Roosevelt Island Tram

Not necessarily a tourist attraction, but the views make it one. For the mere cost of a subway or bus ride, you can enjoy a scenic view of the east side of Manhattan and East River.

At the busy foot of the Queensborough Bridge, you can find the tram station. On the NYC grid, it can be found at 2nd Ave and 60th Street.  The quick trip, which runs parallel to the bridge, takes only a few minutes. Your travel mates will range from tourists to locals who use it as a regular mode of transit.  When going to Roosevelt Island you are actually traveling intra-borough, as it is still part of Manhattan.

Once on the island, you can either turn around immediately and take the next tram back or explore this relatively unknown gem.  I would recommend exploring the Franklin Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park at the southern tip of the island. The easy walk is slightly less than a mile from the tram and offers great views of Manhattan and Queens.

As you near the park, you can view ruins of a smallpox hospital which operated from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. It is fenced off and the outer walls are held up  by supports. The park at the far end is logically dedicated to the life and memory of FDR.  Enjoy the park and the view that few tourists nor locals ever experience.

 Here is a You tube video of my trip on the tram.     https://youtu.be/PUFSDJ5rLVw

Cruising

Cruising

You can tell from other posts that we got to Alaska via a cruise. This was our first cruise, so I have nothing to compare it to other than what we have read online or heard from friends about cruising. We took the Princess Star on the Alaska Inner Passage round trip out of Seattle.

Our friends, very experienced cruisers, wanted us to join them on an Alaskan cruise they were planning. Alaska was always on my bucket list, so we jumped at it. We heard about the food volume, liquor, activities, shows, nightlife gambling and other fun associated with cruising. The only thing we were not enthusiastic about was the gambling, but everything else seemed positive and desirable.

We booked through their travel agent and got a deal which included a balcony and drink package. Our room was located port side and between midship and stern. Overall we had a great time. Any missteps we experienced were minor and inconsequential. I will break this all down into the following sections: food, drink package, entertainment and customer service.

Food 

Pretty much you could eat something any time of day, just as you heard or experienced. If something, looked good, I ate it. I didn’t gain any weight on this cruise in spite of the volume I ate since we took the stairs 90% of the time.  Alaska cruises attract many seniors, therefore the elevators are well used.  Often it was up or down at least four flights from our room on the Baja deck to the Promenade deck.  I am also an Eastern time zone early riser, so in the Pacific and Alaska time zones, I was up and ready at 4am walking the ship.

We ate dinner at the Main Dining Room (MDR) a few times with the friends we travelled with. It was the only time we were able to sit down together as a group for the most part. Overall, the food was uninspiring and service was ok at best. You could order as much as you wanted and I usually asked for two creme brûlée, which was the best thing they served. I went in with high hopes of a great meal, but always left disappointed. The best part was the dinner conversation and laughs with our friends!

The International Cafe, located in the main atrium area, offered sandwiches, salads, specialty coffees and pastries. Rarely did I pass this place and didn’t get something if there was not a line. It is open 24/7, so no line at 4 am!  

I had a decent hamburger at the Trident Grill, the only gripe is that the line moves slow, but that is due to the fact that each meal is cooked to order.  So nothing hangs out in a warming tray, except maybe the fries. Next door is Prego Pizza, another place I  ate something on every pass! The pies were not great, but much better than expected.  I suspect Dave Portnoy of Barstool would have given a 5.4 rating.

We probably were most satisfied with the Horizon Court buffet. They often served some sort of special ethnic food, which required regular replenishing, so it didn’t overlook or dry out. My favorite was samosa night and hit that up three times!  This was also our breakfast place of choice. We never went to a dining room for breakfast. A standard buffet where some food gets over cooked or dried out, but that is expected. You could get omelets cooked to order. The fruit selection was very good.  I am sure the whole buffet concept will be changing though, but wanted to share our experience before the pandemic chaos.

Drink Package

Alcohol, soda and specialty coffees.....up to 15 per day.   We never were able to hit the max on any day, although on a sea day I tried, by starting with a pina colada at 9am.  I have never consumed this much alcohol over the course of a week, but never felt tipsy.  There was always the suspicion that the booze is watered down, but who knows.  I pretty much would work my way through the Crooners menu.  I think I tried at least a dozen different mixed drinks as well as a few varieties of Alaska Brewing Company beers.  Fifteen drinks on any day is a lot, trust me.  You are not supposed to share, but I am sure it happens.

Entertainment 

Yes, there is something for everyone.  I will mostly focus on what we attended and enjoyed. The only game we played was trivia, which we did as a group of three.  It was something to do and was actually fun although the hosts try a little too hard to be funny.    We saw comedian Derrick Cameron perform twice.  He was very good and offered a good, clean show which would have appealed to anyone.  Off stage he was just as friendly as he seemed on stage.  

Cabin 

We had a basic cabin with a balcony, which is necessary for an Alaska cruise.  It was a little smaller than a Microtel room and the bathroom was like a closet as you can expect.  The room steward was pleasant, although not as attentive to details as one might have expected.  Not sure that the room was vacuumed daily.

Overall, I expect that we will be going on another Alaska cruise.  Not sure we will cruise to other places though such as the Caribbean.  One final suggestion though, since I am an early morning person......explore the ship when others are asleep.  We live on the east coast, so I was wide awake at 3 or 4 am local time.  Seeing the ship when no one was around was great. It also allowed me to take in the sunrise from different perspectives.