princeton123211

No shuttle. Uber/Lyft is the fastest way to get there. Not nearly enough cabs come to the somewhat out of the way cruise terminal so the ride share apps are a big help. There are other public transport options as noted above. Technically you could walk it but there are far more interesting places to walk in Boston and it will take some time to do so.

Most ships tender at Newport. You'll come ashore at Perrotti Park which is walking distance to most things on the harborfront.

This isn't particularly helpful. Baltimore Camden station is a regional rail station that no one except those utilizing the local MARC system would use. Penn Station is by far the easier station for anyone coming from DC or further south (or North) to utilize via Amtrak.

Keep in mind that these responses are the most "efficient" way to get back. Some of the fun of Bermuda is wandering around and finding things that are fun to experience. For example you could take a taxi from St George/Tobacco Bay for a stop at the Swizzle Inn and then another taxi into Hamilton (or stop somewhere else nice on the way like a drink at the Rosewood). These are a few of our favorite things but the point is the quickest might not be the most fun-- find some things in between that look like fun to you and take your time getting back if you don't have a ship to catch that night.

You would want to go into Baltimore Penn Station which is the one in the city-- its the closest to the cruise port. BWI is a bit further away and you will spend more in ground transportation not to mention time. There is not a great reason to go to BWI in this case unless you intend on flying one of the legs. This will obviously depend on where you stay but personally I would stay at a hotel in downtown Baltimore in one of the tourist areas for the night (the Inner Harbor or Fells Point are good options with some fun dining options within walking distance). Fare for an UberXL (an SUV option that will seat 4 people and luggage) from Penn Station to a hotel downtown is right around $12 total-- incredibly reasonable. The same UberXL suv from a downtown hotel to the cruise port is about $20 and again, will accommodate all of your party. I would not stay near Penn Station-- its not an area with a ton of things within walking distance to eat and frankly it borders some more dangerous neighborhoods that are in a moment of transition. Both the Inner Harbor and Fells Point offer a number of options from five star to budget hotels. There are a significant amount of Marriott properties of all sorts so it could also be a good reason to use points to save money.

It used to be more common than it is today. The QE2 used to carry border agents on transatlantic trips and you would go collect your passports from them the last couple days of the trip by ordered appointment. Was very civilized and the ship would then dock as a domestic arrival-- sort of how you can preclear Immigration in Shannon Airport before flying to the US. Also keep in mind that agencies like CBP are stretched thin like a lot of things so I wouldn't necessarily expect this to happen. They would need to embark at one of your last Canadian ports. Boston is a regular terminus for international cruises so the systems are in place at least to hopefully make it a quick process.

And that I agree with-- what was originally said was on board credit, not one specifically that needed to be used on a shore excursion. For a general OBC I would much rather spend the $7 cash and then spend the $32 I didn't spend on a bottle of wine or apply it to a spa treatment instead of burn it on the excursion.

And even then there are much better values to use it on than this particular one.

I'm just sort of curious why someone with about 5-6 usable hours on a port stop in Newport would want to spend 3 hours of it taking a public bus round trip to Providence?

Correct-- active duty or retired service members only can stay/utilize Hale Koa. There are some other limited exceptions for DoD employees etc. Official list here: https://www.halekoa.com/about-hale-koa-hotel/eligibility

I'd walk around, grab breakfast, go for a stroll on the Cliff Walk, and take a tour or two of the mansions on Bellevue. You could do The Breakers and Marble House in a couple hours if you kept moving.

If you love sea days the West Coast/Vancouver departures have them in spades. Frankly I think Princess/RC and certainly Celebrity are of a higher quality overall than POA. The POA product is slightly different from even the standard issues NCL product and frankly I'm really not a huge fan of the ship-- its decor is pretty garish in places. It's also reportedly been having staffing shortages that are even greater than most other cruise ships because its flagging requires it to carry an American crew. It's resulted in areas and features of the ship being closed. Having said all that, if you haven't been to Hawaii since you were a child and your child and husband haven't been at all, consider a land based vacation there. You'll spend a ton more time on the islands and be able to do a lot more than if you cruise. Like I said, if the purpose is to get a bunch of sea days then go for it, but it will come at the expense of a lot of additional time you could be spending in Hawaii itself.

I believe thats correct-- too many people confuse the two that its just easier to say that you'll undergo formalities at the first port of entry. But a Customs declaration, if necessary, would be made upon final disembarkation.

At the first point of entry to Canada.

It's possible but I still think things will open up as you get within a few months of departure. I would make mental notes of excursions being offered this season and hopefully something similar will be on offer next year.

Typically there will be tours added as you get closer-- you are a bit further out and not even in the same "season" as you will be cruising. Meaning vendors come and go year to year and there is no sense booking a tour with groups this season that could presumably not be there when you cruise in 2023. You could. But it's also most likely that those companies are not booking individuals on tours that far out and are only taking bookings for groups that are fully accounted for and less of a hassle. This is generally speaking but those independent companies will most likely open bookings up for individuals in a couple months before you get there. Call one of them and ask for a date in the next few weeks and see if the answer is different. Things have changed dramatically since you last cruised-- expect things to not be exactly as you remember them. Ships are understaffed and sailing partly empty. Restaurants, cultural attractions, and tour companies are suffering from the same lack of manpower and are adjusting to what sort of commitments they are making in advance and reducing their overall offerings to cope.

The fastest option is going to be an Uber or setting up a prearranged car service. You'll most likely incur a wait in line for a traditional taxi and shuttles/shared transportation is inefficient if speed is the goal. Ubers/Lyft are very quick to both of Seattle's cruise piers.

I feel like this is a bit of an exaggeration unless you were significantly physically impaired. It is about 50 feet (maybe less) up what is a pretty moderate incline. Frankly that's one of my favorite spots in Hamilton. When we've cruised there on a ship that actually docks in Hamilton its sort of fun to time the last drink right up to the call time and then scurry down Front St to board just in time.

Like I said above, Halekulani and their House Without A Key is wonderful. The Royal Hawaiian has sort of a hybrid buffet-- most things are from a walk up buffet and then you have the option to order an entree that is served to you. Regardless-- any of the above suggestions, nothing is fancy or formal and would be highly appropriate and comfortable for kids. Even the "fanciest" places in Hawaii are incredibly laid back by most standards and anything along the beach in Waikiki fits the profile of a family friendly resort.

I would second House Without A Key-- its a wonderful place.

You most likely have a little bit less time overall than you think but let's assume you have 3 hours. The luggage is really the biggest hindrance here-- you don't really have enough time to go to the airport early, come back to Waikiki, and then head back to the airport. Personally I would pick a nice hotel along the beach and make a reservation for breakfast or brunch. The hotel will store your luggage for you and then you can walk along the beach after. Ones that come to mind for this would be Royal Hawaiian, Halekulani, or Moana Surfrider. All of them put out a nice breakfast. I would just make a reservation ahead of time as it will give some legitimacy to you asking the bell desk to store the bags when you arrive.

Doesn't exist on Bermuda in the format that you are used to in most cities. The best way to do a tour is through a blue flag taxi-- they are licensed drivers that are specially trained to give tours. There are also public busses, but they are purely for transportation and don't provide tours.

Also Barking Crab on the way into the city from the cruise terminal.

They are but their standards are much higher than Dial7 or Carmel which typically utilize second hand, older black cars. Blacklane utilizes providers with newer cars that you would expect to get from a top tier provider like Savoya, EmpireCLS, Carey etc. But again, they are more expensive.

Maui is very easy to do on your own. There are taxis and Ubers and your overnight stay allows you to explore a lot more than you would on a day long port visit. The Hana Road isn't for everyone but its a great way to see how diverse Maui is. It will take most of the day so that is the main thing to consider. If you do it I highly recommend renting your own car and not doing a tour-- this will allow you to stop places and break up the drive. There is a great app called Gypsy Guide that essentially is your mile by mile tour guide. On one of the other days just go to the beach-- would highly recommend Kaanapali as it has a ton of facilities, restaurants, and bars and the beach is quite nice. Again, you really don't need a tour guide for Honolulu, especially Pearl Harbor. It's very easy to do on your own and a very short Uber ride from your hotel. Just make sure to book your tickets to the USS Arizona ahead of time as walk up tickets are not always available. Honolulu, like any bustling medium sized city, is easy to get around and don't make the mistake of renting a car there unless you plan on driving outside of town. Parking in the city is very expensive and the roads are very congested. I'm a big fan of an aerial tour of the island of Molokai-- the cliffs are spectacular. This can be done from Maui. I'm much more of a fan of fixed wing aircraft from a safety standpoint but there are plenty of helicopter options there. Also the helo tours of Kauai are spectacular. It's not a must but first time visitors enjoy the luaus. Some are better than others-- some are more authentic than others. There are a ton of options in Maui-- that could be a good way to use your night of the overnight (although there are some great dining options in Lahaina). There are also a bunch of options in Honolulu so might be a good chance to catch one while you're at the Hilton. Fire dancing is not native to Hawaii so if you want to see that make sure you go to a luau that has more of a "South Pacific" theme to it and not one that is more authentically Hawaiian. Drums of the Pacific in Maui is a good example of one of these.