princeton123211

2 hours ago, lidodeck03 said:

That is interesting! I checked out there website and they only take reservations 21 days in advance, and you are correct...no tables available for any of the 21 days.

It's gotten ridiculous- they say 21 days in advance but maybe 5 tables get put out then and are snapped up in six seconds. If you don't know anyone there or know a top concierge at a top hotel it's a futile effort. I always didn't say anything about 4 Charles but wanted to at least qualify what I was saying about the others. It's sort of like the Polo Bar-- its more about who you know. 

50 minutes ago, lidodeck03 said:

Thank you so much for all the great information. Just curious if you have any opinion of Old Homestead Steakhouse?

Touristy. They all are a little touristy but Old Homestead is a bit more than others and its a long trip downtown if you are staying in Midtown. Locals will go to Keens, Bobby Vans, Sparks (although I think Sparks has gone way downhill). 

The best steakhouse in NYC right now, by a longshot, is 4 Charles Prime Rib but a reservation there is basically impossible unless you know someone well placed there. 

17 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

The only pro for where you plan to go is that they take credit cards.

The other pro is that you can also easily call a taxi to weird places if you are a bit off the beaten path. We'll always try and find a taxi rank at a hotel or in town but sometimes we head to places where taxis are less frequent or nonexistant and Hitch is very useful for that. As well as what you say- peace of mind. 

11 minutes ago, wildcats40 said:

It sounds like there are buses that go there but might need to get them from St. George or Hamilton.

There are busses and ferries-- if going to Hamilton or St Georges the ferries are the way to go. Busses are slower and eat up a lot more time. 

Taxis are of course more expensive but they save a lot of time and can be very useful with limited time on the island. 

24 minutes ago, lidodeck03 said:

Best Steakhouse

Keen's Steakhouse is my fave and a New York classic. 

5 hours ago, Scottdalfonso said:

really?? I always assumed it was cheaper because you aren't dealing with the surge pricing.

Nope-- it's usually heavily inflated to attract a driver ahead of time. And then they inevitably cancel last minute and you end up with the same person you would have if you just hit the button in real time and you are still paying more than you would have otherwise. 

32 minutes ago, barbarapga said:

We have been trying to learn about pre pricing.

Do not prebook Uber- it is always much more expensive than just calling for the car when you need it. Sometimes it can be over 50% more expensive. 

30 minutes ago, steveknj said:

Anyone have experience taking ride share to the port?  Is it pretty hassle free?

Just as hassle free as anyone else dropping you off there. No restrictions-- they just pull up and you hop out and hand over your bags. 

31 minutes ago, steveknj said:

Is there an easy pickup spot for our return trip?  I've sailed out of the NYC terminal and we usually take the bus to PA and a cab from there to the port, the return trip to PA is a major hassle, where you have to go across the street from the port and there's no line or rhyme or reason to for getting a taxi.

Its way easier than Manhattan given that you are in your own little industrial area unlike being in the middle of a major city. I just walk a bit down towards where the parking garage is and usually find them there. 

I would ride share especially if you think it will save some money. 

1 minute ago, chefchick said:

Excellent point.  Taking the “late night” aspect into account, you could do far worse than a meal at the classic 13 Coins.

For me it was more about the morning-- I'm not going to head down to the pier until noonish. Wake up in a nice place, nice breakfast, walk around the grounds a bit. Also keep in mind that 13 Coins is only open til 2am on Friday and Saturday-- otherwise closes at 11pm. 

21 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Thanks Charles, just what I needed to know. Much appreciated! 

There are ways around it (not with Blue Flag tours) but you can hire the taxi through an app like Hitch (which is basically local Bermudian Uber). You pay by credit card in the app (nothing exchanged directly with the driver) although there is a premium built into the taxi fare. It's very good when you're going places that taxis will not be lined up around or if you just don't want to carry that much cash. 

5 hours ago, SaranM said:

Kajului

Its Kahului. 

5 hours ago, SaranM said:

Thinking of doing the Hawaii Volcanoes Park or the Mauna Kea summit in Hilo. For Kajului either the Hana Road bus tour or the Haleakala Crater. Would Mauna Kea and Haleakala Crater be similar, maybe views from Mauna Kea are very weather dependent? Any feedback appreciated!

If you were going to do a volcano on one island then I would highly recommend the Hana Road on Maui. Either that or take a day and go to one of Maui's amazing beaches. 

3 hours ago, Glaciers said:

They didn't give a reason although I believe this is the only Seattle round trip this year and then the Grand heads to Vancouver for the summer. Might only be available for ships spending the summer in Seattle.

I'm sure its a training and procedure thing and it's just not worth going through all of it for the one time the ship can participate. Keep in mind this is not a service provided by Princess but by the Port of Seattle. 

56 minutes ago, getaway101 said:

Where do you pick up an Uber at the airport?   And how do you know what size vehicle will arrive?  Have never booked an Uber or Lyft before.

You can choose the size and quality of the car on the app and they are available at different prices. For example UberX are standard cars that are best compared to taxis. UberXL are the same thing but an SUV that can seat more people and luggage. 

UberBlack are at a black car level comparable to a limo service and cost more. 

Uber at SEA is on an upper level of the parking garage in a specified space. When your car pulls into the area the app will tell you what parking spot they are in and you go meet your driver. Very easy. 

9 hours ago, Halehuaka_i said:

There are bars and restaurants on Maui that operate later, but do your research before you land.

Not much later-- most of the locals places in Lahaina that were truly open late burned. I don't think most folks get how early things close in general in Hawaii with the exception of Honolulu. 

13 minutes ago, Andoria said:

Good point. My father can always pick us up outside of Boston. 

Uber doesn't pick up directly at the pier-- you need to walk a bit so that sounds like it wouldn't work. The traditional taxi queue thats at the pier can have a very long wait sometimes. The car service will be more expensive than either of those options but it will take the guess work out of it for you and your mom. 

1 hour ago, odis said:

Flight arrives at 11:00 p.m. the night before our cruise leaves Seattle port. Is it better to stay near the airport that night or go downtown closer to the port? We would have to Uber to downtown one way or the other so does it really make any difference?  Suggestions welcome. 

Your stay at the airport will most likely be less expensive than downtown. I would look at a place by SeaTac called Cedarbrook Lodge-- it defies all expectations of an airport hotel and would be a very pleasant place to be for a leisurely morning before ubering down to the pier downtown. 

2 hours ago, Andoria said:

What are our options for easy pick up?  My father will not be able to walk to meet us.

If you need to be sure I would just arrange a car service. 

14 hours ago, lovecruzin said:

Sedan or car service, not Uber!

Carmel and Dial7 are all the same driver/car pool as UberBlack. Literally the same. I wouldn't rule Uber out if it were less expensive than the other options because you are receiving the same service. 

1 hour ago, Nike4000 said:

For our Fall cruise, we're staying a couple of nights in Manhattan both before and after. Pre-cruise the hotel is about $600 a night, post-cruise it's over $900 a night for the same room category. We booked both stays back in January and I can't even imagine how much it would cost now.

Which one is it if you don't mind me asking? At that $900 a night range it's quite possible you could jump up a category for the same amount of money if you can find a deal. While some of NYC's top hotels like the St Regis, both Ritz's, Mandarin Oriental, Carlyle, etc regularly go for $1200-1500 a night every once and a while you can find something in the $900s. 

1 hour ago, shiner6 said:

Very helpful! thank you! Yes, I did use the advance feature 

The advance booking feature is horrible-- it's always universally almost 2x what you will usually pay just hitting the button for the car when you need it. 

1 hour ago, EllieinNJ said:

If I book directly with Old Town Trolley it is about $40pp cheaper than Princess, $80 for two.  I was looking at a video on youtube and saw OTT buses right near the ship which I presume were for Princess guests.  Then when you walk outside the port I saw long lines to purchase tickets.  If I purchase my ticket before on line, can I skip the long lines at the OTT booth and board directly?

If you are able to walk easily you can cover most everything the buses do and in more depth by just following the Freedom Train and it's obviously free. The Hoho busses never made sense to me in Boston given how small and walkable the city is. 

On 4/12/2025 at 11:53 AM, shiner6 said:

I just did a price check on Uber and it was over $100 from Sea-Tac to the hotel  for 2 people on a Saturday. Is this the usual fare?

Typically no-- I usually pay $55-70 from SeaTac to downtown but usually not at a busy time for an UberX. When you priced that out were you using the book in advance feature? That will usually price out WAY higher than you will pay if you just request the car when you get there. 

A Saturday should not be peak pricing. I would plan on Uber being less and then pivot to a flat rate cab if for some reason it is high. Also always check Lyft as well-- sometimes they try and undercut each other at random times and you can benefit by it. 

18 hours ago, Oceans 818 said:

For us that is the earliest train. We'll probably go up the day before and spend the night. 

Most likely for the best. Even if the train got me in at 10am I would be comfortable with that but 12:45 (assuming it's on time) would be way too close. 

9 hours ago, aunteemom said:

Is $300-400 unreasonable for NYC?

12 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The dates that you'll be in NYC will have high hotel demand due to Fashion Week wrapping up on the 16th and the UN General Assembly meeting that takes place during most of September. Hotel prices will likely be high as a result.

Agree with horseman-- New York, in the areas that you would want to stay based on what you said, is never inexpensive, but this time of year will be more expensive than usual. Baseline decent hotels in Midtown are going to be more like $500+. 

If you have hotel or credit card points this would be a very, very good time to use them and you are far enough out right now that you might see some decent availability. 

3 hours ago, cary1306 said:

ty as there is 11:40am or 12:30 and of course price higher difference between both

Personally I would feel ok about 11:40. Budgeting an hour between the cruise port and airport is correct to do but the reality is it's more like 40 minutes when you get going if there isn't any traffic. 

For the 11:40 I would make sure to self disembark first thing and carry off my luggage and just jump in an Uber. For the 12:30 you can do a traditional disembarkation or even use cruise ship transport if you wanted to.