Nitemare

Well, I lived in and around Boston for fifty years. It’s a major city. No major city can be thoroughly toured in a day, so that is an odd thing to mention.  I have never heard it called an Urban Jungle before, not sure what that means. It is easily walkable, from the pier to the Freedom Trail to Boston Garden, even to Fenway Park if that’s your goal. And the MBTA is cheap, clean, and runs to all these places.  Not in a day, but in four or five days. Plus amazing museums, if you have more time. And we haven’t mentioned the harbor and islands,

I love Lexington and Concord, but the density of attractions there is nothing like what you get on the Freedom Trail. You DO need a vehicle  to see them.  And Salem is great, once you get past the kitschy With tourist traps.

I don’t see any such traps mentioned in your post for Boston, and if Faneuil Hall is closed, well, that’s not 10% of the historic attractions in the city. 90% of visitors don’t even go there, they enjoy the shopping and food and entertainment at the adjacent Quincy Market, which has not been closed.  And yes, I worked there and I know the numbers.  I think you are confusing tourist “traps” with tourist “attractions”.  Fisherman’s Wharf and Plymouth Rock are tourist traps.  Not the Freedom Trail.

50 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I don't think price was the issue here-- it was the assertion that downtown Boston is "not particularly nice" by the previous poster. 

Totally agree.  I have no idea where that comment came from.

They are dreadful to use as transportation.  The subway is fast, easy, cheap, and safe.  If you are walkers, the stroll from the 9-11 Museum to the Intrepid is along the river and is beautiful with all sorts of parks and attractions en route.  We've walked that path dozens of times

Downtown lodging is fine.   But expensive.  There are some cheaper options in Boston or in very nearby areas.  No need to stay in Quincy or Salem.  Read some of the other threads to see the places that are regularly recommended, like the Harborside Inn (watch out for windowless rooms) and options in the Seaport (where the Cruise Port is but not really close to tourist sites), or in East Boston or Revere.  MAKE SURE any place is close to subway transit.  And there are cheaper areas in Boston that are not convenient, attractive, or recommended, so do check before you book something based on price alone.

Also check the very active Boston forum on TripAdvisor for similar recommendations.  But don't expect to see real pricing until at least late September or October.  Do look now to get ideas of what August prices look like since they will be similar next year

22 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Just take a walk along Commonwealth Ave and explore a little and get lost from there. I wouldn't call them Victorian in the sense that most people refer to with turrets etc-- the historic homes there are mainly brownstone and brick townhouses. 

I agree.  I worked in that neighborhood for a decade and they are nice row houses made out of brick, but they aren't at all fancy.  Beacon Hill, like Acorn Street, might be a better destination and closer to the Freedom Trail to see historic and fancy houses

Plenty of free online guides to the Freedom Trail.

It's "Faneuil Hall".   Boston is compact, easy to walk and great transit, so you can stay almost anywhere to see the city.

Budget is important, and you won't see real hotel prices that far, out but if you can tell us your nightly budget per room we can make some suggestions

Fall color peaks are variable depending on the weather all year.  In general, I think you would be best off with a tour out of Boston at that time period.  If you could rent a car then you'd have the freedom to head north or west for best color, depending on what is actually going on

I would check with your planned lodgings to see if this is possible

15 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks, mainly at mfa i want to see the monets, i’m not sure if they are in one room. As i said it may work out if embarkation time is later. MFA opens at 10am so i’d have 2.5 hours to spend there if embarkation at 1. Both seem worthwhile!

Monets are generally in the same room or at least really near each other with the other Impressionists

HOHO busses in NYC are always crowded.  They are ok to do a loop, but I wouldn't suggest Hopping off and expecting it to be easy to Hop back on one, as they are usually full.

Also, if it's hot like it can be in September, it is going to be quite uncomfortable up top.  And if it's raining . . .

All 3?  No way.  Freedom Trail in the AM and one of the museums in the afternoon, sure.  Gardner is easy to do in a few hours.  MFA could take a couple days if you want to see it all

Dates are KEY.  We've paid $109 in January for a room that is $375 in September.  Give us exact dates and how many beds you need if you want specific advice.  Also let us know if you are ok with subway, there are great options that require a 10-15 train ride to get to attractions

18 hours ago, njhorseman said:

 

The $70 taxi fare from JFK to Manhattan is just the base fare. There are a number of mandatory state and city surcharges that are tacked on, and when you add in a tip and possibly tolls a more realistic all in price is $90 or more.

With taxes, fees, and tip, the fare comes to just about $100.  We do this regularly.

22 hours ago, HLN500 said:

Thx

Unfortunately BL busses only run 3x daily...and the times don't work for us.

Not correct on a random day I picked.  Other options, also

Are you checking bags?  How are you getting to the city?  Are you renting a car?  Taxi?  Bus service?

22 hours ago, HLN500 said:

Is it less expensive to get thee cab their rather than reserving in advance?

And do you know the costs?

Cabs are available outside the airport like at any international airport. No need to book in advance.

Approximately $140 from the airport to the city, about half that to the blue Lagoon.  BL has their own transport from the airport that you can book when you book an appointment with them that may be cheaper

20 hours ago, HLN500 said:

taxi from kef to blue lagoon

Yes.  You can take a taxi from KEF to the Blue Lagoon.

If that was not your question, please feel free to spell out your inquiry

I would have suggested keeping the tour and planning to use a taxi, uber, or public transport back to the ship if you couldn't get a ride back on the Trolley

20 hours ago, edgee said:

So if we taxi from cruise port to our hotel, no problem paying with a credit card...correct? Also, are taxis readily available at the port?

Taxis take credit cards.  So does nearly every other merchant in Iceland

18 hours ago, Capt_BJ said:

welll .... I booked a 'Golden Circle' thru tripa' and it was fully refundable up to 24 hours out .... and I had a direct contact phone number .....

 

read the fine print ....

Glad it worked for you, but I hang out on the TA forum and the number of complaints about poor communication are staggering.  I also like putting 100% of my tour money into the hands of the actual provider, not an international third party

the rate you get for Euros will be terrible, but you can probably use them in some places.

In 5 trips to Iceland we have needed ISK twice:  Once for a pay toilet, once to buy tomatoes from a tray in front of someone's house, who had an "honor box" asking for ISK

On Tripadvisor, Arctic Adventures and Troll are the most recommended companies.

Make sure when you book anything in Iceland (and really, anywhere) that you book directly with a provider, and not with a third party booker.  SO important in Iceland where weather can wreak havoc with plans 12 months a year and you want to be able to communicate directly with the provider

You can still look around outside the BL and go into the shops and restaurants without paying for entry.

On 7/5/2024 at 5:40 AM, seadayfan said:

Hi there! My question is are you allowed to walk into the port or take a private car?  Our plan is to rent a van for the 6 of us for the few days we'll be in Reykjavik before the cruise and our thought is to have the driver drop all of us at the port with luggage and he return the car and walk back to the port.  Do you know if this possible? Sometimes ports have a lot of security and not sure if they'd allow this?

if you can't drive all the way in, I am certain your driver could get you really close.  We have plenty of threads about parking at the port, that I don't think you will have any issues with this plan