njhorseman

48 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Right, but doesn't NCL get to pick and choose which ports they use? If they consistently have issues with poor customer experience at a particular port for whatever reason (not talking the one off due to mother nature or weirdo things), isn't it in their best interest to stop using that port to avoid the complaints they know will come from guests?

 

In the lab world, we can pick which reference lab we want to use for tests we don't perform ourselves in-house. It's actually a requirement of the primary lab to annually review and evaluate the performance of the reference lab we use to ensure they're meeting our requirements for client satisfaction, accuracy, timeliness, etc. 

 

Cruise industry isn't as regulated on some things as the lab world, but I would imagine it's got to be some sort of KPI/metric somewhere in some bean counter's quarterly power point. No? Am I over thinking this?

How would you suggest that NCL replace the Manhattan Cruise Terminal as a homeport ?  Cape Liberty has only one berth and is controlled by Royal Caribbean. Brooklyn has only one berth and is controlled by Carnival Corp. for its Cunard and Princess subsidiaries, with now MSC leasing berthing rights.

Oh...even if adequate docking space were available at either Cape Liberty or Brooklyn, it's going to be pretty much the same cast of characters running them. All three are under the general auspices of the Port Authority of NY and NJ.

Brooklyn and Manhattan are both managed by NYCEDC (New York City Economic Development Corporation), which has contracted day-to day management of both to Ports America, which subcontracts out the check in services at the pier...last I saw to a company called Intercruises that pretty much has a monopoly on those services in this area. Parking facility operations are subcontracted out to other operators. Stevedoring labor is provided by the local longshoreman's union, the ILA...no choice there.

The above should also tell you why it's next to impossible for NCL to have any control over what happens at the port...no alternatives are available and you have at least five organizations involved in port operations: PA of NY & NJ, Ports America, Intercruises, a parking operator and the ILA.

2 hours ago, Moz said:

Hope there s such a venue and possible charge for taxi or uber if shuttle not available,  Very unfamiliar with that area and a hotel that is reasonably priced.  Preferably a shuttle from LAX to hotel and then to the port of Long Beach,  We cannot fly into Long Beach.  Thank you

As already noted, hotels in the LAX area have shuttles from the airport to the hotel, but no hotel has a shuttle to Long Beach.

Take an Uber from any hotel in the LAX area to Long Beach. Likely price is in the $50 to $60 range.

3 hours ago, reefgeek83 said:

We will be flying into LAX and then cruising out of the Long Beach terminal. Looking at options for transportation from LAX to the cruise terminal. Are there any hotels near LAX that offer shuttle service? Ran a price for Uber and it was $150 one way, a little pricey considering we need round trip. Thanks for your help.

In addition to what others have said, it appears to me that the $150 price quote is for an Uber Black. An UberX or Uber Comfort from LAX to the Long Beach Cruise terminal will be in the $50-$60 range.

2 hours ago, papafred said:

Can you prepay to park at Pier 88 in Manhattan?   If so, what is the link. thanks

I answered your question on a different thread.

1 hour ago, papafred said:

How do you reserve a parking spot on or adjacent to pier 88?

https://widget.arrive.com/index.html?ui-components=event-list,location-list,checkout,purchase-confirmation&capture-plate=always&coordinates-marker=false&destination-location-id=51217&destination-venue-id=517845&enable-google-pay=true&enable-apple-pay=true&parkwhiz-opens-in-new-tab=false&pricing-access-code-exclusive=true&pricing-access-codes=f8107238&t-and-c-override=true&title-override-text=Manhattan Cruise Terminal Official Parking&utm-source=https%3A%2F%2Fnycruise.com%2Fmanhattan-terminal%2Fparking%2F

1 hour ago, papafred said:

Is Propark also the parking lot for Carnival on Pier 88?   

They're the parking operator for the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. It doesn't matter what cruise line you're on.

21 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I'm not sure what union represents the unlicensed crew on the Staten Island ferry, but the licensed officers are represented by MEBA, one of two maritime officer unions. I would be surprised if the unlicense crew are not represented by the SIU (Seafarers International Union, as these two unions typically require the company to contract with both unions), but you can be an employee of a company (or city) and a member of a different union than other government employees (like government employees union and teachers union).  But, this is far afield from the OP's question.

The point is that being represented by a maritime union doesn't mean you're not a government employee. 

I also checked job openings on the Washington State Ferry. Again they are state employees but may be represented by various unions.

You are correct...we have gone far afield from the original question, but that often happens .

26 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

And, none of the ship's crews on the Staten Island ferry are government employees.  They are members of the maritime unions.  And, yes, the Staten Island ferry is free, so that can be an outlier.  How many government run entities have been privatized in the last couple of decades?

There's a job opening on nyc.gov as a marine oiler for the Staten Island ferry.

The job description clearly states that the person will be an employee of the City of New York. 

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

And, how have the maritime unions done with maintaining a US flag foreign-going fleet?  Why are the vast majority of USNS ships (Marad owned and operated for logistical support of the DOD) foreign built?  Maritime labor has very little clout in the US.  And the bad optics would be offset by the optics of saying "we cut the cost to operate these ferries by 75%, there will be fare decreases or no fare increases for the foreseeable future"  And, if the competitors, like Circle Line, and all the water taxis in NYC were to go foreign flag, and then offer services competing with the Staten Island ferry, demand would drop, revenue would drop, subsidy would increase, and the politicians would say "let's privatize it", and let it go..

The privately-owned water taxis and ferries in NY City can't exist with the approval of their franchise by the city government. None would be allowed to directly compete with the Staten Island Ferry.

In any event I am not talking about for-profit corporations. I'm strictly addressing the politically unacceptable scenario of government-owned operations such as the Staten Island Ferry operating foreign-flagged vessels crewed by citizens of other countries.

 The media outlets are going to feast on stories like "Mayor Adams Plans to Replace XXX New Yorkers Who Work on the Staten island Ferry with Panamanians"

Maritime unions may be weak, but not unions representing government employees. You may not be aware of the influence that union leaders in this area of the country have. My son happens to be president of a union representing several thousand government employees in this county. He has the ear of every politician from our town's council and mayor to the county executive to our state legislators to the governor. He and his union worked on their behalf to help them get elected.  Believe me if his rank and file were in danger of losing their jobs to citizens of other countries those politicians would  be instantaneously reminded of how many votes that would cost them the next election.

BTW, the Staten Island Ferry is already free, so foreign-flagging isn't going to reduce the fare.

12 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

While you may be right about government agencies not going to foreign flag (though what would be the incentive to incur far higher operating costs by retaining US flag?), there are 190 private ferry operators in the US that would be likely to avail themselves of foreign flag.  Wouldn't any government agency avail itself of cost reductions if they were legal?  Who even looks to see what flag the Staten Island ferry is flying, or the port of registry?

 

Alaska Marine Highway (I misidentified), is having huge problems keeping vessels operating, and crewing them, and are cutting back on services, some of which are essential to rural areas in Alaska.  What would be the holdback to foreign flagging these vessels if the PVSA was no longer in force?

The bad optics and negative publicity generated by a government agency operating foreign-flagged and foreign-crewed ships could be a political nightmare costing politicians their jobs. 

Unions representing the ferry workers would campaign against this.

4 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Further to the OP's question, if the PVSA were repealed, then virtually every passenger vessel operator in the US, like the NYC Circle Line ferry, Staten Island ferry, Washington State Marine Highway, San Francisco Bay ferry, all the way down to the small car ferries operating on Galveston Bay, would reflag to Panama, hire Panamanian crew, and stop paying corporate tax to the US.  And, that would just be one branch of the industry that would do this, all the types of vessels I mentioned above would do the same.

Chief, while as always I appreciate and respect your knowledge and experience, I think you may be exaggerating the likelihood of government owned and operated ferry systems such as the Staten Island Ferry and Washington State Ferries reflagging to a foreign country such as Panama. Certainly the comment about not having to pay corporate taxes to the US is not accurate because as government agencies they don't pay corporate taxes. 

The Circle Line sightseeing boats are a different story as they are owned and operated by a for-profit corporation, not a government agency.

Just now, clo said:

I believe there was someone before me. 

You were the one who reopened the inactive thread.

1 minute ago, clo said:

Just deleted.

Then why is it still here?

13 minutes ago, clo said:

Do you like all your meals in the GDR? If you do, I'm curious why.

I'm curious why you reopened a thread that has been inactive for over 7 months.

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

That doesn't change my assertion that upward adjustments must be very, very rare.  I would imagine CC would be in a major meltdown if such ever happened.

I was agreeing with your assertion. I said that while we have received small credits for decreases we've never been charged for an increase in taxes/fees despite it being contractually permissible to be charged.

14 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

 

The cruise line has to eat the difference if there is an increase per passengers.  How often has a cruise line increasing the taxes paid on a passenger after the cruise has departed?  Must be very, very rare or we would have certainly heard about it on Cruise Critic.

Nor, have I ever heard about a downward adjustment after sailing.

 

 

We've received a small downward adjustment as a matter of customer courtesy in the form of an onboard credit once or twice in years past. I can't say if it's been done recently. We've never been charged for a tax/fee increase while on board, although it would  be allowed under the terms of the Guest Ticket Contract: 

3. Terms of Fare

(a) Items Included in Fare

"...If governmental or quasi-governmental action results in any element of such taxes and fees exceeding the estimates used by Carrier for purposes of computing the quoted amount, Carrier reserves the right to pass through the extra amount."

37 minutes ago, ORV said:

Yes if we’re not mistaken Apollo Holdings used to control both Oceania and Regent before NCL took over. 

Apollo also controlled NCL/NCLH and continued to control NCLH after Oceania and Regent were absorbed into NCLH, but the whole purpose of NCLH going public was for Apollo to get out of the business with a presumably profitable divestiture of its ownership by selling its stock in NCLH. IIRC Apollo sold the last of its stock in NCLH in 2018.

FDR was never the majority shareholder of the "Apollo" that controlled NCLH, NCL and Prestige Cruise Holdings (Oceania and Regent), which was Apollo Management a private equity firm with  billions in assets under its management. Perhaps @pinotlover is referring to a different "Apollo".

Edit: This is the Apollo that provides staff foe Oceania. It is not the same company that controlled NCL, NCLH and Prestige Cruise Holdings: This company has been in business since 1969. FDR was not the founder.

https://www.theapollogroup.com/

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2019/07/the-apollo-group-celebrating-50-years/

39 minutes ago, KarenRB said:

Just to be clear:  same ship, same itinerary, same cabin, different departure date.  I'm going to do a mock booking for the second week online and see if I get the same price as I got with the rep.

In your original post you ask  the question "Does anyone know what amount is supposed to be taxed?" .

The answer is that the taxes and fees are not based on any fare "amount". They're not like sales taxes which are a percentage of the price of the goods or services being purchased. (The exception is on Hawaiian cruises where a General Excise Tax, similar to a sales tax is imposed by the state.)

There are numerous components to the taxes and fees, all of which can vary by port, ship and the cruise line's contracts with the various ports including docking fees, harbor pilot fees, tug boat fees, seasonal taxes, port taxes imposed on a per passenger basis and others that no one but the cruise line can identify. As I said, none of these are based on your fare so on any particular sailing you could be paying a base fare of $1,000 per person for an inside cabin or $5,000 per person for a suite and the taxes and fees will be the same for each.

 The same itinerary sailing on different weeks can have different taxes and fees because ports sometimes have seasonal variations in what they charge.

2 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Call the cruise line and be SURE of what you'll need for this sailing.  

Cruise line telephone customer service reps will not tell you because they don't know and aren't permitted to tell you. Even if a customer service rep told you something their statement isn't binding on the cruise line. The cruise line website documentation FAQs  generally have reliable. information and are a far better source than customer service reps.. In the end it's the passenger's responsibility to find the answer.

BTW, since two different posters asked questions about required documentation, which one are you addressing, or is it both ? The answers to the two questions are different because the itineraries are different. One is a one way cruise from Alaska to the Vancouver followed by a train ride from Vancouver to Portland. The other is a closed loop cruise departing from and ending in Seattle.

41 minutes ago, Mary_Cruise254 said:

 

 

I’m seeking a suggestion on a line to look into/sail that I would enjoy. In my initial research celebrity seems to be the closest but I’d love some input and advice from experienced cruisers. 

 

I’ve cruised twice with Disney in 10 years- we loved: great food quality, amazing service, impeccable rooms thoughtfully laid out, lounges, very clean, ship design, and really just everything has been awesome.

 

I feel like cruising overall I’m a complete newbie. We just happened to try Disney (once with, once without kids) but I’ve never really found another line I have thought “yes we’d love this too!” And with many there are red flags that make a line seem unappealing for me personally. Our priority is great food quality, comfort, relaxed atmosphere and I guess you’d call it luxury but casually so. I am not interested in lines with strict mandatory dress codes, nor am I interested in heavy party brands. Budget wise- well I’ve cruised Disney so you know a bit higher price isn’t going to scare me off. I’m willing to wait and save up for an ideal experience. 

 

Our cruising party is 2 adults active. 50yo. Love food, good cocktails and lounges, mellow vibes not party people. 

I'd consider the premium lines Oceania, Viking Ocean or Azamara, all with relatively small ships compared to the mass market lines, casual on board ambience and  catering to adults.

30 minutes ago, Glaciers said:

@njhorseman

Yes, I agree @Ferry_Watcher is a wealth of cruise information, particularly for Pier 91. This from their previous post which indicates embarking passengers are dropped at the terminal. It does seem to deviate from the Port’s website although I’d like to get a confirmation from Ferry_Watcher. It’s from 2019 so things may have changed. Did you see a more recent post from them?

 

 “The Uber/Lyft area is just used in the mornings for passengers disembarking.  All passengers arriving to embark (Uber/Lyft, bus, private car, town car, etc) are dropped off in the driveway area close to the Terminal 91 building.”

 

This  map may be  out of date as well but is on the Port's site but indicates the ride share lot is for pick up.

https://www.portseattle.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/Terminal 91 Map.pdf

 

I cited the current page on the official port website, and @Ferry_Watcher's post was just made today. I have to believe today's website and today's post over something from 2019.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3005251-seattle-pier-91-transportation/#comment-67297512

"If you use a Chauffeur type service, then you can be dropped off and picked up along the 'U' shaped drive area.  This is where the taxis, buses, friends/family along with the chauffeur vehicles can access.  The Uber/Lyft drivers have their own drop off area about 1/4 mile from the terminal.  There is a shuttle that can transport you from the Uber/Lyft lot."

On 4/23/2024 at 4:12 PM, jerick said:

Can a ride share drop you off at the terminal, or do you have to walk 1/4 mile to the terminal?

On 4/23/2024 at 4:45 PM, Glaciers said:

They can drop at the terminal.

Per the port's website ride share can neither drop you off nor pick you up at Pier 91, they must use the ride share lot for both. This was also mentioned on another thread by @Ferry_Watcher, a very reliable source of information who is employed at Pier 91.

https://www.portseattle.org/places/smith-cove-cruise-terminal-pier-91

"Convenient Drop Off and Pick Up

Ground transportation lot located near terminal entrance providing passengers with easy access to bus parking, taxis (load/unload), airport shuttle service, and private vehicle drop off.

Dedicated app-based rideshare lot for drop off or pick up.

Cell phone waiting lot for convenient passenger pick up."

47 minutes ago, jeromep said:

As @Glaciers stated, you will be dropped off in front of the departures entrance, ideally at your airline's check in location, on the departures level.  But for reference, if you are arriving in Seattle and picking up a rideshare, you have to go to level 3 of the parking garage, and ride share pickup is there.

 

https://www.portseattle.org/sea-tac/ground-transportation/app-based-rideshare

I believe the question and answer were about drop off and pick up at Pier 91, not at the airport.

3 hours ago, cruzegirl said:

Does anyone have suggestions for a great beach and one with snorkeling? I'm hearing a majority of the beaches are polluted and not safe. Any information is appreciated. 

Escambron beach is the closest beach to where the cruise ships dock Old San Juan that has relatively calm waters and from what I've been told OK snorkeling, both  thanks to a reef sheltering the beach.

A little further away is Isla Verde beach...bigger and IMO nicer.

Stay away from the Condado beach as the water can be very rough.

San Juan's a city, and pretty much any city's beaches are going to have some pollution issues.

3 hours ago, Jetdriver787 said:

Can anybody with local knowledge give me any advice or tips

I agree 100% with @princeton123211 . Don't do what you're suggesting. Book an Uber or car service to pick him up at JFK. If you don't want a higher end car service from Blacklane or similar you can book Carmel Limo, which should cost about the same as Uber.