GTJ

Do be careful when you make reference to "the" train. There are many trains in Alaska, each of which has distinct characteristics. In brief, these are the passenger trains that operate south of Anchorage. Coastal Classic. Anchorage (downtown station) - Girdwood - Seward, and return. Train operates once daily in each direction (morning from Anchorage to Seward, afternoon from Seward to Anchorage). Utilizes Alaska Railroad conventional and Ultra Dome (bi-level) cars. Glacier Discover. Anchorage (downtown station) - Girdwood - Portage - Whittier - Portage - Spencer - Grandview, and return. Train operates once daily in each direction (morning from Anchorage to Grandview, afternoon from Grandview to Anchorage). Utilizes Alaska Railroad conventional and bi-level DMU cars. Denali Express. Denali - Whittier, and return. Tickets made available by Carnival brands (Princess Cruises and Holland America Line) for its passengers only. Train operates Saturdays, Sundays, and alternate Wednesdays (morning from Whittier to Denali, afternoon from Denali to Whittier). Utilizes Tour Alaska (corporate subsidiary of Carnival) Ultra Dome (bi-level) cars. Charter. Also known as the Grandview train or the Cruise train. Train operates on routes designated by cruise lines, with tickets made available by the cruise lines for their passengers only (morning from Seward or Whittier to northern termini, afternoons from northern termini to Seward or Whittier). Utilizes Alaska Railroad Panorama Dome (single level) cars. Present routes, 2023, are as follows. These routes may change in the future, especially once the new terminal opens in Whittier. Alternate Mondays. Chartered by NCL (Norweigan Cruise Line). Anchorage Airport - Seward, and return. Thursdays and Fridays. Chartered by RCCL (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises). Anchorage Airport - Seward, and return. Saturdays and alternate Wednesdays. Chartered by Carnival (Princess Cruises). Also known as McKinley Express. McKinley (station near Talkeetna) - Whittier, and return. Sundays. Chartered by Carnival (Holland America Line). Anchorage (downtown station) - Whittier, and return. Alaska Railroad Map and Service 3.pdf

The Portage station does have a station building, small as it may be, and unattended by any railroad employees. Not at all unusual . . . I routinely board and alight trains at unstaffed stations (or stations that might be staffed only part-time), and there is no issue or concern in doing that. The substantial problem is the boredom in being stuck in an area with nothing to do but wait, and for an extended period of time. And that would be my primary concern with trying to make a connection at Portage. I might consider asking the bus driver to let me off at the entrance to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and spend most of the waiting time there (allow 30 minutes to walk from the Center to the Portage station). Otherwise, it is a boring wait with nothing to do. You don't want to be stuck there. (A side note: The term "station" is oftentimes used synonymously with the term "station building," and understandably so because most railroad passenger boardings and alightings occur at or near station buildings. But strictly speaking, a "station" is simply a named place along a rail, air, or bus line. Most of the stations of the Alaska Railroad have no station building.)

Alaska is not London. Transportation in London is a question of route and time convenience, whereas in Alaska the primary transportation issue is whether it is at all possible to get someplace. Alaska does not have extensive transportation, and where transportation exists it is typically not convenient. The cruise lines take advantage of this shortcoming by offering their own tours, knowing the difficulty, or impossibility, of their clients to make such arrangements independently. As a result many people resort to driving themselves, but that requires licensure and the ability to rent a vehicle, things that not every has the ability or desire to do.

Initially, I don't see a need for an additional cruise vessel dock. At present, Carnival serves Whittier with a single vessel every Saturday, every Sunday, and alternate Wednesdays. NCL serves Seward with a single vessel every Wednesday and alternate Mondays. And to be mostly complete, Royal Caribbean serves Seward with a single vessel every Thursday and every Friday. So the overlap is on alternate Wednesdays, which could be mitigated by moving one the Carnival vessels from alternate Wednesdays to alternate Mondays. And that scheduling would leave Tuesdays completely vacant for future expansion. Even if the present cruise vessel facilities in Whittier are owned by Carnival, the power of eminent domain could be exercised to put control in the hands of government, and sharing the facility thereafter. So let's look at tunnel capacity. The railcars now being used seat about 70 passengers each; in years past the railroad used gallery cars acquired second-hand from Southern Pacific with a capacity of about 150 passengers. A 6-car train using cars similar to those now in service would handle about 420 passengers at most, but a 10-car train using gallery or similar bi-level commuter-type cars could handle about 1,500 passengers. As for buses, 60 passengers is a bit generous. Figure on about 55 seats, of which, on average, 50 will be occupied. If there is 30-second spacing (I don't know the safety limitations here), then there a potential flow equivalent to 120 vehicles per hour, or 6,000 passengers per hour. For comparison's sake, the most intensively used bus lane in the United States, the exclusive bus lane (or "XBL") handles about 650 buses per hour, with an average of 38 passengers per bus. At present the tunnel is available for, at most, 25 percent of each hour, so these full hour flows would not be achieved if the tunnel continues being used for dual-direction traffic. Even with dual-direction traffic, the tunnel use might not continue being split 50-50 as now, but might be split, say, 75-25 in favor of the peak direction. As for other traffic, such vehicles could be handled more efficiently by using car carriers pulled by locomotives, as was done by the Alaska Railroad prior to the paving of the tunnel, and as is done with the English Channel tunnel. Perhaps needed only during peak hours, and less convenient (and more expensive for motorists), it might be necessary if there is a capacity limitation. For both train and bus transportation, if there were to be three vessels in port simultaneously, then the limitation might be vehicles rather than tunnel capacity. The Top 50 Motorcoach Fleets, as reported by Metro magazine (which I believe is the most recent survey) reports that Royal Hyway Tours (a subsidiary of Carnival) has a fleet of 308 motorcoaches, and Premier Alaska Tours (which provides services for other lines) has a fleet of 95 motorcoaches. This question goes back to the necessity (or not) of additional facilities . . . passengers need to spread out over the week, not all arriving and departing the same, for many reasons, including availability of buses and railcars. I have not synthesized all of these thoughts. But there are legitimate concerns over capacity and logistics that should be considered if there is any expansion of port usage.

You are correct in that passenger railroad operations at Whittier and Seward do not begin until mid-May, so absent a schedule adjustment that would not be an option for a cruise itinerary that arrives in April.Similarly, most bus operations also do not start up until mid-May. Any vessels arriving before May would almost certainly have, at a minimum, charter buses arranged by the cruise line itself, between Seward and Anchorage. But there is also a year-route bus service from Seward to Anchorage, Seward Bus Lines, that departs Seward, daily except Sunday (it does operate on Sundays from May 1 to September 15 each year), departing at 9:30 a.m., arriving at 12:00 noon. At present Whittier is served only by the Carnival brands (i.e., Holland America Line and Princess Cruises) and the Alaska Marine Highway, and all the other lines terminate in Seward. However, a new NCL cruise terminal is under construction in Whittier, separate and apart from the Carnival cruise and AMH ferry terminals. Will it open on time, or will construction delays result in NCL vessels continuing to serve Seward? When I searched for NCL service in April 2025, it showed the vessel serving the new Whittier port, not Seward. I don't know what the situation will be two years from now, but I would suggest having both a Plan A and a Plan B. As for transportation between Whittier and Seward, there is no direct passenger service operated between the two. Instead, everything goes to and from Anchorage. So you would need to either change at Anchorage, or possibly at Portage (where the routes from both Whittier and Seward converge) or at Girdwood. In some cases the buses and trains will stop at those intermediate points (either regularly or with special arrangements), though many do not, but the real challenge at Portage or Girdwood is making a timely connection without being stuck in an isolated location for an extended period of time. Charter buses arranged by the cruise line would likely depart Whittier at 8:45 a.m., 9:45 a.m., and/or at 45 minutes past some other hour, as the tunnel opens every hour on the hour. You would then arrive in Portage at about 15 minutes past the hour (9:15, etc.), in Girdwood at about 30 minutes past the hour (9:30, etc.), at the Anchorage airport at about 30 minutes past the following hour (10:30 a.m., etc.), and in downtown Anchorage half an hour later (11:00 a.m., etc.). Other bus services from Whittier operate, in season, at 8:45 a.m. (Alaska Cruise Transportation), 9:45 p.m. (Park Connection), and 11:45 a.m. (Alaska Cruise Transportation). For all of these bus services, you would have to make arrangements with the driver to alight, on an unscheduled basis, at Portage or Girdwood). Trains from Whittier depart, in season, at 12:45 p.m., arriving in Portage at 1:15 p.m. There is a year-round regular bus service from Anchorage to Seward (Seward Bus Lines), operating daily except Sundays (it does operate on Sundays from May 1 to September 15 each year), departing Anchorage, near the airport, at 2:00 p.m., Girdwood at about 2:45 p.m., Portage at about 3:00 p.m., and arriving in Seward at 4:30 p.m. Park Connection has buses from Anchorage to Seward, in season, operating daily, departing downtown Anchorage at 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Girdwood at about 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Portage at about 8:15 a.m., and 4:15 p.m., and arriving in Seward at 10:10 a.m. and 6:10 p.m. Return trips from Seward to Anchorage are at 9:30 a.m. (Seward Bus Lines), 10:20 a.m. (Park Connection), and 6:20 p.m. (Park Connection). All of these schedules might change, however, given the opening of the new NCL cruise terminal in Whittier. Given all of the above, I would see the best transportation plan, for Whittier to Seward in season, to be: train from Whittier, departing at 12:45 p.m., arriving Portage at 1:15 p.m.; and after having made reservations with Seward Bus Lines, bus from Portage train station, departing at 3:00 p.m., arriving Seward at 4:30 p.m.

Keep in mind that there is a difference between "closer to" Manhattan, and "in" Manhattan. There is good value to be had in Long Island City, which is very close to Manhattan, though the IHG property in Long Island City is not the most conveniently located of all the hotels in that area. There are countless hotels that are actually in Manhattan, which are generally both most expensive and most convenient. A hint about geography: Don't refer to "the Manhattan area." Manhattan is both an island and a borough, but not a district nor a city; it is always referred to individually, and not as being any type of "area." Best to refer to either "Manhattan" directly, or "near Manhattan."

A good decision.

This is fairly bland area in which to stay. The hotel is on Queens Boulevard, a major urban highway, but no nearby subway station. It is in a reasonably secure neighborhood, the hotel appears to be comfortable, and it would be a good location to get rest and prepare for a busy subsequent day, but it may not be your best choice if you're seeking to conduct any business or sightseeing. There is bus that travel along Queens Boulevard, route Q60, that stops near the hotel and goes direct to Second Avenue and East 60th Street in Manhattan (near Bloomingdale's), as well as major commercial centers in Queens County, but otherwise this location is not the most convenient for transportation. The Woodside railroad station is about one-half mile distant (walk north along 63rd Street), where the Long Island Rail Road goes to both Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal in about ten minutes, and from which the no. 7 subway train also operates. One of the city's best Thai restaurant, SriPraPhai, 64-13 39th Avenue, is about one-half mile distant (walk north along 65th Place), and would be an excellent dining choice. IHG hotels in Queens County are not generally conveniently located near places of interest. The one exception is the Hotel Indigo Flushing, located in the heart of central Flushing (though again not the best geographic location, being on Prince Street a full one block off of Main Street). There are many places for walking, including some of the best Chinese and Korean restaurants in the United States. The following day it would be a slightly longer journey from Flushing to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, compared to travel from Woodside. N.B. I reside in Flushing, several blocks south of this hotel. Consider as well if you want to stay in Queens County, or if staying in Manhattan would be better. It appears that you will be arriving in New York on a Friday afternoon, and by the time you're checked into the hotel it will be about 3:00 p.m. So you could do some things in Manhattan, though by this hour it might be difficult to do many of the "tourist things" given the lateness of the afternoon. But there is the ability to just walk around (shopping at stores, strolling through a park), and get a good dinner at an expensive restaurant. There would also much more going on, generally, in most parts of Manhattan where hotels are located, compared to Woodside. However, it could be a costly proposition for relatively limited benefits. It really depends upon your expected ambition that afternoon, and my suggestion is to make this decision on where to stay based primarily on that expectation.

Sort of, though not entirely the situation. It had long been that the LIRR concourse was two levels below the street, parallel to 33rd Street between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue, with the main ticket office near the Seventh Avenue end, and ticket machines scattered throughout. Several years ago a perpendicular west end concourse opened west of Eighth Avenue, nothing elaborate, somewhat hidden, and a bit less crowded than the other concourses used for track access. Most recently, that west end concourse has been incorporated into the new Moynihan Train Hall, and the LIRR does now have a strong presence in the new train hall. Yet the old LIRR concourse remains in service, now having been greatly improved with higher ceilings and direct escalators from Seventh Avenue into that LIRR concourse. Moreover, more jobs are closer to the Seventh Avenue end than the new Moynihan Train Hall, so the commuter focus will remain at Seventh Avenue. In a way, it is somewhat similar to what was done at Jamaica station. The traditional focus there was on the main station building north of the tracks, adjacent to Archer Avenue. When AirTrain was brought in, a new station building was constructed south of the tracks, adjacent to 94th Avenue. There was much with the new building, including provision for airline check-in desks (including baggage checking), and a migration of LIRR facilities. But railroad passengers remained focused on the older building, north of the tracks, and the new building is much less used than was initially anticipated (portions being roped off). For similar reasons of commuter convenience, I suspect that the LIRR presence in the Moynihan Train Hall will also diminish. For the same reason, New Jersey Transit, too, remains focused on Seventh Avenue, and it does not even have a presence at the Moynihan Train Hall (despite much greater integration of NJT and Amtrak service, and only minimal integration of LIRR and Amtrak service). I also note one further piece of useful advice for Amtrak passengers, posted on one website: "if you are arriving by train and wish to quickly and directly transfer to the subway, do not take the Moynihan Train Hall exits. The Moynihan Concourse is at street level, and you will have to go back downstairs to access the subway." Instead, Amtrak passengers should walk forward (eastward) along the platform to the older exit concourse escalators and elevators, and depart through the Pennsylvania Station building. Because the facilities were initially constructed over one hundred years ago, and there are three separate railroads involved, the layout of the facilities is not entirely obvious, and there are few comprehensive floorplans available (most are schematic at best, with few details). There are also various "shortcuts" and other practices used that may not be well advertised. (Several years the then-president of Amtrak, David Gunn, remarked in an informal talk to a New York Law School audience that, "While out-of-towners will line up at the escalators in the main Amtrak departures concourse, for their tickets to be inspected before descending to the train platforms, you're all New Yorkers who know it is much faster and convenient to directly access the train platforms from the exit concourse without ticket inspection"!) At times it can be challenging for New Yorkers to understand Pennsylvania Station, and so much more difficult to describe the details of intricacies of these facilities to visitors. If only there were detailed and comprehensive floor plans available.

What issues exist that would cause the carrier to prevent passengers from disembarking at an early hour? I am thinking of passengers who reside in Whittier, and who might want to sleep in their own bed that night, after its midnight arrival, instead of having to sleep on board the vessel and disembarking in the morning.

The railroad tracks and platforms are all the same, with two separate, but connected, buildings above the tracks and platforms. You can access either of the two buildings from those platforms, though the exact location where the trains are spotted, and with the signs and railroad personnel on the platforms, passengers may be herded into one building or the other. Thus, the LIRR and NJT trains are centered on the eastern end of the platforms, and focused on the "old" Pennsylvania Station building (between Seventh and Eighth Avenues), while the Amtrak trains are centered on the western end of the platforms, and centered on the new Moynihan Train Hall building (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). This arrangement has led Amtrak to treat Moynihan Train Hall as if it were truly a new station, yet because it continues to use the same tracks and platforms it is more a new station building than an entirely new station (it also continues to use the same NYP station code). Is Moynihan Train Hall separate from Pennsylvania Station, or is it simply an annex to Pennsylvania Station? I imagine that there are strong advocates on both sides of that argument, while many others simply get confused. (This arrangement is distinct from the situation on the east side of Manhattan, where all the MNCR trains use tracks and platforms accessed exclusively by the "old" Grand Central Terminal, relatively close to the surface, while the LIRR trains use tracks and platforms accessed exclusively by the new Madison concourse, deep underground. Nor are the MNCR and LIRR tracks connected to each other.)

Or exit Moynihan Train Hall onto Ninth Avenue, and turn right, heading uptown. The exit onto Ninth Avenue is not as obvious as are the exits onto Eighth Avenue, but whichever exit is used simply turn to walk uptown (i.e., turn right when exiting onto Ninth Avenue, or turn left when exiting onto Eighth Avenue).

A fair review. A few comments caught my eye. There can be some railroad passengers occupying multiple seats with their belongings, and having to ask someone to remove them can be intimidating to some people. I did not understand why it would have been cumbersome to use the washroom; they have generally been a non-issue on my railroad travels. It is disturbing on many levels the homelessness at some railroad stations. Why does it persist there but generally not at airports? The enclosed connection between Pennsylvania Station and the Doubletree hotel is a walkway elevated above the street level, so on both sides one is deposited one level above the main floor . . . absent duplication of main floor services on the level above, probably not much that can done about it. I am not sure why a taxi service (not constrained by a fare ordinance) would not offer a competitive fare . . . either there are some people willing to pay double or the taxi driver is just not interested in getting any out-of-city fares. In the end, the balancing of transporting baggage, travel time, convenience, and cost, is a personal decision, not everyone coming to the same conclusion.

For those of us who are both geographically and historically inclined, Long Island, sometimes also referred to as Nassau Island, has long been the island that begins at the East River, directly opposite Manhattan Island. When the province of New York was first divided into twelve counties, in 1683, Long Island was divided into three counties. The easternmost county, Suffolk, was that portion colonized by the English, and administered as part of Plymouth, and later by Connecticut. The central and westernmost counties, Queens and Kings, were those portions colonized by the Dutch. In 1870, the westernmost portion of Queens County along the East River (including the village of Astoria and surrounding areas), was separated from the town of Newtown and incorporated as the city of Long Island City. It was becoming an important center of transportation and commerce, primarily because less than ten years earlier, in 1861, the Long Island Rail Road had relocated its New York terminus from the city of Brooklyn to what was to become the city of Long Island City. It was in 1898 that the city of Long Island City merged with the cities of New York and Brooklyn (along with a portion of Queens County and all of Staten Island) to become the modern day city of New York. One year later, in 1899, the eastern half of Queens County--that portion outside of the city of New York--was removed and made into a fourth county, Nassau. But what is most important is that Long Island is presently comprised of four counties. Long Island is NOT synonymous with Suffolk County alone. A critical part of the city of New York is part of Long Island, and more New York City residents live on Long Island than anywhere else. Moreover, more persons living on Long Island are residents of New York City than not being residents (fewer than 20 percent of the people living on Long Island are residents of Suffolk County). Both the geographic and population centroids of New York City are on Long Island. Legitimately, the borough of Queens is the "central borough" of the city, and Manhattan is an "outer borough." Long Island was long been connected to Manhattan Island with ferries, and has well-connected with highway, railway, and subway service for over one hundred years. The Queensborough Bridge opened in 1909 (initially with highway and street railway service, and elevated train service commencing in 1917), the East River (LIRR) Tunnels opened in 1910, the Steinway Tunnel opened in 1915, and the 60th Street Tunnel opened in 1920. Since those early days two additional tunnel connections have opened, the Queens-Midtown Tunnel in 1940, and the 63rd Street Tunnel in 1989 (initially with subway service, and LIRR train service commencing in 2023). Important to note is that Long Island City is so close to Manhattan Island, and is so well-connected, that today it is virtually seamless to travel between these two parts of New York City. Midtown Manhattan is closer to Long Island City is both distance and time, than it is to Wall Street in lower Manhattan.

Many years ago I had flown into JFK using Aerolineas Argentinas. It was a through flight originating in Montéal, stopping at JFK to pick up additional passengers, and then continuing on to Buenos Aires. Apparently, I was the only passenger from Montréal alighting at JFK, so no immigration or customs delays whatsoever . . . I was sole person occupying their time! And they expressed such disappointment that I was entering the United States from Canada only, instead of anyplace more exciting. But it was such a breeze getting through immigration and customs at JFK. That the architecture is great, the real reason for staying there is indeed convenience. Maybe that example of the cost of new car in the 60s is now the cost of the hotel stay itself, a price for convenience. There is a new Fairfield Inn opening this year in Jamaica, located a comparable distance from the Jamaica AIrTrain station as the TWA Hotel is distant from the Terminal 5 AirTrain station, that may provide similar convenience but at a lower price. The physical proximity of the TWA Hotel to the actual airline terminals, however, will still keep it the most convenient place to stay.

The railroad does not intentionally sell round-trip railroad tickets between Skagway and Fraser, preferring instead to use Fraser as a transfer point between train and bus. But one can purchase two separate one-way tickets, one to Fraser, and another from Fraser, creating a round-trip by railroad. Not much there beyond immigration and customs inspection . . . a few houses, a lake. No gift (or any other type of) shops, but there is a soda machine for refreshment if you have Canadian coins. Best might be to simply people watch and observe the logistics before returning to Skagway.

Especially for people who do not reside in New York City. On the other hand, all the commuters who travel on the Staten Island Ferry each day may find it more productive to spend the time unpacking, than to watch city from the water and have it remind them of going to and from work.

Yes, about right. Give yourself a few extra minutes to get outside of Pennsylvania Station, and to navigate into the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, but half an hour is about right to head uptown on Ninth Avenue and then crosstown to the cruise terminal. To be safe, I might allocate 45 minutes. Walking in the most reliable means of transportation between the two points.

Ordinarily I would prefer to do the majority of the local travel the day before, so as to minimize the consequences of anything go wrong on the day of, but given that your flight departing from Newark is not until the evening those risks should not be substantial. I am reading into your inquiry that, at the end of a long trans-Pacific flight, you expect to minimize any post-flight local travel, and just "crash" at a close and near-by hotel without any plans to do anything more that day. So you probably have a good plan in mind. You might want to consider the soon-to-open Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott New York Queens/Jamaica. Upon arrival at JFK, the AirTrain service will take you direct to the Jamaica station, from which it is a two block walk to the hotel. Depending on the airline terminal at which you arrive, it will be between ten and twenty minutes on AirTrain. It is a reliable service, and I cannot recall there ever having been any incidents relating to safety where passengers were injured. This would likely be the most convenient place to stay, within minimal arrangements having to be made. The next day you could travel from the same Jamaica station by railroad to the Newark airport station. About 20 minutes from Jamaica station to Pennsylvania station (change trains), then about 30 minutes to Newark airport station. Use the AirTrain at Newark airport to get to the specific airline terminal from which your flight departs.

It would have been a few years earlier. I was there around 1986 or 1987. It had previously been that the road was open to private vehicle travel, and so when the road was closed the replacement buses were free to ride, so as to avoid objections to this becoming a money-making scheme. Now that most everyone has forgotten, the NPS can now charge quite steep fares.

So embarrassing! It is terrible that this board limits the time that one has to edit an erroneous post.

For a while after the Denali transit system started it was free, making the bargain (compared to the commercial tour) even better. The current transit bus fare, 32.75, while still a better deal, is difficult for me to swallow given my recollection of it previously having been operated without charge. If you are planning to drive yourselves, get a map (either online or on paper) and plan out a reasonable route. Going all the way to Talkeetna, then back-tracking to visit Anchorage, and then triple-tracking for Denali, will be needlessly tiring, expensive, and risky . . . even more so if you then drive back to return the vehicle. Good planning is critical. If you're planning to visit Seward, then you might want to avoid Princess Cruises and Holland America Line. They both terminate in Whittier, while all the other cruise lines terminate in Seward itself. The logistics might work out better for using one of those other lines . . . again, the key is good advance planning work.

Are you certain that you're actually destined for Port Liberté, in Jersey City? The only passenger vessels that regularly sailed from there were operated by NY Waterway, ferrying passengers to and from Manhattan. Perhaps instead you're destined for Cape Liberty Cruise Port, in Bayonne? You certainly don't want to end up at the wrong port! http://www.jerseydigs.com/port-liberte-ferry-jersey-city

One of the great things about NYC is that we have 8 million people living here, and at least 8 million distinct opinions on using the subway! My life is completely different, and transporting baggage via subway and bus is routine for both my wife and myself. Our subway is truly one of NYC's greatest assets, more comprehensive and useful generally than in any other in the western hemisphere. It was my favorite means of travel when I was three years old, and now 58 years later it remains so. It is a rarity that I am in an automobile (I believe the last time I was in a car was in February of 2022, traveling from Port Liberty Cruise Port to the nearby light rail station). But not everyone is the same. Many who travel by cruise vessel are car-dependent, and may well be scared of using public transportation if it has never been part of their life before. Others view themselves as "too good" for public transportation, and need to show themselves as being better than the "common folk." Still others view a cruise vacation as a splurge, and want to continue that splurge by spending more on transportation to the port, and being pampered, than they would for their ordinary commute to work. Which is the best option? Trick question: there is no "best" . . . we're all different.

What else is available in that middle space, between public transportation and a hired vehicle?