hallux

In the banner at the top of the page is a "research" section, then you can pick to research Alaska cruises and view ratings of ships sailing in Alaska.  Here's the link I ended up at, to help you out - https://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=1&section=ships

That's at least a start.

On 2/5/2019 at 1:44 PM, TanaQ said:

Or do I just buy the tix from the Space center and Uber it? Thank you!

Depending on when you're there (or if you pre-purchase the tickets) - not a great idea.  I was on Anthem last April, it was during a school break week and there was a SpaceX launch that day.  We spent 3 hours on the bus between the port and KSC.  Halfway there they found out that anyone that didn't already have tickets was being turned away (we did, through the excursion, of course).  They ended up requesting to detour us on roads only open to KSC vehicles, and getting approval for it.

Now, we may have run into unusual circumstances - 2 or 3 ships in port (there was a Disney ship there and maybe another RCI ship at another terminal), spring break week, SpaceX launch - but it was one of those situations that reinforces suggestions to just go through the cruise line since the tour went out of their way to get us there (and in time for the launch).  I was glad we had only done the transportation and entry, we hardly had time to do much while there.

6 hours ago, SRF said:

My TA just runs my credit card through to the cruise line for payment.

Mine did the same, on a Sunday even.  She sent me an email early in the morning, then called me at a reasonable hour to confirm the final payment and any changes I wanted to make so she could make the adjustments while on the phone with them.

I believe when you sign up for the app package you are assigned a "phone number" in the app so others can communicate with you through the app.  If you don't sign up for the $9.99 app communication package, that wouldn't be assigned so you couldn't communicate with others through the app.

I would absolutely carry some form of photo ID off the ship - either DL or passport.  I know for certain that in Nassau you need to show that with the Seapass card in order to get into the port area, they want to be sure the person presenting the card is the person that's supposed to be presenting it.

Looks to me as though the Concierge Family Inside cabins on the Joy are in the same location in the ship as the Studio cabins on Bliss..

38 minutes ago, ldubs said:

Using iMessages to an Android will not work if you are only on wifi

For your edification - The Messages protocol (which is what is used iPhone to iPhone) is an Apple-proprietary protocol.  When messaging an Android device it falls back to regular texting, which requires a cellular connection.

Can always refer to the RCI website...

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/food-drink-onboard-policy

Milk and distilled water brought on for infant, medical, or dietary use are permitted.

11 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

The security people at the ports aren’t checking to see what nationality you are the6 are just looking at the photo and your ship card.

I think this is the key piece of info.  The port people are simply checking to be sure that the person presenting the SeaPass card is the person that is SUPPOSED to present that card.  All they care about is making sure those that are entering the port area are supposed to be there.

Of course - carrying your passport covers you for undesirable contingencies like being late back to the ship (and missing it) or having a medical emergency while ashore.

During my previous cruises on Royal Caribbean, yes.  As long as you have your ship ID with you, you can come and go as you please.  Most/all ports will also require that you have photo ID to enter the port area to get to the ship so be sure to have that with you as well.

@twicindi your pictures have me wanting to visit those places.  I've been to the Teotihuacan Pyramids/ruins outside Mexico City.  I was seriously considering my next trip to include one of these ports but went with a Pacific Coastal instead.  Now I want to do a Mexico trip!

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Staying at LAX (hotels have shuttles) would require only one transfer- the next morning to the port. Staying in Long Beach would mean LAX transfer to hotel and taxi/Uber to port the next day. 

And this is the option I'm taking for my trip in April.  My hotel is practically walking-distance from the Southwest terminal (I'm flying in on Southwest) at LAX.  The cruise line will have transfers you can book from the airport to the port, just need to take the hotel's free shuttle back to the airport to grab it (usually $35 I believe).

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Note that Los Angeles is huge with attractions spread out over great distances

Should add that those great distances are accompanied by insane traffic.  I was considering a Dodger's game the night before my cruise but at 2 hours each way from LAX to the stadium it just isn't worth it.

27 minutes ago, Dagnis said:

Is wifi realy costing an arm and a leg to use?

You're not required to get it.  I'm in my late 30's and haven't gotten WiFi on either of my 2 previous cruises and don't plan to get it on my cruise in April.  If you HAVE to be online for work, does it matter what the cost is if the company is paying for it?

Enjoy the quiet time with your new bride!

32 minutes ago, Dagnis said:

When stopping at port, is it cheaper to use local guide or use PO organised ones? (We travelled around the europe just two of us, we get along with things alright i guess)

I don't know about PO, but generally if you book a tour privately there is a risk that if the tour is late returning to the pier you will miss the ship and will be responsible for finding your own way home or to the next port, possibly without your documents.

Check with the cruise line on their policies regarding alcohol, the policies in Europe may be different than here in the US.  On US embarkations I think most cruise lines only allow one 750ml bottle of wine per stateroom.  That is also ONLY at initial embarkation, you're not allowed to bring any on at ports of call.

13 minutes ago, cincicruisers said:

I downloaded the ap but I don't see how to set up texting??

You probably need to do it once on board the ship.  Keep in mind - that $10 only covers texting within the ship to others that have the app and have paid for the feature, you'll need an internet plan for WiFi texting to people on-shore or need to pay for the cell-at-sea service.

I say the ellipticals should give special "extra credit" on particularly rough days.  Had one on RCCL's Explorer several years ago, was on the elliptical and found it took extra energy to stay on the machine.

4 hours ago, crookedhalo said:

I have a friend who is gluten intolerant, and they would walk with her and when she wanted something they would get it from a tray under the open server (one in the warmer beneath) to avoid cross contamination.

I seem to recall there also be a gluten-free section all the way aft in the WJ, near the doors to the open deck.  I don't need it but I was on a trip with someone who did and all the food they ate there came from that section and they never had an issue.

We also found the MDR folks VERY attentive to this need.  We "reserved" the same table with the same head waiter/staff for the entire trip.  Each night they would bring the next night's menu so those that needed special diet considerations could select what they wanted so it could be prepared as needed for them.  There were 9 of us, that crew got a VERY generous additional cash tip as there were no side-effects of having contaminated food the entire trip.

18 hours ago, BigSis603 said:

Thank you everyone for all the excellent information given.  It will help us make our final plans and has us rethinking whether we even want to drive.

There's an alternative.  If you've never been to the Northern part of NY, there's a bus company that does cruise shuttles for $90 per person round-trip from Albany.  Many hotels in the Albany area allow you to park for free during your stay and the bus company allows free parking at their facility.

Cooperstown (baseball hall of fame) is an easy day trip.  Saratoga Battlefield is a nice tour, Lake George (though not for swimming in May), Fort Ticonderoga, the Adirondacks in general.  There's plenty to find to do during a couple day visit and it's MUCH more relaxed than the hustle and bustle of NYC.

If you look at the deck plans for deck 6, you can see the wall that separates the library from the theater, there are no doors though.  You can also see the door from the "hotel" section that I mentioned.

If I recall - there were also some chairs that could be moved around near the starboard windows (the bar is on the port side) on the main level in that lounge/theater, and some tables.  You could set him up there with his back to the room (though he'd be facing the sea).  The aft-most section would be the most obstructed for seeing the rest of the room but it's also a walkway.  Go there on embarkation day and check it out, I believe this is also the preferred or only place to grab a bite during that time between boarding and sail away.

You could also check with guest services, or whatever guest services division would support "special needs" and see if they can make an accommodation, but they'll probably just suggest you use the one room they can assure you can be set aside - your cabin.

Look back near the Two70 theater, there's a library that's pretty segregated and I don't think gets significant traffic, you could try there if he can get there.  If it helps, I think there's actually a door from the "hotel" hall on deck 6 that exits to the library.  You might get some noise from Two70 but during the day it shouldn't be horrible as it's a lounge of sorts if I recall (our cruise director was a fill-in and may not have actually utilized that room to its maximum so my experience may not be helpful).  Shoot - the Two70 might work as well if there's no activity planned.  The library is deck 6, behind the balcony of Two70, the main Two70 venue is on deck 5.

I'm just not sure if the speech therapy would be a problem for others that might be there.  I know there wasn't much reading material in the library and there were actually some board games when I sailed on Anthem last April.

6 hours ago, pbenjamin said:

Our flight is at 5:45. Any ideas on what one might do with one's luggage if they wanted to spend some time looking around?

I understand there may be 2 options.  One would be to arrange EZ Check with NCL but apparently not all airlines participate and you need to arrange early in the cruise (2nd-hand info here), leaving your bag out the night before and paying a fee.  The other is a service at Canada Center (www.cdsbaggage.ca) that will transport your bags to YVR and hold them there for you to pick up then check with your airline.  I think someone mentioned that the fee covers up to 4 bags.  I plan to use that service when I arrive on Bliss on that May 4 arrival - my flight isn't until 11 PM and I'm planning a tour (which will take my bag for me) but the tour will end long before I need to be at the airport and I don't want to be wrangling my bag between the end of the tour and when I need to go to the airport.

I also prefer NOT carrying dirty laundry in my carry-on bag so I plan to self-carry my main bag off the ship.

7 hours ago, tennislvr8 said:

The staffed lot isn't your biggest concern. The biggest concern is will you have access to the public transportation. 

And you won't.  I even saw one website that mentions that if you take the public transit to the nearest stop, you then need to grab a taxi from there to the terminal as pedestrian traffic is not allowed on the road out to the terminal from 440.  I can assure you, it is NOT a pedestrian-friendly road.

That $52/day to park at the hotel is looking like a better and better deal, isn't it?  I still say exploration of Laz Parking for another garage is worth the look.  I'm not sure about being able to leave with your car, my only experience with it was parking at 1 and leaving at 10 while using the subway to get around during the day.  I HIGHLY suggest just leaving the car in the garage and using the subway to get around, unless you have plans to go places beyond where that or other rail can take you.

For the OP - not sure if it was on your radar but the 9/11 museum is absolutely worth the visit and will occupy a full morning or afternoon.  Be careful with this though, when you buy your "ticket" you have to specify a time you want to go and you have a small window on either side of that for getting into the museum.  I lucked out that they actually let me in before my "window" opened but it was raining pretty good that day.  If you want to see a show, I really enjoyed Come From Away, which is a based on what the folks in Gander, Newfoundland, went through when their airport was the diversion point for so many flights on 9/11.

30 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

It varies by ship, but normally sometime between 5:00 and 6:00... The first meeting usually convenes at a public bar, then subsequent meetings will occur in the Studio Lounge. Your 5:30 reservation is almost definitely going to cause you to miss some or all of the first gathering...

Thanks.  On hold now waiting to get it changed to another night.

Just curious - at what time do these initial meetings on embarkation day happen for the Studio travelers?  I just booked to dine in Q on Bliss at 5:30 on embarkation day but now I'm concerned that this will interfere.

Thanks

Of more concern - I'm not sure there's any public transit within comfortable walking distance if you have luggage.  It's quite a ride out to the garage/terminal from the main road (440) that parallels the shore.  There are some light rail stops along 440 but you're looking at a walk of almost 2 miles to get there from the parking garage.  You could get a taxi but there goes any savings on the cost of the garage.

Check out lazparking.com  You can book a spot in any number of garages in NY.  Not sure they'll be much cheaper than your $56/day but it might save you some.  It cost me $32 to park from noon to 10 PM near Battery Park on a weekday.  Once parked, you can use the subway to get anywhere for $2.75 per ride, and if you have to change trains there's no extra charge if you don't go through the turnstyles (most interchange stations have pathways between lines inside the gates).

52 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I think the luxury lines might have that program.

I understand this to mean NCL doesn't offer this?  Guess I'll have to check my bag at the pier with the company that will transfer it to the airport...

They usually cruise with Princess.