naturelovergirl

@DWhit I planned to take Cunard to Alaska in 2020… obviously that did not happen. BUT We have now booked Cunard for Alaska for 2023. Certainly we love the Cunard experience… but one of the things I love about what Cunard offers for Alaska is the excellent itinerary. We will get both Hubbard Glacier AND Glacier Bay National Park! Plus we want to go to Sitka. I think as far as excursions it is really up to you whether to do ship excursions, book independently, or explore on your own. There will be plenty of vendors who will want your business in port. We plan to do a mix of both ship excursions and independent exploring. We can’t wait!

Here is a lovely sunset view from St Andrews State Park tonight in the Panhandle of Florida. Enjoyed riding our bicycles from our RV site to the Gulf of Mexico side of the park.

We found Cunard to have an extensive wine list. We also had a wonderful sommelier. I should not think you would ever have a problem ordering a Rosé onboard. We do not purchase the drink package on Cunard, opting instead to just buy drinks as we wish. It is our preference.

We absolutely loved our experience in Britannia! (Seriously, most comments about "steerage" and such are just said tongue-in-cheek with a wink... everything is so nice onboard) Our balcony cabin (pre covid) was lovely, and we enjoyed our meals very much! Even the very few times we were not thrilled with part of our meal, the items were replaced with something else that we liked better. Cunard is beautiful... and the experience is what you make of it- It matters not what room you are in and in which dining room you dine. Cunard allows you to have the voyage that you want. We will look forward to being in another Britannia balcony to Alaska next summer!

Nice to hear! I think that many of us will be glad of this! All is fine here in Central FL. We have returned from our family cruise with my in laws (on the cruise line owned by the famous mouse) My nieces had a ball… it is absolutely true that the cruise line is very family friendly and kid centric. My husband and I had a good time with the family- seriously any travel on the water is fun for us… but I must admit that it was not “relaxing”. It was a go go go experience. I’m absolutely recuperating at home after the cruise! Hahaha! The food was alright… the Disney fans will tell you on their groups and such that their cruise food is the greatest of all lines… but we disagree. It was fine. One meal was outstanding, but the rest were standard, in our opinion. I will say the line was fantastic in their entertainment… albeit it is all very Disney all the time… but the quality of their singers was beyond excellent! Also, fireworks at sea was very impressive. It did make the two of us crave our Cunard experience, though… where the two of us can explore the world, relax, learn, be enriched, and just be.

@TonopahI have not read my cruise critic for several days… and I just read your posts on this thread. Sorry you have been dealing with this. Your bread loaves are gorgeous, by the way (I bake bread too)… and I Certainly Hope that your senses of taste and smell return very very soon. Such a strange virus… how it affects people differently… how some people have their smell and taste affected while others do not. When my husband got it at the start of April, he kept his smell and his taste… and he did not have a fever… but it took his voice. It took him about a month to get his full vocal range back.

Thanks so much. I do not qualify for the Senior Pass yet- but both of my parents have their passes- and you can bet I will get mine when I am eligible. We are all big nature people in my family, and we love our National Parks so much. We have had some magnificent trips that we took with them to Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Acadia. My husband and I did purchase the America The Beautiful Pass earlier this year in anticipation for this trip, since we knew we would be going to so many National Parks. We purchased it for the year at Everglades National Park during the winter months before it got too buggy- camped down in the Flamingo section in our RV, rented a boat, rode our bicycles in Shark Valley, and had a fabulous time. Got the Pass and a mini vacation at the same time! Interesting that the National Park passes are not able to be used at Gettysburg.

Hello from Central FL. This summer we are busy with work and the travel which comes with work (thank goodness). We are also planning a few fun summer trips. We will be taking a cruise with my in-laws on the cruise line owned by a famous mouse. That should be interesting... I am certainly looking forward to seeing my young nieces enjoy it all. I must admit, I have not been very impressed with some of the pre-planning with the mouse's cruise line, though. They run their reservation system for excursions and on-board activities in a very high-stakes competitive way... and that is tough when kids are involved who are dreaming of their time on board. I was also less than pleased with the online check in process... very glitchy and stressful. I'm sure the onboard experience will be better. Then, we are planning a US National Parks trip for just us later in the summer. We will be flying out West and then doing a big road trip to hit some of the National Parks we have not been to yet or want to see more in depth (Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison, Rocky Mountain, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forrest, Mesa Verde, and Carlsbad Canyons) It will be a grand adventure! Can't wait!

Does anyone have experience with the Chops Lunch on Embarkation Day? (Not the one included with THE KEY... but a reserved lunch time on Day 1 before the ship sails) We have reservations for Chops during lunch on Embarkation Day. We will absolutely be eating before the rooms are typically ready. So We will have our carry-on bags with us (just like we do when we eat in the buffet before the rooms are ready) Is having our carry-on bags with us a problem in Chops? Thanks! 🙂