KAYEF

I prefer Alaska in early fall, but last year we "had" to go mid May and, guess what? We got sunburned in Fairbanks (NORTH of the gulf of Alaska), sunburned at Denali and sunburned in Anchorage. It was amazing!

You just canNOT depend/count on a certain type of weather in Alaska.;)

I love the O...........am going on a cruise on the W this year

but

last year I was taking someone who had a bit of a mobility issue so I chose a smaller ship...............the Amsterdam, and it was perfect. Much less walking (dining in the stern and entertainment in the bow.......long walks) helped her a lot.

I hope you have a wonderful time and create longlasting memories.

As my husband's surgeon told us, NO one can predict how long a disease will last, "but I would estimate about six months if I had to make a guess."

We had six more YEARS and during one good spell, we spent from June 16 - Aug. 10th in Alaska in our motorhome. It was the BEST decision of all.

I hope your Mother isn't too exhausted from her chemo...............you will see many wheelchairs aboard so if she needs one she won't feel out of place.:)

Rent a car and go straight to Mendenhall Glacier..............take a couple of short trails there. The last two summers there have been bears (a sow and cub) even on the trails there.................if you stop, they just meander on.

IMO, bears in other areas aren't as "people friendly."

You will see lots of trail signs along the roads.

Be sure to stop at the Shrine of St. Therese, as mentioned above. I've "always" seen a whale or two right there in the quiet little bay........and have always heard them "singing."

Juneau is a great place to rent a car and get away from the tourist mess of so many ships in port.

Do rent a car with offices in town. The airport is a long way, (well.......a long way in a small town!!).

When I didn't know better, I rented from the airport. They picked me up just fine, but I was on my own to return to the ship...........to the tune of a $26. taxi ride.

Enjoy your trip!

Seward is BEAUTIFUL and a number of things are available there, plus the scenery along the drive AND at Seward is beautiful as well.

There is a magnificent aquarium there and you can book not only short cruises of Resurrection Bay but also there's a MAGNIFICENT helicopter ride up to Godwin glacier where you can ride on dogsleds and visit the dogs.

It's not all crowded (as are those from the cruise ships) because it's out of a small town. I can't recommend that activity too highly. (PLUS, they often have a Groupon offer which is 2 for 1...........).

I'm up there allmost every summer and like to rent a car, spend a couple of nights in Seward, return the car to Anchorage and just "jump onto" the bus which takes us down to Whittier. If your ship leaves from Seward you can do the same thing.

If you have a train transfer..........same thing.

You most likely won't need a shuttle; it's a tiny port and the ships are "right there."

If it's your first time to visit Skagway, taking the train ride is a "must." You will learn lots of history plus see much beauty.

Be sure to visit (free) the National Park building. It's the first one you come to and it used to be the train station. There's a very short movie there telling about the Gold Miners, etc. There's also a small museum and they provide information.

It's a fun port.............this is where the Chilkoot Trail began (for those seeking gold).

SITKA is magnificent! Its history is amazing..........those Russians!:) It's my favorite Alaska City (Skagway USED to be).

We spent over two months one summer in Alaksa in our motorhome...........went "up" via the Marine System so we could see places one can't drive into and it was fun, too.

I go almost every year and it's been "harder" to find a cruise to Sitka, but this year we WILL visit there.

One thing to consider (I don't know where you live) is the cost of air travel into and out of Canada.

Decisions! Decisions! I love it when ALL of my choices have been made and I can then just think about my upcoming adventure.

ENJOY!:o

I go to Alaska almost annually. It's "just" my opinion that you don't need a balcony cabin because the place to be to see "everything" is out and about the decks. If you hear an anouncement, you can hurry to the bow or to the other side and not miss anything.

If it's sunny, the top decks are best. If it's dreary, the promanade deck is the best because you can scoot in, hurry across to the opposite deck and see what's recommended. At least, that's what we do on H.A. ships.

Money spent on a balcony cabin can be money down the drain if it happens to be a rainy week:(. You'll spend enough extra money just doing things in port. Alaska is expensive because "everything" has to be shipped in, AND, they have a very few months to get the dollars from the tourists.

Sometimes I love balconies and many on CC say you just "have" to have a balcony for the views in Alaska but the views are on BOTH sides of the ship and usually your balcony view is only straight out because of balcony dividers.

Balconies in warm climates? YES! Bkfst. on the balcony? YES!

HAVE A GRAND TIME!

I try to use private companies as I usually find them less expensive (off airport).

I picked up my car about the time you want to check yours in, so I know they stay late, but I canNOT remember the name of the company and I'm not home where my info. is. I found them online, though.

When we checked it back in a few days later, about 11 a.m. they took us to the airport and we walked in, checked into the bus taking us down to Whittier, and less than five minutes later they called for boarding.

We had spent a few days on the Kenai Peninsula so had no need to take a train to Whittier. The bus even stopped for a rest at a pretty park (?) where we viewed salmon in the creek, etc.

I was wondering if anyone has figured out a way to take the White Pass Summit Railroad excursion

Yes; you can book it on the RR's website but I don't know if the narration is in ALL of the cars; we seemed to have special cars (for our ship) when we did it our first time up there.

IMO, the first time a person goes to Skagway the Train Ride is a must.

Also, IMO................that bridge is just a Tourist Trap unless bridges are foreign to where you live.

Can't you still carry on the liquor you want for your cabin?

Assuming the itineraries are the same, if you've been on more than 1 of the cruise lines below, (these currently go to Glacier Bay),

Can you choose your favorite for dining and why, I appreciate the comments! I know it's personal preference, just curious how it goes.

1. Princess

2. NCL

3. HAL

Thank you!

IMO, Princess has really improved in the past couple of years. Two years ago we enjoyed dining in three different restaurants, each with its own type of food..................and, the buffet was always open as well.

On our ONE NCL cruise, we had not one bite of seafood on the entire cruise....the whole cruise was truly AWFUL............not to mention the tiny cabins and plastic dishes in the "buffet." I wouldn't take an NCL cruise if it was free BUT my TA says they have a new group running them and they have improved.

Last year (again) HAL had seafood at every dinner plus the Far North buffet out by the pool one day; perhaps it was the day in G.B. On that day, they always have every type of seafood imaginable. I go so often, I can't remember.

Plus, I love the section of the menu that says, "Availably Any Time" because a shrimp cocktail is always on it................huge prawns. My daughter is a wimpy eater and she loves just getting a steak each night, but we could do that on Princess as well.

HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME!

Renting at airports adds heavy taxes. I rent "off property." They pick you up and return you (and your luggage) to the airport and then you jump on the bus transfer right outside. Last year we were very lucky, the bus loaded less than five minutes after we got there.

The bus transfer is something you can pay for when you book/pay for your cruise.:)

They stop at a couple of places along the way as well (depending on your cruiseline).

Perhaps he was short of crew because of illness.

I'm sorry. That's a real heartbreak when you've been dreaming of this wonderful activity for your friends/relatives.

:(

My daughter, who is vegan, tells me that Celebrity now have a vegan menu.

 

She contacted the Special Needs department and was informed that, for her cruise on Celebrity Eclipse, she will be shown the vegan menu each evening, so that she can choose her meals for the following evening.

 

Friends went with us on Celebrity. They are vegetarians. They had a terrible time getting vegetarian dinners in the D. R. They were never given a menu the night before.............twice the Maitre' D came to the table and yakked about vegetarian choices. It was all yak. Twice, they just brought items from the appetizer section, asrranged differently on the plate. They were served the same three things on a rotation; it was awful.

At lucchtime they would get veggies on a plate from the sandwich station and take them to the pizza station where they asked for pizza with those plated veggies. That worked.

I asked my daughter and SIL if they wanted to go on the cruise to Hawaii and my SIL said with so many Sea Days, he'd be bored.

We went.

Before even leaving dock, he and I were playing mini-golf IN THE RAIN on the top deck. He did EVERYTHING imaginable and when we got home he asked if we could do that cruise again!:D

You may find some rough waters as you cross the Pacific; take some ginger and/or pills along.

I apologize if this has been covered; I loved the opening long letter and didn't read many of the other posts.:(

We went Dec. 5th or something like that; the cruise before the holidays is VERY discounted. We rented a car in each port and "did" the island.

Remember, the Arizona in Pearl Harbor is a Navy exhibit and free. Don't pay for a ship's tour. Rent a car, go right after you get the car (before the line gets long) and then drive around the island, etc.

You will be making a MEMORY OF A LIFETIME. What an amazing husband.

On my first (and last) NCL cruise the food in the MDR was very far below any I've had in MDRs onother lines.

In other words, IMO you will feel the food in the MDR IS superb and you won't "need" to pay extra to try the upscale DRs.

There is NO comparison between a NCL buffet and those on other lines I've been on either..............plastic plates, long lines, cramped quarters, plastic topped tables (not ever enough)..........I will quit there.

You will enjoy the food on this line very much.:)

We've never "caught something" on a cruise, but in thinking airline/cruise ship I'm thinking of HAL's new policy. At least it was in force in March.

We were SERVED in Lido the first 48 hours............all were wondering, "Why?"

Finally, the Captain told us (at some meeting) that was new policy........to hopefully avoid Norovirus brought aboard, especially by those who had come via airplane.

It worked, that's for sure.:p

I don't know if it's still policy or if it has to do with areas and/or seasons or is a fulltime new policy.:rolleyes:

I provided Purel for my Mother in her Retirement Residence because I was thinking of "elevator buttons"..............touched by all.

Just a caution......................make sure you know which pier you need; all ships don't leave from Canada Place.

We rode Quik Shuttle from seatac to Canada Place...................it was wonderful................a huge tour bus with all kinds of legroom. When we DISembarked it was the first thing we saw after we got off the ship. The bus was right there, INside C.P. and they checked off our names and the bus was off in about fifteen minutes.

BTW, if you purchase tickets online you get a discount.;)

If you're bringing a travel clock, make sure that it's an atomic clock so it changes time zones for you.

As I said, I have small, really inexpensive clocks; I'm capable of pushing/turning a button when there's a notice on m y bed to turn my clock forward or back.

bungee cord to hold open balcony door

OMG!! This makes me think of our first LONG (24 night :D) cruise. Leaving out of Seattle, "everyone" was out on their verandahs ........(THANK GOODNESS) I heard our door sort of click. We were locked out!

I kept trying to get someone's attention ~ people were cheering, etc. ~; finally a lady two decks below said, "Your're serious, aren't you?"

I told her, "We're locked out ~ Cabin 7039."

A few minutes later our Room Steward appeared and rescued us. He said, "This happens all the time!"

After that, if we were out at sea and people weren't "all" on their verandahs I pulled the drape into the door opening so it couldn't lock.

I get up a LOT at night to walk out on the "V" and enjoy the sound and the white foam being left by the ship.

Obviously this was before I found the CC site or I may have had a bungee along!!;)

When I first joind CC I read a thread where someone had compiled a list of usefull things to bring when going on a cruise (band aids, zip loc baggies, etc...)?

People list MANY things but rarely do I see "travel clock." I take two; one for the bedside table and one for in the bathroom. I also take two little pieces of that non-stick rubberized "stuff" so the clocks don't slide around if we have rough seas.............the one in the bathroom is nice if you get up at night............. you can see what time it is.;)

I just got 99 cent ones...............IKEA ones are easy to read..........

A cruise ship is sort of like a casino in that there are no clocks "anywhere!"

Why all the judgements (oh wait the dreaded "I mean no disrespect" was included?:rolleyes:)

 

Maybe.....just maybe they like to know where something is just in case they needed something? A prescription? More film? A certain over the counter medicine? Maybe they figured they would be out of something by the time they got to this port...let's say....soda...don't want to buy the soda card and don't want to carry on a whole case....so while they were in Ketchikan they decided to by more?

 

Just for the record...my husband is a diabetic...I know were every pharmacy AND Wal-mart (his prescription are there) is in every port.

 

Why can't someone just ask a simple question? We really don't need to know why.

THANK YOU and AMEN!

PLEEEESE.....:( It's worth remembering this shuttle if for THEIR use, and utilized by the few crew members who have their ''day off'' at that port.

They deserve at the very least a bit of respect for this little perk of theirs; even if they shove each other on board....we ought to discreetely leave them alone; it's the least we can do.

Ketchikan is a small community; should someone feels he/she must go to Walmart , a short taxi ride will do the trick.

cheers

C

 

:)

THANKS c-legs..................they rarely get a chance to go ashore and why should WE use space on THEIR shuttle?:cool:

Well on the cruise I just returned from, we had to walk about a mile to get to Wal-Mart because they wouldn't let us out any exit but the one the farthest away (in the port of PV) so it entailed LOTS of walking but there was a stream of people.

Sometimes people forget things.........like sunscreen or their meds...........

WM was full of crew, etc. buying toothpaste, etc.

Let's understand, too, that in some ports going to a Wal-Mart is much easier than buying from the vendors who are baragining for your attention and wanting you to haggle.

In Juneau I always rent a car to go to the Museum and onto Douglas Island and other places.................and we often stop at Fred Meyer for snacks for the airplane ride home, etc.

I've never been to W-M in Ketchikan, though:eek:...........have seen the shuttle, however.

Holland American (all of them) have the BEST food. From duck to desserts. Not a lively cruise ship like carnival but relaxing, and great food, service, people very friendly, etc. Cant wait to go on a princess (cheap/undecided) over Feb. break!!

No doubt about it, HAL hands down...............but, I'm soon to cruise Celebrity and have read great thing about them on here.

Worst food we've had was on NCL.........absolutely awful...........and on one Princess ship many people got food poisoning (mine and others was from Caesar Salad). The buffet area was always filthy.

The second time we tried Princess, the food was good...........just not AS good as HAL.

No one can compete with the SERVICE of HAL personnel.

I don't think this has been asked yet.....

We will be leaving our 5 year old at home for our first cruise (Carnival) and are worried if something happens to her we won't be reachable. We will have our Iphones on airplane mode and check them a few times a day for messages just in case there is an emergency. We use AT&T and will be going to Cozumel and back. So the question is does anyone know if the cruise ships have emergency contact info for people to call if something happens, or is there a type of prepaid phone we could bring that would work in Cozumel and on the waters?

 

I hope that made sense!

Thanks!!:D

We've always been given emergency numbers for ships in our Information packet.

Our prepaid cells work everywhere (even in the middle of the Atlantic on a TA cruise) and in Canada......but...........not so well in Mexico. I go into one of those "phone buildings" and call home and then have THEM call me back. My 'phone receives in Mexico but can't call out. The call from the call center costs less than fifty cents.