Cruise Suzy

We flew into Anchorage and rented a car. Arrived fairly late at night, so stayed in a motel near the airport. The next day we drove to Fairbanks - stopping at Alaska Native Heritage Center, Eklutna, Talkeetna, Alaskan Veterans Memorial and several overlooks along the way. (It was quite a bit after dark when we arrived in Fairbanks.) Stayed 2 nights in Fairbanks - did the Riverboat Discovery (met several who would be on our cruise that were taking the land/cruise) and drove to North Pole and the pipeline exhibit. Then back to Denali for 2 nights - took the long tour into the park and did laundry. The next day we toured the Anchorage Museum before turning in the car and boarding the bus to Whittier. This was for a Princess cruise, but you could do the same for any cruise line. Quite a bit less expensive than adding the ship's land option and, except for the riverboat and Denali tour, we could spend as much or little time as we wished at any spot.

Yes, we mentioned it to our waiter every night as it was delivered. He said they were all like that and he had asked for "not hard potatoes." As I said, it didn't ruin our cruise and has been a source for amusing comparisons ever since.

It certainly didn't ruin our cruise on the Emerald back in 2008, but we never did get a good baked potato. Maybe it was because it was the first Alaskan cruise of the season and the crew was new. The first night we ate in the buffet. After cutting the skin open, we prefer to use just a fork to fluff and eat the potato. They were so hard we had to use a knife to cut them into pieces. And when we ate them, they were CRUNCHY! Mentioned our disappointment as we left. Thereafter we ate dinner in the restaurants. Whenever we ordered a baked potato, we'd mention we didn't want a hard one. All were the same as the ones we had in the buffet. We'd mention it to the waiter and even filled out comment cards. Never had any feedback. To this day we laughingly compare/rate all baked potatoes to those "Princess potatoes." Never had any that hard. But we still hope to book Princess for our 2021 Alaskan cruise.

I've always enjoyed the included Afternoon Tea - especially on sea days.

You're welcome. I found it on another thread.

I just checked the online version at https://digital.cenveomobile.com/publication/?i=548686&p=&pn=#{"issue_id":"599916","page":0} It is indeed on page 11. You may need to do a copy/paste of the URL - when I click on it, it shows the Winter issue. When I copy/paste, it goes to the Summer issue. Here is a screenshot of page 11 from my Acrobat Reader

My TA provided 3 sturdy reusable plastic luggage tag holders per person. Even less cost and time!

Don't worry. We've all been in your shoes at one time or another.

This works even if the cruise was purchased from a TA. That's how I purchased beverage cards after booking the cruise through my TA.

I pre-purchased it.

Didn't try the soda (pay $25 for $50) card in MDR, but it worked just fine in Lido, Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto on Koningsdam in February.

I like any cruise that has HMC as the last stop. We stay onboard and have a truly relaxing final day - not many other passengers do the same. Of course, Key West may be the same since your parents don't intend to do shore excursions. Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam have large showers rather than tubs if that is a concern - many of us in our 70s prefer hot to climb into tubs. No matter which is chosen, they will have a great time.

We were on the Koningsdam for 11 nights in February - never felt crowded. Plenty of spaces in Lido (where we ate most meals), Pinnacle Grill (1 lunch and 1 dinner), Canaletto (1 dinner). No long lines at Grand Dutch Café, Deli, Dive-In or bars. Maybe our timing was responsible for that but we weren't ever the first or last to dine. Plenty of space to browse the shops, art gallery, etc. Never had trouble finding a place to sit for shows or talks - and we never went especially early. Didn't use the pools, but as we walked through the pool areas, there seemed to be unoccupied lounges.

I agree. True Service Dogs are well-behaved and welcome everywhere. Imposters should NOT be welcomed anywhere in public. IMO. Same things happen on land. "Service Dogs" not on leashes in stores. "Service Dogs" sitting in child area of shopping carts.

The soda card is for soda only - not bottled water.