Pinkbudgie

The Parliament Buildings will be lit up in the evening; this is a beautiful photo opportunity, along with the entire Inner Harbour. You'll enjoy walking around, maybe getting a coffee and just have a relaxing port stop.

Good idea, thanks. I wasn't sure about just walking around because I didn't know if the area where the boat docks is very good or not. I keep picturing a scary dock with the fog rolling in like in those old film noir movies. :rolleyes:

Just a FYI on the gardens - We did a ship's excursion there which was described as "lighted" since it was after dark. It was very disappointing as there were only walkway type lights and you really could not appreciate the beauty of the gardens at all. We ended up getting a credit from the cruise line for the tour cost when I complained.

Thank you. That's good to know!

Sorry, completely missed this post last week.

 

There is a shuttle that takes you to downtown, but it's frankly horrible value at (last time I was there) $10pp. A cab to downtown is less than that, so with two or more of you it's better to just do it yourself (and if the weather is behaving, the walk is 20-30mins depending how close to the water you stay).

 

Victoria in the evening is not exactly a shopping mecca, but some stores will still be open at least during the earlier part of the evening (6 or 7pm) - there are plenty along Government & Douglas Streets within a few blocks of the harbour, including a mall (Bay Centre - but unless it's a Thu or Fri it'll be closed by 6pm...)

Thank you. There will be 4 of us and I believe it will be a Thursday evening.

Doesn't sound like a lot to do at night. And we are not interested in bars and nightclubs.

Instead of a tour- how about some sort of a shuttle that takes you to shopping? Is there anything like available when you get off the ship in Victoria?

Funny the things that stand out most to a child! :)

Ok, those are some things to think about. Thanks! Last time I was in Victoria I was about 10. I remember some sort of hog statue where you were supposed to rub his nose. I think that was there. Anyway, I really remember enjoying that part of the trip. Too bad I have such a short time there this time.

Thanks. I didn't think that would be the case. The tour says it is 4 hours! I don't know if can stay awake that late. That day would be July 2.

Our Alaskan cruise has a 6 hour stop in Victoria from 6pm to midnight. On the cruise website they offer excursions but I can't imagine that the gardens, for example, would even be open. I'm thinking it isn't even worth it to get off the ship. Am I missing something? Is there anything interesting to do for a few hours in the evening?

Wow. You are really allergic. Just as a matter of curiosity, are you allergic to all types of fish and shell fish or just specific types. or example, my wife is allergic to oysters although in no way as badly as you appear to be.

 

DON

Very allergic to all fish. I don't know if I'm allergic to shellfish or not, but avoid because my allergist said not to have due to cross contact issues with fish. This came upon me suddenly almost two years ago. Before that I could eat a tuna sandwich no problem.

This is not true at all. A bears sense of smell is 2100 times better then a human. A flimsy wrapper on a Snickers candy bar will not keep a bear from smelling it and rooting it out. Sadly I've experienced that first hand with black bears in Ketchikan.

 

When working at the Rainforest Sanctuary in Ketchian as a Trail Guide we would regularly ask people to turn over all food items they had brought with them. Often we'd inspect backpacks and purses cause sometimes the odors where just too obvious. Even though the cruise ships say you're not supposed to remove food from the buffet it might shock you as to what and how much people sneak offa the ship.

 

On one particular tour I asked for the food items to be turned over and I collected a single Snickers candy bar. I placed it inside a container on the atv we used to go back and forth between the trailhead and the end of the tour. 15 minutes after we left another guide called on the radio to say that we had a bear at the trailhead. The only thing taken, 1 Snickers Candy bar.

 

I'd also strong suggest that you don't try to make an egg, bacon and sausage sandwich on wheat toast from items harvested at the buffet if you're going on any type of excursion where bears may be present. That thing gave off an odor that everyone except the offending party could smell.

 

http://sectionhiker.com/bears_sense_of_smell/

 

Bears are thought to have the best sense of smell of any animal on earth. For example, the average dog’s sense of smell is 100 times better than a humans. A blood hound’s is 300 times better. A bear’s sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound’s or 2,100 times better than a human.

Thank you. This is what I was wondering. If they could smell through the wrapper. It would be nice if the visitor's center offered a place to hold your snacks for you while walking. I don't plan on making an egg sandwich to bring. :eek: And I certainly wouldn't take anything from the buffet off ship. Just wanted a little protein to keep me going once I left the park. Maybe I should just try to eat a big breakfast. :)

First time to Alaska on the Radiance in July. Booked almost 1 year ago (3/13/14) and the time is going by so slowly..............

Yup, I agree with ya. I'm also on the Radiance, will be goin in Sept, an I can't wait!!!:rolleyes::eek: Booked the cruise back in Sept, an its been an awful long wait.

We just booked our June trip a few weeks ago. Totally unexpected. We were invited by my parents to go. Since we are going to Disneyland in July, that left June. (We are both teachers and start back in Aug.) We didn't even have passports so we scrambled to get that process started. And now I'm trying to learn what I can about Alaska and cruising in general.

I'm kind of glad I didn't have to wait a whole year!

Our first one is in June also. What cruise line and date?

Celebrity Solstice on the 26th.

As someone who is allergic to most fish, and lots of other seafood, I can assure you that there are plenty of other choices. Just make sure (if you order fries) that the seafood is not fried in the same fryer. I haven't starved in Alaska yet :)

 

edited to add: oops we were posting at the same time :D

Good to know! I have to laugh that I'm visiting the "Salmon Capitol of the World" at Ketchikan! I always tell myself I can usually have a safe dessert. Never ran into cross contact issues there. :D When I eat out I usually do have to pass on the fries, but probably healthier for me to anyway.

Thank you for your answers. Very helpful.

I do realize there is other food to eat, but even at home, if a restaurant cooks fish, I have to be very concerned about cross contact in the kitchen. So even if I wanted a burger and fries, I would first have to check to make sure that the burgers aren't grilled on the same surface as the fish. And that they don't fry fish or shrimp in the same fryer as the fries. Not to mention the hidden anchovies in some BBQ sauce. With seafood everywhere the possibility of cross contact goes up. But that's just life with food allergies. I'm not going to let it keep me from traveling but I do have to be prepared. Thanks!

In my research I've seen pics posted of signs at the Mendenhall Glacier park that warn of bears and not to bring food or drink in.

Two questions- does this apply to water bottles? And if I had some sort of bar unopened and not taken out in the park, is that allowed? I ask because I am allergic to seafood. After the park I don't know if we'd go back on the ship or go somewhere else or what. But I worry about not being able to get a safe meal off ship in Alaska where the main attraction seems to be salmon and crab. A bar would hold me over in case I didn't find anything safe to eat.

On the other hand, certainly don't want to get eaten by a bear! :p And I don't want to flaunt any rules. I'm just trying to understand what they mean.

Pinkbudgie: hand soap liquid and sanitizer all over the place . BUT bring it and you will be happier. When in doubt, whip it out. ( got yourself a rock-n-roll band).

Even in your cabin? That's what I was thinking.

As a first time cruiser in June, I'm thankful for thread coming back to life. I have one item I always bring with us when we vacation at Disneyland and Disney World and I didn't see it on anyone's list. So maybe someone can tell me if it is needed on a cruise or not.

A small container of liquid hand soap.

I hate using bar soaps that hotels provide. They are messy and slippery and slimy and don't seem very clean. I plan on bringing it with me unless it turns out they already provide this on the Solstice. (And I always bring my shower gel too, again- I don't like bars in the shower either)

Oh, and I loved the tip about hand warmers since we are going to Alaska.

Thank you for the info! I already have the socks - I wear them in the winter around home. Even though the days lately have been warming up to the 70s, the mornings start out in the high 40s.

After being to Alaska 5 times, I don't agree with all those that just wore their sneakers. When I first went I bought a pair of low cut gore-tex (waterproof) hikers from Zappos. They have been great and wear them the whole trip. They were great for walking the trail to the waterfall at Mendenhall glacier and wonderful when it was pouring rain in Ketchikan. Even when it wasn't raining, but yet it was very cool outside, the gore-tex keeps your feet warmer than just plain sneakers do.

 

Also invest in some smart wool socks if you don't have any. They are great.

A little pricey but so worth it.

 

I will be going again this May and bringing those same low cut waterproof hikers. Sneakers do not keep the feet warm when it is chilly out and you are watching the glaciers. When your feet are cold, we can feel cold all over.

 

My two cents that have really helped me...... Also a waterproof, hooded parka.

Can I ask what brand you got? To me 60 degrees is cold and my feet get numb. So I'm thinking your answer sounds right to me. I will also bring my tennis shoes, but if I'm buying some sort of hiking shoe, I should do it soon so I can wear them around a lot.

I'm antsy because it will be our first ever cruise this June. I'm just reading everything I can about Alaska and cruising in general.

I just got off the Summit and I have a shellfish allergy. I never had to go to the maitre d' and ask for my meal the next day. If I wasn't sure sure about a particular dish I would ask whichever waiter I had that I had a shellfish allergy and they would take care of it. We also ate at the buffet and there was so much variety there that finding a dish to eat without having to worry about shellfish(or fish as well in your case)was easy.

Not having to make arrangements for the next day would be easier. Avoiding shellfish isn't too hard, I've found. Usually it involves not ordering it and not having fries because they also cooked popcorn shrimp in the same oil.

I found fish to be tricky because you would be amazed where they sneak anchovies in. Salad dressings, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, pizza to name a few of the more common suspects. If BBQ chicken is on the menu, there is a very good chance I can't have it. I'm not sure if pre ordering would keep my chicken plain before they douse them in all in a sauce I can't have.

I guess I'll see when I get there if they think I need to pre order or not. A fish and shellfish allergy is certainly much easier than peanut or soy! Thanks for telling me your experience, so now I know it is possible I won't have to order the night before. Or I won't worry if they say isn't needed.

Yeah, I read about Aqua Class and that would be really nice to go to Blu for meals. It would be nice being smaller and probably more personal. But we are already booked in a Deluxe Ocean View veranda. We are going to Disneyland in July so have to save some of our money for that. ;)

Even if they did take it (highly unlikely) you would get it back when leaving the ship.

 

We use the strip (3 or 4 outlet) that plugs in (not a power strip), and has 2 usb plugs on the side.

Oh good. I thought it was like they airport where they take it and it's gone. Good to know in case I inadvertently bring something wrong.

Ok, thanks for all the tips. It seems like I'll be good with the same server or not. It is good to know I have choices. I'll have to see what time fits us best and it may depend on the day. It's hard to know what we like until we've done it. But I'm so excited to do something new!

I have a small travel multi outlet I'd like to bring. We always travel with it, but we've never been on a cruise. Is there a list somewhere of things not allowed? I couldn't find one. I really wouldn't want them to take it because we are also going to need it for a trip right after the cruise.

My son has peanut allergies, and I was SOOOO impressed with how X handles it.

 

For the buffet, talk to the MaitreD - each and every meal.

 

For the MDR. we used select. I made dinner reservations each night, so we could reserve our same server. He suggested so he could take care of our allergies needs each night, and we would not have to worry about educating a new server each night.

 

no complaints from us. Of all the cruiselines we've tried, X wins hand's down for allergy-awareness and handling.

 

On the first day, I asked the attendant at the dessert counter which items had nuts in them. His response to me was "we cannot control cross-contamination here, so let me call a manager who can take care of you. I was faint with excitement that someone had actually used the words cross-contamination!

For some reason it won't let me quote more than two posts at a time. Odd. So I'll have to do my third reply separately.

I didn't realize you could make reservations with Select. I thought you just walked up. That's good to know. Yes, I always feel better when I hear the servers mention cross contact because it shows they have some awareness.

All of these helpful replies have helped put my mind at ease. Although, I'm still a tad nervous. Probably a good thing so I don't let my guard down.

Mistakes do happen.. Here I got through umpteen dinners etc, went to the big brunch they had in the dining room, had what a thought was a plain bagel, and it was not! Just be careful, don't shy from asking questions, and enjoy!

Don't know how long ago that was, but they just had that bagel recall and all those spices!

Not sure what your plan is, but you should bring more than one epi pen - just in case.

 

Personally, I would bring at least 3 - better safe than sorry.

Thank you for saying that! I always carry two with me everywhere I go. I have two more I keep at home. I'm thinking I should one more set of two for a total of 6. My thought is- two on me at all times, two in the cabin and two with my DH in the backpack when we are on an excursion.