Little Hickory Stump

They just processed my upgrade bid for Gem 3/16 sailing.. gonna be a bit upset if they cancel now and only give me FCC and not refund. at least for the extra we paid for upgrade bid......

2 hours ago, 138east said:

I would be looking at hotels about an hour from NYC along Route I80.  There are a number of name brand hotels in the $100 range in the Parsipanny and Mt Olive/ Rockaway area for your Sat Mar 14 date.  I think are looking at a good alternative strategy which might not even cost you as much as $250 extra and certainly will limit your exposure to the much more congested NYC area.

Thank you! If we decide to still go on the cruise this is what we will probably do.

17 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Because your questions are not specific to cruising on NCL, any more than they are to cruising on RCI, or Celebrity, or Holland America.  They are about where to park for a cruise in NY, where to stay when driving in, etc.  Those questions have nothing to do with the cruise line on which you are sailing.   The dedicated  Ports of Call forums exist specifically for these kinds of discussions, and the cruise line forums would be overwhelmed with them otherwise.  And you'll get feedback in those forums from local experts and others who have a lot of experience in those ports.   The East Coast Departures forum in particular has a number of regulars who routinely help other cruisers with questions such as yours, and they are already responding to you here in that forum.   

 

 

Got it. Thanks for your help pointing me in the right direction.

32 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

It's not an NCL question because its applicable to cruising on any cruise line departing from NY.  It has nothing to do with NCL per se. The moderators must agree because the thread was moved to East Coast Departures.

 

In any event, your hotel is in NJ, not NY, so knowing where there are COVID-19 hot spots in NY wouldn't be of much use. The hotel is in Bergen County, and there have been a few cases in that county, so if that concerns you then don't stay there. 

post move makes sense.. thanks for explaining. 

8 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

A good place for this non-NCL-related discussion is the East Coast Departures forum:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/317-east-coast-departures/

 

 

I am crusing on a NCL cruise How is it a Non NCL question? How is it any different than are you canceling? hoping to get feedback from someone who is cruising NCL that may not frequent the east coast departure boards..

Hey all, I have a question I would like some feedback on. We are booked on the 3/15 Gem sailing out of New York, We currently have the Hampton Inn (Ridgefield Park) stay and cruise package booked. This would be less money than parking at the pier but we would have to ride the shuttle (or private driver) to the pier. We are driving from western PA so could stop maybe an hour from NY and then just drive in and park at the pier morning of cruise. Cost difference would be around $250. I am unsure of where the current virus hot spots are in NY so I am unsure if the hotel would be near any of these areas. Just trying to limit the possible exposure pre cruise not too concerned once we are on the cruise.. Thoughts?

1 hour ago, LatinaInTexas said:

I also called yesterday just to ask about how cancellation works since I have no experience or knowledge about it. My cruise is 3/21. I was told the refund would be FCC. I asked did that also include everything I had paid out of pocket already besides the cruise fare. She said yes everything totally I already paid would be FCC. I asked why wouldnt the things I had paid for besides the cruise fare be put back to my credit card, since I thought that was what I had read on here will happen. She mumbled a few things I didnt quite catch then clearly said Im lucky because if I cancel now I wont have to pay a $500 fee. Still not clear about it all, seems I have some time left to make a decision about cancelling. Will just keep watching on here for updated info and see what happens next week.

We are not sure if we will cancel or not for our 3/16 Gem cruise. I called an canceled our soda and SDP today just in case.. they refunded my credit card for the full price. This way if we do cancel it won't be rolled into a FCC. We can always add them back on if we decide to go on the cruise.

This is what we use. We find something to lock it to (normally a chair) an then just cover it up with a towel. If someone really wants to steal it not much you can do but at least this gives us a bit of security and makes it more difficult for them .

https://www.amazon.com/SAFEGO-Portable-Indoor-Outdoor-Combination/dp/B017ROYKWK

Not all of any group is any one thing. But there are constant threads about people wanting children to be kept out of adult areas and cruise lines not doing anything to prevent them from being there and parents defending this behavior. Cruise lines have slowly removed anything that is adult only to placate parents traveling with children to the point that people without children are now fed up with children being everyplace. If you think your child is mature enough to be in the adult only hot tub, hand them a beer. If you think your child is adult enough to be in the adult only pool, go slam some shots with them. If you think your child is old enough to hang out in the casino and gamble, let them have their own credit card to gamble with. If you think your child is adult enough to be hanging out in the adult only nightclub at 2am, don't be surprised when they end up drunk and having sex with some stranger.

 

I don't have a problem with kids being kids, I expect them to be kids, I encourage them to be kids. I have a problem with children in adult spaces, and I have a problem with parents defending it because their child deserves to be treated like an adult. You want them treated like an adult, then let it go all the way. Or admit that they are still children and don't belong in adult places.

100% agree with everything you said here!

With all respect, there is quite a distance between being grumpy, old, and intolerant, and opting for a vacation that takes you away from being "on the job" all the time. I don't think of myself as particularly grumpy, old, or intolerant (although maybe I'm fooling myself), but I do know I need my spring break vacation to give me some distance from my students and their peers ... so that I can return after spring break refreshed and ready to give them my best.

I guess my point was that not all families with children are hell raising, inconsiderate, wild people. Just as not all older people are grumpy and intolerant.

I apologise if I offended anyone.

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What is the best way find a cruise without grumpy intolerant old people?[emoji848]......oh wait those cruises do not exist![emoji882]

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Thank you all. I have asked my daughter in law to check with his doctor. My problem is that I don't think she will. Her solution to the car sickness is to have air blowing on him and he must watch out the car window (no activities or movies). I was hoping to have something available in case she does nothing. I may try to purchase a band, just wondered if anyone had experience using it with a child.

Tough situation but I understand.

I am a Pharmacist and I also have a 6 year old son that cruises with us.

If you don't get an answer from the child's pediatrician it is safe to give them Dramamine for kids or "original" Dramamine. Make sure it contains Dimenhydrinate as the active ingredient. This is safe for children greater than 2 years old.

The Bonine or "less drowsy" Dramamine both contain Meclizine. Meclizine safety and efficacy has not been established in children under 12 years of age. Regardless I would definately pick up the seabands as well.

We are staying at the Country Inns and Suites in Elizabeth. Does anybody know how far it would be to somewhere we can buy a couple bottles of wine and some water to take with us on the cruise? We are flying in and do not have access to a car so we will need to get a cab to where we need to go to. Thanks!

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Hello, We are sailing on Explorer this week. We have interior stateroom #8377. Does anyone know if the door to this cabin opens to the main hallway(facing balcony room) or to the interior corridor? I looked at the ship layout and dont know how to tell.

Thanks!

. The web site has the number of Independent Driver to call to arrange port transfers. They used to charge $45 for up to 4 people, but their rates are no longer posted and I'm guessing they have gone up.

FYI

Just booked with Independant Driver for this Thursday from Country Inns in Elizabeth 1-2 people is still $45 ... 3-4 people is now $55..