Sail away MK

On the home screen, to the right of BOOK DINING there is a PACKAGES screen. When I click that it lists all the benefits of the Premier Package. Only problem is, I have the PLUS package. Should I quickly book my SD before they fix that error?

I looked into fishing in Ketchikan on June 3. The vendor I spoke to was glad to take a booking but when asked about the likelihood of catching he kind of stuttered. I asked if he would recommend a trip for his father at that time Wellll no. I did not book.

Any ideas on when to nab a deal on Alaskan Airfare? I see they have dropped at bit and am ready to book. Do you know if it is possible to disembark in Vancouver and make an 11:20 plane?

This year's Alaska Toursaver coupon book had the stipulation that it could not be used on a Friday, and one of the cities must be an Alaskan airport. We are planning on flying into Anchorage Friday for a Sunday start to a land tour, and would be flying home from Vancouver at the end of our cruise so it will not work for us if that is the same for 2024

We are actually a group of 60. 12 of us want to go to the Glacier, Shrine, Jensen-Olsen then the brewery. Another 25 are doing a planned tour to the Gasteneau Gold mine. Some are whale watching, some are taking a helicopter for a sled dog experience, some are wandering town. I am charged with finding info on the the van portion for the 12. The Princess van is looking good.

On past cruises to Mexico or the Caribbean, there were always drivers at the ports willing to take your group where ever you wanted to go, or even give a tour of the area. Does Juneau have that? We are a group of 12 and would like a van and driver to take us to several places around town for a couple of hours. I cannot find any company which does this for under $2500 for a group that large. We would hate to wait until we dock and would prefer to book something in advance. Any ideas for companies I might contact? We would prefer not to rent vehicles as the driver does not get a relaxed experience.

After much frustration with the corporate numbers, I called Avis in Whittier and got the number for the Avis ticket counter at Anchorage airport. Finally spoke to someone on site and they were able to book for me. Huge add ons for Anchorage, tourism & airport tax, plus drop off in Whittier fee ($150). I also discovered Midnight Sun rentals in Anchorage with lower rental prices but a higher drop off fee ($250). Since we are a group of 7 renting a van for 4 days and exploring the Kenai Peninsula, we went with Midnight Sun. If I were only concerned about getting to Whittier o the day of the cruise, I would probably do A.C.T. (Anchorage Cruise Transfer) which has a bus for $70 that does photo stops along the Turnagain Arm, and includes an excursion at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center before getting you to the ship in Whittier.

I am sailing May 29 but doing an On My Own tour throughout the Kenai the week before (Big van for 7 people, paying extra for drop off in Whittier, BOOKED) . I am planning to use the TourSaver book to book airfare and many excursions so I need to wait about a month before that comes out (All hotels are already booked). I will have dinner reservations booked as we get closer. Fri 5/24 It may take a full day to fly from Southern Ca to Anchorage with a layover in Seattle so we have nothing planned for travel day. Sat 5/25 SLEEP IN then trolley tour, pick up the van, grocery shopping, more sight seeing Sun 5/26 Drive and stop along Turnagain Arm, Stop for a hike @ Virgin Creek Waterfall, Visit Alaskan Wilderness Conservation Center, Raft float trip in Cooper Landing, Lodging in Soldotna . Mon 5/27 Drive to Homer: Some go Halibut Fishing, some go sight seeing/ shopping, back to Soldotna for the night Tues 5/28 Drive to Seward, Helicopter Glacier Dog Sledding (huge splurge, BOOKED), then Sightseeing in town, Stay at Harbor 360 Wed 5/29 Portage Glacier Cruise, thru the tunnel and onboard the Grand by 1pm. Meet up with the 50 others who are part of my group and let the cruise fun begin... or take a nap. Does anyone have any experiences in waiting for the Toursaver book? Can I still get reasonable airfare at that time? I'm hoping to see a drop in airfare as we reach that 6 month out mark. Will excursions book up by Thanksgiving? We will probably buy 2 Toursaver books so we all get the airfare discount and hopefully can use a few BOGO coupons on excursions. I'm a little nervous to wait but I'm juggling being an advanced planner vs saving money.

I am actually renting a car in Anchorage and will spend a few days exploring the Kenai Peninsula. We will visit Wildlife Conservation Center, Cooper Landing, Soldotna, Homer, and Seward. On our last day we need to juggle whatever activity we want to do with timing of the tunnel. We drop off the car in Whittier (for a hefty fee) and that's where I'm stumped with timing. We could do the quick Portage Glacier cruise before the tunnel to end the trip, or just get on board if we can do so around 11. I have heard conflicting reports. Some say go onboard for lunch then get off for an excursion, others say only b2b cruisers can get off the ship. How early has anyone gotten onboard in Whittier? Can you get back off after lunch? Thanks for the help.

For my upcoming cruise, we are leaving from Whittier at 8:30 pm. My travel summary states boarding time is 12:30 to 8pm Can I get on the ship earlier to have lunch? After lunch can I get off the ship to explore Whittier? OR.. Is it better to drop off the luggage (how early?) and do a bit of exploring before we get on the ship? I'm down to the details and would appreciate any advice from those who have done this cruise.

I read that on Princess sailings to Alaska they celebrate Festivals of the World with an activity called Klondike Days. Has anyone experienced this? Is there special food? Presentations? The only mention I have heard about is when they bring on the puppies in the Piazza. It says there will be a penny whistle class. What is that? Thanks. Inquiring minds want to know.

When I checked online It showed Harbor 360 was sold out for the date I needed, yet when I called the hotel directly, it was no trouble booking. And it was cheaper than what they showed online.

I am moving ahead on my planning as well. I think we are a week after you No1RaceFan1 . I can't book my van from Midnight sun until September but I do have all pre cruise hotels and a TURO booked for Juneau. Our plan is to travel the Kenai Peninsula before we cruise. Starting to look at excursions now. I am looking at the Toursaver book which I cannot get until October so here's my updated plan so far: Saturday May 25 fly to Anchorage Alaskan Air uses Toursaver so may wait on booking air. Pick up van & shop at Walmart Springhill suites booked with points. We are a group of 7 adults for the pre cruise tour. Dinner at Moose Tooth? Sunday 5/26 Driving sightseeing day: Breakfast at hotel. Pack a lunch. Photo stops along the Turnagain Arm. Visit Wildlife Conservation Center. Drive to Cooper Landing for Float excursion. Drive thru the Skilak loop on our way to Soldotna for the night. Spruce Haven Lodge booked. Dinner at Addie Camp? Monday 5/27 some go fishing, probably halibut, some go sightseeing & drive to Homer. Stops incl Anchor Point & Ninichik. Lunch & shopping in Homer. Dinner in Soldotna at ? Tuesday 5/28 Drive to Seward. Stop at Moose Pass Maybe do flightseeing there. Arrive Seward by lunch and do Major Marine Orca quest and Seevey sled dog cart ride. Hotel 360 booked. Wednesday 5/29 Drive to Whittier. Visit Exit Glacier on way out of town. Get the 11:30 tunnel and be on the Grand Princess around noonish. We will pay extra to be able to drop the van in Whittier. I am meeting the rest of my group of 46 friends so need to check on our nightly cocktail gathering spot and MDR area asap. (Its a fundraising cruise for the Elks) Group tours I'm considering. I do not go thru the cruise line for my excursions so we can all be together. My philosophy on running a group is to provide an option for those who do not want to plan on their own but share info about what people could book if they are more adventurous. Skagway: Private bus: 3 hr city tour & drive to Klondike. Afterwords explore town on our own. Visit the Elks lodge. Juneau: I'm renting a car to go to the glacier, shrine of St T., Glacier Gardens? and the brewery. Others may individually go whale watching or Mendenhall tour. Group tour going gold mining at Gastineau Mine. We all meet up at Red Dog for a duck fart. Ketchikan: Private group tour of city, rainforest, and a totem park. I may go flightseeing. Then visit the Elks lodge. Any other ideas or advice? I too am in a lull right now. Excursion people are pretty much saying they are not booking until September, but I am able to get my group busses early. TIA

Thank you all. I think I'll book it

Has anyone ever done the Gold mine tour in Juneau? Hubby is interested but I'm not sure. Yes we have been to Mendenhall 15 years ago and he wants to remember it the way it was. Thank you for your input.

We are flying home from Vancouver. I was hoping there was a similar program there for cruise ship to airport ease.

We are disembarking from our Princess southbound voyage of the glaciers in Vancouver. I have heard people talk about port valet in Seattle, but is it also available in Vancouver? How does it work? Do we need to use Princess transfers to the airport? Must we use Princess ez-air? I am about to book airfare for next May and want to get all my ducks in a row. Thanks all!

Amazon has some waterproof shoe/boot covers for under $20. Pack them in your backpack and put them over your regular shoes if needed.

Has anyone been to Potlatch Park to see the totems there? I have heard good things.

I took my son and two of his friends age 22-24 on an Eastern Carribean cruise a couple of years ago and they LOVED it. One won the "Best Legs" contest by the pool; they enjoyed dancing until late when most people had gone to bed; They got dressed up for dinner on formal nights and "adopted" some people in their 80's whom they called Grandma and Grandpa the entire cruise. Just don't expect the daughters to hang out with you the entire time, because they will be busy on their own.

I lucked out and nabbed a pair of Keen waterproof hiking boots IN MY SIZE in GREAT condition at Goodwill for $5. Now I feel justified in splurging on a puffer.

Thank you so much. I will be in Alaska the first week of June 2024.

Is there a great place onboard to get amazing scenic views? On some ships there is a deck right above the bridge which is only opened at certain times for special viewing. Does the Grand have that? Which deck? Any "secret" spots?

My 8 year old loved the dog cart through the woods for about 20 minutes and playing with puppies. That is NOTHING like flying in a helicopter to a glacier and riding a real dog sled. If you can afford it do the helicopter.

Welcome to cruising! I suggest you spend some time watching YouTube videos about Alaska. Life Well Cruised is in Alaska this week. You can also get advice and packing lists. For ports watch the videos from Parodeejay; just type in port city name on their channel. As for what to do, I always look first at what excursions the cruise is offering then I try to find it on my own. Just type their title in your search engine and so much comes up. I have only taken one cruiseline excursion in 10 years. I will be on the Grand in Alaska in June of 24 but I have everything decided already. My plan is to fly in to Anchorage a few days early, rent a car and visit Cooper Landing, Homer and Seward before we get to Whittier. In Skagway, I'm doing a private van tour to the Yukon. I'm renting a car in Juneau to visit Mendenhall on our own, then going to Glacier Gardens, Shrine of St Teresa, and the brewery. In Ketchikan I'm splurging on Flightseeing and crab feast. As for your cabin, the walls are metal and if you bring magnet hooks and clips you can get so much off the desk and on the walls. Check Amazon for Cruise approved power strips. In fact just type "Alaska cruise essentials" in Amazon. The Grand is a great old lady. Expect a little rust and a lot of elegance. Club One5 is a great afternoon quiet venue for looking out the windows when it is cold then going to the great aft deck for glacier viewing. It becomes a nightclub around 11pm too! Get the medallion class app and start exploring. The app is glitchy before you board but works fine when on the ship. Enjoy your adventure!