njhorseman

There's no conspiracy theory at work here, just business strategy. Remember that there are only a relatively small, fixed number of berths to be filled on any cruise. It only takes a few people to climb the ladder to fill them. Not everyone is very concerned about price. Many are simply looking for the experience they desire. Many will rely on the advice of their trusted travel agent in making a choice of a cruise line.

So you've confirmed that NCLH's strategy is working. They're going increase their revenue by having Oceania customers move to Regent, where they'll pay more than they would have on O for a comparable cabin and itinerary. Those passengers will be replaced by NCL customers moving up to Oceania as well as former HAL, Princess and Celebrity customers moving over to O. Most of them will think O is the greatest invention since sliced bread. Looks like a good business move to me.

FYI, NCLH has never paid a dividend since they went public in 2013, so that isn't a potential source of funds available for repayment debt accumulated during the COVID era.

The OP wants to go to a hotel in NJ, not to EWR, so most of what you've stated is of no use to the OP. Only the Uber/Lyft option is valid and that was suggested in the very first reply to the OP's question. You can't take a helicopter to a hotel. The taxi fare formula you cited is to EWR. New York City taxis are not required to take you to any NJ destination other than EWR but if they agree to the fare is not set by rule but is a matter of negotiation between the taxi driver and passenger. ETS airport shuttles go to EWR airport, not to hotels. As in your other recommendations, the mass transit option goes to EWR.

You're not going to cruise on Oceania from NYC for what the OP wants to spend, under $1,000 per person. The cheapest inside cabin will cost a minimum of $1,500 per person for a 7 night cruise, and those cabins sell out quickly.

NCL does not offer an unlimited laundry package.

Or a passport card. Or an enhanced drivers license. Or for naturalized citizens an original certificate of naturalization and government-issued photo ID Or for those who were US citizens at birth but born abroad a consular report of birth abroad plus a government issued photo ID But once again, always check your cruise line's requirements as they may not accept a particular type of documentation despite it being permissible by law and regulation. In addition a closed loop cruise might call on a country that requires a passport, as is the case for some French territories in the Caribbean.

Those two possibilities are not mutually exclusive. The article says they will provide ferry service five days per week, Monday through Friday. That was not the case last year. There's no mention of how many trips per day. Just like every year we'll have to wait until the schedule is published to see the details.

Turo is a peer-to-peer car sharing platform. It's like Airbnb, but for car rentals. You're renting from the individual car owner, not from a car rental company. There's the possibility that your personal automobile insurance won't cover a Turo rental so you need to check your policy. You also don't have any idea of the honesty of the Turo listing as to the car's condition. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't use it, I'm just suggesting that if you do you should be aware of possible negatives.

In the past upscale and luxury lines like Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Explora Journeys and Azamara have all had this requirement. Without attempting to chase down every cruise line's rules, here are Explora Journeys' rules...which I chose because they're in the MSC family: https://explorajourneys.com/us/en/info/terms-and-conditions "5. PASSPORT AND VISAS 5.1 Guests must hold fully valid passports for the whole duration of the Journey and the expiry date must be at least 6 months after the return date. Certain countries insist on machine-readable and digital photo passports, especially Russia and USA." Although mass market lines generally do not have this requirement there are even a couple of circumstances where they do. For example Princess has this requirement: https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/pre-cruise "We also require a passport for all guests in a travel party when minors are traveling with only one adult (21 years and older).† †We have implemented this requirement because we want to ensure that your party remains together should an emergency arise that requires one or more members to be disembarked in a non-U.S. port. We cannot guarantee that all members of your party will be allowed to disembark with just a WHTI-compliant document or birth certificate. Failure to present a valid passport for all guests traveling together will result in denial of boarding without refund of the cruise or cruisetour fare."

Please note that some cruise lines require all passengers to have a valid passport even if laws and regulations allow the use of a birth certificate and photo ID, as is the case for a closed loop Bahamas cruise. You need to check MSC 's rules just to be sure they are not requiring all passengers to have a passport.

It's just a port call on a 188 night world cruise that starts in Europe in early January and returns to Europe at its conclusion in May.

No special place. You just give it the same porters who are handling the steerage passengers' luggage.

And that id exactly why I loved riding the buses in Bermuda for so many years...until service began to deteriorate badly in the past decade or so. If you have the time riding the buses is a great way to see parts of Bermuda you might not otherwise get to, and a great way to interact with Bermuda's residents.

Also of note from the same article: Increased ferry service to St. George's this year. Two new ferries on order. Unfortunately, one will replace my favorite Bermuda ferry, the "Warbaby Fox". Why do I have a favorite ferry? Because "Warbaby" Fox was a very interesting person: https://emancipationbermuda.com/library-people/charles-h-g-warbaby-fox/

Based on other posts you've made it appears you're on the March 24 sailing of the Norwegian Getaway 4 pm is the cruise's departure time. You should be checked in and aboard by 2 pm. Porters will be available at the cruise terminal at 9:30 am, but you can only take small bags you can easily carry, perhaps no bigger than a small backpack into the Intrepid Museum and there are no baggage check facilities in the museum.

No, they are reading from a script that is quoting the same (mis)information that appears on the website.

I've cruised on NCL many times and i can assure you that the customer service agent the OP spoke to is dead wrong.

The person you spoke to has no idea of what they're talking about. The two hours refers to the initial embarkation port and the final disembarkation port. Telephone customer service agents are typically clueless about such matters.

Judith... we are well...making allowances for rapidly advancing age of course!! Perhaps someday in the near future we'll once again find ourselves on the same cruise as the two of you.

Unless the ship were to arrive very late there's no reason to worry about making an 11 am train. I know you've taken the train home from Penn Station in NYC after a cruise. What time were you comfortable with in NY? It shouldn't be any different in Boston.

Correct...you clear immigration in your first US port. Unless you're unlucky enough to be chosen for a random customs check in Boston you'll just walk off with no further formalities.

It runs whenever there's an NCL ship in port, weather permitting.

To the contrary, IMO Isla Verde is probably the best overall stretch of beach in metropolitan San Juan. Certainly much better than Condado, where the beach is mostly very narrow and there can be significant undertow. Of the hotels offering day passes available through the vendor cited above by @PORT ROYAL I've stayed at the Royal Sonesta (under a different hotel brand name), the Fairmont El San Juan, and the Courtyard by Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort and they are all on excellent stretches of beach. The Royal Sonesta and El San Juan are located adjacent to each other and the Courtyard is about a half mile further and across the street from the airport.

There are "Walk" buttons that pedestrians can push to initiate a traffic signal change that would stop traffic on 12th Ave. That can result in traffic backing up . It's also there to discourage people from crossing against the light. Again, the main reason for having the footbridge there is for visitors to the Intrepid Museum. The footbridge goes to the museum reception building.