poolwife

I have bought 2 pairs of waterproof shoes over the years for wearing in Alaska. I got them both off of Zappos.com. Both have worked out very well and so glad I had them when it was pouring rain in Ketchikan. We just went out and about anyway with our waterproof parka and pulled the hood up and my waterproof shoes and I was fine.

Don't let the rain stop you from enjoying the beauty of Alaska.

If you ever see as a headliner act, "Abbacadabra", definitely go see them. They are a fantastic imitation Abba group. Have seen them numerous times. They have been on the Allure, Oasis, Independence, Serenade and the Freedom of the Seas.

You will be totally impressed if you like "Abba" music.

Does anyone know where Liberty of the Seas docks on Roatan, Coaxen Hole or Mahogany?

We went on the NA in May, 2016 and loved it. Beautiful, elegant ship and it MUCH newer than the Volendam.

Food was great too.

Jumping this back to the top as I am hoping the OP will notice and come back on. Sure been wondering what happened to them and their party. Hopefully, they made it to the cruise.

I hate to burst the bubble of those that are so excited to go on the Ovation to Alaska BUT I think you are going on it just to enjoy the ship as it is not a good Alaska itinerary at all. No good glacier viewing at all.

Don't know why they put the really great ships doing round trip Seattle. It makes people think "Oh, Wow " I am going on an Alaska cruise where their cruise hardly sees anything of Alaska.

People just say "I am going to Alaska" but they don't examine the itinerary very closely.

Emanuel of VIP Express came recommended from someone else on these boards. I think he will be fine and very helpful.

He emailed me the confirmation and has called. I am trusting in him as he seems extremely willing to please.

No. We are on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas and leaving from Galveston on January 14. 7 night western caribbean stopping at Roatan, Costa Maya, Mexico and Cozumel.

Anyone know what FTTF is?

Please educate me - What is FTTF? I did not notice any "check in" time when I did my on line check in for my cruise on 1/14/18.

Do you have to have a reservation to go to Paradise Beach for the day?

Can you recommend a day pass resort to go to?

Is there a problem with taxi drivers not returning people to the ship on time on Roatan?

Personal opinion only - Neither my husband or I enjoyed the "Bear Watching" excursion out of Icy Strait point. Too much driving over bumpy roads looking and looking for the bears and only saw one in the distance. I know they are wild and they do their own thing. Wasn't any better than seeing the bears in the Wildlife Refuge Center out of Anchorage.

Just wasn't our thing...

Another cruise critic member said this on a similar thread under "Gulf Coast Departures":

My recommendation would be VIP Express. Manuel gives EXCELLENT service www.vipexpressllc.com

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I took her recommendation and called them. Emanuel is a really nice gentleman and does all he can to explain everything and be as helpful as possible. He just started his shuttle business this year with a friend. They used to work for another shuttle company and did not like the way the other company was conducting their customer service. I was very happy with him over the phone and setting up my reservation. His prices were great and I am sure his service will be excellent. He is really anxious to please.

From Budget Queen:

There are hundreds of touring options so do your homework and determine what your interests are. First look over your shore excursion list and greatly narrow down your selections.

With a Tracy Arm itinerary, I'll suggest it is "necessary" to book the add on Tracy Arm tour. Grossly superior compared to the cruise ship transit.

There are numerous packing lists you need a wide range, with layers.

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Definitely try to see if your ship offers the add on Tracy Arm tour as Budget Queen mentioned above. Too many times the large cruise ships do not get up the fjord all the way to the glacier.

Personally, we took a last minute Alaska cruise on HAL's Nieux Amsterdam in May, 2016. We just needed to get away and took what was available the day we would be in Vancouver. My husband was hesitate with HAL but that particular ship was great. It was elegant and food was great. Would not hesitate at all to recommend the Nieux Amsterdam. We had taken a 4 nighter on the Ruby Princess from LA to Vancouver then hopped on the Nieux Amsterdam the same day we came into Vancouver. Big difference in the 2 ships. We definitely like the Nieux Amsterdam over the Ruby Princess. Much better food and buffet on the Nieux Amsterdam.

Yes, the Celebrity Solstice does go to Juneau, however, it does not go to either Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay National Park, thus leaving out going to one of the large glaciers.

Celebrity and the Solstice ship are really great, but as others have said you go to Alaska for the scenery and the activities not the ship.

Luv2Cruise -

Did you check the times that you are in each port? A lot of times people don't check how long they are in each port. Especially with sailing out of Seattle, the port times are not usually great. Also, the majority of the time the large cruise ships do not get all the way up Tracy Fjord to get to the glacier. Victoria is just a stop they must make as they need to stop in a foreign port due to some law. The time in Victoria when cruising out of Seattle is usually only the evening hours so if you are planning on really enjoying the Gardens or other sights in Victoria, please check your time schedule.

Since this is your first Alaska cruise, perhaps you should consider a round trip Vancouver or a one way trip so it will include either Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay National Park. I just hope you are not disappointed by not going to either of the two large glaciers.

I could not tell which ship you are on being you just said "Royal". If you are on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas your time in Victoria is good being 9 to 6 pm but you still do not go to either of the large glaciers.

Check over your itinerary real well. Some people just think "Oh, Wow" I am going to Alaska but do not really examine their itinerary.

Whatever....Any day on a cruise is better than a Work day.

cruisin okie:

I took your advice and called Manuel with VIP Express LLC. He was extremely nice and helpful on the phone.

My only concern was he seems to be a newer business just starting up the end of this year and he doesn't have any other reviews except that I found your review here on the boards.

Our cruise is January 14.

Any other thoughts.............Please! Thank you

I know it is rare a ship gets all the way up the Tracy Arm fjord to the Sawyer Glacier. What month is the best for actually getting all the way to Sawyer glacier in a large cruise ship, Norwegian Bliss. This ship is brand new and just coming out next April. The ship is 167,500 tons, a very large ship. So I am wondering if she will make it all the way up to the glacier on June 13. This is for some friends of mine. We were on the Celebrity Millenium in May, 2015 and the captain turned the ship around before we even got anywhere near close to Sawyer glacier. We were all wondering why when there was not much ice coming down the fjord. We thought he probably just had a schedule to keep.

I would appreciate your tips and help so I can share it with them. Thank you.

You can book a cruise/tour right through HAL (Holland America) and they will handle everything for you including air, transfers, etc. You are right, planning all this is a big job. You will love the trip though.

I hope you will consider the itinerary of Holland America's Nieux Amsterdam. It sails round trip Vancouver. My husband and I took that cruise in May, 2016 and were very impressed. The ship is very pretty and elegant. Food was excellent and they had many asian choices. It did go to Glacier Bay which was a great day enjoying the beauty of the glacier and surrounding area. The ship is not real old being built in 2010 and it was refurbished this year.

You will enjoy the inside passage by taking round trip Vancouver or Northbound or Southbound Vancouver to Anchorage (Seward) OR Anchorage (Seward) to Vancouver. Anchorage is the capital of Alaska and that is where the airport is located if you fly in for a southbound cruise. Seward is the actual town that the ship sails in or out of. Anchorage is about 3 hours from Seward. The train ride between Seward and Anchorage is beautiful.

You have a lot to consider. A trip like this takes a lot of planning. What a great thing to do with your mother.

Here is the itinerary that the Nieux Amsterdam has which it does every week:

We really enjoyed our cruise on the Nieux Amsterdam. It sails through the Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay National Park and back through the Inside Passage.

Let us all know what you decide and how your trip was.

Definitely, if finances are not an issue, I prefer a balcony when cruising Alaska. There were so many times when I would be in my cabin relaxing or changing and beautiful scenery would be outside. I could open the balcony door and enjoy it right away. So great to stand on your balcony when the ship is sailing away from the port. They are beautiful themselves.

Balconies are not necessary in open ocean cruises such as the Caribbean or cruising the west coast up to Vancouver.

Hope you can go for it.

Thank you all very much.

These questions were all for daughter and her husband. She is soooo excited to be going on the Emerald Princess from LA to Vancouver with a full day stop in Victoria. She was last at Butchart Gardens in 1999 so is really looking forward to going with her husband who loves photography so he will probably take plenty of pictures in the gardens.

She was hoping to fit in whale watching also if she can.

She has never done cruise critic before. I am hoping to teach her how later today so she can watch the threads herself.

We are there all day, 8 am to 11 pm on the Emerald Princess.

Looks like we have time to whale watch and do Butchart Gardens. Trying to work it out.

Thank you Keith.

Do you happen to know if it is better to do whale watching out of Victoria or Vancouver?

Is May 12 too early for the whales in that area? Don't want to spend the money to whale watch when it isn't a good time.

Thank you.

Sherry