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O'Sheehan's lunch - menu options really can't be simplified further or shorter. Reuben sandwich was very good today. Comments card are out ...

Luxury one with its own helicopter and an old ship that've seen better days. Homecoming to the Escape and the tender platform set-up.

Lining up to get back onboard, 3 tenders waiting ... it's the slow process of boarding the lifeboat.

Day 2 - Newport's waterfront, boats & nearby ... tendering itself on the boat, about 15 minutes thru the harbor - cloudy, breezy but quite humid day. Noticed that flags are half staff on this special day of memorial.

Escape using Theater/Supper Club - Fwd and Manhattan MDR - Aft as staging to board tenders, 1 from front & 1 from rear. Taking a sneak peek by walking thru I-95 below deck since SIL has special access. Kudos to the crews. Heading ashore at 11 AM

Never forget - moment of silence To friends that we lost then as we're there when the towers fell

Our steward brought us coffee/1 cup maker last night while we're out for dinner. Chocolate strawberries delivered plus 2 Flow water (should be 4) Cabin has 4 outlets, plenty with an extra tap and the 220 volts not yet used for the Chromebook & Fire HD10 tablet. Heading to the MDR to meet the gang for breakfast as they call tender group 4, 5 should be next.

Ship's WiFi & servers are good, supports 802.11.ac ... will probably do the unlimited basic upgrade later, same prices as pre-cruise but we can use non-refundable OBC. Just started calling tender group 3.

Good morning, Dexddd and all. Yes, we are at Newport early, watch them setup for tender operations & announcements, started calling group 2 now. Going to be slow & take a while before they call open tender. We could've picked up priority tickets to go ashore but not in a hurry. "Our" mansion is still there, haven't visited in a while but maybe hop over nearby for some decent seafood, like this place. Cherry/Chaddy just left for vacation from NY, her boss (Kiv) as well and won't get to say hello this time, Yusif from Turkey is GM onboard, going to a Meet The Officers this late afternoon just before dinner. Dense fog & cloudy, about 73 degrees and showers/t-storms on the forecast. Think we are just going out after a leisure breakfast & walk around the waterfront. Later 😎 Shorex should be stopping at places like this. They serve up good seafood but probably not going there this time.

Sailed pass Lady Liberty as we get ready for dessert after a good meal. Cellular signal will fade soon ... Newport , RI arrival at 6 AM ... tendering will be interesting 🧐

Started moving & backing out of Pier 88 around 6 pm, perfect timing with our sunset dinner cruise.

Watched a small group of cruisers boarding around 5 PM. Prime ribs in the buffet tonight. Taste MDR for us tonight - familiar menu of choices. Scheduled to sail at 5:45 pm but maybe waiting for delayed ship pax booked thru NCL. 3 items from Cagney's available for an upcharge, as reported recently by other CC'er.

Feeling annoyed about those nagging email about watching the safety video ... reminders over ship's PA has been repeated at least 6 times since 11:30 AM to proceed to the Assembly Station & check-in with our guest key cards 😳😳😕 No other special announcements from the bridge, perhaps we are staying with the plan, info about tomorrow's tendering at Newport, RI is out. Also the custom declaration is for Canada immigration & customs, not US CBP. Our 2 checked rollerboards have been delivered, I can power down the iPhone or at least stop tracking via the AirTags - safe & now unpacking 😁

Steady, steady and hold - forklift operations occurring on the pier transferring luggage in caged carts to the ship and there's a safety net to catch them & keep bags out of the Hudson River, cause accidents happen. A quick visual to our family oceanview on Deck 5, midship - pretty spacious & lots of storage & drawer space, especially for 2 adults. HDTV are now LG's x 2 of them and no longer using Sole brand. 2 x bedside USB charging ports

Announcement repeated，staterooms should be ready by 3 pm. Meanwhile, taking a quick look at our AirTagged luggage’s whereabout ?

Haven embarkation started before 11 AM quickly followed by special assistance (wheelchairs) and then Ambassadors, Diamonds & Sapphires, then Platinum - we got onboard by 11:10 AM, stopped by Assembly Station C1 on Deck 6 to swipe our key cards. Walked to the busy reservation desks to make some changes, then over to Taste MDR for lunch, opened already by 11:45. Jack is the Asst. CD. Staterooms will be ready by 3 pm. Lunch is good at Taste. Not too busy. Traffic in the area: major delays in-bound to NY from NJ, both GW Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel. Hopefully those delayed due to flight issues and/or driving in can make it 🤞

Thanks @JIMESOPUS one of the better & faster check-in at Pier 88, all done by 10:05 & sitting in the lounge. Told we no longer need a boarding card or zone/group # - just listen to priority when called and proceed. Oue CAS friends are stalked with wedding party & section with Haven. Folks slowing coming in. Disembarkation is done as not seeing more guests coming off late. Something new, odd or new protocol - we are getting CBP declaration card distributed at check-in ??? Could it be that we might head to Halifax first ?? The suspense ?

Lines moving - security is open & screening And, started to rain outside. There is a wedding group checking in for the cruise 😄

9:10 AM and we are on our way, Carmel was very early and we can leave early. Traffic going across town is heavy so we are going via I-95 Bronx & down the Henry Hudson straight to Pier 88. 9:28 AM - almost there on West Side Hwy already 👍😁😎

Good morning, Escape arrived shortly after 6 am and disembarkation already underway by 8 am. We are getting ready for our short 30 minutes trip soon to get there. Apparently, beginning with yesterday, a number of flights into NY area were delayed & cancelled, and continuing this morning, blamed on weather - folks are doing whatever it takes to get here or catch up with the ship. Safe travel and hope all can find a way here. Quick check of airport status suggesting otherwise, individual flights are affected 😳🫣🧐 - per FlightAware site. Thunderstorms and rain moving into area this morning, that's not good for air traffic along the East Coast corridor 👎. ORD or Chicago had a ground stop last night which didn't help to keep flights on schedule, since lifted.

Latest NHC forecast map/chart - as of Saturday evening - will be "monitoring" to stay informed ... Tech checks & prep - as a matter of routine, making sure all OS updates, security patches and apps are current, backup done (home server running Linux, in addition to routine cloud storage). Gadgets & tools that are coming along: 10,000 mAH USB Battery Bank-Charger at 100% capacity, travel notices submitted to credit cards. Lenovo Chromebook w. bluetooth wireless mouse and USB Dongle & external storage Google Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 4a 5G (mine) dual e/Sim - Google One VPN and CG VPN Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus (hers) - Google One VPN iPhone SE 2022 and iPad Mini (VPN enabled) - dual e/Sim enabled Amazon Fire HD 10 w 128GB mSD card (off-line media & eBooks) - Google One and CG VPN Footnote - Escape's HDTV @ 720 dpi should be "Sole" branded and uses HDMI as default input source. Coming along is USB-C to HDMI converter/adapter, Chromebook & Samsung Galaxy tested friendly for videos. Google Fi is our primary cellular carrier, which uses T-Mobile in the U.S. with global coverage for voice and text in 200 countries, and nearly all with high speed data, 4G LTE as 5G isn't necessary nor available everywhere. Tethering and hotspot included at no extra costs, supporting multiple devices as needed. Bonus info - Does T-Mobile work in Canada? Short answer is yes - (our 2nd line is on AT&T, roaming supported/enabled as needed) - https://querysprout.com/does-t-mobile-work-in-canada/ This is the lower or street level of Pier 88, where motorcoach or buses, occasionally - car services & limo will drop passengers with luggage off, sometimes - porters will "escort" folks here to wait for their pickup ... Giant manned elevators and escalators will take you up one deck or level to reach security and thru to check-in for embarkation. It's now past midnight - Sunday, Sept 10th is here - countdown is zero. Escape is less than 60 to 70 miles from NY, off Shirley, NY (Long Island) coming in early. Time to get some zzz's or sleep and then it's rise-n-shine, light breakfast & then get ready to meet our friends to share that minivan ride by car service to Pier 88. In a few hours from now, this will quasi-officially go "live" or at least semi-live. Good night all 👴

@RRSeeker Wow, sorry to read about your AA flight delay - cancellation. There is plenty of rooftop parking above the cruise terminal at Pier 88 and 90, reservations not needed and is a new thing - shouldn't really matter. Showers and thunderstorms in forecast later in the day. Please drive safely & carefully, ship isn't sailing until 5:30 pm.

@Steelers0854 welcome to the Big Apple ... in addition to whatever "mess" left behind by the Labor Day weekend ... U.S. Tennis Open is going on, tomorrow is the last day - in Flushing, NY (Queens) so traffic nearby / in the area is a big mess. Next week is United Nations Week with its annual gathering ... security goes up a notch citywide but mostly east side of midtown Manhattan, followed by Fashion Week - hotel prices are up all over & taxi/Uber might be in short supply even with surge pricing kicking in. Steakhouse dinner looks great, although we don't venture into the "city" as there is another Peter Luger out here on Long Island, rated #11 vs. one of our favorite, Bryant & Copper Steakhouse in the town of Rosyln, not too far & is a local legend - visitors and out-of-towners usually don't get to dine like us. City Island in the Bronx has a # of great restaurants serving up great, excellent & fresh seafood, broiled lobsters 1.5 to 2 lbs & sometimes they get soft shells, plus their clam bake. Cagney's and Bayamo onboard are good, but we don't get too excited about it as there are so many nice & great ones locally. Unlike the Breakaway, Getaway or the Epic, Escape doesn't have a Shanghai Noodles or Restaurant - and what they serve isn't anywhere close to good, passing grade as basic comfort food, much like O'Sheehan's and The Local. We did a nice authentic Shanghainese lunch with our friends nearby - nothing fancy and inexpensive ... if only NCL can try harder and do a little better, sometimes. Have a good night, see all in the morning at the pier & getting check-in done, and let's get onboard. Navigational & related update: Escape is on her way - just checked Marinetraffic & CruiseMapper for latest - slowed down from doing a fairly steady 19 knots to 15.5 now, off the eastern tip/end of Long Island's South Fork (East Hampton) - roughly 80 miles from MCT, with the ETA arrival of 4 AM, EDT looking pretty good ... plus another hour navigating thru the NY Lower Bay, pass under the VZ Bridge & Statue of Liberty. Docking at Pier 88 before 6 AM should be expected - and early express / self walk-off disembarkation by 7:30 assuming CBP is on stations and ready with their facial recognition. NCL's website just went offline as scheduled at 10 PM & expected to resume at 6 AM in the morning. Hopefully, everyone printed out their eDocs - it was still available earlier today.

Sure do, how are you and always happy to know others find these semi / live trip reports informative, fun & helpful. Westbound is nicer as you gain an extra hour going thru time zone, minimizing effects from jetlag - don't forget to look for that Int'l Time Zone crossing ritual onboard. By all means, help bring her across to NY, nieces & extended family circles booked theirs on GA in December, found them great balcony deals. Meanwhile, we are entirely out of those CruiseNext Certs by transfering some to them ... hence, going to make the Latitudes rep onboard happy with new "sales" or else we can't book anything else next year. Doing a report on your TA - let us all know, love to follow along since we are going to be catching one not much later than you 😉 😉 (different ship & embark port, etc.) On the question of AirTags, already answered & spot on - just going to toss ours inside the checked suitcase with the extra luggage tag. Don't mind the crew delivering the bags "late" as long as they make it onboard - just peace of mind, not fun to rotate with just 2 sets of clothes for the week. Android has an app for those activated AirTags, it's not great and waiting for the big change - expected shortly from Google. There is no need to use a pricey or waterproof tag holder. Using one of the tags on our car in lieu of fancy LoJack ... lots of practical applications & possibilities in tracking, privacy considerations being noted.

T minus 1 ... tomorrow morning (24 hours from now) at this time, we will be at Pier 88, helping our SIL/BIL with wheelchair embarkation. Our best friends using CAS or Platinum boarding, not that we being Sapphire isn't really going to board much faster, if at all. Not surprised, but got a feeling we will not see many school-age children and/or teens on this sailing ... probably some pre-schoolers along with their parents - expecting our corridor or hallways near Splash Academy to be quiet, just like our recent Epic TA. Both DW and I were up earlier than usual, just about everything is done or completed, took another look at the latest hurricane/stormy forecast ahead but what the heck, can't worry what one cannot dictate - medical & trip, travel insurances are all in place. Lee does look like will make landfall somewhere later next week based on latest forecast models, which typically converge within 5 days - we are going to be on the Escape, regardless - just a question of where & what and how will the ship get out of harm's way and make a run for it ... she can easily do 22+ knots with a good tailwind. Forecasters in Halifax, NS aren't worry yet and I think she can find a safe spot somwhere in the Gulf of Maine or start her trip back to NY slowly to steer away from expected sea swell and large waves. Remember this is a 5 stops port-intensive itinerary with just enough time for dinner, maybe a show and we are in a mid-ship (large) Family Oceanview with picture window (yes, that is "close" to the waterline & when it is stormy) on Deck 5 ... this is one of those times that having a balcony up on Deck 15 isn't really necessary ideal (oops, that's very our CAS friends are - midship) BIL mid-ship on Deck 12. Got plenty of Bonine around, just in case ... Latest on ground transport costs - - real-time prices this morning ... for the typical airport trip to Pier 88, MCT - folks, flying in and not taking the JFK Airtrain & subway or LIRR into town and then walk that last mile plus > > > > > buckle up for safety & don't be shocked. Going to be even higher by next Spring with Manhattan's congestion pricing surcharge, as little as $8 to 10 per trip and as much as $15 to $20 more. $$ in the screenshots speak for themselves - will likely use either Carmel or a local car service for mini-van tomorrow to take 4 adults plus luggage for a little less.