experiences will remain the same, especially since it is such a new ship. Just keep "researching" on these boards...anything new and exciting should pop up! Don't ever worry about any of your planning being wasted. The friends that sometimes cruise with us, tease me about my "research"...they insist that I know the color of the bed linens before we get on the ship! :D (By the way...they are white.)

Thanks for your encouragement to become a travel writer. If I knew how to get that ball rolling, it might be an interesting endeavor. We've been joking about how we could work more cruises into our vacation time...that might just be the ticket (no pun intended!)

I saw some internet pictures of the snowmen on the DAWN this past spring during my research time...quite a sight! Our upstate NY winters are a cross to bear...I can't imagine trying to leave our horses in the care of another so we could partake of a cruise to warmer climates. I'd worry too much about whether the water in the barn froze or if the driveway drifted over too much creating an impass. And then there is the chance that the plane wouldn't be allowed to leave the airport because of a blizzard! :eek: Although the thought of sitting on a balcony, watching the sea go by during the month of February can be a bit enticing! You are so fortunate to live so close to the DAWN's departure point! I hope you get one of those 50 degree or more February thaws for your trip, although it would be interesting to make "snow-angels" out on deck! Either way, you are going to have a marvelous time!

I'm beginning to wonder if I'll be too bored this winter, as I sit contemplating our DAWN cruise next April, watching the snow pile up past the window sill. With less research needed, perhaps I'll have time to catch up printing the digital pictures that I've taken on our cruises from the last three years! ((As I sit now, at the computer, my husband is working on his recent cruise pictures. He mounts them on cards to put in a stereo-viewer, so we can see our memories in 3-D. It is almost like being there!)) After having sailed on the DAWN, I won't have the thirst to "research" every detail like I do with a new cruise line or ship. One thing I do know...I may be able to "relax" a bit on our next cruise and won't have the insatiable desire to "want to do" everything that can possibly be done or "see" everything that can be seen. Experiencing a "repeat" cruise may just teach me to relax and enjoy the moment I'm in! ;)

By the way, if you "find" your lost posts...give me a hint as to where I can look for mine!

Debjo

[bragstarr]

Debjo,

Where upstate are you? I know some areas fairly well; just curious. Yes, it is a pleasure being able to travel so readily to the Port of NY. On top of it all, my husband works for the Long Island Railroad, so we don't even have to PAY to take the train into Manhattan; all it costs us is a 10 buck cab ride to the port! Of course, now Royal Caribbean messed things up by moving their port to Bayonne, NJ. I'll just have to plan my next trip in the Queen Mary II!

Actually, the very reason I ended up taking our overnight pit stop in Portsmouth was Strawbery Banke (which, according to their website, it the proper spelling--odd, huh?). I love historical recreations, have been many times to Old Bethpage Village here on LI, Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, and will eventually manage to make it to Colonial Williamsburg, which is what we were going to do this summer originally, but decided on Maine since it would be way too hot in Virginia in July to enjoy touring.

Let us know if you ever get those Dawn pictures posted!

Robin

[debjo]

For Bragstarr (Robin)...
Don't hold you breath on the DAWN (or MAJESTY) pictures...between the two cruises I took over 1000 pictures! :eek: I got a CD burner installed in my computer last November and this is the first opportunity I've had to "play" with getting ALL my pictures onto a CD for easy viewing on the computer screen. Needless to say, the "burner" program only allows for "documents" to be transferred, but for an additional fee and download from the internet, I can (probably) do pictures?!?!? I thought I might be able to do something through my HP digital camera and/or printer programs, but haven't figured that out yet.

In short...if there are some particular views of the DAWN that you would like to see, I could probably find them on my memory card and email them to you...posting pictures to the internet will take awhile. What cabin category are you booked in. I have MANY pictures of our BA cabin including some details.

We are right smack in the middle of the state...near Syracuse. Thanks for the "correction" in spelling...odd name & odd spelling...quite "Old English"! Haven't heard of Old Bethpage Village. We should add that to our list! I've been to Sturbridge & Williamsburg as a child. My husband and I plan (someday) to check them out through our "adult" eyes. Here in NYS, we have Genesee Country Village and Erie Canal Village. Just over the Canadian border is Upper Canada Village. Can you tell we love history!

The QM2 is on our list...but that will have to wait for a couple years. It was fantastic seeing her when we departed on the DAWN in April. We thought the QE2 was enormous last year (and the DAWN isn't far behind in size), but when we had the opportunity of seeing the QE2 and the QM2 side by side in NY we were astonished to now see the QE2 looking like the QM2's baby. The QM2 dwarfed everything and that is hard to do in NYC! I think that the QM2 will probably be the only ship we ever book an inexpensive inside cabin on, as the fares are so expensive. At least the QM2's inside cabin sizes are quite commodious at 197 sq.ft.! Far larger than our mid-range cabin on the MAJESTY, which was 108 sq.ft.

Well, here's to our next cruises on the DAWN...they seem so far away!

Debjo :cool:

[pathubia]

Hey Debjo, (or any other Bermuda cruisers)

Did you notice what NCL was charging for the "Hawkins Island Dont Stop the Carnival" Party? To book it on our own it is $85. I will have a bus pass anyways, I was just wondering how much more it is to book through the ship. I think the NCL provides transportation if you book with them.

Patty

[Newcruiser00]

pathubia,
I was wondering myself how the Hawkins Island Carnival excursion is. Can't seem to find many reviews on it. I did call the NCL excursion department and they told me that you can only sign up on board and it cost $95 for an adult and they do provide the transportation.

We will also be buying the 3 day bus passes and that would be okay to get to Hamilton. But I'm not sure what time we'll be returning and if the buses will still be running. And if we take a cab back it might end up costing the same anyways.

So, we're still undecided on what to do. I wish someone who recently returned had more information on this excursion. If you find out any new information, please post it!

Have a great cruise!

[debjo]

[B]For pathubia & Newcruiser00...[/B]
For our MAJESTY cruise at the end of April, we booked all our shore excursions ahead of time over the phone with NCL. At that time, the HAWKINS ISLAND CARNIVAL excursion was not one of the choices available. Sorry, but I do not know if it was offered once we were on the ship. Good luck in getting more information...I did a "search" on this forum and found "CaribBeanTown's" response, which I'm sure you've both seen.
Debjo

[bragstarr]

Debjo,

Alas, we are merely in an inside cabin on deck 8 (which I hear from these boards are more squared off than the regular inside cabins and seem a bit roomier). Because we are doing this Presidents' week, and taking our son, it's one of the highest priced weeks around (since the entire NYC area is off school) and financially was the only way we could do it (probably could have done a balcony for hubby and me for far less money on an "off" week!). It should be interesting with 3 of us in 147 square feet, but I figure hubby and I made do in 119 square feet last February on Majesty, and we managed, really did not spend too much time in the cabin. I'm "saving" my next balcony cabin experience for when I cruise Alaska, we had one on our first cruise to Western Caribbean, and then when we went on Serenade, the inside guarantee gods graced us with a inside handicapped and you could have played hopscotch in there, there was so much floor space! In any event, I doubt you have an inside cabin photo, I've seen plenty on the net although not a deck 8 one, and I'll have to be surprised.

We've been somewhat around your area lately, looking at colleges, and my son will most probably be ending up upstate someplace--right now Rensselaer Polytech in Troy and Binghamton are at the top of the list. What do you have, about a 6 hour ride to the port from your neck of the woods?

Robin

[debjo]

[B]For Bragstarr (Robin)...[/B]
Well, we're just going to have to pray that you'll be blessed with a fantastic upgrade to get you out of that inside cabin. We were on deck 10 (as you probably have already read), and I think that on our departure day, I did manage to get a couple pictures of an inside cabin on that deck as we left. From my understanding...the balcony cabins (midship) on decks 8,9,10 are virtually the same, so I might conclude that the inside ones would be similar as well. If you like, I'll try to "find" those inside cabin shots for you. I did notice, in the inside cabin that I photographed, that the bathroom was not divided into the "three" section affair that we had and that many people remark about and love. That inside cabin bath area was only "two" sections.

Even if you remain in the cabin you booked, I'm sure you'll be fine. I found that the cabins on the DAWN are the best laid-out cabins of any ship we've been on. The designers have utilized all the room (especially the bath area) most effeciently.

You are probably correct in the six hour drive time from here to NYC...I would probably plan on a bit more to allow for traffic. Since "air" time is only about 45 minutes on JET BLUE, we have always flown into the "city" from Syracuse. For the one-way ticket cost of $44, you can't beat the price. It would cost us more in gasoline to drive that distance!

Debjo

[pathubia]

Debjo, Thanks again for the info.

Newcruiser, thanks for the $$ info. I still dont know if we will do the ship's excursion or not. There will be 6 of us... I dont know if we will fit in a taxi, I will check to see how late the Bermuda busses run. (i have a feeling that some of us may be pretty tipsy on the trip back to the ship :eek: )

Patty

[basketballmom]

Not all oceanview staterooms are 107 sq. ft. We are staying in a cat. CC and it is 145 sq. ft. Check with your TA or call NCL. They will tell you the cabin size for the room you are booking.

Debjo is right....the BBQ on the Majesty was one of the best BBQ's I've ever had. The ribs were awesome!

[basketballmom]

There are some interior staterooms that are 147 sq. ft. The difference in price for the superior vs regular oceanview wasn't that different for our cruise. Check around for the best bargains.

Debjo is right about the BBQ....It was one of the best I ever had. The ribs were soooo good.

The pool in front of Topsiders is smaller than the main pool and it is supposed to be adults only. On nice days at sea, they are usually having volleyball tournaments in the pool.

[debjo]

Just bumping this one back up to the top, as I'm sure there are some future DAWN & MAJESTY cruisers out there that might have some questions or need some detailed information, which I'm happy to answer or share information with you. It is hard to believe I've been home just over one month from our MAJESTY cruise and I've nearly a year to wait until our next one. Time has flown in one aspect and is just creeping along in the other!

Debjo

[bragstarr]

Debjo,

Just "found" your post again. If you happen to have an inside cabin photo from deck 8, let me know, I'd love to see it, but I think you said you have them from Deck 10. Look on a floor plan of the ship and you'll see the mid-ship deck 8 insides are more square. I have heard from this board that they are configured slightly differently; instead of walking down that narrow useless entryway with the closet on one side and the bathroom on the other, you walk more right into the center of the room so although the cabin has the same square footage, you have more "useable" floor space.

No chance in you-know-where of an upgrade on this one--although there are plenty of cabins, I'm quite sure this Presidents' week sailing will end up a sellout, since most of LI and NYC is off school that week:(

Yes, I love JetBlue also!! 20 minutes to JFK from my house, great flights to Florida and my brother in LA. Now I hear they are also going to be going in and out of LaGuardia.

Robin

[dorothyl]

Just decided to fly instead of drive.How far is it from JFK to the terminal and how much $ will it cost?

[bragstarr]

Dorothy,

On a good day, and I mean NO traffic, I'd say the NY Pier is about 45 minutes from JFK (once you get out of the maze of the airport, and believe me, as someone who has picked people up there numerous times, it's a MAZE!:eek: ). If you are sailing Dawn, and it is a Sunday, that might be reasonable time to expect. On a weekday with traffic it would take a lot more time. What time does your flight arrive?

I just checked the NY Port Authority website. It's [url="http://www.panynj.gov"]www.panynj.gov[/url]. Go to airport information and getting to and from the airport. It seems like it is a $45 flat fee from JFK to the Pier, but I think coming back you go by the meter. Play around on there and you'll get more information.

Robin

[mikenpat]

Hi Debjo,
Very sweet of you to remember me. Thank you. I am still trying to get used to this new set-up on this site. Can't believe it! One month from tomorrow! I will try to take your advice and get hubby to book another cruise upon our return. Welll, back to surfing but thanks again. You're the best!

[debjo]

[B]For dorothyl...[/B]
Ditto on [B]bragstarr's[/B] (Robin's) comments. We always fly into NYC via JET BLUE the day before our cruise departure and treat ourselves to a bit of the "Big Apple" before we set sail...that way we don't have to worry about flight delays and getting to the ship before it sails away. We also like to be among the first people on the ship...the cruise starts when you board, not when you set sail!

I usually allow 45 minutes from the time our flight is scheduled to arrive at JFK to the time we get our taxi. This gives us time to exit the plane, get to the bathrooms, collect our luggage, etc. Once you get your luggage, you'll leave the building via a doorway very near the JET BLUE baggage area. Just outside the building there is a ground transportaiton dispatcher who'll take your destination requests and get your taxi. We've always tipped the dispatcher...sometimes they take it, but this year he claimed that he wasn't allowed to accept tips. We've always found it easier and quicker to get a taxi over taking the "super shuttle". The "super shuttle" is less expensive, but travels to every destination of all of it's passengers, so depending on where your destination falls in the drive, you might be a couple hours getting to Manhattan. The taxi from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan is now a flat rate of $45.00 for one to five people. Four or five people and their luggage may put you into a "van" taxi or two separate "car" taxiis. We ran into this problem traveling with 4 or 5 adults. Fortunately we got a "van" taxi that fit all five of us and our luggage for the flat rate this past trip!

The trip into Manhatten (in our case to our hotel) can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on the day, time of day, and traffic. Make note that you are also responsible for paying any bridge or tunnel tolls in addition to the flat rate of $45. Our cruise took place before the NYC taxi rate increase on May 3rd, so our flat rate was only $35 then + $4.00 bridge toll + $7.00 tip to the taxi driver.

Again, Robin is correct...the "return" trip to JFK after your cruise has ended is a "metered" fare with the taxi. Unfortunately, the "DAWN" does NOT have a ship to JFK transfer available. We were dismayed at first and not looking forward to having to hail our own taxi at the pier with all of our luggage in tow along with all of the other passengers disembarking at the same time. We were blessed to find some "dispatchers" on the sidewalk getting taxiis for you, although not quite as efficiently as at JFK. We only had to wait a few minutes for "van" taxi to accomodate the five of us. I was equally surprised to learn that we didn't have to pay an exhorbitant fare being "on the meter" from the pier to JFK. We paid $35.00 + $4.00 toll + $7.00 tip to get into the "city", and paid $42.20 + $4.00 toll + $9.80 tip to leave the "city". Remember this was for five adults...not bad when you split it five ways! I've never had any complaints about the NYC taxi drivers!

Hope this helps with your planning.

Debjo

[debjo]

[B]For bragstarr (Robin)...[/B]
Sadly, my only "inside" cabin pictures are from those on Deck 10. I see what you mean by the "turned around" layout of the Deck 8 inside cabins. They may, in fact, have a better layout. Hopefully, you'll get someone on these boards that has stayed in one of those cabins and can give you a better idea of what to expect before you leave next February. Thanks for clueing me into JET BLUE's expansion to LaGuardia. I just pulled up their "cities" map and was delighted to find they are flying to even more locations!
Debjo (keeping the cruise alive!)