princeton123211

This is one of those things that we're venturing into subjective territory but as a fellow Philadelphian I felt the needed to respond. Harry's is ok. It's a very corporate/chain steakhouse feel. There are better places on the island for a meal. Would be comparable to a Capital Grille back home-- they're not bad but there are usually better options. At least thats been our experience the two times we've been there over the years. It's a shame but Marcus Samuelson's restaurant, in the nearly adjacent Hamilton Princess, was better food than Harry's and a far more lively and enjoyable atmosphere. It was announced not too long ago that it wasn't reopening. In Hamilton itself I would personally pick Port o Call first-- its much more of a locals spot. I'm not sure if Waterlot Inn reopened (it wasn't when we were there during covid earlier in the pandemic, but others might know now) but that's also a favorite for steaks. Sul Verde at the Rosewood is very nice for high end Italian. I miss their formal dining room The Point which was renovated out of existence a few years ago-- but they still have the murals commissioned for Pan Am's offices on the walls in whats now known as The Brasserie which is also quite good. Harry's isn't bad, but it just feels like you could be anywhere.

Uber or Lyft in Seattle will cut down on wait times and make your trip much more predicable. I've found them much faster and easier in Seattle when I'm there over the past year or so. Taxis were already on the decline there pre covid and taxis haven't really recovered.

I guess what most people are getting at is the ambivalence towards using it when it is the most cost effective/highest quality solution for the use you are describing. There is a reason that Uber/Lyft decimated the taxi industry in the US.

Not to mention the massive fuel surcharges that the companies that operate these minibusses are charging right now-- we chartered a 16 passenger Mercedes Sprinter for work in NYC a couple weeks ago. Fuel surcharge was $150 on top of what was already a healthy rate in the several hundreds of dollars. And keep in mind that most companies that operate minibusses the size that the OP would need usually charge garage out to garage in-- adding a bunch of cost for time you aren't even utilizing the vehicle.

People love to hate on the Chateau Frontenac but if you had one night to stay in Quebec why wouldn't you want to stay in the city's icon if it fit in your budget?

It's a ridiculous gesture on cruises where 95% of things are already included. There's only so many people the extra cost spa can handle over the course of 7 days.

If you had said Cape Liberty I would have said absolutely without question. What day of the week is it? If the ship is on time and you self disembark from Manhattan it should still work-- make sure to be off the ship and through formalities no later than 9am. Short answer is in general terms it should be ok. But any outside factors such as the ship being late, getting stuck in a long queue for immigration, or bad traffic in the tunnels could make it a nail biter. If it's a weekend that gives you a little advantage over a weekday.

As mentioned, Carmel or Dial 7 are the big ones, but UberBlack will most likely be nicer vehicles and a more efficient pickup.

We fly into Seatac several times a year to visit family and only use Uber or Lyft now. The pandemic decimated what was left of Seattle taxis. Haven't been in the past few months so it's possible they have rebounded a bit, but Uber/Lyft are much nicer, similar in price, and they pick you right up on the 3rd floor parking garage.

I'm just surmising but I think everyone might be pleasantly surprised by October. It's the path of least resistance and some cruise lines have already said they are dropping testing requirements starting in August. It's the same fight airlines had with the US testing requirement. Bermuda understands that, while tourism isn't by far their main source of income, it isn't something that's worth making difficult.

You are sort of in an awkward situation in that you could stay at BWI where you're flying into but then have a longer commute to the cruise port, or you could take a car downtown and then be closer to the cruise port the day of sailing. What is your budget? Hard to make recommendation without that. Either way you'll have to go downtown to get to the ship so I would suggest just staying down there to get a richer experience.

I would say thats accurate about too much overlap, at least in the core of the downtown area. The HoHo tour will take you out to Charlestown Navy Yard/Bunker Hill as well as down into the Seaport area that the Duck Tour doesn't. The Duck Tour spends this time in the water between Boston and Cambridge. If you can live without the novelty of doing the Duck Tour, the Hoho tour will help you cover more ground and actually get off and see things. If you do the Duck Tour, use the time before or afterwards to just walk some of the Freedom Trail and touch up a few sites you won't get to see. Really no wrong answer but both of them together is a bit overkill.

An UberX is about $60 each way. The taxi is usually nearly similar but will be based on the meter so will depend on traffic, route, etc. Personally I would take the Uber.

My personal favorite was the one that Capt Nick Bates would tell, also on QE2. Another old lady (or was it the same one?) is sitting at the table with him and she was mulling the menu and didn't see much that she wanted to order. He reminded her, that because she was in Queens Grill, she could order whatever she wanted off menu and it was never a problem. Her eye's lit up and she promptly told the maitre'd that she spent all her money on this holiday and nothing would please her more than to have an elephant steak. Without batting an eye the maitre'd asked "Would that be Indian or African, madam?" Or something to that effect.

John Duffy, the legendary Hotel Manager from QE2 who was with her for nearly 30 years, used to tell us a great story at cocktail hour about a much older lady who spent a good chunk of her retirement money and booked some of the top accommodation in Queens Grill for her first, and presumably last, crossing. The first night out, explaining it was a tradition and small honor, he invited her to dine with him and the captain the next evening. Upon hearing this she immediately turned to him and said, "Son, I have spent far too much money on this trip to go and dine with the crew!"

There is also a charge for tolls,is there not ? At the Holland Tunnel $13.75 for peak times and $11.75 off peak-- assuming the Uber has EZPass which they nearly all universally do. Will just be added to the overall bill.