princeton123211

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.

It's not really a thing in Bermuda like it is in the Caribbean or Mexico. I believe Coco Reef is the only one of note that does it. Pretty much all other resorts on the island are militant about reserving those facilities for guests only.

Totally agree-- was just about to write that Blacklane is a premium product in this lineup and is priced that way. Dial 7 and Carmel (which are basically indistinguishable from each other) are third party car service aggregators. As long as you keep that in mind, and your expectations are that it will be relatively safe and reliable transportation, you'll be fine. If you expect a new car, well polished driver, etc-- book with something like Blacklane.

In all likelihood you should be ok if you are going to self disembark with a carry on first thing. Its about a 15-20 min ride to Long Beach Airport. I mean the worst thing that happens is you run late and you just switch the flight to the 6pm.

It really depends on what ports you are going to. Anywhere along the Atlantic Coast will have good lobster options. In Boston Neptune Oyster in the North End has a fantastic lobster roll-- would say its one of the best I've ever had. James Hook & Co on the waterfront does a great traditional cooked whole lobster by the pound. Outside of Halifax, The Shore Club near Hubbards does a pretty solid lobster dinner and there is usually live music-- timing might not line up if you have a normal port call without a later departure. Some others might have a recommendation in Halifax proper-- haven't had a lobster dinner there before. I wouldn't wait until you are in the St Lawrence in Quebec though-- the fresh stuff will be on the Atlantic coast.

I'm assuming you mean 12:25pm and 5:45pm? 0545, meaning AM, would obviously not work. Are you arriving into San Pedro or Long Beach? Long Beach will take you a little bit longer. Either port on a Sunday you should be fine for the 12:25pm flight-- shouldn't take you more then 45 minutes to get to the airport.

No, Ubers are pretty prevalent and quick in San Francisco even at that early hour. We took an UberX a few weeks ago not far from Fisherman's Wharf to SFO for about $50 at 6:30am. Took about 5 minutes for the car to get to us. UberBlack was about $90. Check Lyft at the same time-- sometimes it will be a little less or faster than Uber-- this time for us it wasn't. You can also schedule a car through Blacklane ahead of time-- its a black car so will be more expensive than Uber but its scheduled ahead like a car service.

Most likely not in Midtown. The majority of pharmacies that still provide testing in NYC require that it be drive up-- so you would have to rent a car to do it. Just do the telehealth test-- they are relatively inexpensive and can be done in your hotel.

This you wouldn't need to use a cruise tour for-- you can easily do it yourself. Downtown Portland is right as you get off the ship-- lots of shops, restaurants, and bars to walk around and see. Fort Williams and Portland Head Light are about a $20 Uber each way. My guess is the $40 in Ubers would be less than what the cruise line is charging even for one person. This is more involved and you would need to rent a car to do independently, at least the going to Kennebunkport. Having someone else drive and not having to worry about getting back to the ship on time would most likely be a benefit. Frankly, having been to both places, I would just do the first option independently and take your time rather than cram in Kennebunkport.

We use Blacklane on occasion out of Philly for black cars to Baltimore. Very reliable and the cars/drivers are top notch. You just download the app and book in advance.

Seconded.