CruiseCriticMamaBear

We want to book two space savers on our May 2018 cruise one to use May 2019 and one to use June 2020. I know they say you have to use them within 24 months. Do they make any exceptions?

HaHa! If they canceled excursions in SE Alaska every time it rained they would be out of business! So no, you fish, hike, kayak, and dogsled in the rain. They will cancel in high winds, however, as sea conditions would be rough. I really recommend the wilderness fish and dine excursion over charter salmon fishing as there is a lot of "action" with people catching a fair number of fish.

 

I have done salmon charters and they are boorrrring! You troll, which means you put a line out from the back of the boat and sit there as the boat moves slowly through the water. Then you wait for a salmon to hit the line... and wait, and wait, and wait some more. Fish and Game uses a statistic called "rod hours" in fishing reports that tells you how many hours you have to fish to catch one salmon. During the runs, it can be 1-2 hours per fish. Outside of the runs, it can be up around 80 hours per fish. You don't say when you are coming but you should check your dates against salmon runs to see what the odds are you will catch a fish. Last time I was out trolling, we had four lines in the water and caught 3 fish in 3 1/2 hours. Having had considerable experience taking my kids fishing, I can say that they would get pretty restless after the first 45 minutes or so.

Thank you for the feedback, we will to wilderness fish and dine, there is no way my kids could wait that long to catch a fish.

One of my top 10 excursions! One thing to consider though is that it is an open skiff and can be a bit miserable in the rain...

If it's raining will they not cancel the excursion and give you a refund?

That looks like a wonderful trip! It looks like this is the company that provides the trip, and unless prices aren't current, it is cheaper to book through the company itself rather than the tour broker:

https://exclusivealaska.com/alaska-fishing-wilderness-dining

 

My concerns about this trip for your family would mainly be about the prior experiences of your children. Our children and grandchildren are used to being in small boats from infancy and know they have to sit fairly still for extended times, but kids who don't have that experience might find it difficult to be on a boat for several hours that they can't move around on. There might be a boat with a cabin, which could be a better fit for your children, but there are trade-offs with that (not as much fishing space). This is definitely a trip to call the actual excursion company and ask questions. There is plenty of contact info on their website.

Thank you for the website, that helps a lot! I also appreciate your feedback on kids. I'll look for some youtube videos for the kids to see if they think they can sit still that long. I find if they can see it, then they usually know if it's a good fit.

Yes I have fished in Alaska many times, never off a cruise ship port stop always trips for fishing. I would say yes do it as it will be a great day. But I do not believe you will be fishing for salmon. I believe the trip is a saltwater fishing trip on the bay. So you should be able to see great views and have lots of fun. I also believe it is a private trip but you should check only your group. The amount of fishing vs sightseeing will be up to your group. Also the cost seems to be very fair.

 

As everything is included. When I fished form salmon it was costly, river fishing, paid guides, licenses, etc.

Thank you so much for taking the time to give feedback. You are right it is not salmon fishing, but because you pointed that out I was able to find one that includes salmon fishing. Thank you!

We decided on the Disney Wonder for May 2019. Thank you, everyone, for your help. We are so excited!!

Has anyone gone salmon fishing in Alaska? Did you get seasick? Is salmon fishing a good excursion for kids ages 7, 9, 12? https://www.shoretrips.com/excursion/ship-5410050-ket-070940/ketchikan-alaska/guided-fishing-wilderness-dining

We chose Disney Cruise Line for this reason. My husband and I would have been fine on Princess or Celebrity, but I was concerned that the kids would be bored on the sea days.

rigs32 and SellaVee thank you so much for letting me know. It's too bad I would have liked to follow along on this itinerary.

There was a thread about this. I believe the only active blogger is a teenage young man, and someone linked to his blog - apparently it is linked on the roll call. I have friends on the trip, but their blog is only for friends and family.

 

Donna

 

 

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The Oceania 2018 World Cruise roll call is not available anymore because they have already set sail. Hopefully, someone knows the link to young man's blog.

Is someone blogging from the current Oceania world cruise?

They actually have been doing this since 2007 but for two years it was not offered and one was 2016 and the other one was 2015.

 

 

Keith

Do you know if the internet reliability is getting better? I assume if it is constantly getting better that by the time I go there will be no problem staying in contact with the office.

Keith, is this new? On the 2016 WC, we were limited to 1 hour per person per day. It was cumulative, so the limitation was not a problem, but it was a limitation.

 

Also, CruiseCriticMama, if you are considering using the internet to work while on the cruise, be aware that the service is spotty, and at times non-existent, so you should not count on the ship's wifi being available when you need it.

Yes, I will need to stay in contact with the office, thank you for letting me know it is spotty. It may be easier for me to call the office a couple times a week.

The course that they typically offer does provide college credit. It's been offered most years since 2007 but can't guarantee it will be offered when you are ready.

 

If it is offered then it will be listed on the Crystal Cruises website under the enrichment/entertainment section for that sailing.

 

This is the write-up from this years world cruise for that particular course:

 

Keith

An updated series of "Everything Apple" courses developed and taught by Professor Stan Leja is again being offered on iPads, iPhones, iTunes, iWork, iLife, and iCloud. This Apple training provides several different, Continuing Education Unit, CEU, granting courses, from Del Mar College designed to improve your ability to understand and use your Apple devices. Each course will contain different in depth lectures and experimentation with various applications on iPads, iPhones, and Apple computers. Photography, music, navigation, communications, business applications, videos, social media, and web surfing with Apple devices will all be covered during different portions of World Cruise 2018. A fee will be charged to attend these courses.

To fully participate in this coursework, you need to come onboard with the following: One (1) iPad Air or later iPad; or iPhone 6 or later iPhone, with the latest iOS 11 installed and cellular data (GPS) capability. Having international cellular data activated prior to joining the world cruise is also suggested. The latest versions of the following applications must be downloaded and installed on your iPad prior to joining this voyage: Pages, Keynote, Numbers, iMovie, Dropbox, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Photoshop Express, Kindle, MotionX GPS HD, Connect Drive by SanDisk, Speedtest by Ookla, and Find My iPhone.

If you have an Apple notebook computer, please bring it with you. On your notebook computer, please make sure it has the latest version of the macOS Sierra or later operating system and the latest version of the notebook applications: Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Photos, iMovie, Dropbox, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Photoshop Elements 15 or later, and Kindle. If you do not have an Apple notebook computer, you can use the desktops in the CU@Sea classroom, which will all have the updated required software.

Thank you so much for all of your help.

Does anyone know if Oceania Insignia AWC has an online university with a variety of classes like Crystal cruise offers?

CruiseCriticMamaB....

 

I can't comment on Oceania but I can on Crystal Cruises as all of our World Cruises have been with Crystal Cruises.

 

What I can say is that on several of the World Cruises we have had one or two teenagers taking the full World Cruise. My wife and I knew the Parents very well and because of that we spoke with each of the teenagers who enjoyed the cruise and I feel they grew quite a bit from it. The teens did spend a lot of time with the family while also participating in some of the programs.

 

One of them took a college computer course that was offered and one of them took a memoir writing course.

 

Crystal does offer unlimited internet service and there will be other items that are included that might not be on many other lines. Laundry is not included. However there are complimentary self service laundry rooms.

 

For tours we do not do a tour in each port. Because of the length of the cruise putting money aside doing a tour in each port to me would be too much formal touring. In some ports we can tour on our own without a formal tour. I some ports we will do a private tour and in others a ships tour. Sometime just a HOHO bus will be very educational. I think the budget is a good idea.

 

Maybe budget based on doing a tour in every other port and you can always adjust that a bit.

 

Keith

Do you know where I can find out more about Crystal's University at Sea? Is there a way I can search Crystal's class offering? This would be a HUGE plus since I will be homeschooling the kids while we are on our big voyage.

CruiseCriticMamaB....

 

I can't comment on Oceania but I can on Crystal Cruises as all of our World Cruises have been with Crystal Cruises.

 

What I can say is that on several of the World Cruises we have had one or two teenagers taking the full World Cruise. My wife and I knew the Parents very well and because of that we spoke with each of the teenagers who enjoyed the cruise and I feel they grew quite a bit from it. The teens did spend a lot of time with the family while also participating in some of the programs.

 

One of them took a college computer course that was offered and one of them took a memoir writing course.

 

Crystal does offer unlimited internet service and there will be other items that are included that might not be on many other lines. Laundry is not included. However there are complimentary self service laundry rooms.

 

For tours we do not do a tour in each port. Because of the length of the cruise putting money aside doing a tour in each port to me would be too much formal touring. In some ports we can tour on our own without a formal tour. I some ports we will do a private tour and in others a ships tour. Sometime just a HOHO bus will be very educational. I think the budget is a good idea.

 

Maybe budget based on doing a tour in every other port and you can always adjust that a bit.

 

Keith

Thank you so much for your feedback. Do you usually plan what you will do in each port before the cruise starts or is that something fun to do on sea days?

This is wonderful and the cruises would work.

 

It does not have to be by land.

 

The middle east would be great to see as well because it is a reminder about how diverse and different the world is and hopefully that would be covered by the world cruise that you have listed.

 

We have sailed eight World Cruises (seven full so have seen much of the world by cruise ship.

 

When you are in various places try to show the children not only the tourist areas but from time to time if you can get into neighborhoods and even local churches, restaurants, schools etc (maybe on a private tour) that would be nice. Even having someone arrange a visit with a family I think that will be good for the children's education and something we did for our children.

 

I applaud you for this planning.

 

Keith

Have you ever taken a Crystal River Cruise?

This is wonderful and the cruises would work.

 

It does not have to be by land.

 

The middle east would be great to see as well because it is a reminder about how diverse and different the world is and hopefully that would be covered by the world cruise that you have listed.

 

We have sailed eight World Cruises (seven full so have seen much of the world by cruise ship.

 

When you are in various places try to show the children not only the tourist areas but from time to time if you can get into neighborhoods and even local churches, restaurants, schools etc (maybe on a private tour) that would be nice. Even having someone arrange a visit with a family I think that will be good for the children's education and something we did for our children.

 

I applaud you for this planning.

 

Keith

Keith,

Thank you so much for taking the time to give your insight. You are definitely well traveled.

I love your ideas, especial the one about going to church. It would be incredible to sit and talk with the people and then go to dinner at a church member's house.

I agree the middle east would be incredible and should be part of the world cruise. I really want to see Jerusalem and the Red Sea in Eygpt along with pyramids.

Do you think teens would prefer a world cruise on Crystal or Oceania? I like that both lines won't have many teens onboard because we will want to spend times as a family. Maybe I should rephrase that;) and say I want my then teens to spend time with the family without other distractions. Does Crystal offer unlimited free laundry service and free unlimited internet? How much should I budget for excursions around the world? I know excursions in the Caribbean are relatively cheap compared to Europe, the Middle East, etc. I've looked at Crystal and Oceania and it looks like I would need to budget around $200 a day per person for excursions and extras. Do you agree with this amount? How much do you usually budget per day per person for a world cruise?The reason I ask is that we are already starting to save for this trip.

Thank you!!

If you want your children to have truly valuable, local, real experiences you should take them on land trips, not Disney cruises.

 

 

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I have seen Europe by land and by cruise and I agree with you. The reason I chose cruising is that we wouldn't have to change hotel rooms. Thank you so much for your feedback I'll look into come cruise land combos.

I don't know if this is where I should be posting this, but since many of you have traveled the world over I would greatly appreciate your insight and recommendations. Our children are 11, 8, 6 and we have always dreamed of giving them a good glimpse of the world before the oldest graduates from High School. Here is what we have planned, please give any suggestions you have.

2018 Disney Caribbean Cruise

2019 Disney Alaska Cruise

2020 Disney Mediterranean Cruise

2021 Disney Northern Europe Cruise

2022 African Safari

2022 Australia and New Zealand Oceania Cruise

2023 Japan, China, Singapore Crystal Cruise

2023 South America (30 day) Oceania Cruise

2024 Europe land and river cruise (60 days)

2025 Full World Oceania or Crystal world cruise (depending on the itinerary at the time)

Is there a part of the world that you love that is not covered here? Would you do these destinations in this order?

Thanks.

 

One thing I would also add is that if you have primarily cruised in the Caribbean, be prepared for "sticker shock", especially on excursions. There is very little, if any, savings between the ship and independent pricing. What you usually gain with the independents is a smaller group and potentially more time on the excursion.

 

 

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That is so true even with the price of the cruise. Which excursions in Alaska are your favorite? I'm looking at the Royal Princess southbound itinerary.

Take the Bliss! Looks like a fantastic family trip.

 

 

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Have you ever sailed on the NCL? How were the accommodations, food, and service?

Take the Bliss! Looks like a fantastic family trip.

 

 

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Have you ever sailed on the Bliss? How were the accommodations, food, and service?

I say look for a ship that includes Glacier Bay for your first Alaskan visit.

 

If your ship includes Vancouver.... plan for a few extra days to take in all the activities. Vancouver ships include the South inside passage.

 

Also think about which month you are travelling. I like June and July. August starts to get wet before the September storms.

Thank you so much for the tips!