princeton123211

55 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

I assume the same quality of food as Maui which had the best shrimp.

Dukes, Hula Grill, Leilanis, and Kimo's (RIP) are all shades of each other-- same food quality and similar menus across the islands. All the same ownership. Solid local chain. 

Just now, jsn55 said:

Exactly what we're looking for, thank you!  Blacklane reviews on Trip Advisor are quite negative, the reviews on Trust Pilot are great.  I'm glad to get personal confirmation.  Really appreciate your input.

I've used them just the one time in Amsterdam but have used them extensively in Italy, Greece, and Germany as well as a little bit in the US. Never had an issue. I really like being able to communicate and pay in the app and that everything like gratuity is included. No awkward exchanges with the driver at the end etc. 

13 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Returning to Amsterdam early evening.  Has anyone used an English-speaking driver with area experience?

We used an app called Blacklane which I use all the time in Europe and connects you to local drivers. They handle all billing and things like gratuity are included. We did about 6 hours and went in a similar direction you are talking about turning around in Rotterdam. Cost was 400 Euro fully inclusive and was a Mercedes E Class. Highly recommended. It's not a tour, although the driver did speak good English and would point things out and provide some commentary. 

10 hours ago, J13C85 said:

We ultimately decided on Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey. Short Trek to Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier. We have some awesome food reservations and the hotel looks lovely. 

Was just at the Ritz MDR two weeks ago. Had a very nice stay. Its an older Ritz, and shows its age in some places, but they look like they just finished a recent renovation and most pubic areas are very nice. Definitely have breakfast outside on the marina side if you can. Only real complaint were the guest room bathrooms which show the age of the hotel-- tiny and tub/shower combo which I really don't like at this price point. Other than that everything was top notch. 

Also make sure if you are looking for sun that you get to the pool early-- the way the building is situated the pool only gets sun in the morning and by the early afternoon everything is in the shade. They keep the pool so frigid that it's only pleasant to swim in when there is direct sun (but there is a nice hot tub). 

Great spot though to explore from though-- close to the airport, Santa Monica is easy to get to (we just used Ubers), and you get all you want out of a Southern California luxury hotel at half of what you would pay for luxury hotels in Beverly Hills. 

1 hour ago, Jacaluke said:

Could I please receive feedback on the following:

I think a longer itinerary, with more exotic locations, on a nicer ship makes the HAL itinerary standout for me personally. Admittedly the Breakaway is not my speed in terms of size-- Nieuw Statendam carries nearly 2000 less passengers. 

2 hours ago, Jacaluke said:

I love both itineraries for their differences.  What we don't see this time we will prob go back and do again another time. 

I think here is where you answer your own question-- the ports where NCL visits (Rome, Cannes, Livorno, etc are infinitely easier, and frankly more enjoyable, to visit on your own. Egypt, Bodrum, etc are harder to do on a land vacation and this itinerary solves that. 

3 hours ago, stellfamily said:

We thought the train would work but it sounds like there is no room for our luggage on a train.

Anyone made this trip or have suggestions??

Plenty of room on the train for luggage and its fast-- make sure to take one of the high speed trains as opposed to the commuter ones. It used to be called Thalys but then Eurostar bought them and I think it's something else now. 

Other option is take a taxi or Uber-- I've done it both ways and the train was much less expensive and more enjoyable. 

4 hours ago, bennybear said:

I am active in a lot of Italian groups and many have been stopped and checked.  Particularly in train stations.  We have personally seen police come on and checking passports on the train.  

And as someone who would not risk taking my passport out of a hotel or ship's safe while touring Italy I find it completely reasonable for them to ask for one in a train station and me being able to produce it.

If you are in a train station, with a very few exceptions, you are travelling and will presumably be with your luggage and documents. Even if you are taking a day trip by rail away from a ship, in that case I would take it with me in the event of me not being able to return to the ship before it's departure. 

But if I am checked into an Italian hotel or on a day stop on a ship and not leaving the port/city we are in I don't find the risk in bringing my original passport with me, and it possibly being stolen, worth it. 

5 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

prefer taxis so  combining taxis and ferries but there are buses.

I agree with Charles on the Taxi/Ferry combo-- it costs a lot more than using busses but with a limited amount of time on the island you can cover more ground and waste a lot less time in transit and waiting around. If you can budget for it, it makes a visit more enjoyable from my experience. 

Taxis are usually available in both St Georges, Hamilton, and the Dockyard. Most of the time a handful are at major hotels and major beaches like Horseshoe Bay. If you're not by one of these places there is an app called Hitch which allows you to call a taxi to you much like the Uber app does. You can pay within the app via credit card where very few taxis take credit cards otherwise. Can be super helpful if you are off the beaten path a little bit and need a lift back. 

7 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

I have researched the three hotels and I don't see any major red flags. All look to be fairly close to Westlake station, which I understand has a rail station/monorail station. The hotels are all rated well on Priceline (8.4-9 out of 10) and reviews are mostly positive. 

 

Is there anything I should know about any of these hotels that would be a major red flag before going forward with this deal? 

I wouldn't say red flag. For tourist things I would say Hotel Theodore wins the location prize but they're all reasonably close. I've had friends stay at the Pineapple and say that the rooms were miniscule in size. Hotel Max would most likely be the one I was the least enthusiastic about of the three if it were me. 

You are SO far out for next August-- like almost too early to book. Hotel prices right now are sort of "take it or leave it" for next year and actual pricing will most likely get loaded into their systems in the next month or so and possibly just after the 1st of the year. 

Personally I would sit back and wait a few months and look at booking direct then-- you might get some better perks for the same $132 than booking with Priceline. Worse comes to worse I'm sure this deal will still be available in Nov/Dec. 

21 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

One of the things I wanted to see in Seattle was the Boeing Museum of Flight which is near SEA-TAC airport. Given this and our need to get to the airport early the next morning, I thought it made more sense to stay near the airport post cruise.

The early flight could tip it over to the SeaTac hotels but the Museum of Flight is at Boeing Field which is essentially equidistant driving wise from a downtown hotel or SeaTac (without traffic SeaTac is technically a tiny bit longer to get to from Museum of Flight than downtown). Personally I would rather be at a downtown hotel after disembarking but either would work. I just wouldn't weight the decision based on the Museum of Flight. 

21 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

We may even rent a car for the day to give us more flexibility to go do things. 

Unless you really want to get further afield there is zero reason to do this-- Uber and Lyft will be easy to do in any of the areas we are talking about. The car will cost extra for parking, gas, etc on top of the rental fee and the time it takes to return the morning of an early flight. 

21 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

1. What are some good options for staying near the airport? 

If you do stay at the airport I concur that the Cedarbrook Lodge is the best option-- nicest airport hotel at SeaTac by a mile. 

If you stay downtown there are a plethora of options at all price points but a super unique one would be the Edgewater Hotel that is actually over the water. Fairmont Olympic, Hotel Sorrento, and the Arctic Club hotel are my other favorites in the solid 4 star, but not 5 star pricing category. 

13 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

Looking for port specific Info regarding renting cars at all 4 stops; Kahului, Hilo ,Kona ,As well as Nawiliwili .

It's a broad question in that every island is a little different. There are countless threads about this-- I would encourage you to look through the Hawaii section and search under rentals. There is a wealth of recent information. 

13 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

What are the transportation options to agencies ? Cab/Uber/Walking distance ?

The only places you can reliably count on Uber/Lyft is in Honolulu and Kahului. Otherwise it's local taxis and shuttles (when available). Again, this is well outlined in several recent posts and would encourage you to take a look as the collected info is extensive. 

1 hour ago, Milhouse said:

Ugh, it's kind of greedy that some currency exchanges charge a fee on top of a sub-par exchange rate.  

Hence why you use the RBC atms that are conveniently located at YVR which provide a good exchange rate and minimal fees. 

1 hour ago, KMos318 said:

We are not interested in booking any excursions and would rather spend our time exploring the island. I have heard about the ferry and taxi options.

Best way to explore the island will really depend on what you want to do. When we go to Bermuda generally we do a few sightseeing things but also plop ourselves on a beach for a bit too (both of which things I would highly recommend). 

If it's your first time to Bermuda taking a Blue Flag taxi tour might be worthwhile-- I believe it's a 3 hour minimum but you can do longer. It will give you a great lay of the land and tick off a bunch of spots you might want to see. These are also customizable since they are private. 

Ferry is a great way, both from cost effectiveness and speed, to get from Dockyard to St Georges and to a lesser extent Hamilton. Typically we will take a ferry over to St Georges in the morning and then slowly work our way back through the day doing things we want to along the way. 

If you have specific things you want to see and do let us know and we can help you figure out a plan that works. 

3 hours ago, SFPatty said:

Thank you, didn’t even think about that

Uber/Lyft in Honolulu are plentiful, easy, and cheap. Anyone who is charging you $120 round trip for that short of a trip is taking advantage of you. 

16 hours ago, Cruzinram said:

Does Holland America offer city tour after disembarkation that will drop you off at the at the end of the tour at the Airport? If not I need suggestions on how to kill about 4- 6 hours before flight leaves.

Not sure about the tour but you can store luggage for a fee at the Gare Centrale train station or for free (with a tip) at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth above the train station. From there it's easy to walk to most things including the old town. When you are ready to head to the airport a quick Uber pickup from the Fairmont. 

15 hours ago, Star1 said:

I will try calling Royal this week.

Also keep in mind that the beach setups in front of the Royal Hawaiian (and managed by Waikiki Beach Services through their website) are only for registered guests of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. You need to provide a confirmation number for your room in order to book and they will cancel a reservation without a matching room confirmation number. 

20 hours ago, SFPatty said:

I booked transportation to and from Pearl Harbor – $60 each way. Visiting Pearl Harbor is actually free. No need to book an expensive excursion.

You do realize that an UberX from the pier to the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center would cost you about $12 each way right? 

10 hours ago, billslowsky said:

can anyone suggest a store like CVS nearby where we can grab and go?  I see there is one a little more than a mile away (which I can handle) but hoping for closer.

Seaport Wines & Spirits is nearby. It's not a long walk (10-15 min) from the terminal but might be a bit of a hike back carrying a few 12 packs of soda. 

3 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Also, about how far out to make the reservation? 30 days? 90 days? 180 days?

There's no reason to make a reservation-- you can just walk down to the dock and its like a normal taxi rank at an airport. 

35 minutes ago, DCwom said:

If you have just a passing interest in these ships, then once you've seen one Iowa class ship, you've seen them all.

Agree with this. I live near the USS New Jersey and have toured her frequently. Aside from the spot where the surrender was signed there was little noticeable difference from the overall experience on Missouri. 

5 hours ago, bradpole said:

Having never embarked on a cruise from Montreal, is it like in the US where a tip is expected and assumed when dropping off our luggage?

Yes. You tip in Canada just like you would in the US. Same as one would in a hotel etc. 

2 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks for responding but i think you are a bit biased against transit.

I'm not-- I use it when I'm there and in other cities. But Boston's mass transit system in the city core is ancient and not conducive to carrying large bags. Lots of steps, narrow escalators, narrow platforms, and on things like the Green Line streetcars with steps on them like at the Boylston stop near the Moxy. 

While Uber will be more expensive than mass transit, it will be much faster and easier with bags in tow in the scenarios you outline. 

1 hour ago, edgeman61 said:

I realize that La Guardia airport is closer to the cruise port that Princess usually uses when sailing out of New York for Canadian cruises.

 

However, from a pricing standpoint, I can get a cheaper non-stop flight to Newark (booked through EZ Air) and I am using Princess transfer from airport to ship (and back).

 

Is this feasible?  What are the possible negatives of this course of action?

Princess uses Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. LaGuardia and Newark Airport, when there isn't any traffic, are not that much of a difference in terms of distance from BCT. A tad bit over 30-40 minutes each. JFK is a bit further. 

Regardless though, the fact that Princess is providing you transportation to and from EWR as part of your air package means that they think it's quite feasible and they guarantee it. You should go with the cheaper airfare-- there is no major advantage to either airport outside of cost. 

4 hours ago, latebuyer said:

So it looks like getting to the moxy i can take the blue line from the airport to goverment center and transfer to boylston? That would be great. I'll see when i wake up as uber may be quicketr.

Uber/Lyft will be much quicker-- the T is fine but not designed for people with luggage. It will take you between 12-20 minutes to get to the pier from the Moxy. 20 minutes only if there are backups. But you don't need to use any highways to get there so major traffic won't be an issue no matter when you go-- the driver can use all surface streets. 

The estimates you were looking at were padding this ride in unrealistic ways. 

5 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I’ve been doing some estimates with lyft and looks like it takes 40 minutes to port from moxy.

It couldn't possibly-- you could walk from the port to Moxy in 40 minutes.