cherryharley

Which "port of call" do I find Turks and Caicos in? 

When getting off the elevators on the Coral Princess, I was always confused which way I was supposed to turn to get to the starboard side. My steward showed me a great tip I'd never noticed. Look at the carpet in each hall. They are not the same. We were on the orange side. Easy Peasy!

Add me to those that love the Coral. Was on her last month. Great ship!

My DH and I are sailing on the Coral in July. I check Cruise Critic daily but rarely find a thread concerning the Coral. Can someone explain to me why this ship is overlooked?

Lots of wonderful posts about the Coral on here. I've been researching her for 2 years since we decided to book her for our Alaska cruise next week (!)

Thank you everyone for easing my mind!

We were required to have extensive immunization records when we drove back from Langley, BC a few years ago. If everything wasn't in order they made it clear he would have a happy life with them at the border.

 

No doubt this is the reason that I started to freak out. I'm a dog rescuer and volunteer transporter and we never even cross STATE lines without proof of vaccinations (Dept of Ag health certificates are required by law). I guess the authorities are more afraid of canine distemper than any human plague.

You are flying to a strong, well developed first world country, then getting on a ship back into the US. Not sure what diseases you think you might be exposed to.

Oh, I am not worried about being exposed. I just keep seeing the notices on all of the cruise emails "If you do not have proper documentation you will be refused boarding and no refund will be issued." So I started to worry that my passport might not be all the documentation that I need.

Probably sounds silly, but since our cruise is less than 2 weeks away, I am starting to freak out about any potential issues that might trip us up. I keep reading about what we MUST have to board the ship, but there is one thing I am unclear on... immunization records. We are US citizens flying into Vancouver to take a cruise to Alaska. I know we must have a passport but all I can find about immunizations is that you should be up to date. Are you required to get proof of vaccination from your doctor or will we just be asked to show our driver's license and passport when going through customs at the Vancouver airport and Canada Place terminal?

We are doing a floatplane tour of Misty Fjords (out of Ketchikan) that will land on a lake.Photos of the area are stunning.

I should say mine is only a 5 day cruise. I don't know how long the OP's cruise is. Thanks for the info. & kudos.

 

My balcony is where I want it to be, but I know it's a location most would not want to be. It's very far forward on deck 12. I have no problems with sea/motion sickness.

Great deal on a cabin you wanted. I wanted Caribe mid-forward so deck, location, and sq ft all played into the cost.

Nice upsell offer. There is hope that I may receive an upsell offer too on our NB Alaskan cruise, which is a few weeks after yours. We booked an OV and even now it is nearly $800 per person for us to upgrade to a balcony ourselves, so I'll wait and see if we get that email soon. Happy for you and enjoy your balcony!!!

Hope you get it too!

I assume the $800 covers 2 people. Right now on my next cruise, even the lowest balcony price is $550/person more than the lowest inside. So $800 would save $300. The premium balcony is $1100/person more than what we paid for our inside. So that is a savings of $1400 for 2 people. It looks like the OP's cruise is priced the same as ours. So a huge savings.

Well we both are using the same calculator. ;p

I just posted in response to someone else that my upsell saved me $1400. (yes it was $389 pp).

I know you are referring to the current thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2625091 but I am not sure the OP does. At any rate, one of the most recent posters copied the official Princess response on their Facebook page about whether you lose your original perks when taking an upsell:

 

Princess Cruises

Hi, Holly. This information is incorrect. When a guest accepts an upsell offer, the amenities of their original promotion remain the same.

You are correct. I did not see this thread but I was assured (and have checked my account) that I still have my obc and prepaid gratuities. The 3rd perk was a free cabin upgrade which is moot at this point.

you "scored" an upsell, and hopefully didn't screw yourself out of any perks from your original booking...well, did you?:evilsmile:

Yes, it was an upsell but if I were booking the same cabin from scratch I'd be paying $1400 more than I did by booking an inside and then moving up to to the premium balcony. And my original perk was obc that I still have. The funniest thing is that I'd picked out this particular cabin over a year ago and then decided I couldn't afford it. When the rep called me back and offered one right down the hall, I asked about the cabin I originally wanted and it was available! I'm happy!!!!

I scored a premium balcony upgrade from an interior for less than $800 total on our Coral Princess Northbound Alaska cruise May 23rd! Can you say STOKED? :D:D

AryMay

I've enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your beautiful photos. We are on the Coral May 2018 travelling Vancouver to Anchorage then onwards into Denali with our final destination Fairbanks. Sure excited especially about see the wildlife and in particular whales! This has helped kick start my planning. I'll be re-reading and adding more notes to the 2 pages already filled.

Thanks for taking the time and effort

Hey AussieGypsie! I just re-read her blog too! Great minds think alike. I hope we run into each other on our cruise. Last I checked no one had set up a meet and greet yet.

I decided not to chance it and have already booked. :-)

I’m also considering doing this. How long are you estimating the drive and what points of interest, besides the scenery and mountain, do you plan to visit? I’m always nervous about making it back to the ship on time.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We are taking a full day to drive from Anchorage to Healy so we can stop anywhere along the way that catches our eye. We will spend 2 full days riding the shuttle bus into Denali and then take the better part of the fourth day driving back to Anchorage.

LOVED Island Wings flightseeing from Ketchikan over Misty Fjords: http://www.islandwings.com

 

$239pp with 50% paid at time of reservation and the other 50% paid on the day of the excursion.

You posted this 1 1/2 years ago, and now that we are less than 4 months from our trip, I have decided this is a must do for me. Just booked!

A flight over Misty Fjords is something I really want to do, but it's so expensive that I am apprehensive to book ahead in case the weather is, well misty. I know that if it's not unsafe pilots still fly, but I would not want to go unless it's a clear day. So is it possible to wait until we dock and then find a tour operator on my own? Both the Coral Princess and the Norwegian Pearl will be in port that day, May 25th.

Personally I'd do the drive from Anchorage to Denali so you can take your time and stop when you want to explore along the route.

PWS is all about glaciers, Auke Bay isn't. Scenery is different and even your glacier sailing from the cruise ship is lacking compared to any small boat tour. Wildlife is possible with sea otters pretty common out of Whittier, plus the variety birds. and usually a good look at a kittiwake rookery

Budget Queen, we've booked that PWS cruise. Thank you for the nudge I needed! :)

Ok, I just read two dozen posts about mocktails, and I get it that you can order anything you want that the bartender has the ingredients for, but I don't know what I want to try. I'm not a big drinker so I am not familiar with many cocktails, but since i just purchased the Sodas and More package I want to try something new. What virgin drinks are good? (My tequila and OJ wouldn't be quite the same without the alcohol! LOL!)

Thank you for the replies. I hadn't thought of that aspect of it and after checking, I am going with my original thought of the later time. It seems the other 2 ships in port leave at 3 pm and 4 pm so their passengers will have to take the earlier time. We will wander around town while the first train load is gone. :D

Is the 12:45 White Pass/Yukon train in Skagway less crowded than the 8:15 train? Seems to me that most cruisers would be anxious to get off the ship and right on the train first thing upon docking.