A night away from the ship mid-cruise

[rubysue]

I have a strange question and searches have not revealed an answer.

 

We have booked Regatta next October on a very lovely itinerary from Montreal to Miami. Interestingly, this itinerary has many ports of call that we have not visited, except for Boston and New York.

 

My DH and I have a quest to get all 50 states and "X" number of countries. Having lived in the western US my whole life, I still need 3 states to get to 50 and DH needs one.

 

Question for the experts herein: Would Oceania be upset or disallow it if we rented a car in Boston and drove to New York, meeting the ship there after a night away from Regatta? This would allow us to leisurely visit two states that I need (Rhode Island and Connecticut) without making it a slapdash race from the dock in Boston (and back). Is this doable, or would they frown on such a deviation from the itinerary?

 

Thanks for your responses.

 

(By the way, the mutual 50th state is Delaware. For some strange reason, although we have traveled back to that part of the country on pleasure and business travel, we have never darkened the doorstep of the "first state").

[Mura]

I haven't done such a thing myself but I've read of other passengers here who have. (Although never in the U.S. itself!)

 

The main thing is to inform Oceania of your plans. The drive from Boston to NYC isn't such a big deal -- depending on where you are starting from, it can be less than 4 hours. So visiting your two states certainly should work out.

 

Just don't miss the departure from NY. But you know that ...

 

Mura

[rubysue]

Hi, Mura - thanks for the response. Regatta is actually in New York overnight after it arrives. So we would arrive in Boston, head out on our road trip through and have a hotel stay in New York for one night, then Regatta comes in and is docked overnight the next night. So we are pretty safe.

[williegirlcat]

We actually did this, not in the US, but in Israel. Left the ship in Ashdod overnighted in Jerusalem and rejoined in Haifa. As stated above, you must notify Oceania way in advance and get written acknowledgement from them. We had to let them know the hotel arrangements we made and how we could be contacted.

 

It is definitely doable.

[Mura]

Rubysue,

 

It doesn't sound as if you have any concerns. You have plenty of time.

 

Mura

[Silver Sweethearts]

There is nothing wrong with what you want to do, but one thing that would bother us would be the time taken away from enjoying the amenities of the Regatta and the cruise itself and wasting a portion of the cruise fare. Why not devote yourself fully to the cruise now and fly east at a later date, rent a car and do a driving tour at your leisure then?

[LHT28]

There could be a problem with the PVSA so I would be sure to check with Oceania well in advance

[Pan Am Girl]

We have done this as well. We got off in Alexandria and took a private tour (three couples whom we met for that cruise on CC), stayed over night and reboarded/were welcomed back in Cairo. We only slept for four hours as our tour was THAT intensive but we saw everything, unlike fellow passengers who only saw one or two things on their O tours for the same price.

 

We are anticipating also, on a cruise from Venice to Rome, leaving the ship at the end of the day in Naples. This affords the opportunity to cut out extensive doubling back when we go to visit the birthplace of my husband's grandparents, south of Salerno. (with side stops in Positano, Amalfi, etc..) We won't miss much the last night from Naples to Rome. We travel light and carry off our own luggage. We'll rent a car in Naples and be on our way.

 

I first got the idea to do this when we were in Tahiti. We happened to see a couple disembark on Moorea; what a great idea. The last night the ship was only going over to Papeete. Stay a few nights on Moorea and then ferry back to Papeete - half hour or so. You need only to notify the cruise line. I would do this way in advance letting them know your plans and then again, once on board, and prior to leaving once again. Have fun filling your dance card.

[rubysue]

There is nothing wrong with what you want to do, but one thing that would bother us would be the time taken away from enjoying the amenities of the Regatta and the cruise itself and wasting a portion of the cruise fare. Why not devote yourself fully to the cruise now and fly east at a later date, rent a car and do a driving tour at your leisure then?

 

I realize it is strange to ponder. We will actually be away from our cabin for one night on a 15-day cruise and will miss a couple of meals. We have been on Regatta before, as well as Nautica and Marina (twice), along with quite a few other ships. What we are looking at is the potential of a quick day rental of a car that swings down through northern Rhode Island and Connecticut from Boston (and racing back) or the possibility of doing a one-way to New York that is away from the ship one night.

 

I really have no interest in exploring these two states in-depth so either option works for me. There are other cruises that people take that offer nights away from the ship (e.g., going to the Taj Mahal in India or on safari in Africa) so missing a night is a fair trade-off in our minds. We're more concerned about the logistics and possible issues with re-boarding the ship.

[Caroldoll]

so we could go to Sicily. The cruise line was amenable (Crystal). Just get permission, it should not be a problem. Good idea...but why go back to the ship at all...go to Delaware too! Live it up.

[LHT28]

Doing this in non US ports is a different situation than going from 1 US port to another

[JimandStan]

There are two different "concerns" embedded in this question.

 

#1 is that Oceania will be ferrying 650 multinational "guests" from port to port and the reason why the ship does not have to go through Customs and Immigration at every stop is that the Purser makes a personal guarantee to "The Powers That Be" that everybody who get off the ship in any given port ALSO gets back on. It's a question of the mans honor.

 

#2 is that Ports base the fee's and taxes charged to Cruise Ships on the services that they use, so a ship pays less in a "through port" than it does in a port where passengers are scheduled to embark or disembark. One or two passengers won't effect that status, but how could you ever be sure that fifty Rotarians who are sailing with you won't coincidentally be racing to a meeting in Hartford that day?

 

Naturally, exceptions are made every day, and the entire intention of the Cruise is that you should enjoy your time to the fullest, but keeping the Front Office informed of your intentions and schedule really is the only way to go for a whole host of reasons.

 

In short, If they know what you are doing, then they will know what to do.

 

Communication is the key.

[buggins0402]

We've done it three times. However, all ports were outside the US - and the fact you want to do it in the US could pose a problem, so perhaps the best thing to do is have your TA clear it with the cruise line beforehand.

(Would the second part of your cruise cause you to run afoul of the Jones Act? I wouldn't even try to hazard a guess, but there are people on the general cruise discussion board that might know.)

 

 

As to logistics - the first time we did it was on Celebrity in Livorno, in which we caught back up to the ship in Florence. With Celebrity we had to get pre-approval before we left (TA took care of it). The night before we ported in Livorno, a message was left to go to Reception. They adjusted the cards so that it alerted security to have someone from the front desk come down to check us out. Same routine when we came back aboard in Rome.

 

We also did "jumped ship" in Israel and Egypt on NCL. However, on that cruise so many people were doing it, the cruise line had formal procedures set up on board. We did not have to get preapproval on that cruise.

[rubysue]

Thanks for all of the great answers. It figures that this would be more of a problem in the US than for most other countries. We plan to talk to our TA about the idea and if it is really an issue, we'll stick to our original plan of renting a car in Boston and doing a circle tour through the nearest parts of those two states.

 

We could have booked one of the other itineraries that actually stops in Newport, but we liked this cruise that also includes Bermuda and Charleston (two other places we have not visited).

[potterhill]

We did this in Ireland. Left ship in Dublin where it stayed overnight and rejoined in Belfast. This enabled us to visit friends in County Clare and family in Balleymena, north of Belfast. Just sent request through TA who got permission from Oceania for us.

 

Mo

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[hondorner]

Thanks for all of the great answers. It figures that this would be more of a problem in the US than for most other countries. We plan to talk to our TA about the idea and if it is really an issue, we'll stick to our original plan of renting a car in Boston and doing a circle tour through the nearest parts of those two states.

 

We could have booked one of the other itineraries that actually stops in Newport, but we liked this cruise that also includes Bermuda and Charleston (two other places we have not visited).

Boston to Rhode Island, then through to Connecticut, is not much trouble at all, and can easily be done in the time you have. I believe the ship will be in port between 8 am and 5 pm on Oct 26. Assuming what you want to do is set foot in Rhode Island and Connecticut in order to say you have been there, you can accomplish that in less than 3 hours driving time. Here's one way:

 

Oct 26 is a Sunday, and it's my experience that the only car rental agencies open on a Sunday are at the airport. Here, you luck out, because Logan Airport is just across the Harbor from the cruise port. The fastest way is by taxi, about $25 (plus tip) each way. I did a cursory check, and the least expensive rental cars that day are from Advantage, about $40 for a Kia Rio, $42 for a Nissan Versa. From experience, I would choose the Versa. Assume you get to the rental office around 10 am (off the ship by 9 am). Reports are the cab ride is around 10 minutes in light traffic.

 

From the rental office, you would take either the Sumner/Callahan Tunnel (Sumner goes FROM airport, Callahan goes TO airport; they are side-by-side) or the Ted Williams Tunnel and South Boston Bypass. The former connects to I-93 (the Big Dig) in the North End of Boston; the latter is I-90 which connects to I-93 in the South End. For the fun of it, I plotted a route that goes through the Sumner Tunnel and the Big Dig heading south, then back on the Mass Turnpike and the Ted Williams Tunnel to the airport.

 

You would continue on I-93 near Norwood. Proceed down I-95 towards Rhode Island; then I-295 into Rhode Island. Next, you would head west on US 44 towards Connecticut. Shortly after you cross the border, turn north on I-395 (in Connecticut) to the Mass Turnpike (which is also I-90). That will take you straight into the Ted Williams Tunnel under the Harbor and back to the airport.

 

If all you do is stop in Rhode Island to put your feet on the ground, and perhaps take a picture of the entrance signs in both states to prove it, you could be back at the car rental agency by 1 pm. Allow an hour or so for lunch somewhere (maybe along US 44 in Rhode Island, which is not limited access), and you'd still be back in plenty of time to get back to the ship, maybe even take a walk around the Seaport area.

 

My mapping program says 145 miles; 2 hours, 47 minutes and 24 seconds ;).

 

Total cost, $60 for the taxi both ways, less than $50 for the car, something for gas, lunch, plus tolls (tunnels, turnpike). Mission Accomplished! But, I can't get you to Delaware and back that fast...:rolleyes:

Edited December 15, 2013 by hondorner

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I agree with Don. From Boston, Connecticut and Rhode Island visits would be easy, return. You'd even have time to stop and enjoy a scenic town or two.

[rubysue]

Boston to Rhode Island, then through to Connecticut, is not much trouble at all, and can easily be done in the time you have. I believe the ship will be in port between 8 am and 5 pm on Oct 26. Assuming what you want to do is set foot in Rhode Island and Connecticut in order to say you have been there, you can accomplish that in less than 3 hours driving time. Here's one way:

 

Oct 26 is a Sunday, and it's my experience that the only car rental agencies open on a Sunday are at the airport. Here, you luck out, because Logan Airport is just across the Harbor from the cruise port. The fastest way is by taxi, about $25 (plus tip) each way. I did a cursory check, and the least expensive rental cars that day are from Advantage, about $40 for a Kia Rio, $42 for a Nissan Versa. From experience, I would choose the Versa. Assume you get to the rental office around 10 am (off the ship by 9 am). Reports are the cab ride is around 10 minutes in light traffic.

 

From the rental office, you would take either the Sumner/Callahan Tunnel (Sumner goes FROM airport, Callahan goes TO airport; they are side-by-side) or the Ted Williams Tunnel and South Boston Bypass. The former connects to I-93 (the Big Dig) in the North End of Boston; the latter is I-90 which connects to I-93 in the South End. For the fun of it, I plotted a route that goes through the Sumner Tunnel and the Big Dig heading south, then back on the Mass Turnpike and the Ted Williams Tunnel to the airport.

 

You would continue on I-93 near Norwood. Proceed down I-95 towards Rhode Island; then I-295 into Rhode Island. Next, you would head west on US 44 towards Connecticut. Shortly after you cross the border, turn north on I-395 (in Connecticut) to the Mass Turnpike (which is also I-90). That will take you straight into the Ted Williams Tunnel under the Harbor and back to the airport.

 

If all you do is stop in Rhode Island to put your feet on the ground, and perhaps take a picture of the entrance signs in both states to prove it, you could be back at the car rental agency by 1 pm. Allow an hour or so for lunch somewhere (maybe along US 44 in Rhode Island, which is not limited access), and you'd still be back in plenty of time to get back to the ship, maybe even take a walk around the Seaport area.

 

My mapping program says 145 miles; 2 hours, 47 minutes and 24 seconds ;).

 

Total cost, $60 for the taxi both ways, less than $50 for the car, something for gas, lunch, plus tolls (tunnels, turnpike). Mission Accomplished! But, I can't get you to Delaware and back that fast...:rolleyes:

 

Don, I am very impressed with your detailed information. Good grief! Thank you so much for doing such meticulous research! I think this may be our best option, after talking to our TA about this crazy idea yesterday. I did see that Enterprise will deliver a rental car to the dock, but perhaps not on Sunday. I think it is doable! And we won't upset the layers of bureaucrats that would harrumph about us mysteriously leaving the ship for a day.

 

We've figured out Delaware and a cruise, by the way. We hope to do a cruise on the American Queen in 2015 from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh. Then we will rent a car, drive across Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, stopping at Gettysburg on our way (we have not been there) . DH has also never been to Philly and we can easily drive over to Delaware to let the "first state" be our last state.

Edited December 16, 2013 by rubysue