beautyandtheblanc

If you decide to do an extended land tour and a cruise, I recommend that you do the land portion first. That way you get the longest flight over with and you have seven days to rest from the land tour before flying home.

That's a really good idea!! It helps that we made a list in June of all the places we wanted to visit next time we come back so it's exciting already having a general idea of what things we want to try in port this time around!!

Thank you!!! We were on the Rotterdam. We are considering a 14 day, but a lot of people who we met on the ship said the first portion is exhausting and that the train is hit or miss with people. Perhaps it was because they were older? We love trains and I really want to see Denali with my own eyes!

Noordam :confused::confused::confused::confused: not rotterdam hehe

Unless you do a back to back the dedicated 14 day cruise is round trip from Seattle. Denali would not be included.

You might consider a cruise tour that includes Denali, or do denali on your own.

 

If you are looking to hike on to Mendenhall, the trailhead is not at the visitor center, and unless something changed, there is no bus that goes there. We booked a day hike with Above and Beyond. It included a guide and all equipment and we hiked onto the glacier ( a few miles in). It was one of the best hikes we’ve done. Do make sure you have enough time in port to get back. We barely made it by 90 seconds to all aboard.:eek:

Holy moly that's close! When we went in June, a lot of people said they took a blue bus out to the visitors center and walked some trails along there which is what we were thinking of doing. I head that actually hiking the glacier or taking a helicopter to the surface is AWESOME though!!

Just wanted to wish you all the best for a long happy life together.

Oh, thank you so much! We are so smitten and over the moon that this is actually happening! :)

I think your idea is good. We just got back from a R/T on the same size ship. If you can handle an inside then an ocean view may be all that you need. While a balcony is nice, if you like being on deck or roaming around then you might want to put the money towards extra $$ excursions.

 

We are going back in 2020 too. I looked at Celebrity for the itinerary, but the ship holds more people. I felt very comfortable with HAL and what the ship offered. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage.

I guess that's true! Thanks for pointing that out. We were barely in our room at all for the whole 7 days. I think maybe one night we ordered room service and some movies instead of going to a show or for drinks, but other than that, we were only in there to shower and sleep!

Celebrity looked intriguing too, but as you said, HAL seemed to have just the right amount of people. It didn't take 40 minutes to get through the buffets or served in the dining room, getting on and off the ship was a breeze, and seating for shows were never, ever a problem. We also loved the views from the hot tub and the special things to do on the ship like the bar hop were super fun! Maybe we'll see you on our honeymoon!!! ;)

In all honesty, while Alaska is nice, you might want to consider a different location for your honeymoon? Personally, if I had the option and was considering 14 days, I'd go to Europe.

Thank you! We don't really have any interest in travelling to Europe at the moment but maybe in the future :)

I just wanted to say Congratulations! Your engagement day sounds like it was a wonderfully memorable time. I also love your idea for the wedding “registry”. Enjoy your wedding planning!

Thank you so much!!! :)

Congratulations on getting engaged while in Glacier Bay.

I don't know which ship you were on.

You might consider the 14 day Alaskan cruise. The 2020 itineraries aren't out yet. But I can tell you that we did the 14 day cruise twice and loved it. It also goes to Kodiak, Homer, Anchorage.

Thank you!!! We were on the Rotterdam. We are considering a 14 day, but a lot of people who we met on the ship said the first portion is exhausting and that the train is hit or miss with people. Perhaps it was because they were older? We love trains and I really want to see Denali with my own eyes!

Hey everyone!!

We took a cruise via Holland America from Anchorage, Alaska to Vancouver at the end of June and we LOVED it! Most of all, because we got ENGAGED! My now fiance proposed to me outside, right after breakfast in Glacier Bay and it was beyond dreamy. The staff gave us free Prosecco, and we sat in the hot tub and looked at the mountains and glaciers for hours and then were given free cake and champagne with our dinner! It was a perfect day and really set the tone for the rest of our cruise.

Now that we've finally gotten into wedding planning, we have our hearts set on doing another cruise (leaning toward Alaska but would be open to somewhere new!) for our honeymoon in 2020. We loved how attentive, friendly, and helpful the staff was and it felt like were at an all inclusive resort. Last time, we got an inside cabin as we were barely in the room and were more focused on just exploring the towns and we didn't really do any excursions. Since it would be for our honeymoon, we want to get a balcony or a suite and splurge on some excursions. For those not through the cruise line, we were thinking of putting things like "hike to Meddenhall Glacier - $95" (as the bus tickets there are $45 each) and "Sea Plane Ride in Ketchikan" and things like that as our "registy" as opposed to household gifts we really won't need and would rather have those experiences.

Do any of you have any advice for a cruise honeymoon/ an Alaska-moon? I am all ears to any suggestions! Is Holland America the best cruise line for this type of cruise or would Princess or Celebrity be better? (We loved the ship and that there weren't a million passengers. We never had to wait in line for anything and the pools/hot tubs were never crowded.) We were briefly considering somewhere tropical but our honeymoon would be in August/September and that is hurricane season in the tropics and we live on Cape Cod so we have plenty of beach. We also thought returning to Alaska would bring things full circle :)

As I mentioned, I am open to any advice or suggestions and would love to hear about your experience if you honeymooned on a cruise!!

Hey everyone!!

We took a cruise via Holland America from Anchorage, Alaska to Vancouver at the end of June and we LOVED it! Most of all, because we got ENGAGED! My now fiance proposed to me outside, right after breakfast in Glacier Bay and it was beyond dreamy. The staff gave us free Prosecco, and we sat in the hot tub and looked at the mountains and glaciers for hours and then were given free cake and champagne at our dinner at Canaletto! It was a perfect day and really set the tone for the rest of our cruise.

Now that we've finally gotten into wedding planning, we (almost) have our hearts set on doing another Alaska cruise for our honeymoon in 2020. We loved how the attentive, friendly, and helpful the staff was and it felt like were at an all inclusive resort. Last time, we got an inside cabin as we were barely in the room and were more focused on just exploring the towns and we didn't really do any excursions. Since it would be for our honeymoon, we want to get a balcony or a suite and splurge on some excursions. For those not through the cruise line, we were thinking of putting things like "hike to Meddenhall Glacier - $95" (as the bus tickets there are $45 each) and "Sea Plane Ride in Ketchikan" and things like that as our "registy" as opposed to household gifts we really won't need and would rather have those experiences.

Do any of you have any advice for an Alaska-moon? I am all ears to any suggestions! Is Holland America the best cruise line for this type of cruise or would Princess or Celebrity be better? (We loved the ship and that there weren't a million passengers. We never had to wait in line for anything and the pools/hot tubs were never crowded.) We were briefly considering somewhere tropical but our honeymoon would be in August/September and that is hurricane season in the tropics and we live on Cape Cod so we have plenty of beach. We also thought returning to Alaska would bring things full circle :)

As I mentioned, I am open to any advice or suggestions and would love to hear about your experience if you honeymooned there!

We will be cruising from Alaska to Vancouver at the end of June and are super excited! We are from Cape Cod and are looking for one-way flights to Boston from Vancouver, but the ones we found do not arrive in Boston until mid-afternoon of the next day. Is this typical of flights from Vancouver to Boston? They are both international airports so we just assumed assumed there would be more flights available on the afternoon of our disembarkation. Also, which is the best way to get to the Vancouver airport from the port of call? We were looking at transfers (we're doing HAL) but were wondering if taxi would be cheaper? If our flight doesn't leave until 7-9pm that night, is there a place in the airport where we can pay to hold our bags for the day while we explore (instead of sitting in the airport all day)?

Thank you in advance for any tips! Clearly we are new to the cruising life haha! ;);)

The automatic15% added to your drinks is considered the gratuity, and there is no need to tip above and beyond that, however some folks do.

 

This does not apply to meals in the MDR. The HSC that is automatically charged to your onboard account covers the dining staff service (as well as others), but again some folks choose to tip certain service staff above the HSC for exceptional service.

 

It is entirely up to you.

That's good to know! Thank you! Do they take cash or would we put it on a card?

I have ONE more question for the time being. Since there is a 15% service charge on every drink if we do not get the SBP, does that count as the tip? Or do we need to tip a dollar or two extra per drink on top of the 15% charge? Does the 15% charge apply for meals too?

Thamks guys!!

You need to join your Roll Call to meet up with people on your cruise.

What ship and date are you sailing and we will give you a link to your Roll Call.

Oh, thank you! Southbound Alaska on the Noordam! We set sail June 24th :)

I'm on the same cruise as you!!!!! 78 days :)

Thank you all for your advice! I appreciate it :):)

We are doing the southbound Alaska cruise at the end of June - is anyone else going?? We have 3 full days where we are on the boat all day, and three days where we are in port almost the entire day, so I am torn. We will probably end up going with it but the upfront cost makes me hesitant. We shall see!

Hi everyone! We are crusing for the first time ever in June and we are super excited!! One of my main questions is this - when I click on the Signature Beverage Package, the following message is displayed:

If a Signature Beverage Package or Elite Beverage Package is purchased before your cruise, each guest over 21 years of age who is booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the same package. If this package is not purchased for each guest prior to the cruise, the stateroom account will be charged for the guests who have not purchased the package\

My dilemma is that while I know that I will definitely take advantage of this package, I really don't think that my boyfriend will as he does not drink as much I do (I like my vodka seltzers and wine, what can I say!). He really only drinks beer and water, and was planning to bring a case of water on board. So, even if he didn't want the drink package, we would both have to pay $361.18, a total of $782.86 for the drink package?? Or am I understanding it wrong?