princeton123211

I don't know where you're headed so won't comment on public transport but Uber/Lyft is easy and plentiful at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

Usually the schedules are pretty accurate. QM2 is too big, really too long, for the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. She juts out into the river from the pier when docked there and moved to Brooklyn decades ago. Most likely this is the case. It would be unusual for Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to be used to overnight a ship on a multi day stay-- if you look at the BCT schedule there are only two ships, Marella Discovery and Crystal Serenity that do that this year. The rest, and all of Carnival brands calls, are all same day turnarounds.

Pearl Harbor is done quite easily on your own without paying extra for a tour. It takes a little bit of planning-- you have to get timed tickets for the USS Arizona Memorial-- but otherwise much more enjoyable to do not in a group tour setting. Waikiki will be one of the nicest, closest beaches to where you'll dock in Honolulu. Beaches in Hawaii are public-- I would recommend the stretch of Waikiki thats between the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the Westin Moana Surfrider. Lots to see, do, eat, and drink there-- Mai Tai beach bar at the Royal Hawaiian is a lot of fun. My guess is that Oahu isn't going to be the only island stop on your cruise. There are much nicer beaches in Hawaii as a whole than Waikiki. If you let us know where else you'll be we can make some additional beach recommendations.

Used to be the Hilton Bonaventure-- stayed there years ago. Nice enough place-- Brutalist architecture which is modern and cold. Nice outdoor pool and rooms were fine. Personally I would much rather stay at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth that's about half a block away which is in the same 4 star category and is much more charming.

Flying into Logan the day of the cruise is risky-- much more risky than other airports in the Northeast. Logan is right on the water and is frequently subject to ground stops due to fog/weather/etc. I was in Boston on Friday and my train home was full of refugees from a sudden cancellation of flights from Logan. It's very, very close to the cruise port. I would take a taxi or Uber. Its 10-15 minutes-- a transfer that wasn't included will most likely cost much more per person than an Uber.

You can always rely on Uber/Lyft in case you need a ride between the walking. Easy and inexpensive in Boston.

There will definitely be some redundancies with the Old Town Trolley and Freedom Trail. I would only use the Trolley if you or someone in your party had difficulty walking distances that include some small/medium hills and uneven surfaces (like cobblestone and brick). The Trolley will take you deeper into Back Bay and through the Seaport District (South Boston) where the Freedom Trail won't. Back Bay is flat, very walkable, and mostly shopping (not easily experienced from a bus). The Seaport District is mainly restaurants/nightlife with very little historical value. If walking isn't an issue, Boston is an amazingly walkable city and a lot of major sights are close to each other. The Freedom Trail is much better experienced on foot as you will have the ability to stop along the way at your own pace vs doing a drive by or waiting for the next bus. If your ship didn't provide the complimentary shuttle to Quincy Market then I would say it could be worth it as the Trolley does stop at the cruise pier (and would solve that transportation issue) but since you do have the shuttle, and if you can walk it, I think you'll have a more enjoyable time doing so.

Agree. The stats might be correct but anywhere in the tourist core of the city there is zero issue speaking in English.

I haven't flown through Toronto Pearson in a very long time (usually take Porter to Billy Bishop when visiting the city). Didn't realize there was pre clearance. Appreciate the correction.

Agree with everything that's been said here about Schwartz's-- its always a stop for us when in Montreal. What I would add is that try and show up at off peak times as there can be a considerable line. The line moves pretty quickly, surprisingly quickly given the amount of people. But we've always found showing up at 11am or after 2pm, and avoiding the lunch rush, its a better experience.

It shouldn't-- they won't book you on a connection if a reasonable person couldn't physically make the connection. They take all that into account. That being said, if you connect through Toronto you'll be arriving into Toronto from Quebec as a domestic passenger so no need to go through immigration (customs is a different thing). You'll go through US immigration on arrival into DC so might take some of the anxiety away for you. If you connect though EWR (or take the train) you'll go through immigration at EWR during the layover. Most likely a reasonable air connection in EWR will be faster than switching to the train unless you live in downtown DC.

Harry's is very in line with the other Cipriani offerings around Venice (Harrys Dolci over in Giudecca, Hotel Cipriani, etc)-- the food is quite good but it is breathtakingly expensive. Its also quite small so I would recommend going off peak so you can actually enjoy it. Florian I would say offers its own charms but the food, unlike Harrys, is quite mediocre for what you pay for. Go for a coffee, pastry, aperitivo, etc but don't make a meal out of Florian. Some other "expensive but worth it" candidates are Bar Longhi overlooking the Grand Canal at the Gritti Palace Hotel. The rooftop at the Hotel Danieli is also quite spectacular and they now offer a section for cocktails so you don't have to commit to the full meal that you used to. A complimentary launch will also take you over to the Hotel Cipriani where there is a delightful little bar by their pool. While expensive like it's counterparts you can go over just for drinks and skip the expensive meal. You get a free boat ride with great views of St Marks and you can also go wander around their gardens. After a day in crowded Venice it feels like an oasis there.

Was there a few months ago-- Uber worked great and at $36CAD was a tad less expensive than a taxi.

Did it once, more out of curiosity, but wouldn't do it again. It's not a scooter or motorcycle-- whole different beast. More stable than a two wheeled scooter but it can be awkward to drive-- feels more like an overpowered golf cart (and the feeling you could tip that goes along with that). The good was the freedom it gives you. Charging wasn't really an issue-- there were plenty of opportunities to do that. The biggest downside is that it is not really a two person vehicle-- the back seat is tiny, claustrophobic, and hard to see anything from. The rear passenger's head is way back into the canopy-- its weird. My wife is petite and she was not happy being back there-- a larger person would have a difficult time of it. You also need to consider that you'll need to drive on the other side of the road in Bermuda. Its not hard to get used to but can be a bit daunting at first and mistakes are easy in congested areas with more traffic. On the Twiggy you drive from the middle position (as opposed to being on the right or left of a traditional car) so it helps a little. Traffic on the roads is almost universally moving faster than you are so keep that in mind. I don't believe the Twizy is governed a lower speed like the tourist scooters are but you really have to throw your foot into it to get it to accelerate decently-- I was surprised because I thought an electric car would be like a go kart. For what it costs to rent (we paid about $140 a day a few years ago) a Twizy you could easily spend some of that on taxis and blend the cost with public transport. Use the taxis strategically to get to some places you want to see faster.

Its really quite a short ride even for a car service like Carmel or Dial7-- an Uber/Lyft will most likely be less expensive and just as easy. Honestly coming out of Penn Station/Moynihan Hall finding a prearranged car service can be much more difficult than finding an Uber on the app in real time.

This is solid advice. To elaborate a little further-- never use Hitch if you are near a taxi queue like at a major hotel or in the Dockyard during normal hours-- you'll pay a little less just hailing one. But if you are somewhere further afield and there are no taxis, Hitch can be a huge lifesaver.

I always go there and buy a pair of the knee socks...and then never wear the knee socks.

First of I think this is Zaandam all day long. If the 11 days fits into your schedule, even dollar for dollar, the Holland America trip is a vastly better value vs the 7 day NCL trip for similar cost. HAL is going to be much more in line with senior friendly amenities than NCL will be but also with plenty of things that will appeal to you. These itineraries don't stack against each other-- the Zaandam trip up the St Lawrence with stops in Quebec City and ending in Montreal is vastly superior. Not 8:15am but a later flight would be feasible and a much later flight would give you time to enjoy Montreal which is a wonderful city. A nice hotel would be happy to store your luggage for the day for a nice tip and a trip to their restaurant. You give up a bunch here for the convenience of the round trip-- I would say that the addition of Quebec City and Montreal provides the significant advantage in this one. Not to mention you have another 4 days aboard for a similar cost. Very fair point. The last time we sailed with HAL we had an included open bar and I would describe it more as a rowdy retirement community than a party ship. They're cute at that age...

It's impossible to make a recommendation without any info like budget. There are tons of hotel options in Montreal. My personal favorites in Montreal are the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth and the Ritz-Carlton on Sherbrooke St. They might not be what you're looking for though. Give us some more info and we can provide a better suggestion.

No matter where you stay in Manhattan, you will pay dearly for parking. Parking on the low end at a garage is going to be around $50 a night and onsite hotel valet parking in Midtown can range from $70-90 a night. There might be a small exception or two but not much. If there is a scenario you don't bring the car into Manhattan until the cruise it might be worth looking at. Someone on here might have a first hand opinion on the Ink 48-- I have not stayed there. I did stay at the Lexington Hotel one time and the rooms are microscopic-- even by New York standards. You could lay in bed and adjust the TV with your foot. It was last minute and I was getting greedy about earning Marriott points-- I don't regret it but I wouldn't do it again. This helps the car issue but you'll be spending time and money getting back and forth to Manhattan to tour around. Frankly I would rather be in Manhattan if that's where I was wanting to spend time. The Sheraton serves one purpose-- to make your parking for a couple of nights cheaper. But it makes all other aspects of your trip more time consuming and difficult.

Hemingway spent quite a bit of time at Locanda Cipriani and was close friends with Giuseppe Cipriani. I believe he did some writing there over a few months at some point-- he came to Torcello to "dry out" after his exploits in Venice proper.

Don't get me wrong-- I love GTJ's thoroughness, thoughtfulness, and vast understanding of mass transit in the greater NYC area. But GTJ does specialize in tangents...

No lottery win needed-- you can book it between 85,000-100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points a night. You can receive 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points as a gift for signing up for one of their credit cards. The Gritti Palace is a great example of one of their hotels that provides an outstanding value for points.

Uber/Lyft is readily available and have never had an issue at Cape Liberty. You always could preschedule a car service but you'll likely overpay significantly for not much material benefit. Just keep an eye on Uber wait times as you are getting ready to disembark and if they are longer just time it. But again-- have never had an issue or longer than a 12-15 min wait time at Cape Liberty.

Agree-- its like going to New York and saying you had a pastrami sandwich at Katz's. Like Katz's it does live up to the hype-- it's very good. But there are also plenty of good pastrami sandwiches in NYC. I also agree here-- not a great walk. A lot of it is on the working side of the island (think past the trash composition station) that doesn't really offer a visitor much to see anyway.