joeflow80

On another side tangent, what about baseball playoff games/World Series?

Emailed my request late last night (~9:00PM PDT) for my cruise next week. It didn't show up during the next hour I was online. I did not receive any email response beyond the initial canned acknowledgement one. Checking again this morning I do see it in my account!! 😁

The biggest swing to me is the wifi. When I go on a cruise, I want to be away from my devices. So the wifi package being added isn't a deal for me. I also don't drink coffee or specialty non-alcoholic drinks. So that means I'd probably have to average 3-5 alcoholic drinks each night. And if I go with my partner, who doesn't drink at all, I'd have to double that. But then to really mess up the math, I am considering getting the package for my upcoming solo cruise. Possibly with the idea of testing out the wifi to see if I could conceivably take my work on a ship for a future trip. Also being by myself, I wouldn't have to drink for 2.

Couple of questions here... Do they ever do upgrades upon request on embarkation day? Perhaps if the ship isn't sold out? If they do, who would one ask? I've been considering putting in an upgrade bid, but it feels wrong when the minimums are more than the marginal increase in fares between categories. For example, there is a $160 difference in base fares between an interior and balcony. I'm currently booked in an interior and the minimum bid on the standard balcony is $210. An obstructed view balcony's minimum is $35 more than the fare difference. Is this normal? I'd think the bidding option should be seen as a potential 'good deal'.

We were on the starboard side for this summer's Alaska trip. When docked at ISP, we were facing out towards the water. Because there are so many whales near this port, we were able to do watching from our balcony. Though I don't know if the ship is always facing the same direction when docked (or at the same dock).

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm following as I'll be on this ship in a few weeks. Any info on shows/entertainment would be appreciated. That's a close 2nd in importance to food in my rankings 😜

Great thread. I wanted to pop in with a couple questions if it's OK. Are there any potential billing surprises from cruising solo vs with someone? I'm specifically wondering if port taxes or gratuities are charged per room or per person. In other words, does a solo traveler have to pay double for those charges (or any other)?

What a great review. Your pictures are outstanding. We were on the Crown for the July 4-14 trip and it sometimes looks like I was in different places. Helps that you got into some of the towns before the crowds. We definitely took our time getting off the ship in ports. And some places I didn't see on this trip that I now want to go back and see. You may have convinced me to finally make the trek to Yukon if I make it back to Skagway for my 4th time. I finally saw the Lower Reid Falls on this trip and that ended up as one of our overall highlights. We also decided to wander through more of the Ketchikan neighborhoods than try the Deer Mtn. trail. Seeing your report mostly makes me glad we made that decision, but that is still a killer view. On our trip, we did still go through the Inside Passage coming home. I watched the pilot come aboard for one of the sections. We didn't have Victoria on our itinerary, so I don't know if that was a factor. Still disappointing that they wouldn't inform you beforehand though. As to the mattress discussion, ours was pretty soft, but was bearable. We were on deck 10 (Caribe).

Glad I found this thread. We sail in 2 days and my app now has the same language. However, my DW's app shows both as green. We aint gonna stress it though. Just weird.

To experience the awesomeness of the scenery (the mountains are even grander when viewed in person), I'd go for the change of pace. Weather will be your greatest variable, and frankly the biggest gamble. The trip reports for May this year showed a good number of sunny&70s days along with a fair share of gloomy,wet&50s days. And it wouldn't be unexpected to have both on the same day. You likely won't hit 40s except when close to glaciers or at night, though you can stay warm inside for those. Cold likely won't be your biggest issue, but a good chance of getting wet. Pack some good rain gear and you'll be fine. And know that the rain will be different than rain in Florida. Expect a steady drizzle more than a quick downpour. Alaska cruises are perfect for walkers. In fact, on our next one we planning exactly what you're suggesting. Get the AllTrails app/website for lots of choices. You already have a good plan for Juneau. Through the app, we found some trails to try out in Skagway & Ketchikan. Both of which are also very fun, walkable towns with many cool shops, museums, and eat/drink establishments. In ISP you can do the short walk to Hoonah. It's a very scenic walk along the shore where we spotted whales and bald eagles our last time there.

We're doing a similar itinerary for the following Crown cruise (4th-14th). I already booked the 11:30 train (bus) as we didn't think it would be possible to make the 9:00 departure. Anyone know how flexible Amtrak is if we kept our current booking and then, if we made it in time, switch to that earlier departure? Or is the reverse of that better? Switch now to the 9:00, and if we miss it could switch to the later departure? The earlier one would be preferable as we'd make it back to Albany before 8PM (instead of midnight). And also fewer bus/train/bus transfers. Is this because of going through some rough neighborhoods, or too tough a physical challenge? We'd probably be OK with the physicality of it if the sidewalks are decent. How easy is it to catch an Uber (surge pricing?) or taxi coming right off the boat?

Howdy, Looking at possibly doing a weekend cruise in late July with a group of 8. Our best options are the weekend cruises out of LA (3 day on Radiance) or SF (4 day on Miracle) down to Ensenada and back. One of the concerns is that these short cruises on the weekend might be loaded with obnoxious drunks. I figure the longer 4 day improves the odds of escaping that a bit, but is purely speculation. Any here with experience on those who can provide input? Also, where might I find what kind what all is to offer on these ships (esp food & entertainment)? It seems there are only select highlights shown on their website. Thanks

We are talking more and more about doing the Mekong River cruise for our next big adventure. However, the GF is still working as a teacher, which really only gives us the summer months to travel. It appears to be monsoon season there at the same time. So my question is has anyone done a Mekong cruise in August, and can report how the weather was? Are their rains a heavy all-day affair, or brief late afternoon pour like Hawaii? Or is this a trip we postpone until retirement and can travel during a more optimal period? Thank you