trish1c

It's all good.  They are fine with going to the diner.  

1 hour ago, Got2Cruise said:

DH can’t answer the door for 1 minute to let them in if they take an Uber? 

No he can't.  

It's way more than one minute.  It takes 30 - 45 minutes to properly welcome somebody into your home.  To show them to their room; get them a beverage & enable them to acclimate.  DH also has fiduciary responsibilities in his job meaning it would be inappropriate for other people to overhear him on the phone etc.    He can't just open the front door then run back to his office, closing the door &  leaving them completely to their own devices.  

Since these friends surprised us today by saying "hey we're going to be in town from 3,000 miles away on Thursday & expect to stay at your house for 3 days & for you to drive up to the airport after"  I'm not uncomfortable asking them to find something to do until I can clear my schedule to accommodate them.  Hence, I am looking for someplace safe for them to wait.  I suggested they check into a hotel & explore NYC on their own on Thursday & then we'd pick them up on Friday.  They didn't like that idea. 

I was also told that the cost of an Uber to our house was cost prohibited for these "guests" so again, if they don't want to pay $150 to come to us, they can sit & wait.  I'm not heartless.  I am open to trying to help them find someplace safe.  

IMO a diner works.  If they are the stragglers, last folks off the ship, around 10 it will be 10:30 by the time they get to this diner with their luggage so having a snack & playing on their phones until I can get there is not that bad.  

The Broadway diner sounds perfect! Thank you.  

I am waiting for a call back from the Liberty Science Center to see if they have a coat check that can accommodate large luggage.  

Additional suggestions are still welcome 

READ the reviews.  The low priced hotels are not that great.  Find a mid-priced one.  BTW you will be looking in Elizabeth NJ for these airport hotels.  Newark AP is a misnomer; the AP is one town over.  

We stayed at a Hilton on Routes 1 & 9 once.  It wasn't bad.  The middle of the road chains on Route 1 & 9 are not that great.  If it's on 1 & 9 but not a chain, don't stay there.  

On 10/22/2023 at 7:56 PM, wezie said:

Thank you!  How will the seas be? 

We sail out of NY a lot for the convenience.   It's been 60F & the seas were like glass.  It has snowed. Usually it's just bitter cold.   There was a nor'easter one time coming home with like 20 foot seas, you had to hold the rails & when you went to take your next step, the floor wasn't in the same place it had been when you picked your foot up.  One NYE, 1st night out it was manageable but rough the next day; that was awful.  I could have handled the rough seas OR my hangover but the combo was deadly for me & most passenger's.  There were stacks of empty barf bags at every junction point.   Before noon the whole ship smelled faintly of puke so many people were sick.   

On 10/23/2023 at 10:07 PM, dbrown84 said:

 I'm just hoping it's warm enough to walk to the cruise terminal from the train station.  

 It's not an easy walk.  The sidewalks in that area are very crowded & broken up.  There is a lot of industrial traffic.  It's kind of seedy.  NYC is what it is but that part of my town is one of my least favorite to walk around alone as a single woman.  Cross the west side highway with luggage is not for the faint of heart.    Take a taxi to the port & if you think it's walkable, you can walk back to station when you disembark.  You can always try it & then hail a cab mid way.  

Friends will disembark around 9 a.m. this Thursday.     We can't pick them up until at least 1- 2 p.m.  because we have to work.  They can't take a taxi / ride share to us because DH works from home & can't take time to let them in / get them settled.  They can't come to my office.   Neither of us has the option to take the day off; we just learned they're coming which is fine if they can be flexible about this.  

I suggested they take a cruise line tour to "waste" time & have Royal Caribbean deal with the luggage.   Is there a diner or something nearby (w/i a mile or 2) where they can wait with luggage?  

Even though we live in NJ, we have never sailed from this port & don't know the area.  

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. 

eppler 

I highly recommend public transportation into NYC.   PA friends meet me there all the time & love coming on Amtrak or NJ Transit depending on where they are coming from -- Harrisburg v. Philly.   The Fullington / trailways bus also has regular routes from State College.   This way you can just relax & don't have to run all over creation to return a rental car.  Having your own car in NYC can be more of a p.i.t.a. then it's worth.  

17 hours ago, Mike981 said:

Color me paranoid, the way the world of travel has been so unstable lately I just won't book third party. I have heard to many stories where things go sideways and it is a nightmare to 'try' get things resolved. In the past I loved the savings, but at the moment I will be booking direct or using a site like Value Trips. As I  understand it, they act like a coupon site and you still work directly with the hotel.

I may look into Value Trips but wanted to offer that when I book through the blind side of Hotwire -- you get huge savings because you don't know the hotel until after you pay -- I have a "trick".   The day after I "win" the hotel, I call it directly & confirm.  I jot down who I spoke to & get a new confirmation # from them.  There have been glitches but because we had time, things always worked out in advance of our arrival.  This is way better than getting a nasty surprise & no help upon arrival.  

NCL Gem 14 days to Southern Carribean over Christmas & New Years 2019 - 2020.  I got to avoid the worst parts of those stressful holidays.  

We sail out of NYC in winter a lot.  Sweaters just don't make for festive tropical vacation photos

Always judge by the time you have to be at the AP not what time the flight takes off.  Yes, there will be taxis in the general area but what if you are late getting back to port?  Are you able to self disembark carrying all of your belongings?   What is there is an accident on the way to the airport clogging the roads?   there is a light rail from the westfield mall to the AP; we always take that when in Seattle.   Do you have pre-check or clear?  I wouldn't try this without that.  

There is a reason the cruise lines suggest flights no earlier than 5 hours after your scheduled time of arrival.  

It all depends on your risk tolerance.  Remember if you miss your flight, the airline only has to put you on the next available flight with seats not the very next flight.  You could be stuck through the next day.  

I was looking through some sample menus.  Did they bring back actual duck breast at Le Bistro?  What happened to the chocolate fondue / fountain?  

Thanks all 

e*muster sounds good. 

I'll look into the veteran's discount.  It used to be retired only.  Princess gave $100 off. 

When the cruise industry 1st had to deal with Norovirus we got sneeze guards at the buffet & the people who spray your hands when you walk into the buffet.  Are there any other visible health initiatives?  How are they checking vaccination status or did that stop?  Do you still have to produce a negative Covid test to board? 

So what have I missed?  What's new?  

DH & I last cruised over the holidays in 2019/20.  Then the world changed.  

I already stuck my foot in my mouth not realizing that the UBP now covers corkage.  What else is new in the past 3 years?  We're thinking about a cruise around Valentine's Day 2024. 

Yes.  You have options:  finding something when you disembark is an option, the tour desk on board and using the wifi on board for the next island.   If you plan to rent a car, find out what insurance coverage if any your policy at home offers or buy extra coverage through the rental agency.  

Yes, @MacGuffin3 just because I chose to do that does not mean anybody else has to.  

We like longer cruises out of NYC on NCL in winter.  You don't get too many kids because they would have to miss too much school.   The itineraries tend to be interesting places.  The ages vary.  Some of them have waterslides, rope courses & bowling at sea although I think you have to pay for the bowling.   That last day at sea when it's getting colder as we sail farther north helps me transition back to real life after a long trip.  

I couldn't find a 7 day trip to the southern Carribean out of Miami for your dates.   There were a number of options for 8-13 days but all of them had at least 3 sea days. 

AirBnB or Vbro but since Covid they are not the bargains they used to be.  

You can still get deals on the blind sides of Hotwire & Price line but you have to be careful with that.  

I enjoyed the Miami zoo when we had a long time before our flight.   It was hot that day so we changed into long pants at the airport BEFORE checking our luggage.  

4 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

You tip for water?  So now it becomes clear why the ship doesn't provide proper self-serve water.

I worked my way through college & grad school.  If the bartender is taking time to provide you the service of getting you water, especially to fill up a large reusable water container, far larger than an 8 oz bar glass, that bartender is not serving customers who are buying drinks for which there is a tip.  So yes, I give $1.   

I do agree the ships should have better self serve water options.  I would use them if they existed 

That is very good to know!  I'm surprised they changed it but it may change the dynamic of my next cruise.  I was never fond of the wine by the glass options on NCL.  

In that case I suggest the OP invest in a wine tote.  I have a sturdy cardboard one my local liquor store sells for a quarter but I also have a canvas tote with internal dividers.  Both hold 6 bottles of wine.  I used one on our last cruise. . .. which was the embarkation experience I described back then 

On 7/16/2023 at 4:37 PM, PixieMom3 said:

Are you allowed to bring on bottled water if you buy some in a port?  We are planning on bringing our own water containers, will they fill these up for us if we go to a bar? 

No you can't bring bottled water on period.  If your refillable drink containers still contain liquid when you get back aboard ship in a port you will have to pour them out.   There will be huge rain barrels for the dumping. 

You can fill your reusable containers from your bathroom sink or in the buffet.  At the buffet you have to use the glasses, not just put your container under the spigot.  I can't believe cruise lines don't have water bottle refill stations yet.  Some bartenders who aren't too busy will fill your container.  All will give you a glass of ice water free.  I tip for this service & I'm usually asking the bartender who had been serving me alcohol the night before so that person already knows they make money from me.  

Unless things have changed, you still have to pay the corkage fee for the privilege of bringing the wine aboard.   It used to be that you went through magnetometers at embarkation & then were directed to a table when they detected the bottles.  At the table you gave your name & cabin # & they gave you a bar receipt for $15 per bottle which later showed up on your stateroom bill.   if your luggage went to the "naughty room" the same table was there but there you had your key card so you swiped for the same charge.  It's not about where you drink the wine (on your balcony v the dining room) but the fact that you brought the wone aboard.  Similarly if you buy wine in port when you reboard the ship, they take it from you & hold it 'til the last night or you pay for it then.   You are paying to not cut into their profits. 

Granted it's been a while, but we ended up with favorite bartenders.  Even though they aren't supposed to give you 2 drinks, if I said we were going to the cabin to enjoy wine on the balcony, I'd get generous pours & 2 glasses, once of which would be covered in plastic wrap so I could stick it in the 'fridge.  

Some kind of car service that will send you a van