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On a related note, does anyone have more info on the current status of the plan, by Stockperks, to implement a Web-based version of their "app"? This was mentioned here on CC a few times in recent months. That would obviate the need to use a cellphone as a PC and would presumably make the process of using the system somewhat easier by allowing the use of a desktop machine. I would certainly prefer that option, though I, too, haven't had any issues with the Android version of the app.

Couldn't agree more. Our July 2024 C/NE out of Boston, for a simple balcony cabin, is currently well over $3000 per couple more expensive than we we booked it last year.

Thanks for the clarification, I knew about the limited hours of this run, just not the details. Sadly, almost all our trips seem to happen on weekends, which is why I remember this not being an option for us. In the past, pre a Brooklyn cruise, we've stayed in NJ and driven all the way to the BCT and parked there for the week. IIRC the parking price at the BCT has recently gone way up to be comparable to the price at the MCT, so I suspect that when next we sail from Brooklyn, we will still stay in NJ, take the ferry across to the 39th St terminal then Uber directly to the BCT. A bit of a slog but FAR cheaper than staying in either Manhattan or Brooklyn and parking at the pier. As in many hundreds of dollars cheaper.

The problem with Jamaica is that, in our experience, that doesn't work. In many cases, when you politely tell them you are not interested, they continue to harass you, even following along beside you for significant distances, getting increasingly harassing even mildly offensive when you continue to POLITELY refuse their offers. In Ocho Rios one time, we had a taxi driver get almost aggressive with us, finally saying "Why don't you like Jamaica, mon". Local vendors in many Caribbean countries can be quite the nuisance (think Coz and Cabo for example), but they usually leave you alone after a single "No thanks, not interested" NOT SO JAMAICA.

We've stayed at both hotels many times. The HP is in better condition, somewhat newer and offers very nice large rooms. Beyond that, it is a smaller hotel with very limited facilities. We now prefer the Renaissance as it is a larger hotel with better facilities and nice views of the port from many rooms, though the rooms are a bit dated relative to the HP. The only downside to the HP for us is the very small, cramped lobby area. The lobby, bar, seating area and "restaurant" (just a limited breakfast buffet) all occupy the same cramped space, and on cruise morning, it is absolutely jammed. Still, there is a lot of love here on CC for the HP, and it is a perfectly good hotel.

We've been to the two main Princess ports in Jamaica, Falmouth and Ocho Rios. We find them absolutely horrible places and will never get off the ship if we stop at either port.

The real game changer around the Port Everglades is going to be the new Omni when it opens at the end of next year. It will surpass the Renaissance and the Hilton Marina as the closest hotel to the port, but I imagine the prices will be through the roof when it opens. https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/fort-lauderdale

I looked into this myself a while back, as we are huge fans of staying in Weehawken and ferrying across to mid-town, given the huge price difference between NJ and Manhattan hotels and parking. There is no direct connection, even with a transfer, that would easily get you from the Weehawken terminal all the way to Red Hook. I eventually came to realize that the best way, as stated above, is to get across to the ferry terminal at 39th St., then either Uber all the way to Brooklyn or Uber to Pier 11 and take the ferry to Brooklyn, which leaves you right next to your ship. I vaguely recollect that there may have been ferry transfers which might have worked but they were weekday rush hour only, so not much help to cruise ship passengers.

Thanks for the heads up. Our next trip out of PE is not until October, and sadly we aren't able to stay at the Renaissance this time. Seems a young lady named Taylor Swift is holding concerts in the area on the exact date we need to stay, and hotel prices in the area are astronomically over priced. Last time I looked the Renaissance was well north of $US500 (far more in our Canadian $$$s) and the Hyatt Place was just as bad. Fortunately, I managed to snag the Riverside for a surprisingly good price, but we will be back at the Renaissance next February.

I assume this is the Renaissance on 17th near Port Everglades? It's our preferred pre-cruise hotel as well. Great location and you can't beat waking up on embarkation morning, throwing open the curtains and seeing the fleet of cruise ships right next door ;o) What was the issue with the elevators, we've never had a problem with them, were they out of order? Love the Boatyard as well.

FWIW the last two times we boarded in PE we were on the ship by 10:30.

Absolutely. It's always a mystery to us at to why Princess choose to "relatively" ignore such a massively populous market as the US Northeast when their competitors embrace it. We would certainly love more and year-round Princess sailings from both NY and Boston.

Sorry, we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. Taking any public transport, particularly the train, is an absolute non-starter for us, particularly when carrying luggage. It is far easier to simply climb in the car and get out at our pre-cruise hotel a few hours later than to do the same thing by a convoluted train ride.

There actually are a few longer duration (10+ days) Princess "southern" sailings in or out of NY, but they tend to be one-wayers between NY and Fort Lauderdale so you would still have at least one flight. Pretty much all Princess return sailings out of NY (Brooklyn) are round trip Canada/ New England sailings, so heading north. Princess doesn't tend to do much out of NY in comparison with other lines like X, RCCL or Norwegian. NCL for example do a LOT of sailings out of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal to Bermuda, with up to three days parked at the Dockyard. A great itinerary. The other lines also do Bermuda out of NY or NJ. AFAIK the other lines also do some southern round-trips out of NY, Princess not so much.

+1 on that. We are doing our first sailing out of Boston this July, a Canada/New England trip. For us, driving to Boston is even easier than driving to New York.

One thing to keep in mind is that, as you can see in the screen shot above, Princess always state "New York City (Manhattan or Brooklyn)" even though in the vast majority of cases, the sailings will be from Red Hook in Brooklyn (which is of course technically in New York ;o). It's very unlikely that a Princess sailing will start and end at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

Perhaps go to the Princess site and search for sailings from New York during your desired time frame? Princess have tons of sailings out of Brooklyn (as well as Boston) mostly to Canada/New England. AFAIK, the main lines sailing out of NJ (Cape Liberty) are X and RCCL, Princess use Brooklyn almost exclusively.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. This is a strange issue peculiar to Princess, and nobody can figure out why they are confusing in this one issue. Their web site, and all their documents you receive for your cruise, will say "New York City (Manhattan or Brooklyn)", but it's 99.9% guaranteed that you will, as others have said, be sailing from Brooklyn. As a general rule with Princess, they use Brooklyn for cruises that start and end in NY, but use the Manhattan Cruise terminal on the Hudson as an intermediate stop when a ship visits New York. There are very few exceptions to this rule. Keep checking your documents and the Cruise Personalizer for your specific voyage though. IIRC, there will be one of your docs (Travel Summary, Booking Confirmation etc) or the Personalizer page showing the itinerary (Sorry, can't remember which) that will give the actual terminal you will be sailing from. It will still confusingly say "New York City (Manhattan or Brooklyn)" but will then give the street address of the BCT, confirming that you would be sailing from Brooklyn.

Excellent summary and clarification, thanks very much. Even when sailing from Brooklyn, we prefer to stay in northern NJ, then morning of the cruise cross the GW bridge, run down the Hudson and through the Carey Tunnel to Brooklyn and Red Hook. From your description, would that mean no fee IF we stay exactly on that specific route, both to and from Brooklyn to the GW Bridge? If we do decide to veer off into Manhattan into the "affected" area, would our EZPass transponder be the way the fee would be collected?

Yes, fully aware of the Ts and Cs. My latest renewal, two years ago, was for an unusual three years, not five, so when I renew this August, I will have to pay the fee out of pocket. At least it will be at the old rate of $50, and well worth every penny.

We also have the TD VIP Card. According to the TD web site for the VIP card: Enroll for NEXUS and once every 48 months get an application fee rebate8 No matter what the cost, NEXUS is hugely valuable to us, and we'd pay the cost even if our credit cards didn't cover any of it.

Google Maps says the distance from Logan Arrivals to the Black Falcon terminal is about 20 Min and 4 Miles:

That's pretty close, though the final tally will depend on what you decide to tip. We usually end up paying around $20 all in. One important note re taxis, there are plenty of posts here on CC about taxis in Fort Lauderdale (airport and cruise port) who try to gouge passengers by not using the meter and try to scam you with a flat rate, so make sure that when you board the taxi, you ensure they start the meter running.

That may have been me. I admit I'm not overly familiar with the intricacies of the various programs that I am a very long time member of, I was simply relating what I was told at a Canadian entry point at YUL on our return from a cruise. The kiosks were all down and we had to go up to a CBSA agent for manual processing. I casually mentioned to him that I had also submitted the ArriveCan info and he told me quite clearly that I did not have to do that. Fouremco's explanation above, as per usual, makes perfect sense.

Thanks for the clarification. Sadly, a 10 day on such a small ship isn't right for us, but if Princess would put a larger ship to Bermuda on a typical 7 day, with three days at the Dockyard, that would be great for us. As it is now, we're stuck with NCL for such an itinerary, with the Breakaway and the Aqua, but we would definitely prefer Princess.