Traveling Library

Pre pandemic There were tons of taxis and shared shuttles at the port. We just got off and when we left the terminal we hopped into a shared shuttle. We didn’t book anything ahead of time.

On Monday we left the port terminal and there was a shared minibus looking for passengers to the airport. At $11 per person it was cheaper than Uber.

Your latest option includes Flam which I loved. Make sure you take the train trip (you can book the tickets yourself). Oslo has a wonderful Resistance Museum and Stavanger has pretty white houses and you can take a small boat trip to either just see Pulpit Rock or hike Pulpit Rock or just walk around the port. Kristiansand has a busy pedestrian street. Either cruise will have beautiful fjords. IMHO either cruise would be lovely but I'd vote for the one with Flam.

Elite. the 1 wash/dry/fold bag is limited to 30 pieces.

In Feb 2020 we stayed at the Santiago airport Holiday Inn for 1 night (nice hotel for just 1 night). We then walked to the terminal to get the ship transfer to San Antonio. There were men outside of the terminal who kept trying to take our suitcase and telling us that the bus had already left or that it would get to the port too late so we needed to take their taxi/transport. It's a scam! Hold onto your suitcase, say "no thank you" and go directly into the terminal to meet up with the ship transfer people. Sadly, we met a couple on our ship who was taken in by the scam and had to pay $200 cash when they arrived in San Antonio. Not the way anyone should start their vacation.

The latest we ever got off a ship was 9:30 AM. More often it’s been between 9 and 9:15. Yes you can have a nice breakfast on board. Enjoy your cruise!

We did not pre-arrange an Uber and had no trouble getting one in August. Once we disembarked we walked around the large white building (the Boston Design Center) 'til we saw the large signs along Dry Dock Avenue for #23 or #25. At #23 or #25 Dry Dock Ave (either is fine) is still 2-way so the driver can turn left out of the Design Center lot and avoid all of the chaos at the port. Also if you want to take the SilverLine into Boston or if you want to go to South Station to catch Amtrak, walk around the building to find the bus stop at #23 Dry Dock Ave. Most likely you'll get a seat on the bus. Much easier than standing 😉

Have Global Entry and I'll never travel without it. Before I could renew my license for a real ID I used my GE card to fly (it had my full name) domestically. Also pre-check lines in BOS and ATL are always shorter and faster than the usual lines. In BHM the pre-check line was rarely open (or needed) but because I had pre-check I didn't have to remove my shoes, etc. Re: Delta. Once my husband (who also has GE) got Pre-Check but I didn't. We went to the Delta check-in desk, showed my GE card, and after entering my birthdate (not sure why it was missing on the record but it was) she was able to get me a new boarding pass with Pre-Check.

Was a participant in several ship board flash mobs: Thriller dance once just before The Quest and once in the Centrum, a dance sequence around the pool, and a dance sequence after the crew show (this also included a wedding proposal which surprised us all!). None were longer than 5 minutes and lots of fun. I remember leaving Studio B decked out as a zombie (think lots of white baby powder) and while riding up the elevator a woman turned and said "I didn't know we had zombies on board." My reply "We are everywhere, Madam." And not a flash mob moment we were on a cruise with many Canadians (all from Chilliwack, BC) and after they had their group photo taken in the Centrum they sang their National Anthem "O Canada." Very moving.

We prebooked a ride from BWI to our hotel (Hampton Inn Baltimore Inner Harbor) Supershuttle. via https://www.supershuttle.com/locations/baltimore-bwi/ The driver met us at the airport with no issues. We Uber'd to the port. Going back to BWI from the port we again booked via Supershuttle. Cab met us at the port, again with no issues (cab called us to tell us he was there and where to find him). Hampton Inn is in an old bank building. There are a number of restaurants just around the corner. This hotel is an easy walk to the Inner Harbor which was a nice way to stretch our legs.

We were on the Nieuw Standendam in August. We had open seating. We sat a a table for 2 every night. We were moved around among 5 different waiters so we never knew where we would be seated but we didn’t mind and in fact enjoyed dining in different locations. And Joel, the Wine Steward, always found us!

Only sailed NCL once but this is a really nice itinerary. You will see more than just the Norwegian fjords which are beautiful! Iceland is interesting and Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities. Enjoy!

We were on a Crystal cruise and docked in KW. An Azamara ship was also there in November 2021. We were met by shop owners holding signs that said Welcome Back! From the ship we could easily walk to Mallory Square in one direction and the Truman White House in the other.

It seems to vary by cruise. In March on the Enchantment B2B. First cruise D+ only in Diamond Lounge. Second D+ moved to the Concierge Lounge. In June on the Jewel B2B Diamond Lounge only.

For anyone cruising back to Boston if you can handle your luggage walk around the large white building you see at the port (it's the Boston Design Center) and go to either 23 Dry Dock Ave or 25 Dry Dock Ave and request your Uber. You'll see large signs with 23 and 25 so you'll know you are in the correct place. Stand there and order your Uber. This will allow your Uber driver to pick you up and turn left onto Dry Dock Ave and head to the City/Mass Pike/airport etc. and thus miss all of the port traffic/people/general chaos of the one-way road that you disembark on. We did this today and everyone (we and the Uber driver) were very happy.

We will see you onboard. Safe travels and enjoy your day in Boston.

Note if you are a US citizen you do not need a eTA. You only need ArriveCan. Travellers who are exempt from the eTA requirement U.S. citizens are exempt from the eTA requirement and must carry proper identification such as a valid U.S. passport.

On the second day of the Jewel of the Seas June 20, 2022, cruise the machine in the Diamond lounge died. I think it died of exhaustion. Every time I stopped in there was a long line of people who wanted to use the machine. Anyway, we were told to just go to Cafe Latte-tudes, show our card, and order our coffee. As long as you ordered the hot drink that you could get in the lounge there was no charge.

I searched South Station which is the closest train station to the port and airport. You probably should call to make sure they will hold your luggage. To get to South Station from the airport you can take the Silver Line (a bus) to South Station. From South Station you can take another Silver Line (a bus) to the port (Dockyard). Vehicular traffic from the airport to South Station and Boston in general (using the Ted Williams Tunnel) may be backed up because the other tunnel (the Sumner Tunnel) from the airport (East Boston) to the city is closed on the weekends for repairs. For information about public transportation (aka "The T") go to mbta.com. They have a really good trip planner. I live in the Boston area and use the trip planner all of the time. Enjoy your cruise and your visit to Boston. LUGGAGE STORAGE Train Terminal: Teddy Ballgames, located at the front of the station, offers bag storage. Phone: (617) 330-1261 Hours: M-F: 7am - 7pm; Sat - Sun: 9am - 5pm

On July 2 our taxi (metered) from the Amsterdam cruise port to Schiphol was 75 Euro. If you cannot stand or walk for 2+ hours I highly recommend that you ask for wheel chair assistance for your flight. Our flight was 2:40PM to Boston on Delta/KLM in Comfort Plus. We do not have Sky Priority status. Left ship at 8:45 and took the worlds fastest taxi to Schiphol . Arrived 9:20AM. The KLM woman looked at our Comfort + ticket and let us in the Sky Priority check in area. Economy people were being sent to different check in desk lines. Once checked in (the man noted we were 5 hours early but took our luggage) you join another line for security. This line is split into two: Sky Priority/First/Business (not us) and Comfort+ and Economy (us). A long and slowly moving line will get you to the stairs to get to security. Scan your boarding pass and then wait in an enclosed area (claustrophobia warning) for your chance to climb the stairs to yet another LONG line just to get to security (think Disney). At this point people who had 11:30 or even a 12:30 flight (depending on gate location) realized that they were going to miss it. Two people nicely asked to skip ahead but in most cases everyone stayed where they were in line. Once thru security there is another very short line to scan your passport and get it physically stamped and finally you are in the gate area. Arrival 11:50AM or 2.5 hours of lines. You still have to get to your gate (some gates are not nearby) but once in the gate area all chaos disappears and it seemed almost serene to wander through the shopping opportunities to your gate (ours on concourse F was a 15 minute walk others are much longer). Our flight left 1/2 hour late which gave extra time to board for those who were still caught in the process. If you are Sky Priority/First/Business you will still be on lines but they probably are shorter and once in the gate area you can relax in the KLM Lounge. Bon voyage! Buen viaje! Safe travels.

Our taxi (metered) from the Amsterdam cruise port to Schiphol was 75 Euro on July 2. If you cannot stand or walk for 2+ hours I highly recommend that you ask for wheel chair assistance for your flight. Our flight was 2:40PM to Boston on Delta/KLM in Comfort Plus. We do not have Sky Priority status. Left ship at 8:45 and took the worlds fastest taxi to Schiphol . Arrived 9:20AM. The KLM woman looked at our Comfort + ticket and let us in the Sky Priority check in area. Economy people were being sent to different check in desk lines. Once checked in (the man noted we were 5 hours early but took our luggage) you join another line for security. This line is split into two: Sky Priority/First/Business (not us) and Comfort+ and Economy (us). A long and slowly moving line will get you to the stairs to get to security. Scan your boarding pass and then wait in an enclosed area (claustrophobia warning) for your chance to climb the stairs to yet another LONG line just to get to security (think Disney). At this point people who had 11:30 or even a 12:30 flight (depending on gate location) realized that they were going to miss it. Two people nicely asked to skip ahead but in most cases everyone stayed where they were in line. Once thru security there is another very short line to scan your passport and get it physically stamped and finally you are in the gate area. Arrival 11:50AM or 2.5 hours of lines. You still have to get to your gate (some gates are not nearby) but once in the gate area all chaos disappears and it seemed almost serene to wander through the shopping opportunities to your gate (ours on concourse F was a 15 minute walk others are much longer). Our flight left 1/2 hour late which gave extra time to board for those who were still caught in the process. If you are Sky Priority/First/Business you will still be on lines but they probably are shorter and once in the gate area you can relax in the KLM Lounge. Bon voyage! Buen viaje! Safe travels.

We departed from Amsterdam (Schiphol) airport on July 2. If you cannot stand or walk for 1 to 2 hours I highly recommend that you ask for wheel chair assistance. There is a Sky Priority check in area. Once checked in you join another line for security. This line is split into two: Sky Priority/First/Business and a longer line for Comfort+ and Economy. A long but moving line will get you to scan your boarding pass and then up the escalator to get to the security line/area. Once thru security there is another very short line to scan your passport and get it physically stamped and finally you are in the gate area. Of course you have to get to your gate but once in the gate area all chaos disappears and it seemed almost serene to wander through the shopping opportunities to your gate . Our flight left 1/2 hour late which gave extra time to board for those who were still caught in the process. If you are Sky Priority/First/Business you will still be on lines but they are shorter than Economy and once in the gate area you can relax in the KLM Lounge. Bon voyage! Buen viaje! Safe travels.

Here is our departure experience at Amsterdam (Schiphol) airport on July 2. If you cannot stand or walk for 2+ hours I highly recommend that you ask for wheel chair assistance. Our flight was 2:40PM to Boston on Delta/KLM in Comfort Plus. We do not have Sky Priority status. Left ship at 8:45 and took the worlds fastest taxi to Schiphol . Arrived 9:20AM. When we arrived we saw long lines of people outside the terminals some under tents. I think these were lines for flights leaving concourse A & B (European flights). Not sure. Entered the terminal and found the usual check-in crowds but the KLM woman looked at our ticket and because we were Comfort+ let us in the Sky Priority check in area. I do know if the ticket was Economy people were being sent to different check in desk lines. Once checked in (the man noted we were 5 hours early but took our luggage) you join another line for security. This line is split into two: Sky Priority/First/Business (not us) and Comfort+ and Economy (us). A long and slowly moving line will get you to the stairs to get to security. Scan your boarding pass and then wait in an enclosed area (claustrophobia warning) for your chance to climb the stairs to yet another LONG line just to get to security (think Disney). At this point people who had 11:30 or even a 12:30 flight realized that they were going to miss it. Two people nicely asked to skip ahead but in most cases everyone stayed where they were in line. Once thru security there is another very short line to scan your passport and get it physically stamped and finally you are in the gate area. Arrival 11:50AM or 2.5 hours of lines. Of course you have to get to your gate but once in the gate area all chaos disappears and it seemed almost serene to wander through the shopping opportunities to your gate (ours on concourse F was a 15 minute walk others are much longer). Our flight left 1/2 hour late which gave extra time to board for those who were still caught in the process. If you are Sky Priority/First/Business you will still be on lines but they probably are shorter and once in the gate area you can relax in the KLM Lounge. Bon voyage! Buen viaje! Safe travels.

Here is the MBTA site: https://www.mbta.com/ They have a really nice trip planner (I live in the Boston area and use it for my travels). Commuter train (you'll want the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Line) to Salem leaves from North Station. Taxi/Uber trip from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal to North Station will take at least 15 minutes and probably more like 20 to 25 depending on traffic/time of day.

We have had 2 experiences at CVS. In March they took us both at the same time. I got my test results as we drove home. My husband's took 1 1/2 hrs to arrive. Today they took us sequentially. We got there a bit early and they took us early. Today we both received our results before we left the MinuteClinic. All tests were rapid antigen.