IronRobi

My wife and I got married 3 years ago. Her passport is good for another 4 years and is under her maiden name. When travelling we still book everything under her maiden name because that is what's on her passport. We could pay to renew her passport early under her married name, but why bother?

Happy to hear you were able to get the flight changed. I was nervous for you reading through the first page.

I've only sailed out of NY once. LGA was a traffic nightmare with the construction. Took about an hour to go from the airport to our hotel in Long Island City which is about 5 miles away. Most of that time was just pulling out from the airport. From the hotel to the cruise terminal the next day was about an hour and 20 minutes and is still only about a 5 mile trip.

From there it was probably the smoothest check-in process we've ever done. Took about 5 minutes in line for security, we walked right up to the counter with no lineup to check in and get our cards, and then walked right onto the ship. We were maybe 15 minutes from pulling up to the terminal to being on board.

23 hours ago, fshagan said:

 

There was a post here some months ago where the passenger was upset that they "tossed their room" when they reported a bed bug they had "captured" in their room. I wish I could find it now because there was a picture of said "bed bug" they captured and some said it was not a bed bug but some other critter. But, the thing that impressed me was the way NCL "tossed the room" trying to find any evidence of an infestation. Maybe someone with better search skills than I can find it so you can comment on it.

"tossing the room" is a good way to explain it. Mattress and box spring need to come up, the bed frame needs to be inspected, headboards, end tables, paintings, electrical sockets, closets, drawers, etc.. etc.. all need to be checked. They're a crack and crevice bug, so they won't hide out in the open. They're going to be in tight dark hard to see areas. Even a thorough visual inspection may not find an active infestation depending on where they're hiding. We often use k9 scent detection units or dna testing, but that's likely not available while at sea. 

It's really a shame to hear that a cabin steward could be reprimanded for missing bed bugs. Even a highly trained pest control technician can miss them with only a visual inspection.

As someone who works in the pest control industry and deals with bed bugs on an everyday basis, it always surprises me that we don't read of more issues on cruise ships. As with any hotel, a cruise ship is just as high risk for a bed bug infestation. I always perform a thorough inspection before bringing my luggage into the rooms.

Contrary to what's been posted earlier in this thread, a doctor can NOT diagnose a bed bug bite. They will be able to confirm that it is an insect bite, and possibly speculate that insect may be a bed bug, but they will not be able to tell you with all certainty. If they do, you need to find a new doctor.

Bed bugs can be tough to find, you're more likely to find signs of them through droppings or skin casings.

On 2/8/2019 at 11:11 PM, newbiecruiser25 said:

Does Norwegian Gem offer biodegradable straws for drinks or do we have to bring our own?

Was on the Gem in Nov and when I asked for straws with frozen drinks was told there were no straws on board.

I've recently seen people posting about paper straws, but still planning on bringing our own.

Hi, we sailed the GA 9/9/18 for the first time and my wife and I did not notice any cigarette smell anywhere other than the casino. We’ve never smoked in our lives, but the smell of tobacco does not bother us. At. All. Enjoy.

Edit to clarify: We never tolerate the smell of tobacco when sitting on our balcony.

Been on the Getaway twice and have the same experience as you. Outside of the casino didn't really notice the smell at all. In the casino it was definitely noticeable, but not like some of the other ships I've been on where you feel like you can barely breathe when you go near the casino because the smoke is so bad.

Not thrilled with the menu. Not very creative and down right cheap.

Grilled Cheese

Hot dogs

Hamburgers

 

I miss the ORINGINAL O'Sheehans menu

I can't agree with you more on this one

Assuming this is the hotel located at 17 West 32nd St. , it is now known as The Hotel @ Fifth Ave. Apparently it's no longer affiliated with La Quinta.

 

I would call to verify your reservation.

 

I know this isn't a situation of comparable magnitude, but after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico many people found out that the hotel chains aren't very good at notifying their customers when their hotels won't be honoring reservations. In some cases hotels that were closed for repairs not only failed to notify those with reservations of the closures, they continued to take new reservations they couldn't possibly honor. This went on for months...long after the hotel chains should have been able to get their acts together. The only way to find out the true status of reservations was to call the hotel directly, not the hotel chain's central reservations 800 number. Of course this wasn't exactly easy to do given the massive damage to electrical grid and communications systems.

 

In any event, the point of the long-winded paragraph above is to recommend calling the hotel directly.

The reservations are all in the process of being cancelled by their customer service dept in order of arrival date. So sometime between now and November I should be getting an email confirming the cancellation.

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Has the La Quinta in Manhattan closed down? I booked my rooms there and now it's no longer listed on their website and google lists it as "closed".

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What hotels are you looking at in Long Island city for Nov 14? The BW is showing at $153 plus tax. The La Quinta is $180 plus tax. This would be pennywise and pound foolish. You have to pay for transportation to the hotel and then from the hotel to the port in Manhattan plus the subway cost just to get into Manhattan. By the way, you never did say what you want to see in the city. That can affect your choices as well.

I understand completely what you're saying on LaQuinta Manhattan vs BW Long Island City. And if it came down to having to pay, LaQuinta would be for sure at the top of the list. But being outside of Manhattan, the BW is a lower cost than the ones in Manhattan, which also means it requires less points to book. I can actually book both the night before and the night after the cruise with the points I have right now. So my cost at BW Long Island City is $0.

Now for the BW that's 2 or 3 streets over from LaQuinta, I'm about 30,000 points away which is probably 12-15 nights to gather. I don't know if I'll end up having the points for that property. So for staying right in Manhattan I would likely book LaQuinta. But I'm looking at $180/night vs $0/night.

Long Island City is one or two subway stops from Manhattan. Very easy, I work there every day on Vernon Blvd and wife works a subway stop away at Queens Plaza so let me know any questions.

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Are there any transfers required or is it just hop on and hop off after a couple stops?

And as far as what we want to see, TBH we haven't even started to discuss yet. I know already my wife will want to go to Macy's. Time's square. I'd like to do the One wtc observatory but I don't know if I can handle the elevator lol.

Long Island City appears to have quite a few options that are nice hotels at a decent value. How difficult is it to get into the city from here?

I'm also seeing a BW property in North Bergen, NJ build in 2017 that appears close and offers a shuttle service to the city for $12 round trip. It also appears to be reasonably close to the pier according to google maps. Any advantages/disadvantages of staying over on this side?

EDIT: It appears getting from LGA to North Bergen can be a hassle because of the crossing of state lines?

I can’t recommend that property in Corona in good conscience. It gets dark around 5:00 pm in November and I don’t know if tourists would be safe after dark coming home.

This is exactly the feedback I needed to hear.

LaQuinta looks decent for the price. There's a BW a few streets over on 36th as well that I can likely book on points.

I'll take a closer look on Long Island as well. So many "areas" to NYC it's challenging to keep them all straight.

Don't get hung up on staying at a BW in Manhattan. mking8288 is right on the money about the LaQuinta. $180 plus tax = $210. This is a great deal and comes with free breakfast and free internet in a great Manhattan location near Herald Square (Macy's), the Empire State and multiple subway line access right at 32nd & 6th. I stayed there in Jan and would stay there again.

 

You have limited time in NYC. Don't waste it trying to figure out how to take a bus plus perhaps multiple subways to get yourself between a LGA hotel and Manhattan. There's not enough of a price difference between the La Quinta and the BW at LGA to justify staying in Queens.

I'm not specifically married to BW's, but where I travel regularly for work I stay mostly at BW's. While right at this second I don't have enough points available or my travel schedule set between now and November, I'm assuming between now and then I'll have gathered enough points to switch my reservation over to points to cover the costs. So this is why I'm leaning their direction.

What’s the exact address of the one that says LaG?

 

 

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112-26 Roosevelt Avenue

Corona, New York 11368

Where are you looking? I went to the official Best Western website and the price is $339 USD for nov 14. Plus an ad pops up if you book today 10% off. This is the property on East 49 Street in Manhattan. Very close to ship and walkable distance to many tourist sites. If you’re considering a non Manhattan property please ask here first. Some are in sketchy areas while others are not close to public transportation

 

 

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The official BW website does offer much better pricing than all the popular travel sites. They have the same property at $479. Makes me wonder if I'd find the same searching all the hotel chains individually.

But at the same time I still look at that vs BW LGA that the official site has at $139. It's a significant difference in price. If I'm able to hop on a public bus or subway and head to the tourist sites that way, is it worth the price difference to stay closer?

This will be our first time in NYC. Booked on an 11 night from Nov 15 - 26th with NCL.

Our flights are booked through points coming into LGA through Toronto on the 14th and arriving around noon. Our flight out is on the 27th at around 1pm.

I've spent the past hour reading various hotel threads, and the majority recommend staying in and around the cruise terminal. Checking pricing on the various hotels I see recommended here on the 14th, they all seem to be around $500-600/night, I'm assuming likely because of the proximity to Thanksgiving.

I'm considering grabbing a hotel near LGA since the pricing is much more reasonable (~$200/night), but would still like to do some sight-seeing. Which attractions specifically we haven't decided yet. Are there any hotels in this area that are recommended more than others or any that I should specifically avoid? I often stay at Best Westerns.

Is there an easy way into the city when staying out by the airport?

How much time should I allow in the morning to make it to the port and what would be the best method to use?

I've seen the same banner advertising the 20% off for a few months. I assume the discount is just built into the pricing compared to ship price instead of offering an additional 20% off the listed price.

My last Carnival cruise the flat iron steak in the MDR was barely edible. Tough and flavorless. I ended up ordering the $20 up-charge Striploin every night we ate in the MDR for the remainder of the cruise. I wish they had the rib steak as an option in the MDR but I can say the Striploin was very good. It often came out at different times than the rest of the table because it came from a different kitchen. And once I did have to send it back because it was medium not rare.

My next Carnival cruise is coming up and I'm already approaching it knowing I'll be spending another $140 on meals.

So dumb question, but how far away from the IMAX is "far enough" so it isn't noisy? I would love for people who have stayed maybe 8 cabins down to weigh in with how the noise was. We aren't looking into booking Horizon and there are some cabins maybe 6-8 down from the IMAX.

When are you sailing? I'm booked 7 cabins down on the May 5th sailing

This pretty much describes my one and only disembarkation experience with Carnival to date. This was on the Dream in Nov 2015. Didn't get off the ship until around 10am

How strict are they on the 12oz policy? I'd like to bring on board some energy drinks like Rockstars or Monsters which are 16oz cans

Here is the breakout for 2 people booking through these crooks

Down payment = 17.98

Receipt shows down payment plus balance due of $70.00

Belize excursion charge to my Cc 110.97

I apologize for rounding to 130.00

Shore Excursioneer are crooks and the good thing about all this, I have proof of the charges and it's only a little more than a week this happened.

A chunk of this was probably the upcharge by the credit card company for the foreign exchange conversion. I highly doubt the credit card machines used by these tour companies bill in various local currencies, and depending on your credit card and their fees it can easily add an additional 3-5%.

But all of that is a beef with the local excursion company and your credit card. I've used shoreexcuresioneers numerous times and never had a single issue. At the end of the day, all they are is a 3rd party booking agency. They partner with well established local companies that treat their customers right. They don't actually lead any of the excursions themselves.

I hadn't realized these were available to book so I just checked pricing for our upcoming Nov cruise cause they sound great.

Private Canopy Pool - $431.87

Luxury Beach Villa - $756.57

I think I'll pass on these

The same for my TA!!!

A Google search of "Princess Canada 150 Exclusive Offer (February 14, 2017 – March 6, 2017)" does bring up a link to the princess travel agent portal and it's listed there. I'm going to send her the link lol

Let us know what she says!!!

She's got no info on this promo either. Does anybody have a fare/rate code for this promo?