princeton123211

Fly. No question. Fly. On a 16 day Princess itinerary cruise you literally only get 4 days in Hawaii and not enough time in any of those ports to do the things you'll want to do. Unless you are someone who literally lives for days at sea you will get to the islands and be incredibly disappointed that you can't stay longer and explore deeper. I spend a lot of time in Hawaii and I think that cruises are one of the worst ways to see the islands (which I get is counterintuitive). But inter-island flights are so cheap and quick you can easily get anywhere you want to go. Flights from the east coast are long but there are good options including Hawaiian Airlines which is our favorite way to fly there. If you went to Hawaii for 16 days you could easily go to 2-3 islands and have a great balance between relaxing and sightseeing. Even if you flew there for 7-8 days you would do and see so much more than you would on a round trip cruise from the west coast like the one you mentioned.

It's very straight forward at Cape Liberty. Compared to Manhattan, Miami, or other places you may have cruised from it is tiny and only handles one ship at a time. There is a long drive to drop off at that is covered from the elements, where luggage can be deposited, and then one main entrance into the terminal itself for check in.

Newark is physically the closest major airport to Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne but being a "best option" will depend on where you're coming from. Is there a direct flight? Are flights into LaGuardia or JFK less expensive or at better times? Do you have a good early afternoon return flight option for the day you get back? What is your budget? There are all of the usual suspects in and around EWR. Personally I prefer the full service Marriott that is right on hotel grounds but there are a ton of options depending on what brands you prefer and how much you want to spend.

There's not a lot in the immediate vicinity-- most of the island's spas are at the resorts. You honestly might be less expensive overall with the one on he ship when you consider pricing and then the cost of transportation. I think the nearest is Cambridge Beach Resort and their spa is between $120-200 for a massage. Have not personally experienced there so cant speak to the quality or overall experience. I don't believe Fairmont Southampton has reopened so that most likely isn't an option. I've personally been to the spa at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess in town (which wouldn't cost you a ton to get to-- take the ferry and its then within walking distance) but spa services are going to be more like starting at $200 for a 60 minute massage and go up to $300 for a 90 minute. Very high quality and the facilities are great. I've also been to the Rosewood Spa which is much further and even pricier so not really worth considering in the context of your question. Bermuda is not an inexpensive place-- I would see if your ship offers in port specials on spa treatments while you're docked-- they are often much less expensive than when the ship is at sea and will most likely be less expensive than what you'll find on Bermuda.

Thats Boston!

There is nothing more spectacular than arriving into central Venice via water taxi from the airport after a transatlantic flight. There are plenty of hotels in the St Marks area that you can arrive directly by water taxi and not have to shuffle with your bags at all-- they do tend to be on the more expensive side and you do need to factor in the water taxi costs. But don't assume you'll have to schlep your bags yourselves all over just because you're not staying in P Roma-- a good number of hotels have private docks the water taxis can pull right up to. Also if you have Marriott Bonvoy points there are some great opportunities for redemption at some of Venice's priciest hotels for either totally free or the combination of points and a much lower nightly rate.

They're not really in the same category-- Fairmont Copley Plaza is a recently renovated 4.5 star hotel. It's a Boston landmark in its own right-- the rooms are tastefully updated and the public rooms are spectacular. It's not a true 5 star like the Four Seasons or Ritz are, but it's just a tiny step down from them, firmly in the luxury category, and can be a great value for what you get. Boston Park Plaza is more in the 3+ star category more on the budget side than luxury. Rooms, while given an update, are for the most part minuscule in size and the bathrooms will remind you of being on a ship. It certainly serves a purpose and has a great location, but the two hotels are not apples for apples aside from their physical proximity.

No jacket-- in Orchid's slacks are appropriate (technically I think you can wear Bermuda shorts but at dinner not many do) but otherwise a collared or aloha shirt. House Without a Key is hotel bar casual. Lewers Lounge used to have a more stringent dress code but they have relaxed it to be in line with Orchids. I honestly can't think of anywhere in Hawaii we've been over the years that required a sport coat.

Great location and they really did a fantastic job renovating the old Europa & Regina. That being said it is VERY modern by Venice standards and is a bit stark to me. It doesn't have the same sense of place that a lot of other hotels in its category in the city do. The rooms are wonderfully appointed (again, very modern and minimalist) and I think they told me they have the most balconies of any 5 star hotel in Venice (we were fortunate enough to get upgraded to a canal facing one for a quick one night stay). For the same amount of money you would pay at the St Regis I much prefer the Gritti Palace. You are still in the Marriott Bonvoy ecosystem and the Gritti makes you feel as though you are in an authentic/historic Venetian palace whereas the decor of the St Regis could be at any top hotel in any major city.

$175 pp is a bit hefty. For perspective, a ticket for either the Crystal or Fantasy caves is $24pp and a combo ticket for both caves is $35 (children are $10 and $12). NCL runs a free ferry from the Dockyard to St Georges and even if you took a taxi from there to the Caves (making sure to stop at the Swizzle Inn either on the way to or from!) you are looking at about an $18 taxi ride each way for up to 4 people. So for two adults with the combined tickets you are looking at $106 total including transportation vs $175pp. I'd find another place to use the $50 credit.

Seconding this. The Orchids/House Without a Key is one of our favorite one/two punches. The only thing I would add is that I also enjoy an after dinner cocktail at Lewers Lounge (also at Halekulani) for some live jazz.

Also worth mentioning that these are major European ports and cities-- there aren't stalls and vendors hawking their tours even close to the level that you find in the Caribbean.

I'll preface what I'm about to say with the fact that I am not an "excursion person"-- unless there is something that would be difficult to see on my own or I might risk the chance of not making the ship on the way back I generally try to do my own thing. That being said-- winging it with 20 people you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. If the plan is for everyone to do the same thing you are going to have to, at very least, agree on a general plan and set up transportation in advance. If everyone is fine breaking up and doing their own things, then planning ahead is less important. Traveling with 20 people in any situation is a tall order and the more organized you are ahead of time the smoother it will go and the less disappointment there will be.

Also closing this month for a much needed renovation-- will return as the Rosewood Hotel Venice.

If you are ok with that range I would look at either the St Regis or the Gritti Palace. The St Regis is going to be closer to St Marks (a bit too close from a personal preference) and is a bit more modern inside. The Gritti Palace is a grande dame of Venice and really does a nice job-- its our favorite hotel in that area and frankly only competes with Hotel Cipriani for favorite hotel in the city (they serve very different purposes). It is slightly enough outside of the St Marks orbit that its not thronged but close by so you can walk there in a few short minutes. The food and beverage options we also found a bit better than the St Regis (or other similarly categoried hotels like The Bauer etc nearby). They had a renovation a few years back and the rooms are very well appointed while keeping a lot of the old world charm. Service was impeccable and their concierge staff have to be among the best in the city. The Danieli, while always a sentimental favorite, is showing her age and a few years of deferred maintenance. The hotel was just purchased a few months back and will be closing for a major top to bottom renovation and converting into a Four Seasons. She was a bit frayed around the edges when we were there in June and I would wait until the renovation is complete before I stayed there.

Budget is really going make the difference here. Most hotels near St Marks are the priciest in the city but there are a few budget options. Personally our favorite is the Gritti Palace which can be astronomically expensive ($1200+ a night for an entry level room) but is also a tremendously good points redemption value through Bonvoy. Same goes for the Hotel Danieli which is on the other side and can also be a bit less expensive ($500-700 a night). It's nearly impossible to make a rec without some idea of how much you are budgeting to spend a night.

Which is worth pointing out to the OP that these repositioning cruises that make a port call at Bermuda tend to only stay for a single day whereas the cruises from NYC/Boston/Baltimore tend to have multiple days/overnights in port, which is the main attraction for most of us.

It really doesn't matter from an Uber perspective-- you'll end up spending approximately the same amount to cover the same ground if you do it in one shot at night or in two legs the next morning. Personally I would stay in Fort Lauderdale that night unless you had a burning desire to see the nightlife in Miami proper. Ft Lauderdale is a little less expensive than South Beach or Brickell (generally) and I'd prefer to stay in a nicer hotel in FLL closer to the beach than spend a bunch more for Miami. Which begs the question... What is your budget? Ft Lauderdale runs the gamut from budget airport to hotels to luxury properties on the beach and everything in between. If you want to be walking distance to restaurants etc you still can find a bunch of different properties to fit most budgets. Hard to make a rec without knowing this.

I had the same thought in my head-- if it's your first time to Europe and you're already near London that would be a vastly better spot to start than flying to Berlin (as much as I do enjoy Berlin). But for someone from the US, comparing London to Berlin is sort of like comparing New York City to Baltimore. Not to mention that flying from Berlin internationally is problematic and they'll have to stop through Frankfurt or Munich with Lufthansa or any number of other hubs with other carriers.

We used Blacklane extensively in Italy a few months ago with great results. It's an app and connects you to private liveried drivers at fixed rates that you lock in when you book. You can pick between three options-- E Class Mercedes, S Class Mercedes, and a Merc van for more people/luggage. Would highly recommend it and it saves you from having to find a company on your own or rely on a concierge (who's going to build in a commission).

It will depend on the specific vendor NCL uses but from the looks of it they use Roberts. Yes, the van/mini busses to make several planned stops and I've seen them over the years also pull to the side when able to take pictures. Keep in mind there are places that these larger van busses just cant stop because of limited space that a rental car can. I get it but the experience of driving yourself is vastly superior than an organized tour in nearly every way on this drive. You'll see more when you're in transit (can you imagine being on the right hand side of the bus the whole time on the way out and not getting great views?), have the ability to make additional stops that you choose, and it will take a little less time overall on your own. Makes even less sense to be honest-- more expensive and still a lot of the same limitations/disadvantages of the group tour.

TWA Hotel is a great option and they do allow you to get a room for up to 4 hours for something around $150. Can be easily booked on their website. Even if you don't stay at the hotel you can pay a fee to use their rooftop pool overlooking the runway-- its open year round and heated with a fun bar/restaurant up there. It's located adjacent to Terminal 5 so unless you are flying JetBlue you'll need to build in a little bit of time to get over to your terminal, but not bad.

The Edgewater is the vastly superior option in terms of quality (and thats coming from a Bonvoy guy). Its a great hotel and has a great history. No-- you are on your own to get your luggage to the pier at either hotel. Yes-- you drop your luggage like at any other major cruise port and it is taken aboard the ship.

We just got back from Ovation in the Med from Barcelona to Rome. Only about 250 passengers total-- tons of space. And Thomas Keller was onboard for a good part of the trip.

Smart move. You won't even need a rental car for Aulani-- you could easily just do that in an Uber and not even have to bother dropping the car at HNL.