catspaw1

I doubt that would be true as I have a policy. They charge 1.5% more for the policy if you don't have the travel booked with costco. So, since I paid more for nonCostco travel, I think your fears are unfounded. I think when word starts getting out about the costco insurance for non costco booked travel, a lot more people will start using it. I have confidence in Costco having been a member since the early 1990 that they will do the right thing- at least I hope!

We sailed full time for 7 years in the islands. Sea salt was a problem all the time as its very corrosive. It helps to wash with fresh water immediately but not always possible. We loved the summit & would cruise on her again anytime

I called them directly. I got insurance for 2 cruises from them. But you can't book directly online unless part of the travel was booked through Costco. No parts of our trip was booked through Costco, so I was able to get it only by calling them. Be prepared to have your Costco number available. The insurance is through Zurich. There's a phone number on costco travel insurance to call them. Don't call on a Monday as I was on hold for close to an hour. They are closed weekends. Hope this helps. They were cheaper with better coverage than most of the other insurance quotes I got. Plus you have the costco fall back if anything goes wrong

Ken, AK is awesome so I'm glad you are going for a longer time than just 7 days. For me, 7 days is just too short as AK is just too huge to see in 7 days. Free laundry sounds great as I usually have to do hand laundry. On a HAL cruise we took 30 years ago they had self serve washers & dryers which was great. You don't see that much anymore. Have a wonderful time & I will be following you along. Hope you have great weather!

I should clarify, we are going to a bear viewing lodge for 3 nights, will have around a 10 day independent land travel followed by a southbound cruise. Am watching cruise prices for a sale.

Ken, please let us know how you like Princess compared to Celebrity. Have a great time & have fun. Will be following along.

Thanks Ken for the reminder. We are going to AK next summer to a bear watching lodge & want to go back on an AK cruise like we did 30 years ago. Haven't decided on HAL which is who we went on the last time, or Prncess so will be watching your TR. Have a great time & enjoy!

The Xpedition was I think around 3-4G more than the Xploration we booked. For us this cruise is more about the ports & activities than the ship. From what I have read, many people are exhausted at night from all the daytime activity so we don't need the glitz & glamor. Sure the Xploration is not as glamorous as the Flora or Xpedition but we will use the money saved to fly to Baltra early before the cruise starts & see more of Ecuador by going up to Mindo & Quito for a few nights each. That's just IMHO.

We are booked next June on the Xploration. We were live aboard blue water sailors for 7 years on a 44 foot sailboat so are used to a smaller ship & wanted less passengers. It makes it faster with less people to go on/off the ship. The Xploration was 8G cheaper than the Flora so we can book a few more cruises with the fare difference. We also booked cruise only as we have tons of sapphire reserve points for the plane tickets & are marriott lifetime Titanium so lots of points to stay at the Marriott. We are very experienced independent travelers so we don't need the airport Hand holding that comes with the 10 day package. We do speak Spanish but aren't fluent, so that will help. We chose the southern itinerary as my husband wanted to see the winged albatross on Espanola. Hope this helps!

Kwotpot, touring a local village sounds like a great idea & I would definitely consider doing that. I would prefer snorkeling & would look at a snorkel/ dive boat if no on shore snorkeling.

It doesn't look like an enticing port. I was expecting much more. I always heard the snorkeling/diving was good but don't know if you need to take a boat to access the reef. Sometimes it's easier & a lot cheaper to do beach snorkeling. But don't know if that's possible in Fiji. Anyone know?

Jim, loved your pics of Fiji. It doesn't look like a great port. Was there any beach snorkeling you could have gone too?

We went to AK 30 years ago & loved it so much we are returning next year. We did inland touring ourself ^ than took HAL southbound. Repeating trip but adding more time inland & to LCNP.

We booked a bear lodge for 3 nights in lake clarke NP because we were warned the area fogs in a lot which means planes can't operate. What happens if you get to LC& can't get back due to incoming fog that day? Don't take the risk you will miss your flights

Thanks for the heads up. My app & trip planner weren't working the last few days. But I changed the PW & it started working. Was able to get the drinks package at 8.99 plus tips - that was down from the 10.99 we booked at. I keep checking every day! Thanks for the savings!