englander

We have booked The BW Adams Inn in Quincy 4/24/15 post-cruise. I see on their website the Beantown Trolley picks up there. I wonder if it is simply a transport to their first stop? Since we are ending a cruise there, we don't have a car and will be flying to CO the next day at 2:45pm from Logan. Apparently this hotel is a popular cruisers' spot. I did write and ask and they answered that yes, they do offer pickup service at the ship to go to hotel. They also offer free airport shuttle. Perfect set-up for us.

Since there seem to be several trolley companies, I'm just trying to compare which are easiest to access from this hotel.

Susan

Looking for comments on this HOHO Trolley in Boston. It picks up at some hotels and I was wondering if it also drops off at same hotels?

Susan

We have sailed numerous times with both RCCL and Celebrity and always received the Shareholder Benefit. Until now!!! I appears to me that RCCL may be feeling a bit of a financial pinch, and is looking at every way to reduce costs.

 

However, as a Shareholder who purchased these shares at $35. and kept the faith when they dropped to $5.00, I feel this benefit should be over and above anything available to the general public. If RCCL continues this nitpicking, I'll take my business elsewhere.

I totally agree!!! And they are trying to deny mine for cruises I bought during a WOW sale (the excuse I got in my email answer). Wrote them back and reminded them that as the 1st passenger I paid full fare so there is no discount to compare with. The Shareholder Benefit goes to one passenger, and is restricted to one per cabin, of course. Haven't got a reply to this question yet. Actually, they did approve the 2nd cruise, but not the first one coming up in Nov.

we are staying at Le Saint Paul Hotel on Nov 2nd. Looks nice to us...have never been to Quebec yet.

Susan

I'm wondering about the weather in Nov. We'll be in PEI on Nov 6th 8-5pm; and Halifax Nov 8th 7-4pm. Not much time really and if there's gonna be ice/snow perhaps a tour or self-guide might be better?

Susan

When we were in Bermuda in 2010 I seem to remember finding out we could get 'free' bus passes - 14 zone - after we had bought passes at the info center before taking the Hamilton ferry. We were on the Explorer of the Seas. Some people even got refunds. Anyone know if they still offer this?

Looking for a restaurant near the Port Royal Hotel for a pre cruise get together of about 30 people. What's nearby? This will be in November.

Ah, yes, it does stop there, doesn't it... The path is directly in line with the entrance - there's a parking lot in between, but it's not very big. I'll see if I can take a picture of the area next time I'm down there cruise ship spotting...:D

Thanks, I would appreciate it!!!

Susan

Thanks Twickenham. I did follow the Google street view. I was just wondering once we go between the 2 brick buildings do we come upon the actual entrance where we check our bags?

Susan

I've been trying to find a pic of the terminal to see exactly what it looks like and exactly where the entrance is if we walk to it.

We are staying pre-cruise 1 nt at hotel Le St Paul. I googled distance to terminal and found it to be about a 10 min walk straight down Rue St Paul, which is where the hotel is located.

Got any pics or tips about walking to the terminal? Of course, the weather is a consideration, being early November! What would a cab cost? Do they charge by the person, or distance; or is it flat rate?

WE are thinking of renting from Enterpxxxx Car rental office in Bayonne; hoping they will pick us up at our hotel on morning of Jun 4th and perhaps give us a ride to the port after returning the car on morning of Jun 5th.

Any advice?

Essiesmom...I have looked at all 3 websites. All 3 mention airport shuttles. None mentioned a shuttle to Cape Liberty, Bayonne. That's why I asked - it would be so easy for the person who stayed at the Courtyard to just say which one, and have info on the shuttle to Bayonne, like the person who stayed at the Springhill Suites just did.

It's the Country Inns & Suites on Glimchler Realty Way (sp?), in Elizabeth, NJ., not the Courtyard. Although they do not mention the shuttle service, they DO offer it and you can confirm that by emailing them from their website http://www.countryinns.com/elizabeth-hotel-nj-07201/njnewark That's how I learned about it. It is a decent hotel and they are very used to cruisers.

Susan

Well, I'd definitely call Enterprise in Bayonne to see what they can do for you. It would be a quick trip across the Bayonne Bridge to Staten Island to Fort Wadsworth, the bridge to Brooklyn would be free, and you could drive from Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn back through the Holland tunnel to New Jersey.

 

Hotels are another issue. I'm not seeing much of anything under $150 for your dates. It's really a bit too soon. We haven't really been using Hotwire too much because it is difficult to identify the hotel. Country Inns does not seem to appear there any more.

So when do you think is the best time to look for a room? I wonder if we can get Enterprise at the airport and turn it in at their Bayonne office?

Susan

We are thinking of arriving at EWR around 3pm Jun3rd. Will do sightseeing on June 4th and ship sails on June 5th (Explorer).

I was wondering if the airport rentals are price competitive. Some cities the airport rentals are more expensive. Biggest concern, I guess, will be dropping off the car and getting to the ship on June 5th around noon (it sails @ 4pm).

Susan

Are you sightseeing in NYC? I am probably going to try the Robert Treat in downtown Newark in January. I'm flying in from Oregon the night before and if I stay in downtown Newark, the hotel shuttle will take me to Newark Penn Station so I can take Path and the light rail to Cape Liberty instead of springing for a $50 cab ride. From Newark Penn Station you can also go on the train to New York Penn Station for $5 or to the World Trade Center by Path for $2.50. I've had my eye on this hotel for several years and now I have a chance to try it out to see if it would work for cruisers, particularly those who want better access to NYC without spending a fortune to stay at the Newark Penn Station Hilton. For my dates I'm seeing a price of $80+ tax prepaid and the recent reviews are excellent.

We want to go see Fort Hamilton museum and go to Fort Wadsworth. Did the NYC stuff last time. Thinking about renting a car...or is there easy public transportation?

Also if we rent a car, where is a rental agency near the ship dock, or one that will transport us when we drop off the car?

I'm curious to hear your impressions of the Robert Treat. And any other cruiser friendly ones.

Susan

I'm back, going on Explorer of the Seas again next June 5th. I used a lot of your info and help back in Oct 2010. We stayed a the Country Inns and Suites in Elizabeth and were booked for Halloween right after hurricane Sandy had left her mark there. It turned out ok except for our delayed flights and this hotel was very accomodating to us and to a lot of local residents who were without power.

I am wondering if you guys see it there on the bidding page on Hotwxxx.com? I forget what amenities to look for, etc. I did see on their website a rate of $110 for gov't employees.

Or is there another hotel now that's a better, economical choice? We need it for Jun 3-5. I live in Co so we won't be driving....

Susan

If I buy train tickets in advance online, how does that work? Will I be able to print the ticket and bring it with me, do i have to access a ticket machine at the station to get the ticket or what? I'm not sure I want them to mail the tickets to me in the US, even if that's an option. What is the downside, if any, of waiting until we get to the station to buy the tickets, other than possibly having to stand in line?

I bought our tix online at http://www.greateranglia.co.uk/tickets-fares and it was super easy. They will assign you a seat. Choose the option to have your tix emailed, then print from the email. We showed the printout to the lady at the entrance to the train platform (# is on your tix) in Liverpool Street Station. We boarded the train and found our assigned seats. We found the train to be almost empty ( this was a Monday 9am) so we moved to a more comfortable seat we liked better. It was not a problem at all. We were on coach C. No need to find a ticket machine, you're all set with the email printout. I can send you an email link to a copy if you want to see it. My email is below.

Susan

Happy 4th of July to all our American friends. May the bonds of our friendship remain forever tied!!

Thanks, T!

We visited Liverpool on June 9th via the Celebrity Infinity. It was a nice day. We caught the ferry, saw the U-boats Story. Around 2pm we watched the Russian Jets (2 of them) perform their maneuvers in the sky, then we came back across the Mersey. Then we walked up to find the "bombed-out church" which was very interesting; must have been a beautiful church in its day. By the timw we walked backed down towards the pier we had missed entry into the Maritime Museum, unfortunately. So there will have to be another visit sometime. Weather was super sunny and comfortable, all in all a great day. The nicest thing was the fond farewell your fellow city dwellers gave us as the ship pulled away from shore and everyone was waving.

Susan

I am looking at taking the train from London Liverpool Street Station to Harwich International on the day of my cruise. The cruise train is very appealing as it is non-stop, but expensive and times are very limited.

 

However, the regular train from Liverpool Street to Harwich has about a 5 min layover time to change platforms at Manningtee Station (down stairs, tunnel under the tracks and then up the stairs on the other side). I am in fairly good shape but no olympian and doubt I could make this transition in the given time.

 

Does anyone have any input on the idea of purchasing one ticket from LIverpool Street to Manningtee and then a second ticket (departing 30-60 min later) to proceed from Manningtee to Harwich.

This would give me many more options as to what time I depart (the cruise train seems to only be 1-2 times daily but the regular train seems hourly) and I believe I could manage my bags up and down the stairs for a platform change if I had more than 5-10 min window.

Aging is not for sissys.

Thank you

We just returned from our cruise from Harwich. We caught the 9am train at Liverpool Street Station on a Monday morning. We got on coach C near the front end of the train. It was not crowded and we had no problem with our two large suitcases and two carry-on size cases. We purchased the tix online earlier for only £8.00 each. We arrived in Manningtree, got off and were right at the stairway, which was easy to pull luggage behind as we went down the steps and a little bit of a pull up the next steps, but not bad at all. We come out right at the train and got on. It too was almost empty except for a few other cruisers headed to Harwich. Train pulled up at the pier Harwich International, at 10:17am, on time. Got off walked about 100 yds and turned the luggage over to the cruise staff.

Susan

Just spent a great day showing our friends around the city centre after their ship, Celebrity Infinity docked in Liverpool today. The weather was a nightmare. Never known it so cold at this time of year before. Despite that, we had a great day.:)

So...where did you go?

Have you had an answer concerning the Western Approaches Museum opening on a Sunday for cruise ships?

Susan

I couldn't find a timetable either. Maybe it's not finalised yet? I will keep checking and see if it appears. :)

http://www.itsliverpool.com/culture/event/mersey-river-festival/

Looks like quite a lot of variety of things to see. We are there June 9th. Looking forward to seeing the Russian airshow at 2pm that day. We should be back from the Ferry/U-Boat adventure.

Susan

In my opinion, if you are going to do the fish and chips thing you should do it like the locals do. Yes there will be plenty of restaurants where you can have a nice sit down meal of fish and chips and it will be very nice. However, locals mainly buy their fish and chips from a specific "fish and chip" shop, known locally in Liverpool as a "chippy." The fish and chips are cooked fresh and are served wrapped in paper or in a styrofoam container. You normally get a plastic fork to eat them with and if you are out and about you have to just find somewhere to sit and eat them. The only chippy I know in the city is opposite Central Train station. Maybe others know of some good places. It's a long while since I ate fish and chips!:)

A chippy sounds good to me!!! I imagine the price is right too.

If you do walk, there is a nice coffee house on your route that I was introduced to by some friends from Atlanta! It's called Rococo. Here's a link to their website, with directions. The window seats are a good place to people watch. There are some stairs to negotiate though, as it is on the first floor (or second floor to you!).:)

 

http://www.rococoliverpool.com/

Hi Towncar T,

This café looks very nice for relaxing a bit. I still need to go back thru these pages and plan out our day. We want to do the ferry and U-Boat, which I expect to take up 2 hrs. Then find some WWII spots of interest that you mentioned. Can't remember it all right now....You have been so delightful to follow here and have stirred up my interest in Liverpool.

Any good fish 'n chips places nearby?

Susan

Looked around the website for the Mersey River Festival. Is there somewhere I can see a timetable of the events? This looks like fun...

...and thanks for checking on the museum. Maybe they will open Sunday ( Jun 9th) because of the extra people at the festival?

Susan

Here in Colorado we still have no leaves on trees either. Still pretty barren, altho I'm seeing some buds starting to show. Tulips and Daffodils were coming in nicely till the cold winter blast of snow last Tuesday killed most of that. But this weekend has warmed up nicely - enough to barbecue today.

Too bad the Western Approaches Museum is closed on Sundays :mad: -- would love to go there. We are there on Jun 9th

Susan