BDevilCruiser

Maryland already has approval to start design on a new Bay Bridge crossing. One article from 2022 indicated that they would raise the clearance 50 feet. So I would expect design of the new Key Bridge to consider what height is optimal. I doubt that they’ll be able to use all of the approach spans so a steeper approach is possible (they are ~50 years old and a reasonable decision would be to replace them as well; one to accommodate a new design and two to accommodate 50 years of design/safety improvements.). This bridge is going to cost ~$3-5 billion (or more) it would be foolish to build it “as it was” and not make improvements. ’ the new Key Bridge no doubt will be completed first, so a higher bridge won’t be of help immediately, but will be eventually.

I believe Maryland DOT has a bridge removal company dismantling the old Nice Bridge, which carried US 301 over the Potomac at the MD/VA border. While it’s mostly a standard span bridge, it does/did have a steel truss section (nowhere near as large/long) so they may have equipment there that could be repurposed for this emergency relatively quickly. (Seems you have resources that can check on this possibility.)

I haven't been able to change any of the "pull-down" options, such as number of guests and stateroom type for a couple of days. I haven't tried to actually book a cruise, but am able to get to the passenger info page correctly (for me, 1 guest and balcony.) Glad (sort of!) that I'm not alone here about this.

I’m sailing from Vancouver to Whittier on Princess in May. I had the choice of a transfer to either the airport or downtown Anchorage. Cost is $59.

I'm pulling up suggested travel times now, at 7:30PM on a Friday, supposedly after rush hour, not that rush hour ever ends in NYC. You would be arriving in the morning, leaving the ship in the AM rush hour, or slightly after. Certainly a Saturday or Sunday would be better. The cruise terminal is in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UzDsjCPxJhx6ZKGFA (since you posted in the Princess group, I'm assuming you're sailing with them. They almost always use Brooklyn instead of mid-town Manhattan.) Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) is 18-22 miles away: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XwEkU3pqGyrL3tuV6 43 minutes on the best route (through Staten Island, which is 22 miles. It's 55 minutes on the shortest route.) LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is 13 miles away: https://maps.app.goo.gl/L8tvme5BdwspE7Pm6 35 minutes. JFK Airport is 18-24 miles, depending on the freeway chosen to travel: https://maps.app.goo.gl/H6go24sSQ9DeNJfP8 Current best travel time is 40 minutes for the 24 mile route (55 minutes for the 18 mile one) Public transportation is in the 1.5+ hour range, partly because the terminal is not very close to any subway station. When I last sailed out of Red Hook, it was a Saturday dis-embarkment, and I was fairly lucky with traffic once I got to the Interstate (heading south through Staten Island, which would be the likely route to Newark.) I would check Uber/Lyft, and definitely transfers offered by Princess, for pricing (you can do a "dummy" trip check on Uber or Lyft. NYC Taxis are also available, but not sure how to check costs. Those would be more likely to be stable, rather than demand-pricing on Uber/Lyft. And private car services, such as the one linked in the post above, are viable as well. I also wouldn't reserve a flight until the afternoon, because there's no assurance that traffic will behave. (Note, I was born about two miles from Red Hook, although I no longer live in the area.)

It's not just Celebrity or Royal these days. I just did a check on the Sun Princess for the Caribbean for Fall/Winter 2024/25, and I'm finding solo prices from about 260% to over 300%.

I was on the Regal in April 2023. I did not find any water bottle filling stations. I filled my bottle in the buffet, using a buffet glass to get ice and water. (I thought i had explored the entire ship, but might have missed one, perhaps in the gym?)

When I first sailed with Celebrity in 2019 (after cancelling an Alaskan cruise due to mono - they'd probably be fine with mono now as long as it wasn't coupled with COVID 😉 ) I thought the Summit was comparable to what I remembered of Princess from 2007. Similar in style, amenities and food. I think the availability of food at all hours is better on Princess, and as I mentioned before, I enjoyed the food on Regal more than my other recent cruises (NCL, RCCL, and X. I thought RCCL was the worst of the four. Although to be clear, I didn't starve!) The Edge class ships are a level above, but I now think that was due to 1-it was newer and 2-it was only about 1/3 full. I will want to sail on the newer Princess ships (Sun and soon the Star) to see what amenities have been added. Unfortunately, as a (now retired) solo cruiser, I'm typicallly sailing in steerage, and the Edge (and just about all new ships) have created exclusive areas for higher paying customers that block out areas, and in particular the front of the ship. I liked sitting in the lounge on Summit (Sky Lounge, I think) and watching where we were going. (The Eden on Edge, in the rear of the ship, was fantastic for sitting, watching our wake.) The Regal didn't have that area, as they put cabins in the forward of the Lido deck and the only inside area forward with a view is the Sanctuary. I know the class structure has always been around, but it's now a lot more restrictive.

Thanks for the link. Seems I'm not the only one that has issues with their pricing. In addition, while some mentioned the Edge class solo balconies, there's no easy way to search for those; you have to go cruise by cruise, change the number of guests, and then select balcony, and you might get lucky that there's one available. Same on parent line RCCL. When I sailed them in a solo balcony (last one - obstructed view), I was able to search by 1 guest, but they've since changed that ability.

@SaltyDoggg Thanks for your review. I thought it was fair and balanced, and sorry for the apologists/loyalists who have virtually attacked you for not being a Princess fan. My last two cruises were on the Regal Princess (April 23) and Celebrity Edge (August 21). I enjoyed both very much, but there were some issues with both (nothing's perfect.) Each has its advantages/disadvantages compared to the other. Personal taste will decide. Based on the Regal (a newer Princess ship) I decided I would sail next on Princess. However, comments about some of the older ships make me wary of sailing on them. And, I was completely spoiled by sailing on the Edge, which was just restarting and was about 1/3 full. (Won't see that anytime soon, I'd guess.) That said, my personal taste, with a very picky palate, favored the Regal's food over Celebrity (and definitely better than RCCL, which I sailed in 2018.) It did get repetitive over seven days in the buffet, but I was OK with that. (I ate in the MDR most of the evenings.) I am also a solo cruiser, and would like to ask you how you deal with the Celebrity website. You cannot do a search for 1 guest, and the last cruise I dug into deeper, when I changed from 2 to 1 guest, the price tripled. (While not typically 300%, it's often over 200%, or says it's not available.) I like that Princess (and NCL) allow searches for one guest, and often the cost is not 200%. I know I could use a travel agent, but I like being in control and not having to call somebody to make changes. Any tips?

My father and I did something similar. When The old Pacific Princess went from NYC to Bermuda for a three night stay, each night was in a different port: St. George’s, Hamilton and the Royal Navy Dockyards. We left the morning in Hamilton to go play gold, and returned to the ship at the dockyards. Back in 2000, I don’t remember how the ship kept track of passengers; I presumed they only counted us just before leaving the Dockyards for the return to NYC. I’m pretty sure the daily brochure gave the times the ship was moving. (Too bad the current ships are too big to dock at St. George’s and Hamilton.)

Actually, there's a another change. Plus and Premier now get to eat at other Casual restaurants for no additional charge (two/unlimited times.) But good summary on the "negatives". You pointed out, but has been missed by many, that the information/announcement came from a TA presentation. It appears one of the points they emphasized was that there's now more benefits to getting the Plus/Premier package than booking just the Standard Fare*, and by the way, you as a TA get a bigger commission on the added package than you would if your client books the Standard. So (PCL talking) help us increase our profits, and yours too, by pushing the higher packages. *some of these benefits used to be included for Standard Fare passengers.

I was about to post the same thing, as I noticed it when checking my future TA cruise. Would PCL reprice an entire ship's cruise list at once (going all the way to 2025, including after a three month break in Feb. 2025) or just select cruises?

I've only been to the Bay Area once, and that was ten years ago, so I don't know the area that well. But the Oakland Airport appears to be closer than SFO, and the hotels in downtown Oakland appear to be less expensive as well. I happened to fly into SFO, stayed in downtown Oakland and then flew out of Oakland. My transportation was all on BART, so I didn't need to rely on any surface transportation (other than a bus to the Oakland airport as the train connection wasn't completed then.) Is this viable, safe and reasonable, or has something changed? I'm looking at a SF-Alaska cruise as well, so would like to know local's comments.

Ship Regal Princess (4/9-16/2023) Class Deck Baja (11) Cabin # B424 Category IA Port/Starboard/Bow/Stern Port - Midship Connects With Cabin # None Accessible Not labeled as such. Quiet Reasonably quiet. Some crew area behind the cabin resulted in some noise, but not bad, and not typically during early/late hours. Not enough to worry about. Balcony Size None View View of four interior walls Privacy Issues None Wind N/A Soot N/A Problems None other than very minor noise issue Comments Inside Sideways cabin. Just around the corner from the midship elevators/stairs, so great access to rest of ship. Not a lot of "walkby" traffic. When entering, bed to the right, desk to the left. Good storage (was solo, but I didn't use more than half the storage. Automatic light in closet area wasn't a big issue but again, I was alone. Would definitely pick the cabin type/location again.