Kitty Ellas Mom

I've asked this before, but now it's decision time and I still can't decide. Sigh. I have until May 7 to decide if I'm going on the Aug 5 Majestic Princess to Alaska 7 day solo, b/c that's PIF day. The other option I booked is a large group cruise on Caribbean Princess embarking Sept 19. and 10 days. Both trips would end up being the same # days b/c I'd spend more time in Vancouver and Anchorage if I do the shorter cruise. I've long seen the Alaska as a "go go go" cruise whereas the Canada cruise is more relaxing. I am much more interested in seeing Alaska but I really want to go with the group, not completely solo. There are specific people from the group I'd like to meet. This is my first cruise, originally booked for June 2020, then 21, then 22 (and I lost that one due to a family emergency). So I really want to go on one of these, which I booked as soon as the family emergency was over so that I'd have a cruise to look fwd to again. I'm not worried about covid, but do expect the Alaska to be more crowded than the other (is that accurate?). I got a significant price reduction on the Canada cruise recently when my TA re-fared everybody but couldn't get that b/c the Alaska is costing more now than when I booked. I wonder if I wait until 2024 for Alaska will it be a lot more expensive. Should I expect a Canada / New England cruise at this time to sell out too? I know it's earlier than the peak leaf watching season. Thanks for any advice. Overall the decision might be down to whether I'm comfortable missing 12 days of my kids' school or not. DH is willing to be the only parent available during this time but I feel bad b/c I can do the Alaska one during summer and it be easier on everyone.

Thank you all for continuing to answer my question from Sept 2022. I had forgotten I asked it, but it does inform me as I choose between this cruise and an Alaska one I booked for August. I still haven't decided, but I have until early May.

Hi, I'm very out of the loop here on CC, but I still have an Alaska Princess cruise booked for early August that goes to Skagway and I'm wondering how things are looking for that port to happen. It's Majestic Princess departing Aug 5. I get the idea from reading other posts that it's sort of up in the air if we'd get to go there or not, and tendering might be required. I'm still trying to decide between that cruise solo and Caribbean Princess 10 day to Canada / New England in mid Sept with a large group. The Skagway train is high up on my list of must dos but it probably wouldn't be a deal breaker if we didn't make it, b/c it's still my first cruise and lots to experience. But if I knew with a fair degree of certainty that Skagway would be skipped I'd probably do the other cruise and tentatively plan Alaska for 2024.....

It's at Saint John, for the Bay of Fundy. There are other options for just being in the town mostly. I've never been so anything would be new to me.

I am very curious about the Hopewell Rocks but the excursion involves 2 hrs on a bus each way, and I am aware that our short time on the excursion won't be long enough to see the complete dramatic changing of the tides. This is Caribbean Princess and late Sept. I am looking at tide tables. Overall this is just something I want to see but I don't know if I can handle 4 hrs on a bus. I've also read to expect that if I get to walk on the low tide area that it will be very mucky and my shoes might come off. If I go I will bring a pair of old beat up shoes for this purpose if I can fit them into the suitcase. I'm wondering if I should just do something easy at this port instead. It's a 10 day cruise with only one sea day and it's my first ever cruise. I plan to go into all the ports but could see myself ending up skipping one. I want a nice, relaxing vacation. I did already book this excursion but it's refundable until a few days before.

Thanks all. I'm finding myself leaning towards booking a hotel so that I won't stress about my first ever disembarkation. Also, I hate flying, so having that extra time to unwind after disembarkation, before having to deal with the airport again, would be good for me.

Yes, we have an overnight in Quebec. But my plan for my first cruise, when it was supposed to be an Alaska cruise, included an overnight after disembarkation just to avoid an awful travel day. I am new to disembarkation and like the idea of having a buffer before my flight day, plus more time at the port. I don't fly well. Although in this case it seems like the hotel stay might be unnecessary. My original first cruise has been rescheduled 3x b/c of covid, and the cruise itself changed a lot.

I'm on the fence about whether or not to get a hotel for a night after disembarkation in Quebec on Sept 29. This is Caribbean Princess from Brooklyn to Quebec. I'm assuming that since the last port is Quebec with an overnight the chances of the ship not getting to Quebec in time to disembark on time are low. This is my first cruise and I'm not sure how I'll handle disembarkation and getting to the airport, so I'm leaning towards getting a hotel and flying the next day. Do you have any suggestions for a (mid range) hotel in Quebec? Thanks.

I haven't been on my cruise yet but I'm booked solo on a 7 day Alaska on Majestic. I remember there being solo cruisers asking questions on the Alaska forum. I've been booked on this since 2019 and it kept being delayed for covid and then I had a family emergency when it finally sailed last June (I was originally on a group cruise but now am completely solo). Booked this August and hoping it finally happens, fingers crossed. To me the excursions for Alaska are the type of thing that can easily be enjoyed solo. One thing that appealed to me about the Alaska itineraries for a first cruise, and solo, is that the ports are easy to navigate and seem very safe.

Thank you for all the feedback. It is very helpful! One thing that I didn't say is that the same group is going to Alaska in summer 2024, so there is the possibility of doing both cruises with the group. But, given the costs involved I don't know if I"m up for a trip both years.

It's my first ever cruise, and I've never been to Alaska before. I want to do the same itinerary I was booked on for 2020, 21, and 22 that I never got to go on, which is a one way Vancouver to Anchorage (canceled for covid twice and then death in the family the 3rd time). I have specific hotels and activities planned for Vancouver and Anchorage. I do want to see Seattle someday but not for the cruise b/c I want the long days in port you get from the Vancouver departure. I would not have chosen the 10 day or Canada / New England without it being the group cruise organized by the travel agent, as I've seen some of the places it's going to, such as Boston. But I love this part of the country (US) and have never seen any of Canada except the very commercialized part right at Niagara Falls. Quebec seems like a city I will love.

I asked this maybe in June when I had to cancel my long awaited Majestic to Alaska group cruise, but I still haven't made a decision. I rebooked 2 cruises but will only take one: either early August 2023 Majestic Princess to Alaska solo 7 night, or mid Sept 2023 Caribbean Princess to Canada / New England 10 night with the same group (large group) I was originally supposed to go with. I would mostly be solo but could join the group for activities. I am surprised that I still can't decide and it's been 7 months. I would prefer to go to Alaska and that is a preferable time for my family b/c DH won't have to deal with getting kids to school. But, I really wanted to go with the group and find the other seems much more relaxing. We've had a terrible last 2 yrs and I really need relaxation. Alaska seems very go go go. Also, it's much easier to get to the Caribbean Princess b/c I'm in the DC area and can simply take the train to NYC, whereas it's very $$$ and long, complicated flights to get to Vancouver. That's a large reason why I'm leaning towards the Caribbean princess--I don't handle flying well and don't want the extra covid risk of really long flights with connections before the cruise even starts. Flying home from Quebec doesn't seem nearly as daunting. I already booked the excursions I wanted for Alaska since I first booked it in 2019, including the dog sledding on the glacier by helicopter, but I know these are easily canceled. I haven't yet booked any excursions for the other cruise. It will be my first cruise. Thanks for any advice.

I don't have first hand experience with this but I've read several articles saying that if you buy a plane ticket in your maiden name and then change that is not allowed. She should definitely check with the cruise line before booking. It sounds to me like this could get difficult. I hope it works out.

I still haven't been on my Alaska cruise I've been researching for 3 yrs but a large part of what drew me to the location is that the ports look easy to navigate, and safe, which to me as a solo cruiser and first timer was important. If you're looking at Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau they all seem easy to get to, pretty close to the ship. Although with a rock slide in Skagway recently they had to do some tendering and other workarounds, and I don't know the plans long term for that. I chose Princess and that was partly for Glacier Bay and partly because Princess just seems to suit my personality.

Oops, you are right that I meant embarkation. The cruise begins in NY and ends in Quebec.

I will be taking the Amtrak train so might have to travel to Brooklyn from there.....

I'm on the Caribbean Princess Canada /New England departing Sept 19, 2023 and the disembarkation is listed as "New York (Manhattan or Brooklyn)." So, when can I find out if it is Manhattan or Brooklyn? How does this work? I want to be sure that the hotel I book for the night before is relatively near to the cruise port. I'm sure this is a basic thing that cruisers know but it's my first cruise so I don't know. Thanks for any info. My plan is to take the Amtrak train into NYC the day before disembarkation. It's a little early to book the hotel I have in mind and the Amtrak so I haven't made those plans yet but probably will in about a month, when that date comes available.

Thank you all for your responses. I would never intend to be impolite, which is why I asked the question. I just imagined myself sitting, alone at my table since I'm solo, for an hour or more if the server never came back. I realize that probably won't happen. I still have yet to be on my first cruise b/c I was. booked summer 2020, 21, and 22, and almost got to go but then something happened in my family. So now I am booked summer 23. Definitely hoping to get out there and get some real cruise experience after reading about it (and wayyyyyy overthinking everything!) since I discovered cruising in 2019.

This may sound like a really dumb question, but my first cruise will be on Princess and I've heard so many bad things about the main dining room. If I get my food in the MDR and it's really terrible is it ok to just leave and go to one of the locations with burgers, pizza, or international cafe etc? Is it required to explain to the server why I'm leaving or can I just leave? I've read so much about servers being unavailable that I wonder if I'd be sitting there a very long time looking at food I don't want. I will be solo so will have complete flexibility with my dining. I don't want to be rude but I also wouldn't want to waste my time. Thank you for any advice. I will be on either Majestic or Caribbean Princess.

The timetable I looked at was for this Sept b/c 2023 Sept isn't available yet. Still, I felt like it was probably representative.

It appears that the tide would still be fairly high when the tour would be there. They say there is "partial access." I will admit that this makes the tour seem less interesting. I had wanted to see the full rocks.

Thank you for your response. I do not need a wheelchair or cane etc. I can take stairs. But I do have a back issue that makes it hard to walk for hours and hours. I tend to think that I could do this activity. That is a good point about the bus ride being scenic.

I bought many clothes, mostly light layers of jackets, for Alaska and then couldn't go last June b/c of a family emergency. So, it sounds like I'm probably set for this new cruise. They were from Eddie Bauer too. 🙂

I'm on a mid Sept 2023 Canada / New England cruise on Caribbean Princess. One of the excursions I'm interested in is to the Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy, but I have a big hesitation b/c it is listed as "strenuous" activity. I haven't been on a cruise yet but have figured I could do anything labeled "easy" or "moderate" activity--I'm in decent shape but am in that "knees / back aren't what they used to be" stage. Can anyone who has been there explain why it would be "strenuous" to simply walk down to the rocks and walk around? I get the impression it's very steep and the ground is unpredictable since it's ocean floor. It says there are about 300 yards you have to walk over pebbles and wet beach. It does say in the fine print that they can't guarantee to be there at low tide, so it's sort of unknown what you get, or are these tides really predictable? It leaves at 8 am and takes 2 hrs so we'd be at the site from about 10 am to 12:30 pm. I'm really fascinated with the rock formations but there are a lot of other things to do in our one stop at Saint John that might be easier. Also, part of the problem is it's a 2 hr bus ride there, which sounds like no fun. On the way back they break that up with a short stop at a beach, then it's a 1.5 hr drive back to the ship. Just so far as I've seen from the other excursions nothing is as fascinating to me as these rock formations.

I know I can look this up, but what are real experiences of what to wear on a Canada / New England cruise from mid Sept to end Sept? I'm going from NYC to Quebec on Princess. I expect cold and windy from what I've read so far. I am asking b/c I think that a ship experience might be different than an on land experience, and what I look up generic weather it wouldn't be a ship perspective. Thanks!