sandinmyshoes

Wow! Paula that link is exceedingly helpful. Thank you!

Are there any musher camps close to Skagway, Juneau or Ketchikan we can take a taxi to/from without doing a formal tour or renting a car? We would like to pet puppies and go on a summer sled ride without the formality and cost of a full tour. We are a family of 6 adults and the prices of tours are prohibitive. (I do realize we will likely need two taxis, but that is still way cheaper than the formal tours). Thank you!

Does anyone know where the Majestic Princess docks in Skagway? I see three different port options and I know they are all close to town but I'm trying to plan for elderly parents who want to walk the town area but not add a lot of extra walking. I'm trying to decide if they need to shuttle into the main area of town from the White Pass Railroad dock or if its a shorter walk. Thank you!

I'd love links if you have them. I have searched and not come up with any results. Thank you!

Looking at a Sunset Veranda Cabin on deck 7 right above Eden. My husband and I are light sleepers and are concerned Eden might be noisy at night as we go to sleep early. Does anyone have experience with these cabins?

Is there a discount book I can buy that provides savings on multiple sights of interest in Sydney or across NZ?

Finally, someone who answers the actual question instead of just giving their unneeded comments. Thank YOU Jelayne! Sheesh! I said I watched the YouTube videos and know what I'm getting into as far as not a traditional balcony. My ONLY question was about the possibility of bringing a curtain and what size I would need. I obviously don't mind "lugging" it. I didn't pose the question because I needed some negative people to tell me they don't know how to be helpful. HA!

I understand there is a partition between the room and the Infinite verandah that is a bit translucent which lets in light. I also understand there is a black out wall type thing that comes down from the ceiling at the edge of the verandah, but if I want to be on the verandah with the window shade open so I can enjoy the sound of the ocean and the fresh air while my husband is still asleep (and wants a dark cabin) this doesn't seem possible. Even if I close the doors separating the two spaces won't the light come into the room? I am wondering if anyone has actually brought their own black out curtain and if so, what size I would want to get.

We are going to be on the Edge in an Infinite Balcony for 4 weeks for a repositioning cruise. We haven't sailed in an Infinite balcony before and want to make sure I can go out and enjoy the opened balcony space early without the light bothering my husband. Should I bring a black out curtain and hang it with magnetic hooks to separate the spaces more? I've watched YouTube videos but haven't seen anyone do that. I also searched this forum but can not get the search function to work for some reason. If bringing a blackout curtain is advised, what size should I bring?

You all are being so very helpful. I appreciate it so much!!!

Thank you Yarramar for the links. They are proving very helpful. I also found another cruising website that gave a short breakdown on each of the ports the two different cruises offer and thought I would copy and paste my notes here for anyone else trying to decide between an Australia and New Zealand cruise who is overwhelmed with the amount of research involved. If anyone has more information to add about these specific ports, please feel free. 🙂 Royal Caribbean New Zealand Cruise: ~ Cruising Milford, Doubtful, & Dusky Sounds - gorgeous scenery with possible sightings of seals, dolphin, and penguin; tons of waterfalls; this is just a day of scenic cruising - no stops ~ Dunedin - pretty scenery driving from port into the city; city is the best preserved Victorian city in the world; mostly Scottish citizens; the Railway station has recreations of old locomotives made from stained glass ~ Christchurch - English style buildings; Botanical Garden and a wildlife park ~ Wellington - take a cable car to the top of town for spectacular views & walk back down through a botanic garden; cool history museum of the Maori people; excursions go to the filming site of "Lord of the Rings" ~ Picton - scenic wine region; I didn't find anything else in my quick overview Princess Australia Cruise: ~ Brisbane - Australia's 3rd largest city; bamboo groves at the botanic gardens; koala sanctuary that also has kangaroos and platypus ~ Airlie Beach - Pristine beaches and lagoons; wildlife park ~ Port Douglas - Resort area with colonial buildings; located on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR); tons of beautiful coral and fish (they probably have glass bottom boat tours, etc for that) ~ Yorkey's Knob - 15 min drive to Cairns and the World Heritage Rainforest; on the GBR ~ Willis Island - Tropical landscape; on the GRB; tons of sea birds (albatros, etc) and sea turtles

We will be sailing the beginning of April. (The "deubank" account is my husband's account and I forgot what I was doing and responded using his account instead of mine. I grew up in Texas.)

I need to decide between two itineraries. Both cruises are 10 night round trips from Sydney. One has Australian ports and the other goes to New Zealand. We are American and have never traveled this part of the world. I grew up hearing New Zealand was better than Australia because you got all the unique animals and scenery in a smaller place. After researching, I realize this is complete rubbish. We will be spending 4 days in Sydney and going to the zoo close to the harbour so I will get to see some native animals. I'm not really certain what else my priorities are between the two locations because I've never been properly educated on the differences. Is there a good place to find out other than here? I've always found Cruise Critic to be helpful in the past and am hoping for some direction this time as well. Are there any formerly poorly educated Americans out there who can help? I know locals will obviously pick the areas they live in. 🙂 Itinerary option 1 (New Zealand) is: Sydney; 2 sea days; 1 day cruising Milford, Doubtful, and Dusky Sounds; Port Chalmers (Dunedin); Christchurch; Wellington; Picton; 2 sea days; Sydney Itinerary option 2 (Australia) is: Sydney; 1 sea day; Brisbane; Sea Day; Airlie Beach; Cairns; Queensland; 2 sea days; Sydney

Thank you everyone for your inputs. We decided to put my Dad and brother together since they both snore and get the three rooms with 2 in each room. My Mom and Dad have been married 57 years so they said a week spent in separate rooms won't be the end of their marriage. ha!

We looked into that first, but my parents are the only ones willing to share with my brother because his snoring is so loud. My parents don't want to be split up or we would put my Dad and brother together and one of us sisters would room with our mother.