Hllb

Boxed water is allowed and that is also resealable.

That does make it better - at least there should be something to see! Hopefully Skagway goes well this season.

You aren’t allowed to bring a case of water. They do allow a small number of boxed or canned water - I think 12 500ml or less? It’s in an FAQ on HAL’s website. we will likely bring reusable bottles and buy some of the distilled water. It’s fine to drink btw - our drinking water we buy in 5 gallon jugs is RODI water which is similar to distilled in that everything is taken out

I actually canceled a cruise that was doing Skagway because I was concerned about them canceling and adding another sea day. Why did they cancel Juneau? For the busses, I think the DOT regulations are lesser since you’d have the protection of the vehicle.

I should look again, but last time I looked it was more expensive. That would be a nice set up

Can you share details on the shuttle? I’ve yet to find any official info online for it, just reference that it exists

Yes, we’re currently set up across from each other, forward. If we switch to. Suite, we can be on the same deck but not in the same area. They will be fine that way, just not as convenient.

Thanks! I think I’m going to look into doing stuff on our own. I love kayaking too and we’re doing that in Ketchikan.

Oh, that sounds super easy to do yourself! I like that idea. We have a long time in the port so could take as much time as we’d like. Is there a website for the bus or do you know what it’s called?

Same here - my kids (who are all orchestral musicians) we’re looking forward to it. It seems like they took several things away and no distinct replacements. And there weren’t a lot of activities to start with.

We have adult children as well, though they aren’t 21 so I couldn’t book them their own room. We will go to the desk and ask for extra keys to each room and will sleep where we like. We did this on Carnival and it worked fine. I read on HAL it is ok too. For your rates, you’ll still be listed on your rooms but no one is doing a bed check to make sure you’re in the right bed.

I'm still debating what to do in Sitka. I wanted to snorkel, but the kids are not on board. They liked the sound of the Hot Italian Glass tour, but I'm not sold on it (and people here kind of said it's probably not quite right for us). The raptor center, fortress of the bear, and totems were recommended. Other ideas? Or vendors for that tour? I'm on HAL but they don't have one tour that does those 3 things. I have found some resellers that do, though they are quite short around 2.5 hrs for all 3 things. I looked at rainforest hikes and renting bikes too, and the kids didn't seem interested. At least one of them LOL.

That must be why I've heard of people making reservations for anytime seating. I mean, I did see lines on our Carnival cruise, but we managed to avoid them most of the time

Fair LOL. Not my thing either, but specialty dining with 5? Nope LOL. On our Carnival cruise, we almost never waited for our table of choice - 5 minutes at most, so hopefully have a good experience with HAL.

Oh, leaving from Vancouver will be smoother seas as well - leaving from Seattle has you in the open ocean for quite a while, so much more prone to rough seas.

We have a 13 yr old that gets sea sickness but we're giving it a try. Once you get to the fjord, it shouldn't be an issue. We have found Bonine to work fairly well for him, so we'll see. He's even willing to try whale watching again, as long as he's medicated. We did a really rough seas ww trip in Syndey in 2019 and it was kind of a disaster. 2/3 of that boat was puking, my son included.

I swear I thought I saw a yoga class talked about somewhere - wouldn't they have yoga mats? Sure those may be thinner than is needed for knee PT, but then you can just roll it up, I'd think.

Why does the MDR seem like a nightmare to you? We will be doing the MDR most of the time, with maybe one meal at a specialty restaurant. I'm not concerned with portion sizes either, tbh. I actually kind of prefer small sizes so if there are two things I want to try, I'm not wasting food. My kids may have more of an issue with it, but again, just order more. I actually think it's smart of HAL to make smaller portions knowing that people may order multiples. This would reduce food waste.

Thanks for the first hand info. This wasn't at the top of my list but my kids picked it. I'll have to discuss with them again.

Thanks for the suggestions. I was hoping to keep this excursion a bit more affordable as we're doing some pricey ones on other port stops. I'll look at these options again though.

Good to know, thanks.

I don't believe there is any solution planned for this year that would allow large ships to dock normally. You'll either tender, or bus across the rock zone, depending on which position your ship is assigned to. Since you're the only ship in port, I'd think they'd go with the bussing option.

Enjoy yours, and come back and update this thread with your opinion on the food!

HAL has itineraries that go to Glacier Bay and provide access to Skagway, with the railway. Skagway port had a rock slide last summer so is a little different currently, but they do intend to take ships this summer (there are multiple threads if you want to read up on it). Most people would recommend leaving out of Vancouver as the inside passage is more scenic (we chose Seattle because the flights to Vancouver were much more expensive for us). What kind of wildlife are you looking for? Many of the ports have good whale watching. We opted for a kayaking tour in Orca Cove out of Ketchikan which may provide wildlife viewing. Our cruise doesn't go to Skagway so we aren't doing the rail tour. Another option is that some cruise lines, for the Juneau port stop, offer a small boat excursion up Tracy Arm Fjord to see the glaciers up close, and I've also heard it frequently has good wildlife viewing, including possibly whales, eagles, and otters, and maybe seals. There are some recent threads on that tour as well, and it comes very highly recommended even though it's 7 hours on a small boat.

Has anyone taken this tour? It might be new this season, which would mean no one has taken it yet. I personally want to do snorkeling, but my kids are interested in this tour.