GTJ

Yes, there is plenty of room for carry-on baggage, to be stored either in the overhead racks or at car ends. Think of a typical Amtrak coach car. It is also true that in the first class (GoldStar) car there is no baggage storage, for any overhead racks would interfere with views through the glass roof of the car. In my opinion, the coach (Adventure) class service more and better amenities than first class (GoldStar) service, among which is the ease of carrying on baggage.

Do you suppose that, in the meantime, Oceania provides a credit in the vessel's store for clothing until reunification?

The bus is scheduled to depart from the Intermodal Terminal (cruise vessel terminal) in Seward at 9:45 a.m., and arrive in Anchorage, at the downtown Dena'ina Civic Center terminal at 12:30 p.m., and at the Anchorage airport also at 12:30 p.m. That the same bus is scheduled to be at both drop-off locations at the same time should tell you that at least one of these times is not accurate. The downtown Dena'ina Civic Center terminal is the primary Anchorage bus stop for the Park Connection, and the bus stops at the airport only its northbound trips (no service from the airport to Seward). Historically, the bus drops off passengers first in downtown Anchorage, then it goes to the airport, though on any particular day the driver might reverse the order of the two drop-off locations. Actual travel time between those two drop-off locations is 15 minutes, but you should allow 30 minutes given the need to actually drop-off passengers and their baggage at the first drop-off location. Actual travel times by bus, direct without stops, is 2 hours 30 minutes from Seward to Anchorage. Putting together all of the bus, a realistic timetable is as follows. Depart Seward at 9:45 a.m. Arrive first drop-off location in Anchorage at 12:15 p.m. Arrive second drop-off location in Anchorage at 12:45 p.m. So worst case is 1 hour 25 minutes from bus drop-off to aircraft departure; best case is 1 hour 55 minutes. Note that the Park Connection bus service continues northward on a connecting coach that departs the downtown Dena'ina Civic Center terminal at 3:00 p.m., destined for Denali National Park, arriving at 8:30 p.m. No same-day service is available to points further north, including Fairbanks (four hours overland from Denali), and so the only same-day option is to fly from Anchorage to Fairbanks. A word about the bus operation itself. The name of the service, "Park Connection," is a marketing term, not the name of the bus company. The marketing term reflects the fact that the bus service operates on the George Parks Highway, named after the territorial governor from 1925 to 1933. The bus service is operated by Premier Alaska Tours, Inc., USDOT 878784, MC-406910. This company not only operates the Park Connection service but also operates the buses used by most cruise lines not owned by Carnival Corporation to transport their passengers for tours and transfers. The company also operates the "Wilderness Express" private railcar, which is transported by the Alaska Railroad Corporation between Anchorage, Fairbanks, and intermediate points. Premier Alaska Tours, Inc., does not operate the Park Connection bus service entirely on its own, but utilizes a broker for its marketing and ticket sales. That broker is "Windsong Alaska Properties, L.L.C.," which does business as Alaska Tour & Travel. So it is a bit convoluted, but these are the legitimate companies behind the bus service. Alaska Tour & Travel is the legitimate place to buy tickets for the service without any unnecessary intermediary.

I have had my credit card number compromised a few times, but since I rarely go to restaurants it is unlikely that it would have happened there. It has never been an issue having fraudulent charges reversed. The greatest problem is the inconvenience of having to wait for a replacement card, though my bank, USAA, has been very good in rushing out replacements. That said, having a credit card number compromised while overseas could be a substantial inconvenience if the bank is unable to send a replacement card to wherever it is one might be.

Fabulous! I live a few blocks from that hotel, about 10-15 minutes on foot. Hopefully you were also able to enjoy a bit of Flushing.

The last time we left from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal I recall that once we passed the Battery our vessel was "racing" the Staten Island Ferry. While I don't recall the actual times, it must have taken about half and hour for our vessel to have reached the Battery because the ferries depart on the hour and on the half-hour. So that would put passage by Liberty Island somewhere around 40 minutes after departing from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. (Yes, we did "win" the race against the ferry, a marvelous sight it was watching from aft the receding ferry against the city skyline.)

Was there no practicable Plan B? I have had that situation of getting delayed but having no option to do anything else. The train had just left the origin station, and in passing through the railroad yards we struck and killed someone trespassing on the tracks. So the rain has to stop while the authorities investigated the facts and cleaned up the remains. While there were plenty of buses on the surrounding streets, there was no access to those streets from where we were (and besides, the third rail would have made it hazardous). The conductor opened up the doors for the air to circulate, but otherwise we just had to wait. I think that delay was about two hours, but the most frustrating part was not being able to get out and do anything else. I had previously been on another railcar where we had also struck and killed someone. But this was a street railway, and so the passengers without injuries could easily walk away and get to where they were going without substantial delay using Plan B. (Alas, I was injured, so I had to wait for the ambulance to transport me to the hospital.) All this said, the same could happen with a motor vehicle striking someone or otherwise becoming disabled. If on a highway, you may be able to see the local streets surrounding the highway but not able to reach them because of the hazards of walking on the highway. No mater what you choose to do, something can go wrong.

So many things in California were not built wisely. Buildings constructed on or near earthquake faults, where wildfires rage, where mud slides into them, and on unstable bluffs. The Santa Fe Surf Line is among those things built quickly, cheaply, and unwisely; despite the scenic beauty it should have been built further inland. But is the railroad so unreliable that one should affirmatively not rely upon it? I would say that any transportation is subject to disruption. One could plan on traveling by highway only to have an earthquake disrupt the plan (while there might be alternate routes, they may be longer or congested with additional traffic from the closed road). It is always good to have a Plan B for when something goes wrong. Here, Plan B could be the parallel bus service on the San Diego Freeway. With that in mind, I would not be uncomfortable with having my primary plan being to travel by railroad if that was the best (in terms of cost, comfort, timing) transportation available. It worked perfectly the last time I sailed from San Diego, having traveled from a conference in Irvine through the Santa Ana station.

Absent a bit of a hike from the closest public transportation stop in Bayonne, you are correct. As the area surrounding the port continues to develop, some sort of public transportation may eventually become available, but nothing for the time being. Both the bus and the train from Manhattan to Bayonne are good . . . not great, but good. The bus is slightly less of a "hassle" because there is no transfer required, and with only two suitcases you should not have much problem on the bus (I usually place any baggage I have under the fold-up seats on a bus). On the other hand, some people like the greater security of using rail stations compared to the informality of a bus stop sign on a city street. I view it as a toss-up, though some people will be more vociferous of one route or the other. It might be best to choose a hotel location that is proximate to any of the Manhattan terminal based on hotel price and/or neighborhood, and then use the transportation best for that Manhattan terminal. If you were to use this method, then you should seek a hotel that is proximate to any of the following. 1. Times Square, near the intersection of Eighth Avenue and West 41st Street. Use the bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal to Bayonne. 2. Herald Square, near the intersection of Sixth Avenue and West 32nd Street. (Alternatively, other locations along Sixth Avenue near West 23rd Street, West 14th Street, or West 9th Street.) Use the PATH train from 33rd Street station to Hoboken, then NJT light rail to Bayonne. 3. Lower Manhattan, near the intersection of Greenwich Street and Fulton Street. Use the PATH train from World Trade Center station to Jersey City-Exchange Place, then NJT light rail to Bayonne. 4. Greenwich Village: near Greenwich Street and Christopher Street. Use the PATH train from Christopher Street station to Hoboken, then NJT light rail to Bayonne. Hotels in any of the foregoing locations would have reasonably good transportation to Bayonne.

There are many alternatives, so what is "best" depends on what is most important to you while traveling. If I were making the trip with minimal baggage, I would use the free shuttle bus service from the airport terminal to the Jackson Heights bus terminal and subway station. The shuttle bus service is marked, "Q70 LaGuardia Link," operates every 8-to-10 minutes, and is an 11-minute non-stop trip. Once at the Jackson Heights bus terminal and subway station, I would board the no. 7 subway train that goes directly to Times Square. The train takes about half an hour to get to Times Square, and the fare is $2.90 per person (payable at the station with credit card). Both the shuttle bus service and subway train service are available 24 hours daily.

If use of public transportation were not practicable, then ordinarily my preference would be taxi rather than any type of reserved FHV. This is because a taxi is not prearranged, meaning that I would be able to depart the airport at any time, when I am ready, and to be able to use any taxi found. An Uber service requires leaving the airport only when the driver is ready to do so, and it requires the passenger to go searching among all the motor vehicles at the airport for one particular vehicle and driver. My reasoning here is similar to that of ordinarily preferring the use of unreserved trains, rather than a have a reserved seat, at least for relatively short trips . . . there's much more flexibility in not being committed to a reservation.

When lifting tickets and two seats have been purchased, the conductor should place two seat checks, or mark a single seat check as being for two, above the seats. Neither the passenger who had so purchased two seats, nor boarding passengers seeking a place to sit, should have to engage in uncomfortable discussion when the seats are so clearly marked as occupied or not. The issue is more problematic when traveling by bus, where occupied seats are rarely (if ever) marked. There is an opposing argument made by some that the purchase of a ticket merely entitles the ticket holder to transportation, but not to occupy any particular quantity of seating and, when a train is crowded, any seat at all. Under this theory, it does not matter how many tickets have been purchased, a passenger may occupy only the seat for himself or herself, that it would be unfair that some people can afford to buy more than one seat and therefore should not be allowed, and that it is for the communal good that everyone share and share alike. I don't think this is a good argument, but it is an argument made by some people.

Almost certainly this will be a bus used for this tour exclusively, and not a bus used for regular route service, so can leave items not needed on the bus. Typically the bus will be locked at the stops, so items will generally be fairly secure, but you might not be able to access those items until the bus is unlocked and ready to be loaded. All that said, however, the tour operator will disclaim liability in the very unlikely event that anything is damaged or stolen from the bus. It may not be possible to ascertain a good answer to the washroom question absent any information on the tour operator or past tours. Sometimes a full-sized coach is used, which ordinarily has a washroom on board, while at other times a smaller bus is used, which ordinarily does not have a washroom. On a bus trip that is two hours in duration there is ordinarily no need for washroom use, and its presence or absence is usually not deemed critical. More generally, a 2-hour bus ride is not deemed to be a very long ride. If such a ride would painful then you should consider as well if the walking and climbing at the Hopewell Rocks will be doable. Additionally, the environment of adherence to a cruise vessel schedule is not at all ideal for the Hopewell Rock. A good part of the experience is the contrast between low and high tides. Most schedules don't allow enough time for the tide to ebb and flood. Best to visit when one has the entire day in New Brunswick (be it Saint John or Moncton). Finally, the wariness of relying on Princess representatives is well-placed. They read from a script. They don't know the tours. Princess does not operate the tours. The representatives are there to separate you from your money, the selling of a tour being the vehicle for doing so.

Many times the trainmen will do just that. I have an advantage in being from New York and not having inhibitions about admonishing such seat hogs, but those who are more kindly than me should not have to face this problem. I will note, however, that sometimes people do buy an extra seat for themselves--I have done this on occasion--so one may need to take that into consideration. On some trains there are adjacent seats set aside for couples and families, but that can raise its own issues. It may mean that every single person boarding the train at an intermediate station is given a leftover aisle seat, and only couples and families are privileged to get a window seat . . . even though all paid the same rates of fare. As to "saving" seats: that's really a non-issue. Every occupied seat has a seat check above, so boarding passengers will know that a seat is "occupied," even if the passenger is temporarily in the café car, washroom, or whatever, simply by looking at the seat checks before demanding an apparent solo passenger to remove "their" stuff from the temporarily vacant but occupied adjacent seat. You're not alone in yearning for those days. I would add, however, that not all disabilities are visible, so those young men and women should also be prepared to give a seat to someone with a non-visible disability. We live in New York City, have no car, and we ride trains and buses everywhere. For all its faults, however, there are many young people who continue to make these offerings, and so kudos to them.

Generally, New Jersey Transit assigns its NABI buses with a transit interior seating configuration buses to this route between New York and Bayonne, so while there's no underfloor luggage bays, there's a fair amount of space available inside the coaches. A typical NJT NABI bus interior is below; more information is available at http://www.vtransitcenter.com/new-jersey-transit/nabi-416-features. The bus is not the most speedy, but if one is coming from Times Square it is the most direct public transportation service. Because I don't live near Times Square, and I have to ride the subway anyway, going to Bayonne I typically ride the subway to Herald Square, then PATH train to Hoboken, then NJT light rail train to Bayonne, then taxi/Uber to port. Going from New York to Bayonne, the is typically not much passenger traffic in the morning: peak travel is in the opposite direction, going into New York. In the old days the Pennsylvania Railroad generally had the same fares on all their trains, and it did not matter which train one used between New York and Newark. Since then Amtrak operates longer distance trains, while NJT operates shorter distance trains, but both transport passengers between New York and Newark (and other points in New Jersey). Daily riders can use their monthly passes on both NJT and some Amtrak trains, but for single fare passengers the Amtrak fares are almost always higher than the corresponding NJT fares. I would not say that Amtrak dislikes shorter distance passengers, but Amtrak does charge higher fares while also provider a slightly higher level of comfort.

It really is much more of an issue for Americans, generally, to get foreign currency. It both impedes some people who would like other currency, and for those with the ambition to do so it creates excessive expense. I will note that I have never used an American bank for foreign exchange because they are excessively expensive. The only instance in the United States where it is not much of a hassle is along the border with Mexico, where it is neither difficult nor excessively expensive to obtain Mexican currency. Unless you're looking to exchange Canadian dollars for Mexican pesos. Only a minority of American truly devoted to Canada will likely do so. Many believe it is not their responsibility to exchange United States dollars into Canadian dollars, especially given how easy it is for Canadians to do so themselves . . . there are exchange places in Canadian malls and no need to go to the bank. A fair portion of Americans will either offer United States dollars as gratuities, or they will simply stiff the Canadians completely. Unfair to Canadians, but cost and inconvenience is also unfair to the Americans . . . the problems are on both sides of the border.

I am not certain if the distinction is nationalistic or age, but I am very much the opposite. I always sign the back of my credit cards, and I am much more wary of chip + PIN as being vulnerable to fraud by others than of using signature to validate legitimacy of use. I get nervous when using my credit cards in certain stores without being asked for a signature, as the practice adds to my wariness of the fraud vulnerability.

Very much so . . . though I think that's simply a variant of the position of the United States dollar as a reserve currency. And especially in the case of gratuities--which are a voluntary expression of gratitude and not an obligation that is legally enforceable--there is a perception that the recipient should be grateful to receive anything (i.e., beggars cannot be choosers). My experience in the Caribbean is that there is expectation that visitors will use United States dollars, with goods and services priced in United States dollars. (I have received some surprise--perhaps even disappointment--when I use local currency instead of United States dollars.) Even in Mexico and Central America there is a strong desire for United States dollars because of its strength and stability, and thus widely accepted. For many Americans those perceptions likely carry over in places such as Canada, notwithstanding the strength and stability of the Canadian dollar (though I will note that, when I was young, the Canadian dollar was worth more than its American counterpart).

The reason is that United States dollars are an international currency, recognized worldwide. Everyone wants United States dollars. Some countries use United States dollars as their national currency (e.g., El Salvador, Panamá). On the other hand, Canadian dollars are used only domestically in Canada and not recognized anywhere else. No one wants Canadian dollars (besides Canadians). Thus, there is reason for Canadians to have United States dollars (and most Canadian banks offer accounts denominated in United States dollars), and United States dollars can be easily obtained by Canadians at Canadian banks with little or no service charge. On the other hand, there is little reason for Americans to ever have Canadian dollars, and it is generally cumbersome for Americans to obtain Canadian dollars at American banks, usually with substantial service charges. It might be nice to wish that all countries were all on the same level, but the fact is that the United States is a much more desirable country with respect to its currency.

Although Royal Caribbean International might in some cases arrange for transportation by bus (it cannot provide such transportation itself, because it is not a motor carrier), such is not the case in New York City. However, there exists a bus service from the Times Square area to Bayonne, New Jersey, the city in which Cape Liberty Cruise Port is located. One block from Times Square, on Eighth Avenue between 40th Street and 42nd Street, is the Port Authority Bus Terminal. From that terminal one can travel with New Jersey Transit, bus route 119, direct to Bayonne, New Jersey. The bus operates every 20-to-40 minutes, the trip takes about 70 minutes, and the fare is $6.00 (children, seniors, and disabled pay $2.70). The timetable is attached below. Once you arrive in Bayonne you will likely want to use a taxi to get to the port itself. It would be a nearly 3-mile walk, and with sub-par pedestrian facilities. You will want to alight from the bus, and have a taxi meet you, in front of Stephen R. Gregg Park, on John F. Kennedy Boulevard at Dillon Drive. From this location it is a fairly direct taxi trip along 40th Street to the port. Another post describes travel to the port using various trains. That alternative--using New York City subway to Herald Square, then PATH train to Hoboken, then New Jersey Transit light rail train--also works well, but it is a more convoluted path, likely has a longer travel time, requires multiple tickets and is more expensive ($2.90 for subway, $2.75 for PATH, $2.25 for light rail), and also leaves you off at a location in Bayonne from which taxi service to the port is required. T0119.pdf

Ordinarily I would say that this is a problem for Congress to resolve, not CBP. Yet, some of the most important rules have been made up by CBP without explicit Congressional authority. Take a read of the explanation of the current administrative rule, 19 C.F.R. § 4.80a, as was adopted by CBP's predecessor, U.S. Customs Service, as published in the Federal Register in 1985. 50 Fed. Reg. 26981 (July 1, 1985), http://www.govinfo.gov/link/fr/50/26981. Despite all the language purporting to have ascertained Congressional intent, it is clear to me that Customs is just making things up. On that ground, what would stop CBP from making up such a crazy credit card scheme?!

CBP enforces the PVSA against the vessel, not against the passenger. In turn, the cruise line enforces its ticket contract (the provision which allows it to be reimbursed) against the passenger. Any disagreement between the cruise line and the passenger is then settled by mandatory arbitration. No jury. Arguably the deck stacked against the passenger in having the courts closed and requiring resolution through arbitration. I think that Gregory v. Helvering is actually more appropriate for its step transaction doctrine, at least as it is applicable to back-to-back cruises. That is, the cruise line cannot avoid application of the PVSA by breaking a cruise from San Diego to Whittier into two separate steps (i.e., San Diego to Vancouver, Vancouver to Whittier), much in the same manner that the doctrine is applied in tax law disputes.

Not much of an overstatement. The closest province to New York City is Québec, and the state directly borders the province. I would expect much less than a majority in New York City to know anything about Québec. Canadian dollars do circulate in American border communities, at least to some extent. (A few American border communities may use Canadian dollars more so than American dollars. See, e.g., Estcourt Station, Maine, and Hyder, Alaska.) At times American businesses have even advertised to accept Canadian dollars at par as a promotional gimmick. Gratuities given in Canadian dollars in these border communities will likely be accepted, though in many cases it will pose a burden on the recipient if he or she does not regularly cross the border themselves. No serious commerce is conducted within the United States in Canadian dollars, and American banks do not generally have Canadian-denominated accounts. In sum, Americans are much less accepting of Canadian dollars than Canadians are accepting of American dollars.

It is unlikely that a vessel would agree to accept a fee from a passenger as inducement for it to violate the PVSA. Yet given that the violation is resolved by the routine payment of a fine--think of it in the category of a parking ticket--it would, at least economically, it would be in the interest for a cruise line to consider doing so it were to be worth their while. But the standard answer from the cruise line would be "no, we will not participate in knowingly violating the PVSA" (even though it would knowingly do so in the event of an unforeseen emergency, e.g., medical situation). True. The interests of individual Alaskans who desire to travel between U.S. ports are being denied that opportunity. More critically, Alaska businesses are losing commerce to Canadians because the vessels have to include a Canadian port in their itineraries to be PVSA-compliant. The PVSA was enacted to benefit the American maritime industry, not individuals and not American commerce generally. No relevance. Ensenada is usually used as a foreign port of call on closed-loop Hawaiian cruises, and no passenger is obligated to alight at the port. I don't believe that there are routinely any cruise itineraries that begin or end at Ensenada, but even if there were it would make no difference. There are airlines and bus lines that travel between the United States and Mexico regularly, and no special treatment is given to them because of State Department advisories. If there were a concern, then CBP would simply tell the cruise line to employ American-built vessels, registered with the United States, and staffed with American crews. Then no need to stop in Mexico. That's what NCL did in Hawai'i.

From Red Hook the immediate goal is to get onto the "A" train. There are at least four ways of doing this. 1. Walk to the Carroll Street (or Smith-Ninth Streets) station. Ride the "F" train to Jay Street-MetroTech station, or the "G" train to Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, whichever train arrives first. At either of these stations you will find the "A" train. Fare is $2.90, with free transfer to "A" train. 2. Walk to the bus stop on Van Brunt Street at Pioneer Street, and ride the B61 bus to its last stop, on Smith Street between Livingston Street and Fulton Street. Walk one block north (Smith Street changes its name to Jay Street) to Willoughby Street, where you will find the Jay Street-MetroTech station and the "A" train. Fare is $2.90, with free transfer to "A" train if using MetroCard or credit card (if paying cash on bus, additional $2.90 fare payable for "A" train). 3. Walk to the adjacent Red Hook ferry landing, and ride the ferry to DUMBO/Fulton Ferry. Then walk about four blocks along Old Fulton Street to Middagh Street (Old Fulton Street changes its name to Cadman Plaza West). On the far side of Middagh Street you will find the High Street-Brooklyn Bridge station and the "A" train. Fare is $4.00 for ferry, plus an additional $2.90 payable for "A" train). 4. Walk to the adjacent Red Hook ferry landing, and ride the ferry to Pier 11. Then walk five blocks north along South Street to Fulton Street ("South Street Seaport"), and six blocks crosstown to William Streets. These are all short blocks. There you will find the Fulton Street station and the "A" train. Fare is $4.00 for ferry, plus an additional $2.90 payable for "A" train). Once you find the "A" train, board a train destined for "Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue." Alight at the Howard Beach-JFK station. There you will find the JFK AirTrain service to all terminals. Fare is $8.25 for AirTrain, payable with MetroCard only (additional $1.00 fee to purchase MetroCard).