navybankerteacher

I believe that Hertz, Avis and Budget all have facilities in (or very close to) the old city-just above the cruise terminal. I hope you are planning to spend a day or two there before (or after) your cruise— I am always amazed by the mind-set of people who focus solely on their cruise and ignore the opportunity to see part of the world other than on port calls. There are folks who will fly from the US to Rome (or Athens, London, or Barcelona, or wherever) - hoping to board a cruise right away without allowing time to double their travel experience.

QM2 has fairly low balcony (sheltered) cabins. The fact remains: if seasickness is a serious concern, the best “cabin” is likely to be in your home.

This is fairly common - when longer itineraries are involved. Think of it as being comparable to long distance train from New York to Washington —- stopping at Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. The line sells tickets for each segment, several segments, or the whole route - with cost usually reflecting the demand at the time the ticket is sold. They are not separate “cruises”, just segments of a longer itinerary. And, when it come to cruising, some people book “back to back” itineraries, so two complete trips might be seen as one “cruise”.

Usually insignificant until you reach some threshold - such as 25 days.

Third party bookings can save a bit of money - but can also come with headaches. Once in Paris and once in Rome the “booked” hotel (through third party) had no space when we tried to check in — sure, they got us a room elsewhere and provided transportation, but each time we lost a significant part of a day. It is worth it to book direct with the hotel.

Unless you have a large budget, it is best to think of a cruise sailing from a port not too far from where you live. From Detroit, you might consider a New England/Canada cruise from New York or Boston, or an Alaska cruise from Seattle or Vancouver. Traveling to Europe or Australia would likely more than double your cost - a bit silly if you do not even know you might enjoy cruising.

Even if it were $10 per gallon, stop and think about it. You are unlikely to be more than 5 to 7 miles from an easily accessible gas station - which means you are unlikely to be as much as 1/2 gallon down. So, even if you pay $5 - just how little is your time worth? (Forgetting the fair likelihood of their accepting the car back as “full”, I have always had to drive about a mile or so after filling up, and have never gotten nicked.)

I can come with thousands of activities significantly more “… convenient, doable, and pleasurable…” than walking a mile in mid-town Manhattan —- particularly if that walk entailed toting a week or so’s worth of luggage.

I recall the questionable condition of those few Rome busses I rode. A couple of times, thinking myself on a bus bound for Termini , being ejected onto the street due to “mechanical conditions”.

L I.

I grew up in Manhattan - know the 1, 4 and 15 bus routes — and the crosstown 34, 50, 66,72, 79, 86, and 96 routes. Other than those, it’s subways and taxis.

Agreed - mass transit in major European cities is usually the best way to get around. You need to do your homework - figure what/where then plan routes. Of course there are caveats (I lost my wallet to a nimble-fingered dip on the A in Rome) but stuff happens everywhere. I also liked the trams in Rome - definitely worth the prep time in advance — but I had a hard time learning the busses.

From DC you should not have any Amtrak concerns - still, I would shoot for as early a train as possible to allow a little wiggle room.

I think Barcelona’s airport is the most convenient to a major cruise port, then perhaps Rome’s — London’s is a bit of a haul to Southampton. But you might want to think a bit about more than just the cruise. If you are flying across the Atlantic, why not build in a day or several for land travel -making Rome probably best choice, then London. Sure, you may be short on time and trying to hold down costs — but how many times are you going to fly to Europe — why not make it a two-for-one?

I’ve taken a Christmas/New Years cruise on QM2 - New York to Eastern Caribbean - ship was beautifully decorated with lots of seasonal activities - but it seemed somehow a bit hollow - I prefer Christmas at home. We’ve also taken a HAL cruise from FL to the Panama Canalfascinating, but aside from the Canal, the other ports were dreary. We’ve also sailed Norwegian Gem - New York to Caribbean in January. The ship felt very crowded - very high ratio of passengers to available space (common on NCL ships) - also there was some sort of school break - meaning a lot of teens on board. That finished NCL for us— there are too many other options.

We have long ago limited our (frequent) trips into NYC (about 45 min to just over an hour) to train plus local ground, or car service if to just one location. When you consider the hassle and real total cost, driving in yourself is a “luxury” best avoided.

Having been there, I found it fascinating. But I restrict use of the term “love” for places which are not so screamingly uncomfortable.

The bottom line is: there are just too many people around now for us to be able to expect the same easier conditions we grew up enjoying. New York has clearly already become a place where the average person cannot easily/inexpensively operate a car. Shared use of cars is going to have to become more common - not only for people who live in New York, but for many who want to just visit New York. When I got out of the Navy and returned to Manhattan and started working for a bank, I and each of my four room mates had a car - we played the alternate side parking game - probably costing 10 or 15 minutes an evening (even then garage space was only for the very wealthy) but it was doable —- not so any more. The answer is: increased use of public transportation and shared autos (taxis, Ubers, short term rentals, etc.)

Sure they are - but the basic economics rule of supply and demand would work here. If they run out of space it is evident that there is demand which exceeds the supply - meaning that the logical reaction (if you cannot increase supply) is to reduce demand by increasing cost. The bottom line is: the fees are not high enough.

Of course one of the best deals going was back in the early 1980’s when it was discovered that the Connecticut Turnpike tokens (at 17.5 cents) worked in the New York Subway turnstiles as well as the MTA tokens (at 75 cents).

I still have some dimes - which used to make the turnstiles work; like back when a three cent stamp would mail a letter.

Yes - I believe the gates are locked, and only residents in the area immediately surrounding the park have keys.

The fact that getting a major project going can involve many complicated steps is not usually accepted as justification for doing nothing. The Port Authority postponed getting the JFK Air-Train going for years —- but they, of course, had an ulterior motive: protecting their “black gold” source of wealth - the parking lots whose revenue stream would be threatened by the installation of a good mass transit access to JFK.

But still not “in” Gramercy Park — more likely at, or near.

You might be able to ask in advance — I have seen both Schweppes and Canada Dry sugar free tonics in many places.