princeton123211

Correct-- once the ship clears immigration the day before (of arrival) you'll be able to come and go as you please and leave at any time the next morning. The airport is about 25 minutes away but I would budget 30-40 minutes just in case there is traffic if you are going during the morning rush.

Traffic flows fairly well at Cape Liberty-- its off on its own so there is no additional city traffic like you have at other NYC area ports. I wouldn't factor this into what time you choose to disembark.

Uber/Lyft wasn't great before Covid and its even worse after. Uber/Lyft outside of Honolulu in Hawaii is always difficult. I would not rely on it. Schedule a ride with a taxi ahead of time.

To njhorseman's point, there is a game to be played here and it's only done at a high end hotel's restaurant or bar that is off the lobby (vs a restaurant in a hotel that is accessed from the street). In Midtown for Italian you could do Harry Cipriani at the Sherry-Netherland but it is heinously expensive (but incredibly atmospheric). I'm at a loss to think of another Midtown hotel with a good Italian restaurant in it but I'm sure others might chime in. For something on the completely opposite side of affordability you could do Burger Joint at The Thompson on 56th (it's sort of hidden away but its one of the better burgers in NYC-- nothing fancy but inexpensive and they will store your bags). The Blue Bar and Lounge at The Algonquin in Times Square definitely will do it (checked a bag for a meeting there a couple weeks ago). My personal favorite would be at the King Cole Bar at The St Regis, although again this will be expensive drinks and food, although not as expensive as Cipriani. There are a bunch of options here that can be researched but there are four workable recs that are at the bottom and the top of what you could reasonable expect to spend and in a very desirable area to walk around in if you only had a few hours in town.

Never had any issues in the 2 cruises I've taken that stopped there or the numerous times we've taken the quick ferry ride from Long Beach to the island. You're only 22 miles off of LA-- weather is usually fairly docile.

Used to be there for business every few months. Personal favorites are the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth for midrange business class 4 star option or the Ritz-Carlton for a 5 star hotel- both have recently been renovated and are in great shape. The Queen Elizabeth is right above the main train station so super central to most things. The Ritz is in a very nice area of town not far from shopping the McGill University campus and is of a slightly higher quality than most Ritz’s you run into. If either of those work budget wise I highly recommend.

It will be inexpensive but it will also take you a little more than twice as long as taking an Uber from the airport. UberX will be about $60 door to door. Yes-- I would definitely Uber here given what you said. Also keep in mind once you get downtown you'll have to get across to the adjacent Westlake Center to the monorail and then upstairs with luggage. You're answering your own question. Frankly I would use Uber for all three of these unless you really want to spend the time riding the light rail. You can always take a monorail ride once you settle in if that was something you still wanted to do. I wouldn't be using public transport at 11pm.

Agree with you on Disneyland-- it would be a ton of running around and expense for what would essentially pan out to going on about 2 rides if you were lucky. Realistically you'll need to be at SNA by 330ish at the latest so you are really looking at an extended lunch somewhere. A no brainer would have been going over to the Queen Mary, which is in a soft reopening, but I believe those limited tours are sold out and it won't be fully open until April. Might be worth keeping an eye on that on the off chance it does open. You could see about getting a day rate at one of the nicer resorts along the coast in OC-- the Lido House in Newport Beach could be a fun option. You could use the pool and grab lunch etc and then it's a quick, easy drive over to SNA.

We used an app called Blacklane extensively in the Lakes District and Milan last June and had very good experiences. You book through the app and they connect you with local providers that meet their quality standards. Billing is done through the app and includes all tax and gratuities so extremely easy.

As the previous poster mentioned, no need for a tour company. Uber/Lyft/taxi for quick transportation over there and then to the airport. You don't have a ton of time- whether this is even worth it or not will depend if you can get timed tickets for the ferry ride to and from the Arizona Memorial. These are available a couple months in advance on the government website, are for specific times, and do sell out. Once you have those you can start to plan more.

It's less about the time and more about the fact that in the late morning onwards it is so beastly hot and humid in July that they might not even offer a ride for safety concerns of the horses. Unlikely-- it's most likely part of their insurance requirements.

Keep in mind that Mt Rainier is a FULL day trip. Its about 2 hours each way from the city center without traffic (before you even get to the National Park) and then you can spend multiple days, let alone a few hours, driving around/hiking etc. Its doable but you won't cover much ground in a day except for what amounts to be a drive by. As the previous poster mentioned it could be useful to stay the night prior not in the city and closer to the park maximize time the next day if this is a must do. Personally I would find an alternative and hope one of your days in Seattle the weather is clear enough to see the mountain from downtown. I would second the other poster's suggestion of Woodinville-- a lot of great wineries, a whiskey distillery, and some fun restaurants. The Hollywood Tavern there is a favorite.

Uber or Lyft.

Keep in mind that what’s on offer in Bermuda is a nose to tail trail ride. My wife is a competitive rider and aside from the scenery it’s a frustrating experience for anyone who’s an equestrian. We’ve sought out other options but they don’t really exist.

Its like seeing those speed limit signs that say "7 mph"-- you pay more attention to them. We're talking about it aren't we?

There are several flights from the US that arrive right around the same time so it can sometimes be a bottleneck. We arranged for a pick up service that took us through immigration at the front of the line last time in June and it was quick but the normal line was most likely 45ish minutes. Where in Venice are you going? Often times taking a water taxi will be faster (it can take you directly to some hotels) unless you are staying close to Piazzale Roma. Also the water taxi is an absolutely magical way of arriving into the city.

You'll dock very close to town-- there are a few different piers so it's not the same every time but you'll be in easy walking distance to most things. Quebec isn't French-- its important to make the distinction. They do speak Canadian French (which is a little bit different from what's spoken in Paris) but the food isn't predominantly French-- its Quebecoise. Totally different. Montreal has a much more dynamic dining scene than QC, so if you are spending time in Montreal at all on this trip might be worth waiting for the special meal there. That being said if you did still want a nice French meal (as opposed to getting something that's a little more local) Le Continental near the Chateau Frontenac is traditional French with a lot of tableside preparation and flambe deserts-- great throwback.

Its a big city-- there is going to be homeless nearly everywhere. That being said there are hotels you can sort of cocoon yourself in if you don't want to walk around. The Fairmont Olympic would be a good example of this-- they have something like 3 restaurants and 4 bars on property as well as a nice indoor pool. You wouldn't really need to leave if you didn't want to. When walking downtown you really want to avoid 3rd Ave which has some of the worst homeless in the downtown core. Aside from that it's going to be similar to most large cities.

Usually this works the best if you are planning on using the hotels restaurants or bar and usually just at nicer 4-5 star establishments. If you walk up and tell them you are grabbing lunch or a drink there is zero chance they will say no-- its like checking a coat at a restaurant.

Yep- totally different climates. Desert vs the coast. Even in Los Angeles the temperature in the same city can vary greatly-- can be cool and foggy in Santa Monica at the sea and sunny and hot further inland. Will depend from ship to ship and day to day but not long-- 10-15 minutes max.

A very long time ago. Was at the Royal York just before the pandemic and the lobby was thoroughly renovated and was much more geared towards bars and lounges. If I had to pick a favorite Fairmont afternoon tea it would still be at The Empress in Victoria. I still can't go to Quebec City and not go to the Chateau Frontenac, at very least for a drink-- when in Rome...

None that I know of that offer a shuttle to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Certainly none in Manhattan proper but I don't believe any in New Jersey either. There are hotels that offer a park and cruise package in NJ but not a shuttle.

Keep in mind that this hotel has been rebranded from a Hilton to a Doubletree by Hilton, so if you do use Uber you might not be able to find it under it's former name.

SeaDream's small ships still dock at San Basilio close to the cruise terminal. The Aegean Odyssey was docked at the main cruise terminal when we were last there in early June. I believe the ban only applies to ships that are greater than 25,000 gross registered tons.

I mentioned in another similar post the Hilton Short Hills which is located about 30 minutes from Cape Liberty and is in an extremely safe area. The hotel itself is across the street from the toney Mall at Short Hills with plenty of dining both on site and over at the mall. Sometimes the rates exceed $200 but on the weekends especially they will be in your budget and its a full service 4 star hotel.