I'm having trouble choosing between two cruises.

 

Soon, I will have a minor influx of money which will allow me to choose between 2 similar cruises offered by 2 different cruise lines.  The first cruise will be a 5-day cruise on Virgin Voyages between New York and Bermuda.  It will arrive in Bermuda at 4 pm, and leave at 4 pm the next day.  The second cruise will also be a 5-day cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines between the same ports, both departing and returning 1 day later.  This cruise will arrive in Bermuda at 8 an and leave at 3 pm the next day.  Which cruise will I take?

Examining the 2 cruise itineraries, Virgin's cruise spends several hours less in Bermuda than NCL's cruise. Is that the only difference?  When I ran the numbers for the add-ons I'd purchase for each cruise, Virgin's cruise comes in with a price a few dollars more than that of NCL's cruise.  However, Virgin serves better food than NCL does.  Even when I factor in the specialty meals I'd get on an NCL cruise, I'd choose Virgin over NCL in this area.  But food isn't my only consideration.  The extra time I'd get in Bermuda on an NCL cruise allows me to get to St. George on Bermuda's other end - for free, if I use NCL's ferry.

What I haven't mention so far is loyalty status.  If I take the Virgin cruise, I won't accumulate much.  I'd have to reach the equivalent of 5 cruises to get an extra specialty coffee and a $100 bar tab per cruise.  However, on NCL, I'd get an extra water container after 1 more cruise.  (I'm at Platinum level, and I get the free bag of laundry already.)  Big deal!  Virgin does not have any more cruises scheduled to sail from New York after this fall, while NCL makes New York one of its home ports.  I don't add much to loyalty status by taking either cruise.  The next level of NCL loyalty status will be easier for me to achieve.  But I would get more on Virgin - if I choose to fly to Florida for one of their cruises.

So, which cruise will I choose?  In a week, I should have the money that I'll use for this cruise.  One cruise sails out of Brooklyn (Virgin), while the other sails out of Manhattan (NCL).  It is easier for me to reach the Manhattan cruise terminal than the one in Brooklyn.  Yet, I'm not sure of what I will do  I'll let you know when I make the decision. 

Preparing for my upcoming cruise

 

Today, I am driving down to RQS's place and will be dropping off a couple of bags containing the clothes I will be wearing on my Alaska cruise.  For the most part, I am wearing the same clothes I had planned to wear on my New England / Eastern Canada cruise that was moved over to later in the season.  

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Alaska is a very informal place, where formality can be defined as wearing a freshly laundered (and pressed) pair of jeans to dinner.  (I may be exaggerating things, but I'd bet that few local women wear dresses, given the weather in the state.)  The weather can go from 40° to 80°, rainy to sunny, all in the same day.  One has to be able to dress in layers, as they will be put on and taken off as needed.

This will likely be my last visit to Alaska, unless we find a cheap cruise there which has an itinerary which interests us.  Once I've seen the best of the Inside Passage, I don't want to keep repeating similar itineraries. There are so many other places in the world worth visiting, and I want to visit them while I'm able to do so.

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Several years ago, I felt comfortable humping my cruise luggage on various forms of mass transit.  Other than taking commuter trains into/out of New York City and using the JFK Airtrain from Jamaica to the airport, I will no longer do so with more than a carry-on bag.  The NYC subway system does not have enough "Accessible" stations, and there is no way I want to deal with staircases on my way to a cruise.  If I'm sailing out of Manhattan, I'll take a cab from/to Grand Central to/from the cruise terminal. If I'm sailing out of Brooklyn, RQS and I will take an Uber from her place to the terminal, and use a combination of a ferry and an Uber to return to her place.  If I am cruising alone out of Brooklyn, I'll use a cab to go between Grand Central and Pier 11, then use the ferry to go between Manhattan and the Brooklyn cruise terminal.

This trip will involve an Uber to the Airport, coupled with the expected airport delays.  I'll be sure to carry a book or two with me, as well as a fully charged cell phone for entertainment.  Given that the plane's entertainment system will require corded headphones, I may bring my own pair with me, as the quality of those provided by the airline usually are sub par.

When we arrive at our destination, I know what to look for when using cruise line provided transfers.  (One time, I missed the transfer, and had to make my way to the airport hotel myself.)  Yes, I'm lazy.  I pay for the simplicity of having the cruise line make all of my arrangements to travel between my home airport and the cruise ship.  Simplicity is a blessing, especially when traveling.

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But enough for now.  I'll be on my cruise within a week's time, and I have to get showered, dressed, and out of the house before traffic gets bad.