princeton123211

I don't disagree with you but would have been disappointed with Nassau over getting to Bermuda (obviously couldn't be helped in this particular situation). But they do have you figured out from a tiered brand standpoint-- in the end NCL still got your money...

Canada Place is the pier in Vancouver. You could always ship your bags overnight, which would be quite expensive. Why wouldn't you just travel with the bags? Whistler Shuttle offers bus service to Whistler from Vancouver. They will pick up at most major hotels downtown so you could ask them for a pickup at the Pan Pacific Hotel which is actually attached to Canada Place. Super easy. Other options would be to hire a car and driver or rent a car and drive yourself. Any of these options would easily accommodate your luggage without having to pay extra to ship them.

Its most likely temporary-- it's been run seasonally in the past and also when United has a widebody aircraft shortage this is a route they typically will pull them from for a while. They just had upgraded the aircraft on this route when we flew back to EWR from HNL in late April with the new Polaris suite so seems odd they would cancel it completely. Sorry it impacted you here. Hawaiian from JFK is one of our favorite ways to get to Hawaii-- we go several times a year from the Northeast and this is our favorite flight to get there (the outbound flight is Hawaiian 51 but the return from HNL is Hawaiian Five-O). The major benefit of Hawaiian vs the others is when you step onboard you actually get the sense you are in Hawaii-- lighting, mu. Just a really nice way to start a vacation and the food overall is MUCH better on Hawaiian than the other legacy carriers. They run it on a A330 widebody (already a better option than narrowbody JetBlue) and in coach you have a 2-4-2 configuration so easy for couples to have their own space. Their First Class is really a nice version of an international business class-- lie flat seats with nice bedding, dining on china, etc. For a single traveller they don't have the same amount of privacy as United Polaris suites but for a couple they work really well and overall is a better product than what United has on this route.

There's no set side. A ship will dock on different sides depending on what needs to be done while they are overnight-- could be a port side lifeboat drill or maybe they need to paint the starboard side over those days. There is no way to be certain for a particular port visit.

It's like 45 minutes without any traffic door to door to MCO from Cape Canaveral. Just because the ship is scheduled to arrive at 7 doesn't necessarily mean thats when you can immediately go ashore-- it will have to clear formalities first. If NCL will let you book a transfer with an 11:30 flight (and will stand by it in case something does go wrong) by all means do it-- peace of mind and let them tell you when and where to go. If not I would self disembark with my luggage at your earliest possible time. If you were ashore and in a car by 8/830 you will be to the airport at or just after 9am and should have plenty of time for 11:30. Keep in mind MCO is generally a nightmare if you don't have TSA Pre with all the kids going through security so it takes a little bit longer than a usual airport at peak times.

Uber/Lyft in New Orleans is very easy and is much better than the very tatty, run down taxis they have. Garden District from the pier by car is 10 minutes or less depending on where you're going. It's the World War II Museum (not 1) and thats even closer-- about 5 minutes by car from the pier.

100% Also agree. Start looking at hotels once we get into 2024-- hotels right now haven't really published their standard rates or promotions for next year so what you're seeing is the "take it or leave it" pricing that far out.

Generally not-- you are outside of beach season which wraps up in October. Depending when you are there in November (early vs late) water temps can be in the mid to lower 70s or high 60s. Air temps are still great-- the humidity of summer is gone then which is wonderful (but doesn't make swimming as enticing).

It's now a Doubletree.

As others have said, yes. There are limited exceptions to hotel amenities that are indeed not available to non-guests. The only ones I can think of are the Rosewood's Beach Club (which is in Tuckers Town and they are militant about non-guests) and the Hamilton Princess' beach club. Anything else at the top resorts are open to the public and well worth a visit.

Blacklane is very good-- its basically an aggregator. They find the smaller black car services that you are having trouble finding yourself that meet their quality standards (and this is a much better experience overall than UberBlack). I don't use them for short hops-- Uber or Lyft is still a more cost effective solution for that-- but for longer stuff Blacklane has become my go to in LA. Generally the Blacklane "Business" will be a Cadillac Sedan, Mercedes E Class, or occasionally a newer Suburban. The "First" is usually a Mercedes S Class or Cadillac Escalade.

They're all going to be similar-- around $70. Frankly I like that Uber/Lyft will give you the quote ahead of time. I've been burned in NYC yellow taxis the last few times with the fare ending up being significantly more than I had estimated. From LGA taxis don't give you the same flat fare you get from JFK (not that it would apply to Brooklyn anyway). Just to get into the taxi at LGA its like $12 in surcharges plus the 70 cents per 1/5 mile as you'll be on the meter the entire time. Any unforeseen traffic can and will make the fare go up. Uber/Lyft would be the way I would choose to do this.

Anywhere in Back Bay, North End, Copley, Beacon Hill, Faneuil Hall areas are very safe. There are parts on the fringes of Downtown and Chinatown I might not walk along at night as a single person. Not to say they are dangerous but there isn't any real reason to go as a tourist and they aren't as well lit or populated. Part of the charm of Boston is walking around at night with the restaurants etc. This time of year is incredibly expensive in Boston.

Either of them are perfectly safe. Boston itself is a very safe city and you shouldn't be worried about walking around after dark in the main tourist areas. Personally I would prefer Uber or Lyft just because you know they are going to take a credit card and I find it easier than dealing with a taxi. There are a lot fewer taxis in Boston these days than before, like most places.

Makes sense-- thats a brutal day no matter what you do.

If you take the Amtrak Acela high speed train there is all assigned seating which you can choose in advance so you wouldn't have that issue again. And you can use Red Cap service in Penn Station to board the train early and have them carry your luggage. Will still be a lot less expensive than the car service. Of course if price isn't a concern it is less hassle to just get in a car and go.

It can be done but it is going to cost you an arm and a leg. For example its outside of the operating zone of Carmel/Dial7 which are often mentioned on this board. Some of the higher end companies that own their own cars will quote you on it but they are going to be "garage out to garage in" meaning you are going to be charged from the moment they leave the garage to get you in Brooklyn until they return to that garage in New York-- so you'll be charged for the ride in both directions. Even UberX on a good day is going to be $650 and UberBlack is $830. Another app I use called Blacklane is going to be $640. There is a huge jump in price once you get below Philadelphia-- we often take an Uber up to JFK and its only about $200-250ish but thats a long way off $650 to Baltimore (I don't know where you are in Maryland so thats what I used for these numbers). Personally I would take Amtrak to Baltimore or BWI and then have a car service pick me up from there. Dramatically less expensive. Yes-- car services can pick you up right outside of the terminal.

Either or. They are both going to be from the exact same pool of cars/drivers. Carmel doesn't own any cars so they outsource to the same group of folks that drive Uber/Lyft. Personally I would Uber but thats mainly just because its what I usually do. There would be no need to prearrange the Uber on a Sunday. Uber will not-- mainly point to point. You can put in intermediate stops but its not a great way to use it. Carmel might offer you an hourly "as directed" rate which would allow you to tell the driver where to go-- you have to call them to ask, you cant book a by the hour reservation outside of NYC on the phone. But they're not going to give you a tour-- not to generalize but a large portion of them speak very spotty English. You could also use an app I like called Blacklane. These are going to usually be higher end cars than Carmel or UberBlack. You can book their "business class" which is usually a Cadillac sedan or Mercedes E Class. Or they have "First Class" which is usually a Mercedes S Class or Cadillac Escalade. You can prebook "by the hour"-- their pricing is nice because it includes all taxes, fees, and gratuity. I checked for the 29th and Biz Class is $188 for 2 hours and First is $314. Again-- I wouldn't expect their driver to be able to give you a tour but they can take you to anything you want to see before dropping off at the MCT.

Taxis and Ubers are available as well. Uber works reasonably well in San Juan.

The area right by the Carnival pier in LB is an industrial port with not much around it. The only things you have in the immediate vicinity are the restaurants/bar at The Queen Mary which is adjacent to the pier or the restaurant/lounge at the Hotel Maya which is a little further down. Other than that you need to head into Long Beach proper by car across the bridge. On the QM the Midship Marketplace is a coffee kiosk (I think Starbucks) with sandwiches, pastries etc. You also have the full service restaurant and the Observation Bar. They used to have a thing where all or part of your admission ticket could then be applied to food and beverage-- not sure if thats still the case.

To each their own-- they are making a fair buck off of you that way. Canadian currency isn't rocket science.

Its about an hour door to door to the airport at Athens from the port. 5am doesn't mean you are off at 5am. I would be personally be comfortable with a 10am flight, taking into account possible delays disembarking (carrying my own luggage off first) and then getting to the airport. Athens Airport isn't exactly a model of efficiency so you'll loose a little time there too. I would say just about anyone could make a noon flight to Milan without any issue.

Just go and use an ATM at an actual bank at your first port-- you'll get a MUCH better deal overall than you will exchanging anything onboard.

A favorite mall would be The Grove and the adjacent LA Farmers Market. The Grove is going to be a bit more upscale than an outlet mall (Nordstrom is the anchor store) but there are also mid level stores to shop at. Very atmospheric to walk around-- most of it is outside and sort of feels like an upscale theme park. The older Farmers Market thats adjacent is one of my favorite things to do in LA-- great food options at very reasonable prices. It will be a 20-30 minute Uber ride from a hotel at LAX. A few minutes away you have the Howard Hughes Center-- its been years since I've been there but from what I remember its a smaller, very run of the mill mall. Not sure what it has going for it these days. You could also Uber up to Santa Monica which is very pedestrian friendly and there are lots of shops and restaurants there.

Most QC cabs take credit card-- there are a few that don't and a few cranky drivers who can but still wont. I'm up there a couple times a year for business and just use Uber-- its easier and you don't have these questions. No you can't use USD-- you're in Canada-- but I'm sure a cab driver would be happy to take it 1:1 given how much you would get hosed in that transaction.