Got2Cruise

Other ones to try that sometimes have good deals. NY Sheraton or NY Hilton. Big convention hotels, so they have lots of rooms to fill.

I can’t get it on PBS here in NYC area either 😕. I have access to NYC, LI, and NJ PBS channels and none of them have it. I did see it’s available on Hulu I’ll look later. I don’t want to pay though.

Perfect location for what OP wants to do. I prefer that area much more than 8th Ave.

EWR is a very busy airport. Going thru TSA can be hellish without precheck.

I think a cruise is the perfect way to experience the Mediterranean for the first time. Regent is wonderful. I’ve experienced mass market, luxury, and river cruises in Europe. River Cruises are fine but you want the Mediterranean not small cities next to a river. Yes you will get a taste of each city, sort of like eating all appetizers and no main course. But big deal. Sometimes a little bit of each is fine. You can always go back another time for in depth. There are ways to get the most of your time. Opt for the extra cost premium tour to the Vatican. You won’t be able to see everything, but one worthwhile thing to experience in each port is easy. Cruising allows you to travel between cities in a relaxed and carefree manner. You are picked up from the airport by Regent and that’s it. Not a care in the world. The Compass Rose main restaurant is excellent. Plenty of time to experience authentic restaurants for lunch or a drink and tapas.

I looked on Google Maps. Both properties are fine. The RIU is very close to Rock Centre. You could walk around, even look at the Today Show before going to the pier. Plenty of places to eat around there. The Marriott nothing really around there to see. I guess you could take a walk to Central Park but it’s not that close.

If you don’t want to visit Sagrada Familia this time, you can walk Las Ramblas. Just be very careful for pickpockets. Stop at the market La Boqueria and go all the way down to Columbus statue. The Gothic Quarter is a lovely section not far from Las Ramblas. You get a real feel of Barcelona.

Three days you have lots of options. Most first timers to NYC like to hit the iconic sights. Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Top of the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock. Central Park and a Museum. Walk go to Times Square at dark to see it lit up. There are various ways to see these things from DIY to tours. Go to Viator.com to see all the options I also like to go to Pinterest or YouTube channels to see where others have gone and done and get ideas . Once you have a short list we can help you plan how to do it.

Gate Check.

I’ve been eyeing this cruise forever! Most of us started our cruising on ocean cruises. I hope you enjoy River Cruises as much as the rest of us. Can’t wait to read your report. It’s almost time.

Hi. It seems overwhelming I’m sure but mostly because there are so many choices. Any of the 3 airports are fine. So chose whichever carrier you are comfortable with. If you just want to look around, then midtown west area would be best, you could walk around Times Square and Rockefeller Center areas. Maybe even go on one of the open air tour busses. You can stay on for the entire loop and not get off. What date do you need? I like to use Kayak.com to get an idea of the prices. Then I book directly with hotel for a refundable rate.

Lois, look on Yelp. Reviewers on Yelp tell it like it is and don’t fool around. I just peeked, and most recent reviews are horrible. Read through and come back here to narrow it down.

If it weren’t the Alaska cruise, I’d say reconsider. But Alaska sailings attract families. We were on a Regent cruise to the Mediterranean and there was a Grandma traveling with her daughters and a few grandchildren 5-10 years old. Wellllll before the cruise was over, the sisters had a loud argument by the pool with 2 sisters saying that they shouldn’t have gone along with what the one sister insisted on, they should have taken the Disney cruise.

Royal Caribbean has all the bells and whistles for that age group. Celebrity is also very good but doesn’t have the flow rider and climbing wall type of things. But if you’re in Europe you might not care.

Perfect itinerary for first timers. You will love it. Avalon a great product. We’ve used them and recommended to friends. You will be pleased. Munich and Amsterdam perfect choices Pre and post.

Oh my goodness. That’s incredible! I never even knew there was such a thing. It will be here before you know it. Have a great time and check in on the board to let us know how it’s going.

What a wonderful way of celebrating your daughter’s accomplishment. We don’t hear much about that portion of the Danube here. The Transylvania part is intriguing to me.

Wow Fran! Sounds wonderful. I’m glad you “managed”. lol

You’re kidding right? Manhattan is too far from Brooklyn? The Marriott Brooklyn Bridge is more expensive than many Manhattan hotels.

If you are only going to spend the night if might be cost effective to stay at a property near LaG then Uber to Brooklyn in the morning. For your post stay, use a matrix like kayak and look for deals. The price fluctuates depending on the demand.

Re: too much wine on the Duoro Cruise. I’ll speak regarding Uniworld because this was my experience. We also did the Libson extension. Libson wine is not the focus so no need to worry there. Side trips to Sintra and Cascais are available. Now onto Porto. Let’s get it out of the way PORTO=Port Wine. Lol. Porto is a wonderful city with the beautiful hand painted tiles, the emphasis is not on the Port wine at all unless you chose to visit a tasting room in your free time. Salamanca, Spain; Guimares, Portugal; Castelo Rodrigo, Portugal three stops not wine centered. I did love the almond liquor at Castelo Rodrigo. The day at Pinhao, There is a choice of visit to archaeological park or vineyard tours. So you don’t need to have anything to do with wine. That leaves the day at the Duoro Museum and the Quinta Dinner. You can stay on the ship during the museum visit. The Quinta is a beautiful place, the owner entertaining. You get a feeling of life at a winery. Truthfully, there is just as much drinking available on a Rhine or Seine or Danube cruise. Europeans drink a lot of wine and beer. Lol

All these sound incredible. You certainly will have an awesome year. All so different from one another too. Enjoy!

I’ve been wanting to try Seabourn also. Hawaii to Vancouver sounds great. Enjoy being pampered! And family cruises are always a blast.

Woah! You are making up for lost time. I know you will love the Danube and Munich, it was one of our favorite trips. And the Nile is on my bucket list for sure. And I’ve been looking at the Norwegian Fjords cruise forever. Have a fantastic time.

Congratulations on your retirement! That’s a fantastic way to celebrate. I would love to go to South America, especially to see the penguins. Plus the food is delish. And 14 days in Alaska is something I need to look into. We took a 7 day cruise and had a fantastic time and saw amazing nature. Let us know if you post trip reports. Enjoy!