cidymom

I found a hotel "Hampton Inn & Suites Crosstown Center", 811 Massachusetts, which has a kitchenette and airport shuttle. It's apparently close to the Boston Medical Center. Is the location far from the city center where the tourist attractions are? Thanks for all your help.

Is the area near Boston TD Gardens ideal for sightseeing and not too far from cruise port? I'm now narrowing in on neighbourhoods. The Seaport and Waterfront area hotels are expensive so I'm looking a little further out. Thanks for your help.

Thanks for your replies. My dates are August 15 to 18, 2018. The cruise is August 18th so I will have 2 full days in Boston. I need at least a fridge and microwave. I've checked all those hotels mentioned above but they either don't have the fridge and microwave or over USD$400 a night. I'm Canadian so with the exchange rate it is quite a bit to pay. I thought New York was expensive but Boston is even more but unfortunately NYC doesn't have a cruise sailing out of there to the ports I'm interested in. Thanks again.

I'm planning a cruise out of Boston in mid-August. I was checking the prices of hotels near the Boston cruise port or downtown area and it is so expensive. I plan to stay in Boston for 2 nights before the cruise to explore the city. I need a room with kitchen/kitchenette. The only ones I found at reasonable prices are near the airport (Embassy Suites & Residence Inn by Marriott Back Bay/Fenway). I understand there is a train or subway that is near these two hotels which would get me close to the tourist attractions and HO HO bus. Does this plan seem reasonable? Any other ideas? Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance to all.

Thanks everyone for your input. It's either Veendam or Rotterdam that does the itinerary I want. I read the not so good reviews on Rotterdam recently and thought Veendam was in good shape as it was refurbished in 2016. I don't want to be on a ship that is in poor condition, such as toilets not flushing, water leaks, broken furniture, air conditioner not working, etc. I'm not picky about food but do enjoy good entertainment on any cruise. With the last post, I'm worried that I will be disappointed with the Veendam. Would Rotterdam be a better choice? Any comments? Thanks all.

For those recently on the Veendam, how was the entertainment? Are there shows, music events, etc. happening every evening? Still deciding between Veendam and Rotterdam for Canada New England cruise because I like the itinerary. I know the entertainment won't be the same as on Royal Carribean but I just want to know there will be some sort of entertainment each evening for the younger crowd. Thanks.

Is the entertainment improving on the Rotterdam? Never sailed HAL before but they have an itinerary that I really like to do so. Still deciding between Veendam and Rotterdam. Entertainment like the production shows, comedians, etc. is more important to me than food. Thanks all.

Does anyone have a preference of which HAL ship for the Canada New England itinerary for mid-August? I believe the Maasdam, Veendam and the Rotterdam are all sailing this itinerary. I've never been on HAL so not sure if there is a preference of ships. I'm mainly concerned about ship problems due to the age of the ships. For those who have sailed HAL on this itinerary in August, are there a few tweens on board. My son is not wanting to go as there may not be any kids his age on HAL. Any comments? Thanks all for your input.

I'm on the Navigator to the ABC island next year too. Just wondering if Navigator uses the wristbands in place of the seapass card as I still have them from my Allure cruise. I understand they can be reused on another RCI ship which uses them. Thanks.

I don't know if the pricing is the same for all Carnival ships but I'm specifically seeking the cost for a 7 day cruise on the Sunshine for the Premium WIFI package. Does anyone know or remember? Thanks all in advance for your help.

Thanks for the review. Just wondered if you remembered what the daily charge was for premium WI-FI on the Sunshine? Thanks.

Considering a Glory cruise since it is way less expensive than Vista and wondered if Glory has something similar to the outside sports area or ropes course for kids. I know it won't have the new up in the air cycling thing (forgot what it's called). Thanks all.

Has anyone stayed in this cabin and have info to share? It says it's an interior with window that looks out to the observation deck that all guests have access to. Did you find it annoying with lots of people outside the deck? Did you feel more movement because it's at the very front of the ship and high up on deck 10? Any negatives? Thanks for any comments.

Which ship would you pick Glory or Vista with the same Itinerary? I know Glory was just refurbished. Doesn't Vista have waterslides? I didn't see any on the deck plans. Also, Vista is more expensive than Glory but it's newer and probably have more bells and whistles I'm thinking. Any comments?

For cruisers who have cruised recently on the Carnival Sunshine, would you please help with the following questions:

1. Do the showers have a door or the dreaded curtain?

2. Do they provide toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion)?

3. If shampoo and conditioner are provided, are they in separate dispensers in the shower?

4. Do the room stewards make up room morning and night or do we have to choose one option?

5. How do you pay for the machines when doing your own laundry in the laundromats (do you charge it to your onboard account or put actual coins/bills in the machines)?

Have read good reviews on the Sunshine and looking forward to this cruise. Thanks in advance for any comments.

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice! I feel so much better knowing that it is doable. Thank goodness it is a Saturday that we will be debarking and not a work day.

Has anyone sailing out of Manhattan flew into and out of LGA? I read about the massive construction going on and how it is a traffic nightmare. I have a flight out of LGA at 3:40pm after our Sunshine cruise. There will be two cruise ships debarking at the Manhattan pier so I'm worried I won't make it to LGA in time. When I debarked the Breakaway last week, there were huge delays at customs and with two ships I'm very worried as they don't seem to have enough staff. For the Breakaway cruise, I flew out of EWR the following day after a night stay in NJ so it wasn't a problem. This time we're flying out the same day from LGA (didn't know about the construction when I booked). Was planning to either reserve a car or take a taxi to LGA. Any comments or advice appreciated. Thanks all.

Good point. I didn't think about staying overnight in NYC. I booked at the Embassy Suites in Elizabeth. My flight the next day isn't until 7:00pm. I'll try to book at the NYC hotel I'm staying at before the cruise and see if I can get a good rate. It's close to the Port Authority Bus Terminal so I can catch the bus back to Newark on Monday morning. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I'll be on NCL Breakaway next month and was wondering if there are shuttles waiting at the cruise port for disembarking passengers or should I make a reservation. I have to get to Newark but my flight isn't until the next day so I'm staying overnight near EWR. The hotel has a free airport shuttle so I thought I catch a shuttle bus from the cruise port to EWR then catch the hotel shuttle. Does that sound like a good idea? or should I just book with a car service? Thanks for any advice.

This will be my first NCL cruise. I have some questions for the experts on this board: (1) do I need a lanyard to carry my ship card? or does NCL have the watches like Royal Caribbean? (2) I read NCL does not serve Coca Cola products on board. Can you bring your own on board? I read that you can't bring water any more so does that apply to soft drinks too? (3) I read on this board that you won't know until about 2 days out whether your upgrade bid is accepted or not. Does NCL email new luggage tags if bid is successful? I put in 2 bids but I'm leaving a week early to vacation in NYC first so was wondering what happens to luggage tags if you are successful on the bid process. Does everyone get an email telling them whether they were successful on their bids or not? I've never come across this before and it's hard to plan in advance. Thanks all.

I'm glad I'm not the only one experiencing this. When I paste the link it didn't work. I'll try it when I'm back home - currently travelling and checking on the hotel computer. Thanks.

I just signed into my NCL Account. I got a message to complete online checkin for a May cruise but I can't see my pending upgrade offers that I submitted a few weeks ago. Did this happen to anyone else? What if a person wants to upgrade their bid? It doesn't even show up anywhere in my account. Does that mean they didn't like my bid and there is no chance whatsoever for an upgrade? I just noticed this yesterday and I couldn't find my pending offers today either. Thanks for any help.

I received an email to upgrade from my B1 Aft Balcony on Deck 9 to any of the Haven suites and mini suite on the Breakaway. Is it worth it for the upgrade? The minimum bid NCL will accept is US$500/pp. As I'm from Canada, I have to factor in the exchange rate which isn't too great. I don't think I will have a chance on winning any of the other categories (H6 or H7) with a minimum bid. In researching, I note that the Courtyard Penthouse does not have a separate bedroom and there will be three of us in a room. We don't drink coffee or alcohol. It would be nice to experience the Haven but I don't know if it is worth it for a bigger room and nicer bathroom. Any opinions from those who have stayed in the Courtyard Penthouse suites. Thanks all.

I've never cruised with HAL before. I'm in early 50's but very active. I have mainly cruised with Royal Caribbean as they have the biggest and newest ships with all the bells and whistles. I'm considering HAL because of an itinerary. The reviews I've read have not been very complimentary on the Veendam even though it appears it recently went into dry dock so am a bit worried. Is there enough interesting things to keep one busy during a 7-day cruise? What are the evening shows like? How do you rate the entertainment for a 7-day cruise? How is the condition of the ship? Is there issues with the stateroom, plumbing, air conditioning, etc? Food is not that important to me but great entertainment is - I enjoy watching shows, singing, dancing, magic & comedy. Does HAL have that? or is it geared for the older crowd? Thank you in advance for any comments.

Thank you for the link - it was very helpful reading the differences to the two ports.