judynorth

Yes I found it to be a difficult experience to get pictures to show up in my trip report. I didn't realize that the attachment route turned my first pics turned into tiny thumbnails. I tried saving with larger pixel sizes but they were still small.

 

Inserting pictures without having to click the links was just about impossible to figure out after many hours of trial and error. Without Judy's assistance, I was about ready to give up and provide just the links. Hat tip again to Judy.

Always ready to help. I remember my frustration trying to figure it out so I'm more than glad to share. Thanks for the review. I am really enjoying it.

Thanks to everyone for their trip reports. It seems like more and more of them have links to pictures rather than having the pictures embedded in the message. Has something changed where you can't embed photos any longer?

I'd much rather have links to pictures than to have some post the tiny thumbnails that seem to be the default. Posting pictures is not intuitive either in CruiseCritic or on most online photo sites such as Picasa, Shutterfly, etc. I wish it were easier but that is not the case. You can still embed photos but the "how" isn't clear to some.

Thanks for the review and the pictures.

You do know that you can order another appetizer/entre/dessert if you aren't happy with what you select. I felt a little funny doing it the first time but have never hesitated since then. I have done it several times and it doesn't seem to bother the waiters at all. I love asparagus too and if they are on the menu anywhere you can order them with your entre. I did that once on the Coral Princess and our waiter brought a big bowl of them for everyone to share. One time all of us at the table were talking about how much we liked the crème brulee and our waiter overheard us. The next thing we knew he was bringing 5extra ones to our table! I also sometimes order 2 desserts if they have a tempting ice cream or sorbet selection. I just ask for a single scoop along with the other dessert. Hey, it's vacation. You are allowed to splurge.

We've been on 4 different Princess ships and all the dining rooms are single story. It does make them seem closed in somehow. All the other lines that we have sailed on had 2 story dining rooms where the center is open to the second story. That gives a more open feeling which I like. You also get the grand staircase that you sort of expect on a cruise ship.

We were on the Ruby in 2009 and she is a beautiful ship but BIG. It was a very long walk from our cabin near the front of the ship to the laundry room and adult pool at the back of the ship.

Six people in and inside cabin? I sometimes feel crowded with just 2 of us in an oceanview cabin. How did you do it? How old are the kids?

BTW, the picture looks great!

Shout out to my friends from Virginia! Believe it or not I'm fairly tech savvy and the photo thing was driving my crazy and taking hours upon hours of time.

You aren't the only one who has had problems posting pictures. It is not at all intuitive either on CruiseCritic or Picasa. I finally figured it out and wrote down the steps that worked for me. I have posted the instructions in the past for people who were having trouble but that was a while ago.

I like Picasa for several reasons. It is free, easy to use, slideshows are full screen, it allows you to view RAW files, and it makes it is easy to find photos since it catalogs by folder. It also has a decent basic editor for people who don't want to spend the time and money on programs such as Photoshop Elements, Photoshop, or Lightroom (which I use).

Great review. I love your enthusiasm. I don't think it is possible to find words to express to someone who hasn't been there how beautiful and majestic Alaska is. Your enthusiasm does a pretty good job though. Two more weeks and we will be there for our 5th visit.

And this how I did it:

Download Picasa. The program will automatically find all pictures on your computer listing them by folder name. Select a folder (or create and album) and sync to the web (click on icon in upper right corner to sync).

Once photos are in an album online:

1. Select a photo
   
2. Click "Link to this photo"
   
3. Select size (med. or large works fine)
   
4. Select "Image only"
   
5. Click in Embed image box and press CTRL+C to copy HTML code
   

Go to CruiseCritic and in the Reply box:

1. Click on the Insert Image icon
   
2. Paste the HTML code into the box by pressing CTRL+V
   
3. Click OK
   
4. Preview your post and the image should be there.
   
5. Post your reply.
   

Sorry I still haven't figured out how to post larger pictures. I thought I figured out linking to Flickr but I have password issues on setting up a new account. Shutterfly copies the link instead of the picture, but I want the picture to show up instead so it's been frustrating.:confused:

I post my pictures on Picasa using Picasa Web Albums. It is a free Google program (in case you haven't heard of it). You can embed the pictures one at a time into CruiseCritic and they appear as large as you want them to be.

I'm enjoying your review. Could you possibly post the pictures a little larger? It is hard to appreciate your photographic talent in such small pic.

We are heading to AK for the 5th time in 2 weeks on a 14 night itinerary on the Statendam.

Great pictures. Now we need to see a picture of the ship that you were on.

Great review, Tiffany18. Love the details and the integrated links to pictures. I look forward to the rest of your review.

We are sailing on the Statendam on the 14 night itinerary in 3 weeks.

BTW, did you know that there are free city buses in the downtown area of Seattle? We took those to get us back up the steep hills after we walked down.

You are at the furthest dock, about a mile away from the tram. It is walkable, but not a pretty walk. There are usually shuttles from the dock into town, but some cruise lines charge a fee (others don't) and there can be long lines, especially right after the ship arrives.

We have rented a car from Juneau Rental Car which is located on the AJ dock. We will be docked at the closest dock to town. Can we ride the shuttle to the AJ dock or can only pax docked at AJ ride the shuttle? As you said, it is a long trek if you have to walk (although we have walked it before).

Nice pictures, peety3.

. Abkhazi Gardens are closer to 6 kms from the Ogden Point cruise terminal. The taxi fares are based on $1.88 per km plus a flag charge of just under $4....so the fare should be in the range of $16 to $20 and about $12 to $15 from AG to say the Empress Hotel. Yes, that area in front of the Empress and surrounds are what is called the Inner Harbour.

Thanks, Putterdude. That's just the information that I was looking for. Doing it this way is still a good bit cheaper than the cruiseline tour and we will get to have tea rather than just a scone.

Another question. When we were in Victoria the first time we saw that there were vendors along the water in the Inner Harbor. Will they be there in the evening or do they shut down earlier?

We are considering going to Abkhazi Gardens by taxi, touring the gardens, and having tea in the tearoom before taking a taxi to the Inner Harbor (is that the right term?). Then we would either walk back to the ship or take a taxi. We are in port from 1 pm until 11 pm. Putterdude, you seem to know quite a bit about taxi fares so do you have any idea of what the cab fare would be to the gardens? It is just over 4km.

Thanks Judy. So to hike to Nugget Falls I have to pay at the visitor center or I pay only if I go inside the visitor center ? Also, do you know how much it is ?

From the Mendenhall website:

"Fees will not be charged during the off-season, from October 1 to April 30, but the new fee will be charged beginning May 1, 2016. Forest Service currently charges a $3 fee to persons 16 or older who enter the visitor center building. A $10 seasonal pass is also available, which allows the pass holder and one guest into the visitor center. The new fee will be $5 and the seasonal pass $15 ($10 if purchased after July 15). People under 16 years of age continue to be free, and the Forest Service will continue honoring all national interagency visitor passes. For example, the Senior Access pass ($10) for those aged 62 and older allows the holder plus three guests into any national park or forest for their lifetime."

There are restrooms that you can use free of charge.

We will be renting a car to visit the glacier and then drive up to Auk Bay and Eagle Beach. Is there any cost for parking at the glacier and hike to Nugget Falls ?

It is a national park so there is a charge for the visitor center but not for parking (at least, not when we were there). We have a Golden Age Passport through the National Park service so we could go to the visitor center for free. There are several ports that have NPS sites and the Passport gives free admission. There is one for those who are not seniors but it is a yearly pass. The Golden Eagle Passport is good for life.

There has to be a ship at the AJ dock for the shuttles to run. Take a look at the port schedule for your answer.

I did. Two HAL ships and the Disney Magic are in port that day. The Magic leaves in late afternoon and I don't know where she docks. Even if she is at AJ she leaves too early for us. I guess we will have to walk or grab a cab if we are too tired to walk. I'm a bit surprised that JCR doesn't have a way to deal with this issue since they are near the AJ dock. In the past, they picked us up at the dock and took us back. That is when they were at the airport.

Thanks for the review. We have a car reserved with JCR for our upcoming cruise. It will be our second time renting from them. I hope the shuttle is running when we are there. The idea of a 1 mile hike back to the rental place isn't good, particularly after a long day sightseeing.

We will be on Norwegian Jewel, the end of September, wherever she docks.

I think Norwegian docks where Princess docks (but don't quote me on that :)) so you might want to take the shuttle in. From there you can do the tram, explore town, and find The Hangar for lunch. Go early...or late.

How far is it from the cruise ship dock to The Hangar?

Where are you docked? It is very close to the berths closest in to town but a good walk from where Princess usually docks. There is a shuttle from the Princess docks though. We ate at The Hangar and had very good fish and chips (halibut). It was very crowded though and we had a fairly long wait to be seated.

Followed the link...it said our ship is at "CT". Do you know what that means?

See post #15. CT is closest to the tram.

Thanks! I see there are public busses and then the tour busses that go up to Mendenhall. I've read here on CC that people wished they had more time at Mendenhall but were constrained by bus timings. Also, I get the impression that the bus doesn't get you as close as you would if you had a car. Really, getting to Mendenhall is the only reason I've booked a car. If it isn't necessary, I'll save the $$$ and walk around town as well as take the busses.

The city bus takes you about a mile from Mendenhall - not a very good option but cheap. The shuttle buses take you right up to the parking lot near the visitor center and cost $20pp round trip. I think they run every hour but stop running in later afternoon (not sure of the time but I am sure someone will post the times and schedule). We rented a car once and enjoyed having it. There are other places that you can go in your car besides Mendenhall. There were 4 of us so it was cheaper than the shuttle and we saw more things. We have reserved a car this year also even though it is just the 2 of us.

I remember my 2013 Zuiderdaam trip had us coming across in lifeboats when we refused to swim as they ran out of Juneau docks.

That does occasionally happen in Juneau when there are lot of ships in port. Fortunately, we've never had to tender there.